Prologue Everyone held their breath, to seal the flood of terror rising in their throats. "......

" Nina did the same. Sitting at the back of the bus, she looked out the window, peering past the short, fat businessman sitting before her with his head tucked beneath a pair of trembling arms. On the other side of the dirt-smeared window was a vast wilderness. Cracks crept across the parched ground. Jagged shards of earth rose towards the sky. A tall, dark mountain loomed before Nina. But everyone on the bus knew it wasn't a mountain. "That's......Blitzen," murmured a man sitting in the middle of the bus. He observed the dark shape through a pair of binoculars. Nina could see big drops of sweat on his face, his large Adam's apple bobbing as he gulped nervously. Nina squinted at the dark shape. It wasn't a mountain. It was a city. What looked like a mountain peak was in fact the top of a tower. Atop that tower was a tattered flag, fluttering in the wind. Nina couldn't make out the crest on the flag that carried the city's name. She couldn't confirm if the city's name was indeed what the man had uttered. A strong gust of wind struck the bus, rocking it. "Hey!" Startled and surprised, the passengers bent over in their seats and held their heads down. They curled up, instinctively trying to hide. Instead of covering her head like everyone else, Nina held her breath and continued to stare at the city, trying to see any kind of reaction from it. The city was already dead. The bus squatted on its legs, immobile. The buildings in the city were also dead. Terrible wounds were carved into most of the buildings near the city's edge. Nina could see that a part of the city's rim had been gouged away, creating a mountain of debris. Columns of smoke rose everywhere. The attack must have happened recently. It would be impossible to find any survivors just by looking at it from the bus. Nor could Nina get to the city to see if anyone was still alive. The bus was weak and insignificant outside the city. Nina knew that there probably weren't any survivors; humans couldn't breathe without the air shield around the city, and this city had lost its shield.

Next to her, Harley said in an anxious voice, "Nina..." "Don't worry. We haven't been discovered." Nina realized her voice was trembling. She felt compelled to lick her lips, but she suppressed that desire and gazed resolutely at the attackers hovering in the sky above the city. Even though her mouth was dry, cold sweat broke out on her skin. "This is the world we live in, Harley," she said to her childhood friend, but she did not get a response from him. The effortless movements of the cruel attackers above the city made them look regal. The attackers...they were called Kings of Nature filth monsters. They flew lower, flying slowly between buildings. "Now!" someone roared shrilly. The driver started the engine. The legs of the bus rose, raising the body upward. Nina's line of sight rose with it. The bus began to hop, moving away from the stricken city. It was better to leave this place. The bus continued to run. Nina looked back at the shrinking city. After they had put some distance between the bus and the city, Harley sighed. "It's safe now." As the tension in the bus eased, Nina clenched her fists tightly and said "...We're so weak." The sound of huge feet trampling the ground at the edge of the city rang in the peoples' ears. The footsteps of the city drowned out all other sounds even the furious roar of the wind. "Are you still not giving up?" It came from a voice loud enough to be heard over this din. A girl spoke to a boy in the city's roaming bus station. Strong winds shook her golden hair. Her clear blue pupils looked directly the boy. Her youthful face, which made her look younger than she really was, was full of disapproval and unease. She gazed at the boy standing at the bus stop. Looking troubled, the boy kept glancing back and forth between the girl and the bus waiting to depart. A chain held up the long multi-legs of the bus that were folded and bent. The body of the bus swayed along with the movement of the city, bumping against a cushion pad.

Since it was dangerous when the city moved, the driver and all the passengers were staying in the small waiting area. This kind of bus was built to withstand up and down shaking, but it couldn't stop from swaying sideways. "Layfon!" The only passenger not yet in the waiting area Layfon, looked away from the bus. He had tea-colored hair and blue eyes. His face showed an expression that came from the loss of adolescence. This look was now coupled with a powerless smile. "Even so, I can't stay here anymore, Leerin." Layfon didn't raise his voice, so Leerin stepped closer. Even with her expressive eyes right in front of him, Layfon didn't feel attracted to his childhood friend. "But-! You didn't have to pick a school that was so far away!" "Even here......" Again, the sound of the city's movement drowned him out. A strong gust of wind blew past them. Layfon reached out and placed a hand on Leerin's shoulder to steady her. "It can't be helped. The only place that gave me a scholarship was Zuellni. The orphanage's money can't be spent on me, right?" "You must have forced yourself to choose such a distant place. There are closer places you could have gone to. If you took the scholarship qualification exam next year, you could find a school that's closer, right? Then you could stay here with me..." It didn't matter what words came next; nothing could change Layfon's mind. To emphasize that point, he shook his head slowly. "I can't give up on leaving." Leerin held her breath. He couldn't bear looking at the pain in her clear eyes, so he looked at his hand on her shoulder. His hand was like that of an old man, hard and rough. "I've made my decision and I won't change my mind. Nobody wanted it to be like this, not even me. But Her Majesty wants me to experience the outside world. Besides, she doesn't wish for my presence here." "I wish for it!" This time, Leerin's powerful and persuasive words caused Layfon to hold his breath. "That light is my wish. Is that not enough?" To Layfon, Leerin's crying gaze and words were too cunning. He tried to find some words to pass this over, but couldn't find any. He felt pain, pressuring him to convey his feelings.

Layfon's lips trembled, as did Leerin's. They were each trying to find the right words to say. In the end, they realized that the right words to say didn't exist. No matter who wanted Layfon to stay, nothing could change the fact that he was leaving. Layfon himself didn't intend to stay, and there was nothing that would change that. And if he tried to make Leerin agree with him, there was no doubt she would be hurt. A shrill whistle sounded behind him. As if it was trying tear the two apart, the simple sound of the whistle squeezed between the noise of the city's footsteps and the furious howl of the wind, echoing through the bus station. It was a warning that the bus was about to depart. The driver, having blown on the whistle, entered the bus. He started the engine. A vibration different from the city's radiated out from the battered body of the bus. The passengers in the waiting area took their luggage and headed for the vehicle. Layfon's lips stopped trembling. He took away his hand from Leerin to pick up the suitcase beside his feet. That was all he had with him now. His other belongings would be given to the kids at the orphanage or tossed away. "I have to go," he said to the teary-eyed Leerin. As if feeling this was a truth she couldn't change, Leerin's trembling also stopped. She gazed at him with reddened eyes. "Since the decision's been made, I want to start anew. I can't return to the orphanage or to Her Majesty's side. It's the price I must pay for my actions. I'll make up for them any way I can. But nobody wants that; they just want me to disappear. Even so, things can't be resolved with just my going away......" He couldn't keep talking. He didn't want to lie. But even if he were to tell the truth it'd only sound like an excuse. He hated himself for acting like that. "Even so, I haven't really made up my mind." He added weakly, "Though I really want to start over in many areas......" "Enough!" Leerin cut him off coldly. Layfon held his luggage tightly, not daring to look at her. The driver blew his whistle again. The bus would be leaving soon. "I'm going now." Dejected, he turned his back to Leerin.

"Wait!" The small voice stopped him. What happened next was a single, brief moment. Leerin grabbed ahold of Layfon's shoulder and forced him to turn around. Her face was so very close to his. It was only for a moment that they overlapped. The rough but soft pressure overwhelmed Layfon. In that swift moment while he was numb and spaced out, Leerin jumped away. Her smile was stiff but that meaningful look of having played a prank was familiar to him. "You have to send letters though. I don't think everyone wants you gone," she said before running away. Looking at her figure flying past in a flurry of skirts, Layfon realized why he felt so strange. Ah, I see...... because she's wearing a skirt...... The lively Leerin didn't like to wear skirts, but she was wearing one today. And there was also the sweet and soft feeling that swift moment left on his lips. As if to feel the warmth left on them, he touched a finger to his lips. So naive... While mocking himself, he hurried to the bus. I'll write when I get there. Yes. He had decided. The bus started moving. Wishing to take one last look at the scene, Layfon sat in the last row, gazing at the city he had spent his entire life in till now. Regios could be seen in every corner of the world. The existence of these cities was as natural as breathing air. Numerous buildings were built on a flat circular surface, growing shorter as they ranged out from the center of the city where the tallest buildings were located. Located beneath the table were legs huge metallic legs clustered together. With precise movements those legs walked together, as if to take the city far away from the roaming bus.

Layfon gazed at the center of the city, where the city's tallest tower stood. The huge flag atop that building billowed. On its field was a dragon with the body of a lion that seemed to be breaking a sword with its teeth, but the sword was unyielding. The flag with that crest weaved into it danced a wild dance in the wind. Layfon stared at that huge flag, wondering what the first line of his letter to Leerin would be about.

Chapter 1: School begins It's been a month since we parted ways and I've finally reached Zuellni. I got here just in time for the opening ceremony. There were five bus changes before I got here; living in a single city back then, I never realized how hard traveling could be. Getting to another city isn't easy, since all cities move according to their own desires. I never understood why the ancient alchemists made the cities self-aware. But now I see that it was done so they could avoid filth monsters and protect us. I understand that now. During the trip, some filth monsters passed by my bus. Their cruel and dangerous appearance was horrifying. The thought of being attacked on a bus with no way to escape was enough to make all my hairs stand on end. But don't worry, our bus didn't get attacked. I think our driver was quite the professional. He stopped the bus for three days to avoid discovery. At that time, my heart ached. It's scary enough to be attacked by the filth monsters. Compared to that though, it would have been worse if the bus was damaged and marooned on this dry and scarlet earth. That would've been a death sentence. Even so, in the end I reached Zuellni safely. I'm writing this letter in my dorm room. It's a double, but luckily I don't have a roommate. I've never had a room all to myself. I'm really happy about this. How are you doing over there? Getting used to your new life? I just realized that I still don't know your address. I'll send the letter to your school. I hope it gets to your hand safely. It'd be great if you could include your new address in your response. After all, the head wouldn't want to see my letters going to the orphanage now. Well I wish eternal peace for your new life and the city you're standing on.

To my dear Leerin Marfes, Layfon Alseif The mobile cities, Regios, are spread across the world in their myriad forms. From the basic, standard form that provides everything necessary for human survival, to forms that specialize in specific areas. One of those forms is the Academy City. Zuellni Academy City Zuellni. The school buildings in the center of the city provided facilities for all study areas. Large groups of students were heading for the great hall, which was large enough to accommodate all students inside. Dressed casually, General Studies students walked as they chatted with friends. Uneasy smiles sat on the faces of Agricultural and Mechanical Engineering students, who weren't used to the uniforms they hadn't put on in a long time. The Alchemy and Medical students wore dirty white coats on top of their uniforms. The Military Arts students, unlike the others, marched towards the hall with heads held high. Students with different characteristics were all swallowed into the hall. The purpose of this autonomous city was to exist for and be used by its students. Today, it was holding an entrance ceremony to welcome its new first years. But it looked like the ceremony would be delayed. An hour later. Layfon stood with a confused expression on his face. "Anyway, shall we sit down and talk?" "Ye-Yes!" Having given a tense answer, he still couldn't sit on the sofa as requested.

The student before him sat at a large business desk. Unlike Layfon, he had an air of maturity about him. Silvery-white hair framed an elegant face bearing a gentle expression, but his calm silver eyes seemed to be judging Layfon. That piercing gaze of his caused Layfon to dart his gaze around in panic. Through his shoes, he could feel the softness of the carpet beneath him. The sofa and table used for meetings sat before him. Bookshelves lined one of the walls, filled with informative scrolls. Before Layfon entered this room, he's seen a plaque with the words "Student President" carved into it next to the doors. "I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Karian Loss, a sixth year student." Students were enrolled for six years in Zuellni, so Loss was in the highest grade. And he was also the Student President. The person in charge of this school. "I'm Layfon Alseif." With a straight back, Layfon clearly delivered his name. He felt cold sweat beading his forehead. Karian smiled. They were alone in the room. "I wasn't planning on punishing you." The voice tinged with a bitter smile helped Layfon to calm down. He'd been tense the whole time, as he had no idea why he had been summoned to this room. "First, let me convey my gratitude. Because of your help, none of the new students were injured." The opening ceremony was canceled because of a commotion. Two Military Arts students, coming from enemy cities, had met by chance before the ceremony, resulting in the commotion. They went from staring to quarreling and eventually to fighting. Military Arts Different special powers that were born to protect humanity from harm on this polluted earth. The Military Arts is the area that fostered such special power users.

If people fought each other seriously using such powers, worse coming to worst, even normal students could have suffered injuries or been killed. In Karian's eyes was genuine gratitude. "The new rule that only allows new students to be armed after half a year is because some of them don't understand where they now are......This is unbearable. It's a huge amount of work for me to settle things every year. But, there were still people who used weapons. Sometimes a single fight could turn into a battle that would draw blood. To the Student President who had been smiling bitterly but talking in a straightforward and frank manner, Layfon could only respond confusedly. "Speaking of which, a General Studies student who managed to outdo Military Arts students. You must have some skills in the Arts area, don't you?" "It's just a hobby. Um......" Silence from the Student President made Layfon swallow. "If yours is just the level of a hobbyist, then we ought to increase our admission standards for the Military Arts course." The news about the fight between Military Arts students at the opening ceremony had spread to new students in other courses. New students arriving at Zuellni constituted a diverse background. Besides the students getting involved in the fight, there were foreigners whom nobody liked. The dangerous atmosphere spreading out from the Military Arts center was influencing students from other courses. The rioting atmosphere also affected the General Studies area. Students closer to the fight scene bumped and crashed into each other while escaping, igniting the adolescent anger sleeping in male students. Just when everything was about to get out of hand, a huge noise echoed throughout the hall. Immediate silence followed, and all eyes turned to the source of that noise. Where the two students who started the commotion lay immobile on the floor with Layfon standing between them. "That was just luck. They were blinded by anger and didn't even notice me." "Yes, yes." Karian happily nodded at Layfon's excuse. He was smiling with his face, but not his eyes. Again, Layfon felt the Student President had seen through him.

Honestly, this wasn't a comfortable feeling. While bearing the pressure that he felt would force him into some dangerous place, Layfon attempted to end this conversation. "Since I haven't done anything wrong, I'm returning to class." "You can't!" Karian prevented Layfon from turning his back to him. The short denial halted Layfon's footsteps. "As I said, I've no intention of punishing you, Layfon Wolfstein Alseif." The title in between name and surname caused Layfon to raise his eyebrows. "......What does that mean?" "I don't care if you continue to play the fool. Here's a suggestion. Layfon Alseif, how about changing from General Studies to the Military Arts?" "What?" "Luckily, there are now two empty slots in Military Arts thanks to those two troublemakers. We have a rule here preventing students from bringing the issues of their home cities into the academy. Those who signed the contract and broke it during the opening ceremony don't have the right to be fighters. The blame for the riot is on them, so I've already banished them in the form of their 'voluntary withdrawal' from the course." "No, please wait." The two students were not important to Layfon. "I don't plan to change majors." He clearly conveyed his opinion. To switch to the Military Arts......don't kid him. "I came here to study General Studies." "Military Arts is a study area too. No, no matter what course you're in, General Studies is compulsory till third year. Even if you pick General Studies, you still have to specialize in something after three years, so you aren't learning different things by switching." "The problem doesn't lie there." "So what is the problem?"

Faced with that question, he found his breath being caught in his throat. "......I have no interest in Military Arts." "I see," Karian gave an exaggerated nod. It was clearly an act. The expression in his eyes hardly changed, just a twisted curve of happiness. "Besides I'm on a scholarship. I've already applied for a job and studies. I've got to work in my spare time. I won't have enough energy left for Military Arts." "I see. That's a good argument." Karian was only agreeing with his mouth. He didn't look persuaded at all. He took out a document from a drawer. "Um, Layfon Alseif, D-Rank scholarship, part-time work and studies. Your job is to clean the Central Mechanism Chamber......I see, this is a taxing and time-consuming job. Do you know that the cleaning takes place while the city rests from after sunset to past midnight? A lot of working students hate cleaning there. It's hard work and the hours are terrible. Do you get it? The pay isn't too bad, but the work is toilsome. Every year, numerous students apply to work somewhere else, or leave the academy for not passing the scholarship assessment. And the scholarship you have is D-Rank. Have you ever considered that you'll be spending all of your pay on school fees?" "Yes, it's just as you said." "Frankly, won't it be hard to pass six years like that?" "I'm confident in my physical strength." Karian's smile changed. Karian was full of smiles in Layfon's eyes, and something that felt like a favorable feeling towards Layfon came through. "Ah, perhaps you're right. You should have confidence in your physical strength. That's exactly why I wish you would change to Military Arts." "What for?" "Do you know of the Military Arts Competition between Academy cities?" "......Nope." Karian spoke without any disappointment in Layfon's lack of knowledge, "To put this simply, the Competition takes place once every two years." Layfon could guess what Karian was getting at.

"This is a habit of cities. I've no idea what the alchemists were thinking, but cities fight for territory every two years. What's more interesting is that they only compete with the same type of cities......I could only say that the cities were made too well." Although the cities were fighting for territories, it was actually the people living in the cities who carried out the fights. "Sure, it's called the Military Arts Competition, but in reality, the competition is the same as......the wars that takes place between normal cities." War. Layfon's expression turned grim. "Of course, our goal is to conduct a student-like all-encompassing fight. The Alliance of Academy Cities supervises every fight. Non-lethal weapons are used. Swords are sheathed. Anesthetic bullets are used. But since it's a war, there's no much difference between what the winner obtains and what the loser loses. It's not as tragic as a real war, but the ending is the same." "Is this the city's......life?" "Yes," Karian nodded. Cities have awareness. They're alive. They need food to keep on surviving. Even though they are machines, they need energy to maintain their functions. The source of a city's life......is their food, a type of metal called selenium. "Selenium is a metal born after the earth became polluted, and so it's easy to obtain. To put it simply, you can probably find it by digging at the earth over there. But that's a dangerous action with filth monsters around. Besides, we can only obtain pure selenium from mines with a certain level of energy." So, the winner took possession of the mine and the loser lost it. While increasing the prosperity of their own piece of land, people were reducing the lifespan of another piece of land. "When I first entered the Academy, Zuellni had three mines. Now it's down to one," Karian sighed. Meaning Zuellni had lost in the last two competitions and its Military Arts level was much lower than the neighbouring cities. "It's doubtful on how much pure selenium we can mine from that remaining mine. I plan to send some alchemists over to investigate the next time our city nears it." "In other words, if we lose the next time, there's no backup plan?" "Exactly. The cities determine the topic of the upcoming Competition. We can't not

participate." 'If we lose......' Just the thought made Layfon shiver. Even if a city loses all of its mines, its functions won't stop because it has an emergency reserve of selenium. But that could only delay the inevitable for a short time. The city would die. Humans would have lost space to live. Once a city dies, it returns back to the earth. People can't salvage it. To have a city die of starvation was the same as its people dying of famine. Thinking of that, a sudden shiver shook Layfon's cold body. The city he had just arrived in would die. He didn't have much of a link with this Academy, but the possibility of the city dying was terrifying. When a person was young, if he found out that the city he lived in could die, he'd have been scared enough to tremble all over. That experience would be the same for everyone. Hearing that the fear he felt in his childhood could become reality, Layfon felt he really was like his childhood self, trembling all over. But, even so...... "I......" To fight...... I can't do that. Yes, let's say that. With determination, he lifted his gaze, preparing to refuse the Student President watching him from the desk. But, the words wouldn't come. The Student President watched Layfon. The smile on Loss' face had disappeared. The emotionless expression appeared to be too calm. This contrasted with the icy gaze of his pinning Layfon. To the breathless Layfon, Karian spoke, "I'm graduating this year. As long as this remains an academy city, no one can stay here after graduating. This means once I graduate, I'm not linked to this place anymore. But I really like the academy. Don't you think it's sad to lose your favorite thing even though you can never set foot on this piece of earth?" "It's natural to want to protect what is precious. For one who goes mad with love, don't you

feel that it's their fate to reach their goal with whatever means possible?" A light smile appeared on the countenance of the Student President. Just that. It was his way of joking in a solemn situation. "Your scholarship will be raised to Rank A. All your fees will be waived. You will only need to earn for your living. If you aren't keen on fashion, you won't need to spend much, so you don't have to force yourself to clean at the Central Mechanism Chamber. Is that all right?" Rationality told him not to nod. But his instinct howled for him to nod. And then, Layfon left the room with swaying steps, holding a Military Arts uniform that had somehow been placed into his hands. A few minutes after weakly closing his door, there came impatient knocking on his door. "Come in." It was a girl in Military Arts uniform. A girl with short, golden hair. A girl with determination and resolution. "Sorry for intruding." A pair of sharp eyes rested beneath neat and thick eyebrows. Those eyes watched the Student President with challenge. The sound of the harness clasped around her waist accompanied her every step. What was inside the harness was not a sword, but two rod-like things. The threads on the harness indicated she was a third year student. The girl stood straight before the desk and her gaze met the Student President's. "I'm a third-year in Military Arts, Nina Antalk. I heard you're looking for me?" "Yes, I'm looking for you." Karian smiled. "What is it about?" "Have you found enough members?" The sudden question caused Nina to furrow, but she checked her attitude and replied, "Not yet." "Yes, I thought so too. You haven't yet sent me the report on your team members since the

day you took the application form. The opening ceremony ended. If you don't hurry up and produce your team member list, you won't be able to participate in the next City competition. In that case, you'll become the lowest-level soldier in the next round of platoon competitions." "Excuse me, Student President. Hasn't the opening ceremony been delayed?" "It's been cancelled thanks to other schedules. It's a shame. I won't call everyone to the hall again. Because of this year's Military Arts competition, there are lots of things to do." Nina's face fell. She kept silent. "I think it's enough to observe the new students at the opening ceremony. What do you think?" "No one is suitable. Everyone was affected too much by the atmosphere. You can't tell what'd happen in a battle. I want someone who can observe calmly without getting caught in the confusion." Nina had been watching the entire commotion today. Every new Military Arts student was affected by the two who started the whole thing. Violent expressions on their faces said they wanted to join in and make the mess even bigger. To get caught up by the enemies like that was the same as digging their own graves. "Is there really no one suitable?" Nina didn't reply immediately. Her confused gaze moved up and down. "No......" In her hesitation floated up the image of the new student. The one who suppressed the two troublemakers without anyone knowing. He suppressed the center of the commotion to prevent the violent emotions from spreading, and at the same time, he exaggerated his act to threaten people who were caught up in the commotion. She found his response very certain. But...... "He's in General Studies." That new student wore the uniform of General Studies. This way, he couldn't participate in the competition. But the Student President smiled happily. "Yes, that was true, until now." "......What does that mean?"

"He's just transferred into Military Arts." A disapproving expression appeared on Nina's face. "I can't waste such good material." "So you ignored his wish?" "I didn't ignore it. I showed him the highest level of sincerity. He should be quite satisfied with it." "Really?" Nina understood how hard the Student President's attitude could be. Last time during the Student President election, Karian wasn't nominated, yet at the time when he gloriously became a candidate, he had waged a rare intelligence fight with his opponents, causing them to all lose. "It doesn't matter what the truth is. What do you think now that he's in Military Arts? That's the only answer I want to know." "What is it to be? At this rate, you won't have enough members. Do you plan to experience the same shame as before, but now as a low-ranked soldier?" Nina clenched her teeth together. "I have no such intention." "Then what should you do? I think the answer is clear." Karian slid a document on the desk to Nina. It was a resume with the name "Layfon Alseif" written on it. The document was clearly in the structure of a resume, along with a close-up photo of Layfon. "Please excuse me." Having taken a glimpse of the document, Nina turned her back to Karian and left the room. He smiled at the back of the girl who didn't give him a reply. Alone once more, Karian took out a new document and laid it beside Layfon's resume. It was also a resume, but with the name Nina Antalk on it. "If things go well, this will become the strongest team. The problem is how to operate it......" he murmured. He didn't look cheerful at all.

On the way back to his classroom, Layfon changed into the new uniform in a health clinic he found. The Student President threatened him that if he continued to walk about not in uniform, he'd be considered as committing a fraud. Holding the uniform of General Studies, he entered the classroom to collect his bag. From a uniform he hadn't gotten used to yet to another unfamiliar uniform...... He wasn't yet familiar with this uniform, but it gave him an intriguing feeling. Also, the new uniform fit him perfectly. "Damn, this must have been planned!" Walking in the corridor, Layfon couldn't help but curse out loud. His height and weight were standard for a male of his age, but his right arm was slightly longer than his left. His General Studies uniform had been fixed to cater for that difference, but how could the Military Arts uniform given to him on a spur of the moment decision be such a perfect fit? Meaning the truth can't be changed. "Why......How did they find out?" Anxiety filled him. He came here to major in General Studies, to seek a world that had nothing to do with Military Arts, but on the first day of his arrival, he had once again stepped into that world he wanted to leave behind. "Ah Ah! Why didn't I refuse him? I'm such a coward......a coward!" Layfon shouted. Only the opening ceremony was on today, so nobody was in the corridor. Without considering, he shouted again, "How should I have put it? That Student President's too scary! What kind of gaze was that? It really terrifies me. How could I have resisted that type of person?" Having let it all out, Layfon arrived at his classroom. Ah, meaning his classroom would be different now. But the Student President didn't mention that at all? What should he do? Layfon opened the door. The door opened and the scene inside the room entered Layfon's sight. "Ah!" That sound came through. There were still students in the classroom. "Look, look. He really is in Military Arts. Yeah~~ It's my win. I'm lucky --!"

One of the girls jumped up in excitement. Chestnut colored hair, tied into two tails on each side of her head shook with her movement. Only three girls were in the room. Their curious gazes were glued closely to Layfon without reserve. Layfon halted his steps. "Why! Wasn't he wearing a General Studies uniform? That was deceptive," said a red-haired girl. She wore the same uniform as Layfon's. And like Layfon, the empty harness swayed around her waist. "I don't have a General Studies uniform. Hey, just what is that about?" she questioned him as if she was bringing him to account. "Uh, something happened......" "So? Do you mean I don't get that uniform cause I'm not cute? Is that it?" Even if you ask me that, I can't do anything about it. As for the girl, she was more handsome than cute. Compared to the General Studies uniform designed for cuteness, Layfon thought the sharp edges of the Military Arts uniform suited her better. But the girl was dissatisfied. "Wait a moment, Nakki, calm down. You're causing trouble for Mei-chi," the girl with two tails concluded. The red-haired girl paused as if she had thought of something, then she moved aside for the other girl. "That's right. Hurry up, Meishen." With one hand on the back of the third girl, the red-haired girl moved her to stand in front of Layfon. The third girl had long hair streaming past her shoulders. She looked shy and gentle. Her face facing the ground, she seemed afraid. Her eyebrows curved as if she was about to cry. Her face was faintly red. "Uh, thank......thank you very much." Just saying that seemed to take all of her energy. The black-haired girl hid behind the red-haired girl, her face reddened. "Sorry, she's always been this shy. Even so, she still wants to thank you for saving her at the opening ceremony, right?" said the girl with two tails. The black-haired girl buried her face into the back of the red-haired girl. Layfon had no recollection of that ever happening. He only recalled pushing away those people about to get caught in the fight. He might have saved her during that time.

The red-haired girl sighed. "This child......yes, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Naruki Gelni in the Military Arts." "I'm Mifi Rotten. The one playing hide-and-seek is Meishen Trinden. We're both in General Studies. The three of us came from the Transit City Joeldem. Do you know of it?" "Yes, it's the center where roaming buses gather. I passed through on the way here. I'm Layfon Alseif, from the Lance Shelled City, Grendan." "Oh, that was where Military Arts was born. No wonder you're so strong." "No, that's not it......" Layfon replied vaguely. Just when he thought of how to explain it...... "Ah, don't just stand there and talk! I'm hungry. Let's find something good to eat." "Again? Do you have to make a map of this area too?" "Of course! Maps for food, fashion, territory......so long as it can be drawn, I'll do it. Since I'll be here for six years, I don't want to lose out by not having a map. Ah! It's my hobby to gather intelligence. If you want to know something, just ask me. Even if I don't know, I'll investigate it and find out." "Yeah, I'm hungry......besides, I've something to ask you, like the thing you're holding." With a pair of sharp eyes, Naruki looked at the General Studies uniform that Layfon was holding. He didn't even get a chance to speak. They decided it for him then. "Uh, well......look. This is troubling for Meishen. And you said she's shy." "......I'm ok with it," Meishen said from behind Naruki's back. "Ok. That's decided." And that was decided. The location was then changed to a coffee shop close by. The coffee shop was made of red bricks and designed not to stand out too much. Since it was already past lunch time, the shop was nearly empty. The four of them somehow managed to catch up to lunch time special. While eating, Layfon explained why he was transferred to the Military Arts he didn't mention that he was forced to transfer.

They were eating dessert. Only Layfon wasn't eating, instead drinking juice. "Oh, I was worried that Academy City only had healthy food for students. It's great that my worry was unfounded," Mifi said with satisfaction, her mouth filled with cake. "This really is worth drawing a map for." "And I was wondering what a city operated by students was like. Who'd have thought it would be quite organized," Naruki said with admiration. In reality, many shops lined the roads heading from the dormitories to the school, but because it was an Academy City, most of the shops were closed during class hours. Once classes finished, the shops were full of people. These shops were managed by senior General Studies students who studied Commerce or Management. Other students came here to work as employees. The food was made by seniors in Gastronomy. "There's a Police Department and a Court here too. I'll try applying to the Police." "Nakki's dream is to be a policewoman." "Yes." "As for me, the newspaper. Since it's related to publishing, I'll try to find somewhere that publishes news. What about Mei-chi?" "......Somewhere that makes dessert." "Then you'll have to find somewhere with delicious food. Uh, eating while you walk......watch out so you don't get fat." "You're pretty red right now, aren't you?" "Urg, what was that? It's because Nakki's all sweaty from exercising. You smell~~" "Psh, that's the smell of youth." "Agh, I don't get you." The conversation expanded, and Layfon watched it all with a distant feeling. Those three were from the same city. From their conversation, it seemed they already knew each other before coming here. Shut outside the intimate conversation, Layfon sipped his juice. Mifi suddenly directed a question at him. "That's right. Where'll you be working, Layton?"

"......Layton?" Startled at the unexpected name change, Layfon opened his lips with juice still inside his mouth. He almost spilled it all. "Yeah, Layton. That's easier to say, isn't it?" Mifi said cheerfully. "Nakki, Mei-chi, Layton, and I'm Mi-chan. Is that ok?" "You didn't give the names a good thought. Coming back to this, my nickname's the same." "It's boring to think up a nickname for myself. Besides, if I say "Just call me Mi-chi~", doesn't that sound revolting?" "Revolting. At least I wouldn't want to be friend with that person." "Exactly. Then that's ok. So Layfon is called Layton now!" "That can't be helped. Then we're counting on you from now on, Layton." "Yeah, Layton, Layton~" "......Layton." Even Meishen was calling him by that name. For some reason, Layfon felt like he had come from a really far away place. Where was this place? Just in which dimension was he lost in? Till now, none of his female friends had ever called him like that. Even his closest friend Leerin would only call him by his first name. For his nickname, she just called him "Lay." Layton......Layfon was dumbfounded. "So, where will you be working at, Layton?" He could only answer the question, since he knew it wasn't possible to resolve the name issue. At this moment, no words came to him. Speaking of which, somebody just said Layfon's scholarship had been upgraded, so it didn't matter if he didn't go and work. "Don't tell me it's all right if you don't work?" "No, I've still got to work," Layfon shook his head. "I'll be working in the mechanical department." All three girls burst out with "Wow" and frowned.

"Why such a hard working job?" "I heard you need lots of strength for Military Arts. This kind of lifestyle will damage your body. Are you sure about this?" "......Won't that be very tiring?" All three girls expressed their worries. Layfon could only smile bitterly. Even he knew it'd be hard work. But it was dangerous to rely fully on the Student President. If something happened and he had to oppose the Student President, his scholarship might be cancelled. It'd be the worst case scenario to be left without money, unable to continue his studies. "Yeah, but that can't be helped. I'm an orphan. I don't have anything else besides the scholarship." He thought the way he put it was natural and inconspicuous. But the word "orphan" caused the three girls to widen their eyes. Embarrassed, their uneasy gazes darted around. "Ah~~ I see. Sorry. Do your best." "Yeah, if it's anything I can do, I'll help out." "......Me too." "It's ok. Don't think about it......" Their attitude made him feel troubled. "I don't find that particularly hard. I feel troubled when I'm pitied." Even so, Mifi and Meishen exchanged a glance, their faces full of anxiety. From his previous experiences, Layfon knew it wasn't possible to make them understand it right away, so he wasn't bothered by their reaction. "Ok, I get it. I won't worry about it." Naruki nodded immediately. Her quick response was a surprise to him. "Uh? What? Did you say you wouldn't think too much about it?" "Yeah, that's right." It was clear that Naruki wasn't just talking about it. She meant it. Layfon nodded hesitantly, then he couldn't hold it back anymore and laughed.

"What?" "Nothing. It's just that you act like a big sister." "What did you say?" Naruki frowned, but Mifi agreed. "Ah, I understand. I understand. Nakki's got that feel about her. She's cool." "......And she's popular with lots of girls." "Yep, she always receives lots of presents and love letters." "Well, I'm troubled by that. I've never known what to do with them." Although she said so seriously, Layfon laughed again. (The atmosphere feels good.) Layfon thought as he laughed. Although what he experienced at the opening ceremony was a setback for him, from his conversation with the girls, it felt as if he was now back on track. "Uh......excuse me." A voice broke through the laughter. As their eyes found the owner of the voice, everyone couldn't help but held their breath. Standing beside the table was a girl. The silvery hair hanging down to her waist shone as if to reflect the light of the coffee shop. She had snowy white skin and a heart shape-like lower jaw. A peek just inside her collar was a delicately small neck and a kind of a dangerous charm. Long eyebrows trembled above slightly lowered gaze of those silver eyes. A girl who was as beautiful and delicate as a doll. No one noticed she was wearing the uniform of Military Arts. The first to finally notice was Naruki. "Aren't you a grade older than us? Do you want something?" Naruki said. Layfon realized the color of the threads on her harness was different from his own. From the harness hung a long thin rod like thing. "Are you Layfon Alseif?"

Silvery eyes caught Layfon's image. "Yes." "I've something to tell you. Could you come with me?" "......Okay." Layfon stood up naturally, compelled by that voice to obey. The girl turned her back to leave the coffee shop. Layfon would have followed behind just like that, but he returned to the seat. He took his bag and from his wallet, left some change on the table for his juice. "Sorry, I gotta go." "Sure. Then go." Naruki said on behalf of her two still silent companions. "Yeah. But, just what......" Wordlessly, Layfon rushed after the silvery girl.

The bell tied to the coffee shop door swung out crisp notes as Layfon passed. Thinking back on how confused Layfon appeared to be, Naruki smiled bitterly. "Wh......What just happened?" Mifi muttered. "Of course he's been targeted after that elegant performance at the opening ceremony." Mifi didn't understand what Naruki's just said. She looked at her friend with questions on her face. "Isn't there a different badge on that Senpai's chest pocket?" "Yeah, really?" Mifi frowned. "......It's a silvery round thing?" "Yes." Meishen did see it. "......There's the number 17 on it." "A badge that only people belonging to a platoon would have."

"A platoon......what is that?" "To put it simply, they're the candidates to the officials in the Military Arts course. It carries the additional meaning of a fighter with high level of skill." "Um......yes?" Naruki explained. "They're the core teams in the Military Arts competition. Underneath the General headquarter are the platoons......They're called commanding teams. Beneath them are the larger teams, and those take charge of people who don't belong to any teams, meaning, normal Military Arts students like me......" "Wow, if that's the case, then it's like climbing all the way up to the top." Mifi said, clapping her hands. "But it's not that easy in there." "Why?" "Didn't I mention it? That badge holds the meaning of a high level fighter. Students belonging to a platoon must excel in certain area, from commanding ability to the control of psychokinesis. Mostly, they specialize in a certain weapon. Besides the individual skills that are judged, the strength of how well an entire team does is also assessed. Whether a person can work in a team is also evaluated. As such, there's competition going on between teams for the ranking list. In other words, it's a fight in between students at the academy. During those fights, if a team doesn't perform well, the worst situation is it'd be disbanded. Official candidates turning back to normal students. Fighters normally have strong self-esteem. If one returns to being a normal student, other people would say he's fallen from the clouds to the bottom of a valley......no one can take that kind of a setback. His life in the Academy would become too painful to bear." Naruki glanced at the door that Layfon had just left through. No new customers had entered. The bell remained solemn. "......Layton said he's going to clean in the mechanical department," Meishen said. "Ah, that will be tiring for him!" Mifi said. "Will he be all right?" "Yeah, it should be quite smooth for him." Naruki could only give such an answer. She washed down the last piece of cake with red tea. What Naruki said to the other two at the coffee shop also came to Layfon's ears, but from the terrifying girl with golden hair.

The beautiful, silver-haired girl took Layfon deep inside the first year dormitories, it was a certain building with an old and worn out feel about it. Layfon was taken to one of the rooms and was greeted by a terrifying girl with golden hair. "I'm Nina Antalk, the captain of the seventeenth platoon," the girl said firmly. The room Layfon was in had been split into two by a huge wall, so the space was only twice as large as a normal classroom. On the wall were hung many different types of weapons. Including Layfon, there were five people in the room. The first person was the girl Nina Antalk, standing right before Layfon. Next was the girl who took Layfon here. The beautiful silver-haired girl had moved immediately to a corner after having entered the room. The rest were two male students. The taller boy lay lazily in a corner. The other wore a dark green working suit that was stained with engine oil and some other type of machine related liquid. Nina gave the confused Layfon an explanation about the platoon. Layfon half listened, with his mind somewhere else. "Do you understand?" "Ah, yes." Turning his gaze back to Nina, Layfon gave her a quick answer without really meaning anything he had just said. "Then why was I called here?" Layfon understood everyone here was an official candidate. But, that was all he knew. Nina didn't explain why Layfon was here. Half of Nina's eyebrow trembled as if it had the cramps. "I understand from your explanation that everyone here is an elite. But, if that's the case......because of that, I don't get why I, as a first year student, was called here," Layfon said, trying to mediate the atmosphere. Nina closed her open mouth, her shoulders moved as if she was breathing deeply, then she opened her mouth again to speak. But before that

"Buahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!" The tall male student burst out laughing from his position. "Sharnid-senpai!" Nina said loudly, her shoulders trembling in anger. "Gahaha! Ha~heehee......Ah, my stomach hurts! Nina, it's your fault. All because you beat around the bush and gave the new student there an opportunity to pretend he was a fool." "Um!" Nina clamped hard on her teeth. "Heh!" Sharnid jumped up, watching Layfon in a flippant manner. "I'm Sharnid Elipton, a fourth year. I'm a sniper." "Ah, nice to meet you." "Well, let me explain clearly in place of our captain. Layfon Alseif, we asked you to come because we need the right number." "Huh?" "Hey, hey, hey. Stop pretending. Everybody saw your performance at the opening ceremony. The excuse of you being a new student and not having enough skill won't work. You've already proven your skill. We thought you were good, so we want you in our team." Sharnid gave Nina a meaningful glance. Nina cleared her throat and stood before Layfon again. "Layfon Alseif. I order you to become a member of team seventeen. No refusal will be accepted. The Student President has already given permission and formally proposed for your application. Either way, for those who are in the Military Arts, they're not allowed such a feeble action as refusing to enter a platoon." What a resolute speech. Nina's unyielding attitude meant Layfon had no way to run. "We'll now conduct a test to see which position you're best suited for in the platoon." Nina took out the two rods from her weapon harness. She pointed at Layfon with the rod held tightly in her right hand. "Choose whatever weapon you like!" Perturbed by the seriousness in Nina's eyes, Layfon turned to examine the weapons on the wall.

The price of free school fees......what an A grade scholarship.

Chapter 2: Life as a student How are you? I'm quite good here. How's life at the new school? Have you made friends? I'm experiencing new things everyday. As long as there are new people around me, the levels of experiences are different and very surprising. I hold a curious and refreshing view of my new life. Everything's so new and different that sometimes I think back to the past. Recently, I remembered what it was like when I first started my training. Perhaps it's too early to call that the past, but I can't change the things that have already happened. Maybe it's better to call them the past. I've begun a new life here. Things didn't go well at first, but I think they'll become better. I've made new friends here. A senior senpai really looks after me. How're you over there? I shouldn't have to worry because it's you. You must have made more friends than me, since you're better at interacting with people. Oh yes, I'm now working while studying. I am a janitor in the Central Mechanism Chamber. It's tiring, but it's surprisingly interesting. This was my first time seeing the real form of the city. I never thought it was like that. Perhaps Grendan's real form is like that too? Maybe Grendan's......It's quite fun to imagine what it's like. Reading up to here, you must be throwing a tantrum. But I'm not telling. Are you angry? If you want to know, wait till we meet again. May we meet somewhere other than Grendan. To my dear Leerin Marfes. Layfon Alseif

Layfon chose a sword from the assorted weapons hanging on the wall. It was a sword with a long, wide blade. "I can't change the setting as it's a practice sword. Is that ok?" the boy in the working suit said. Layfon nodded. "But I feel that a sword doesn't suit your body build." To the dissatisfaction uttered by the other boy, Layfon felt the grip of the sword and didn't pay much attention to what was said. "Harley, that guy said it's ok. You're such a nag." Sharnid stopped Harley with a flippant tone. Even so, Layfon could still hear Harley mumbling. Layfon swung the sword with one hand, his body moving slightly, pulled by the point of the sword. He moved back and forth in the platoon's training room. "Have you had enough warm up?" Nina asked as Layfon stopped his movements. Layfon nodded wordlessly. "Right, then......" "Restoration," Nina whispered. The two rods in her hands transformed, becoming bigger and reflecting the light of the ceiling as if their black surface was absorbing the light of the room. The handles changed to fit Nina's hands. A number of ring-like things had expanded along the part of the weapon used for attack. Nina's wrists lowered naturally. It looked totally different from what it was before. It was a weapon called Iron Whips. The changes to the weapon came from the combination of the voice and the memories of the Dite. The alloy used in alchemy could restore even the original weight of the item. "I won't hold back." Nina flicked the iron whip in her right hand and the sound of air being torn apart rang out in the room. She pointed the whip at Layfon's forehead. Feeling the non-existent pain on his forehead, Layfon nodded wordlessly.

He readied his fighting stance. And what happened next was fast as lightning. Nina rushed over, giving Layfon no time to calculate the distance between them. She attacked with her right iron whip. Layfon turned aside to avoid the attack aimed at his chest, but Nina's left iron whip was already pounding down towards his exposed back. He raised his sword-arm and turned his wrist, placing the blade against his back to counter Nina's whip. His wrist could have dislocated in between receiving the pressure of the attack and recovering, after having spent all the strength on countering the whip. Not with Layfon. He guided the heavy pressure down the wavering blade, relaxing his grip on the handle and letting the flat side of the blade hit his own back. At the same time, he used that momentum to turn around and escape through the opening between the two whips. Layfon opened up the distance between him and Nina, and resumed his fighting stance. He heard a short whistle. "Haha! This is my first time seeing someone stop Nina's first move," Sharnid said. To Layfon, Nina didn't care anything for Sharnid's comment. Her sharp gaze, so like that of a beast pinning its prey, never moved away from Layfon's body. This time, Nina cautiously weighed their distance. Layfon's stance changed in response to Nina's, who was slowly changing her position. The hard build of the iron whip made it clear that it was an offensive weapon. For the sake of convenience, its length wasn't too long. One didn't have to worry about an iron whip being damaged in battle, unlike a sword. An iron whip could be swung at will and would not break. It could also receive a direct attack. Grendan's police force used the iron whip as a standard weapon because of its convenience. However, normal police were only equipped with light iron whips. Layfon's sword-arm was slightly numb. After receiving the attack, he could tell that this pair of iron whips was as heavy as it looked. She could use the iron whips however she liked. Her strength and her familiarity with her weapons made Layfon speechless. The two of them circled each other. Tension built up in the room. The air felt thick, and on Layfon's forehead were more beads of sweat. Again, Nina was the one to close the gap. She rushed over as Layfon's foot left the floor, moving in reaction to her. Layfon tried to avoid the sudden and straightforward attack by pulling back and opening more distance between them, but she kept closing in. He had no choice but to use his sword. He dipped the sword point low to bring it up in an attack, but it was knocked aside by Nina's whip. In lightning seconds, he flicked his wrist to adjust the

track of his sword. Layfon's attack changed from low to high, chopping down towards Nina. She blocked it with her right iron whip and counterattacked from the left with her other iron whip. Layfon quickly stepped to her right and once again, pulled open the distance between them. He wanted to keep fighting with more distance, but Nina seemed unsatisfied. "Can you use external-type burst Kei?" Her unexpected question made Layfon lose the rhythm of the plan he already had in mind. "Can you use external-type burst Kei?" she repeated. He nodded. Nina smiled. "Good." She crossed the iron whips before her chest. A huge noise and vibration that could have toppled a giant ran through the floor. "Take this!" When he had collected himself, Nina's happy and cruel smile was right before him. In the next moment, Layfon had fainted. Layfon lifted his sword. He slashed out with the blade without any sense of confusion, and his heart was calm and unruffled. He slashed out without any sense of confusion, but what about the thing that had been slashed? There was no questioning it. Of course it was a problem. So long as one lived, one would encounter all sorts of problems. How to solve a problem? In the end, "living" was in itself the cause of all problems. When one problem was solved, the next would surface. The end was never in sight. One continued to remove one's problems, only to have more closing in. The light filtering down from the ceiling bounded off the blade of the white alloy Dite.

"Do you desire the Heaven's Blade? You can have it." Layfon mumbled the words in the arena that was so quiet that even a fallen needle could be heard. The blade fell from his hand. The irritating metallic sound of it hitting the ground echoed in the arena and the lonely blade lay on the floor. The problem that's been cut away now lay beside the blade. Layfon uttered an "Ah" at the scene. It wasn't a sound of surprise and joy, but just a simple response at reality. Numerous hands appeared to point at Layfon. The people surrounding him were faceless and formless. They were only there to repudiate him. This is unprecedented! Traitor! What a shameful guy! All kinds of denouncements were turned into those fingers pointing at Layfon. Layfon didn't care. He looked at them coldly. So what? Could they solve the problem like that? Did they want to write the wrong answer in the space reserved for the answer to the question? He was only striding forward on the path to the right answer. Who'd know that the Heaven's Blade would fall onto the ground because of that. His gaze put fear into the people pointing at him. Subconsciously, he looked at the solution which had rolled close to his feet. Beside the fallen blade was a body. A body that looked like Nina. No, it was Nina. The tracks of Layfon's sword were clearly carved into her body. She lay on the floor, shocked and speechless. "Is this the answer?" somebody asked. "It's a dream." One single phrase solved it all.

The first feeling he had after waking up was extreme self-hatred. "Wuaah, that's impossible!" His body curled up, Layfon held his head. The metal frame of the bed squeaked. A cabinet filled with medicine leaned against the modest, white wall. He smelled faint disinfectant and realised he was in the clinic. He wasn't surprised about it. In the second when he was about to faint, he knew Nina's attack would make him lose consciousness. Compared to this, that dream was even more serious. "I actually dreamt of revenge. That's not possible. I'm so disgusting...So disgusting!" He rolled back and forth on the bed and finally fell off it. He moaned as his side hit the floor. He lay on the cold floor and moaned, all the while murmuring "so disgusting" and allowing the temperature of the floor to cool down the heat in his face. "What're you doing?" "......I'm just shocked for being so useless." Layfon stopped moaning at the sound above him, but he didn't get up. Wait a bit more......He couldn't stand up before his reddened face had completely cooled down. "If it's all right, I want you to stand up." The voice was from the girl who came to the coffee shop and took him to the platoon. "If it's all right, give me more time." "Why?" "Please say yes." "Must I?" "Yes." The girl seemed to understand more from his repeated request. Layfon didn't know what she had understood, but she didn't persist in questioning in, and she didn't force him to stand up.

He could feel the tip of her toes beside his head, staying there, immobile. The two of them fell silent. Silent. Silent. Silent. Losing to the silence in the room, Layfon said, "I still don't know your name. Can you tell me?" "Oh, yes. I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Felli Loss, second year in Military Arts." (Loss?) Nasty memories surfaced in his mind. "Hello. Uh, I'm sorry if I got that wrong......" "You're not wrong. Karian Loss is my older brother," Felli cut him off to confirm his unease. Layfon felt weak. "Is that so......" "Yes. Do you hate my brother?" She got ahead of him again. "Isn't it about time to get up?" Layfon picked himself up slowly from the floor. As expected from a clinic. The environment was clean and tidy, even rolling on the floor didn't dirty his uniform. Layfon observed the girl's appearance and found her eyes a bit like Karian's. They had a beautiful look about them. They must be related. A light sigh from Felli, then her rigid expression relaxed. "It really is better to see the face of the person I'm talking to." "Uh......Sorry?" "Not really. I didn't come at a good time." It wasn't easy to forget that she'd seen him rolling and moaning on the floor. His face reddened again.

"Do you hate my brother forcing you to transfer into Military Arts?" Felli returned back to the previous topic, indifferent to Layfon's current expression. "...... I think it's a bit too extreme to describe it as 'hate'." He couldn't find any other word to say. "I hate my brother," Felli said while Layfon was hesitating. "What?" He couldn't understand what she meant by that. (She hates......her own brother?) From Felli's pale lips came the words, "I didn't want to study Military Arts, but he forced me into it." "Why......" "For victory," Felli concluded without hesitating. "He'd do all he could to reach his goal, no matter the means. Our will means nothing to him." "No, but......" Felli watched Layfon while judging her own brother. No sadness and anger could be detected from her neutral expression. Even the smile she had before was gone. So Layfon couldn't sense any sort of reflections from her in her previous words. He was confounded. "He'd perform any foul acts in order to win. It's ridiculous that we have to work for such a person." "Then what do you want me to do?" Layfon asked in confusion. For a delicate senpai with a short stature, her doll-like perfect face contained no traces of perplexity. Once again, she concluded, "You only need to remain as you are." "What?" "Remain as you are with that attitude you had when you fought Nina."

"What do you mean......" Felli had already turned her back and opened her schoolbag on the long bench. She took out something from it and left it on the chair. "Uh, excuse me......" "This is your badge and the permit to be armed. Please pin the badge on your uniform. Tomorrow, go with Harley to the Weapon Fitting Department and take the permit with you. Harley'll help with your weapon settings." Having quickly told him that, Felli nodded lightly and left the clinic. He had lost his conversation partner. Layfon's words lolled in his mouth. His outstretched hand had lost its purpose, and could only wave weakly in the air. What came through first was a sense of debilitation, then a long sigh. Felli complained heavily about Karian, but she left immediately after leaving Layfon with the instructions she was told to deliver, whereas Karian had dismissed him from the room. Felli's manner was exactly the same as her brother's. "Just what now?" Layfon bent down on the long bench. He couldn't think of any good strategies. Beside him were the silver badge and a piece of paper. It seemed that the reality of his entering the platoon won't be changed. "Ahgee......Why did it turn out like this!?" Layfon sighed. The next day after school. Just when Layfon was about to escape, not knowing where Harley's classroom lay, Harley himself appeared in the same oil-stained working suit that he wore yesterday. "After watching the fight yesterday, I don't feel that the sword fits you. Nina holds heavy weapons that don't suit her either, but she knows how to handle the weight and has been fighting through in her own way," he said to Layfon, who was following behind with a fedup expression in his eyes. Harley never once noticed it.

He continued with enthusiasm. "But your situation is different. Your body movements with the sword just weren't smooth. Your fighting style is more focused on speed, right? That's how you were trained, isn't it?" "No. I only learned little at the Dojo. I don't know the details that well. The weapon I used was about the same as yesterday's practice sword." "Really?" Harley said, looking confused. "You don't look like an amateur from the fight with Nina yesterday. I thought you've gone through professional training." "Not really. In Grendan......I was born in Grendan. Dojos of that level are everywhere. I went to train a bit because there was a dojo near my home." "Military Arts is really popular in Grendan. Well, I see. So that means in Grendan, there're lots of highly skilled fighters like you?" "Well, how should I put it? I haven't fought much with others, so I'm not sure." "Whatever it is, you still have some confidence with your real strength?" "Not at all." A smile appeared on the kind and friendly senpai. They came to a building with a sign "Weapon Fitting Department" on the wall, and entered it. Harley handed the document through the window, took a wooden box from the window and carried it back to the waiting Layfon. "Come to my research lab." Harley thrust the box to him and led the way out of the department. "Uh, to put it correctly, it's my class's lab." Students of Alchemy were assigned to groups and each group had its own research lab. In there, they could perform personal experiments. "You can get your own research lab if you regularly take the top place or you publish some pretty good thesis. In here, I can't really do what I want to do." "What is senpai specializing in?" "Weapon adjustment. Sure, I need to invent, but I prefer to adjust weapons so they best fit their owners." Layfon now understood why Harley was so stubborn and determined about his weapon

being unsuitable. "That's a bit different from trainers. How should I put it?" "In Grendan, we call them the Dite engineers." "Ah, I see. That's a good title." The research lab was messy. No, the lab itself was the manifestation of messiness. After opening the door, Layfon saw something in the colour of charcoal sticking tightly to the floor. Near the wall beside the door was a pile of magazines and papers with difficult names. A thin layer of dust covered it. There was also a mug with a dirtied edge and a piece of half eaten bread thrown aside. The life of a single male......and its worst stereotype had become reality here. The provoking smell in the air made Layfon dizzy. Harley looked to be practical, but that seemed to be only limited to what he was interested in. Three tables sat in the spacious room. On each desk was the exact same situation, so Layfon couldn't tell the difference between them. Harley pushed aside the things on one of the tables and got him to place the wooden box there. In the box were several rod-like things. In a relaxed manner, Harley took out one of the rods that was dark as charcoal. He took out a long electrical terminal from the gear box on the table and inserted it into the rod. The terminal slid in easily. "Let's first adjust the handle of the sword. You're one-handed, right? Do you want to set it for two hands?" "Please do." Layfon said so, knowing that Harley wouldn't have listened if he said he could adjust whatever settings he wanted. "Roger. Hold this." Harley handed something over that he took out from the small mountain on the desk. It was a half-transparent item with a bluish tinge to it. At one end was a wire linking it to a machine. "Hold it just like how you hold a sword." Layfon thought of the feeling he had when holding a sword, then he tightened his grip on

the icy cold rod-like thing. The thing had its own resistance and didn't get squashed. Compared with its soft appearance, it was surprisingly hard. "Wow, your grip is quite strong. Even if you fight with your bare fists, it's gonna hurt." Harley nodded while looking at the number appearing on the display. He pulled out the keyboard to enter the number. Sudden changes appeared at the end of the rod where the terminal was inserted. The rod extended and expanded, its appearance adjusting continuously, eventually becoming what was shown on the display. "Try again." Layfon did so. "How does it feel?" "......Pretty good." Nothing felt out of place. Layfon's every finger held the handle closely. "I'll do more adjustments once the entire weight's been decided. Well, then the handle's ok now. Next is the material. How do you want it? What Nina uses is black Dite. It's got good density but with decreasing conductive rate. If we're talking about speed, it's better to use white or green Dite. I'd recommend the white. If you don't get it, I've got a sample here. Wanna give it a go?" Without waiting for a reply, Harley had entered the experimental lab and brought back a pile of rods. Layfon's worked up a cold sweat just by looking at the pile of rods on the floor. "Well, let's begin testing." Smiling, Harley handed a rod to Layfon. It seemed he'd spend a lot time here. When Harley let him go, the sun had already sunk down in the west. Layfon returned to the dormitory in a flurry and jumped onto the bed. He slept for a few hours and was awakened by the alarm clock. He fixed his messy hair, dressed himself in his work clothes and rushed out of the dormitory.

This was Layfon's first work day. Holding the map in one hand, Layfon arrived at an underground entrance outside the residential district. He handed his work permit to the police student for check up and entered the interior. Right before him was a lift. Layfon sat inside the simple lift that was encircled with metal fence, and headed down into the depths of the city. Just when the indescribable smell of oil and liquid became stronger and stronger, the lift stopped, sending a great jolt up Layfon's body. The dim light lit up a scene before him. Numerous tubes and wires crossed each other. A gear wheel was moving up and down in its own rhythm. Selenium flowed like blood in one direction inside the glass-like tubes, whereas liquid in the colour of murky sediment flowed in the opposite direction. This place was underneath the city the Central Mechanism Chamber. The scene of Regio's heart lay open before Layfon. "How shocking......" A young man who looked to be also a half-studying and half-working student walked past and greeted Layfon as he stared speechlessly at the sight before him. Layfon followed the young man to the person in charge, and then started his job of cleaning. As he was a beginner, he was sent to clean the corridors. Grouped with the other newbie, Layfon went to work in the maze-like corridors. About one hour later, both of them started to get the hang of how to remove the mixed liquid from the wall, so they divided the work between them. It was easier this way to finish their target. When Layfon went to discharge the dirty water in his bucket and get some more clean water, his partner was resting on the floor, totally exhausted. "Are you resting?" "Yeah," came the powerless reply. "How to put it...it's tough. I picked this job coz I needed money, but I never thought it was such hard work to just clean the floor!" "That's because you used too much unnecessary strength. What if you don't use the muscles of your wrist but the weight of your entire body? That'd save some strength," Layfon advised, but his partner was so exhausted that he only made some noise as a response. Never mind, Layfon thought. He continued cleaning with the clean water and the cleaning liquid.

He didn't resent the repetitiveness of the work, since he could leave his mind blank and not think of anything. He only needed to concentrate on moving his body, his consciousness swallowed in the flow inside him. That was the blood running in his veins, which was the flow needed to open up the flow of Kei. If he focused more, blood and Kei would flow to the antibodies inside him. Layfon kept on brushing while enjoying that feeling. When the water in the bucket turned dark, he was brought back to reality. "I have to change the water," he murmured, and unexpectedly got a reply. "Then please change mine too." Startled, Layfon lifted his gaze to the source of the voice. And got another shock. "In exchange, let me treat you to supper...Uh, what's wrong?" "Senpai, why are you here?" It was Nina. She wore the same work clothes as Layfon. A bucket filled with dirty water sat beside her feet, and she was holding a brush missing a handle. Oil stained her nose, cheeks and even her hair. "I'm half studying and half working too. Is that so strange? With that, I'm leaving the water to you. I'll buy some food. Meet up here later." Nina left Layfon at a loss. When Layfon came back with clean water after a few minutes, Nina also managed to make it back in time. "Thanks." It didn't seem he was dreaming. Nina was looking at the wide-mouthed Layfon disapprovingly. Both of his hands were occupied with the buckets. "How do you plan to eat? Put down the buckets. You should rest when it's time to rest." "Ah, yes!" He placed the buckets on the floor and hurried away to join her. They sat down on a tube. Nina handed over a sandwich. He took a large bite. The delicious taste of chicken, vegetables and spicy sauce seeped into

his tired body. "Very delicious." "This is the most popular bento. It's always sold out. If you don't time it right, you'll never get to have it." Nina's lips relaxed slowly. She handed Layfon a paper cup filled with red tea. It was red tea with ice. The sugar level wasn't too high. The drink tasted nice. "Did you buy this too?" "No, I made it," she shook her head and put the lid on her water bottle. "I wasn't planning to share. Didn't know you were here, so I went to get some water just then." "Ah, I'm sorry." "No worries, and just a warning. Prepare your own drink from now on, the water here tastes horrible." Layfon left his mouth open, then looked at the side of Nina's face. A Nina happily eating her sandwich while her beautiful golden locks were oil-stained just didn't match each other. "What's it? I can't eat with you staring." "Sorry. I'm just surprised." "Yeah?" "Very surprised. Like how I can't imagine senpai's working here, and also......" She looked very cute, taking huge bites of her sandwich, but knowing he'd get quite a beating if he let those words out, Layfon quickly swallowed them. "Well, in terms of health, this is the worst environment you can imagine." Luckily she didn't notice him struggling with his words. "But it's true that the pay is good. For someone as poor as me, I'm grateful to get such high pay." Poor? "Are you that surprised?"

"Ah, no, not really......" It was true that he was surprised about it. When he first met Nina, he felt an elegant higher-class bearing from her on top of the standing straight and centre way that passionate Military Arts people preferred. "Frankly, my family isn't poor." Nina washed down her last bite of sandwich with red tea. Looking at the Nina now, it was hard to imagine she was of the upper class. "Then......" "Didn't I say my family? My parents were against me studying here, so I ran away from home. They don't send me any allowance." "And for what?" "Why did you come here?" "The only scholarship qualification that I passed was this academy city's, so I'm here." Disappointment appeared on Nina. No, what she tried to cover underneath was the anger in her eyes. "And I'm an orphan, so I haven't got any money." After quickly adding that line, he could see the apology in her eyes. "...... Is that so. I'm sorry." "No, that's ok." Layfon found her funny. Although she always appeared stubborn and calm, when he talked with her at such a close distance, her expressions were like the images of a kaleidoscope. In particular, it was funny of her trying to cover her own expression and still act cool. "I've always wanted to go outside," Nina said softly and took another sandwich. "For us born in a Regios, the majority of people spend their entire lifetime in the same city. Because of the filth monsters outside, we're trapped like birds in a cage...... but, there are also people who travel on roaming buses in between cities. They can look at many different worlds, as opposed to many who only see one world. I'm envious of them." Receiving Nina's glare again for staring at her, Layfon hastily took a bite of his sandwich. "I couldn't become a traveler, but I still wanted to see the outside world, so I was determined to come to the Academy City. I found that a reasonable choice, but my parents were very

against it." Nina's eyes narrow in enjoyment. Perhaps she was recalling the scene of her defying her parents. "That was my first time arguing with dad to such an extreme end. I didn't know what he was thinking, but I was happy." "Is that why you don't get any allowance?" "Yeah. They found out that I took the exam behind their backs. They locked me in the room when I was about to leave. I only managed to escape and board the bus in the last minute. I sent home a letter after arriving here. I wrote what I thought was right. The return letter was extremely short. It included a return bus ticket and a piece of paper saying "Besides this, we won't give you any help."" "So I'm like this now," she concluded and fell silent, eating her sandwich. Layfon also focused on eating. Nina finished the last sandwich and poured some red tea into the paper cup. "I'm only good at Military Arts, so that's why I'm in this case. But you seem different." According to the Student President, Layfon was forced to transfer. "Not at all," he shook his head, lowered his head to gaze at the red tea in his cup. The coldness of the iced red tea seeped through the paper and into his palm. "I still haven't decided what to do, but, I want to do something." "Um, what about Military Arts? Frankly, I think you're strong in it." "Not Military Arts. I failed it already." "Failed? What happened?" Nina was the type to say what was hard to talk about. Layfon shook his head bitterly. Just when he was searching for words to confuse the topic...... Gla, Gla, Gla. Footsteps of someone running in the corridor sounded, then that someone appeared, coming close to place where Layfon and Nina were resting. It was an older man wearing the same clothes as them. A beard adorned his chin. Machine oil filled his fingernails. Layfon guessed he must be a senpai in the Mechanical Engineering course. "Hey, did you see it here?"

"See what?" Layfon said but Nina got ahead of him. "Here again?" "Again. Sorry! I'm counting on you!" the man ran away. "This is troublesome." Nina drained her red tea and stood up. "What happened?" "Come and help. We don't have to clean today." "What?" Nina smiled. "The consciousness of the city has escaped." Even so, he didn't understand it. He could only say "what?" This time, Nina laughed. "Never mind that, just come." Layfon followed. Amongst the regular noises of gears turning were erratic footsteps stamping on metallic floors, but Nina was strolling in the busy atmosphere. "Is this urgent?" "For the Mechanical Engineering students that look after this place, it's serious enough for them to have their marks taken off." "Oh......" The city's consciousness? She said that the city's consciousness had escaped, but what was the city's consciousness? Layfon didn't get it. Since it was a self-governing city, the city would move according to its own will. No one knew where a city would go, and the people living in it couldn't control it. People lived in cities that floated, lost on the barren surface of the earth. Rumour had it that in the time when humans didn't have to rely on Regios, they had maps mapping the entire world. But these maps had lost their value. No one ever read them anymore. For humans living in this age, what happened outside a city was a mystery. At the same time, the city that they couldn't control was also in itself a mystery.

He wouldn't have not known what it meant by the city's consciousness. But what it was like to have the city's consciousness escaping was hard to fathom. Nina didn't hesitate when coming across any forked corridors. Layfon watched her back, confused. "Aren't we looking for it?" "There's no need." "Why?" Layfon was more confused. He caught up with Nina to look at her face, and only saw excitement on her gentle countenance. She didn't look around. She was just walking straight in the direction she knew. "The city's consciousness has a strong sense of curiosity," Nina said suddenly. "So it likes to run around. That serves to avoid the filth monsters, but what's more important is its bottomless curiosity to explore the world. It runs here and there...... that's how Harley puts it." Nina halted her steps, blocked by the railing. From here, they could look into the depth of the city's heart, layered by machineries, the air vibrating with the sound of machines at work. And above that was something. Something that pulsated with golden light. "And because of that, it's also curious about new things inside itself. It's curious like you, a new student." "Zuellni!" Nina called. The ball of light flew through the air in circles. "The workers are agitated," she said. The ball of light flew straight at Nina. Without giving Layfon the chance to shout "watch out", the ball of light was in Nina's arms. "Haha, aren't you full of spirit?" Nina smiled, carrying the ball of light. Layfon took a closer look at it and was speechless. The ball of light was a small child. "But you gotta work properly. If you get lazy, the workers have to run around and adjust a

great deal of things." It was about the size of an infant, but the ratio of its limbs looked normal. Her hair was long enough to touch her toes. She gazed at Nina cheerfully with big and animated eyes. (This......is the city's consciousness?) Layfon stared at the light-emitting girl without a word. The girl looked past Nina's shoulder and caught his eyes. "Ah, he's new. Let me introduce. He's Layfon, Layfon Alseif. He's very strong. Layfon, she's Zuellni." Layfon's gaze flickered between Nina and the girl. "That is......uh, the same as the city's name......" "Isn't that a given? The city is this child's real form." Perhaps this was a given, but it was hard to associate this little girl with the huge city he was in. "Oh, I'm Layfon Alseif. Nice to meet you," Layfon extended his hand to shake hers. Zuellni had already jumped from Nina's arm to her shoulder, then onto Layfon's chest. Layfon held her in haste. She was weightless, but he could feel her body heat through his thick working suit. Zuellni held tightly to his clothes, hugging him. She was gazing up at him with pure and polished eyes, making him feel a bit embarrassed. "Oh, she seems to like you," Nina said, trying to suppress her laughter. "What?" "Zuellni won't let anyone she hates touches her. If I explain it in Harley's words, Zuellni is the Electronic Fairy, the consolidated form of the city's particles. Once the form loosens, the electronic particles will shoot through the other's body, just like a lightning strike." Hearing that explanation, Layfon wasn't sure what to say. He couldn't believe such a cute little girl would harm humans. "The workers are all so worked up about Zuellni missing because of that too, on top of the gears not moving properly; but I don't think this gentle girl can harm others." Nina patted Zuellni's head. Zuellni squinted.

But even Layfon himself didn't know how he'd have reacted when he first knew of this. Nina's easy and relaxing manner enabled him to hug Zuellni so naturally. "Senpai is incredible." "Why so sudden?" "That's what I think." "You're weird!" Nina took Zuellni from him. While she turned her back to Layfon, he saw her cheeks reddening. Was she too sensitive? Nina talked to Zuellni as she walked back to the corridor. "Ok, have you seen enough? Then return to your place. Even you dislike the workers adjusting things when nothing's out of place." Layfon ran to catch up with her. "We have to train tomorrow for the platoon match. Don't bring your exhaustion with you," Nina said to him. Layfon halted his footsteps, his jaunty mood disappearing.

Chapter 3: Training I've finally settled down. How are you over there? It's irritating how cities can only maintain contact through letters. It'd be great if we could just call, but how do you fix a line between cities? If that could be done, the cities would probably trip on the cables. Honestly, I'm tired. I'm used to cleaning at the Mechanical Department, but it's still problematic. I suppose I'll get used to these irregular hours sooner or later. Right now, all I can do is keep at it. School life is all right. But I haven't had much chance to use my brain, so I'm not expecting much for my results. I regret not listening to you and doing some serious studying. You must be laughing now. Ok, this is reality, so I can only accept your laughter. I really regret it. From the day I let go of the Heavens Blade, I've turned back into someone normal. Except,

it's difficult to make a fresh start. Sometimes I think that my past lifestyle was relaxing. A voice inside me hopes to return to the old life. It's embarrassing. Master won't let it. Her Majesty won't allow it. Even I don't agree with it. Letting go of the Art of Katana was my way of showing my attitude to Master and Her Majesty. To be forgiven by letting go of the Katana was my biggest.... Uh, what am I saying? Sorry, please just forget it all. That's just an excuse. Everything is. I'm really useless. I won't send this letter. It isn't worth reading. "Are you ok?" Mifi asked. It was now lunch break. Layfon bent over the table. He didn't even have the strength to go buy bread. Mifi drained the pre-packaged milk and without moving a foot, tossed the packet into the rubbish bin. The packet flew through the air and fell into the bin as if it was sucked into it. "...... Mifi-chan, you're dirty," Meishen protested. The milk left inside the packet had leaked from the straw. Mifi ignored Meishen, who had her handkerchief pressed to the side of her head. Meishen was also looking at Layfon. "...... Are you all right?" "Yeah, I'm fine." Even Layfon himself wasn't sure. What he just said wasn't convincing at all. He saw bags under his eyes in the mirror yesterday, so he was feeling a bit down. "Talking about yourself with that expression. You're so unconvincing." Naruki returned to the classroom. She held two paper bags and placed one before Layfon. "Here. I just picked whatever since I didn't know what you like." "Ah, sorry. Thanks." "No worries. Remember to pay me back though."

Naruki smiled as she took back the money from him. She then looked at his waist and saw a Dite hanging from the harness. "So what's the reason? Work at the Mechanical Department or is it 'that'?" "Uh, work's ok. It's surprisingly good." Layfon got up slowly and took a bite of the bread from the bag. The dryness of the bread was uncomfortable. He inserted the straw into the packet of milk that was in the same bag. "So it's training? Was it hard?" Mifi took out another packet of milk from her paper bag and inserted a straw into it. The three girls sat down in the chairs around him. He smiled bitterly and sucked milk from the straw to wet the inside of his mouth. "It's training for the upcoming platoon match, right? That must be exhausting,' Naruki nodded. "......Platoon match?" "Ah, I know. I heard about it before, but I've forgotten, so I'm not really sure," Mifi raised the same question as Mei-Shen. Naruki started her explanation. As for Layfon-(Naruki speaks like a senpai. Do all female soldiers speak like that?) Thinking of this, Layfon didn't take in anything being said around him. "I've talked about the platoon matches before. They're to determine the ranks of platoons. The higher your rank is, the more important a position you'll get in the Military Arts Competition." "Is that a good thing?" "Of course. That means your abilities are acknowledged. Besides, you can really do something for the people in the city. It's something for Military Arts people to take pride in." The way she put it felt like it had nothing to do with what she was talking about. "But isn't that dangerous? If it was me, I wouldn't have chosen to come to such a dangerous place." "That's coz you're thinking of it from the angle of Military Arts. For example, if you get to run a magazine, you'll also do what you can to get good results, right?"

"Oh, I see." "If it's Mei-Shen, you'll also do your best in your cake shop, right?" "......Yeah." They both understood now. "To get good marks in your specialized area isn't just about dignity, but also about the evaluation of strength. In strategic planning, you've got to really know your own strengths. Like whose ability is the best, which platoon excels, those kinds of things. So the best way to get a better understanding of all that is to create real war-like situations, meaning, the platoon matches." "So it's to determine who is the strongest? That sounds like a little kids' fight." Layfon couldn't help but agree with Mifi. Who is the strongest? Thinking how he got himself involved in this meaningless ranking fight, he couldn't swallow his bread. "The matches aren't conducted in the manner of knockout matches. The purpose isn't to see who wins the most matches, so you can't really tell which team is the strongest. Still, we can't deny that some people really care about the matches. The match is time limited, and with that, you can judge the strength and precision of the teams. If a platoon wins, it'll get prize money, just like how you get scholarship if you regularly take top place in the General Studies' test. "A topic not related to me has appeared." Mifi puffed up her face, and the two other girls smiled. Layfon also laughed. "...... Is training hard?" Mei-Shen asked cautiously with anxiety in her eyes. "Yeah, um~~" They'd know even if he denied it, but it looked pretty bad to admit so honestly, so he could only substitute with some vague wordings. Men really are proud creatures. This saddened him. He could only smile bitterly. "Aa, Layton isn't training coz he likes it, so you don't have to force yourself to train so hard! It's best to just pretend, since training is tiring," Mifi concluded, after finishing her third packet of milk. Mei-Shen also nodded. Only Naruki was silently nibbling at her bread and eyeing Layfon suspiciously. He didn't train because he liked it. That was the truth. He didn't like Military Arts anymore. No, seriously, he had never liked Military Arts. It was something he had already lost.

It was the same as how one couldn't repeat his past and regain what was lost. Wolfstein. Layfon's title that the Student President used, was also one of the things he had lost. It was not possible to get it back. The Student President was seeking what could not be taken back. And, the Nina who knew nothing of it. "......That's right." Layfon returned his attention to the room. "Oh, yes." "Huh?" from Mifi. In her hand was a fourth packet of milk. "Do you just drink milk for lunch?" Mifi angrily conveyed her need to overcome the disadvantage of her body. She gave him quite a thrashing. Nina's impatient gaze stabbed his face. Even so, he couldn't help it. In the battleground reserved for Military Arts students, Layfon held the restored Dite in his hands, a feeling of directionless uncertainty rising inside him. Harley had adjusted a sword of green Dite for him. The long,thin blade emitted a teal light. For he who was hiding in the bushes, the gem-like light of the blade made him stand out too much. He leaned against the trunk of a tree and controlled his breathing. His heartbeat had to be regular, or else the training machine would detect the irregularity and attack him. The irritation of a plan gone wrong was scolding Layfon. Though he didn't feel that he was responsible in any way, he was the only one here. Both Felli and Harley were waiting for orders in the rear. Since meeting the Electronic Fairy Zuellni at the Mechanical Department, Layfon had not seen a smile on Nina's face. Sharnid was the first reason behind her irritation. He was late for training. He totally ignored her harsh reproach and didn't even reflect on his actions. All he did was utter a casual "sorry" with dissatisfaction and Restore his weapon.

Sharnid's weapon was a sniper rifle. On top of the light and white Dite was a large scope. It'd be impossible to avoid the automatic machine's attack without Sharnid's support. Layfon still felt uneasy. He had no idea what Sharnid's range was. The breathing irregularity could be because of that. He relaxed his breath. Next was the unease that came from his uncertainty of the enemy's location. The last team member, Felli, was responsible for intelligence support. The doll-like, silverhaired, beautiful girl used a half-transparent staff that was made of heavy alloy. The staff was made up of things that looked like flakes which were scattered when the staff was in operation. Felli had the power of psychokinesis. She could move things with her mind. Through psychokinesis, she could scatter the flakes over large areas to obtain intelligence and convey the information to her team members. "Two responses at point 1005." Felli's light and faint voice sounded through Layfon's earpiece. This was also an item using Felli's psychokinesis, so it was harder for enemies to eavesdrop. Without exchanging glances, Layfon and Nina rushed out of the bushes. An arm smashed suddenly into the place where the two had been hiding, then a robot shaped like a barrel with a wooden knife fitted onto its wrist was spraying red paint everywhere. "Too slow!" Nina called as she retreated. After collecting herself, she lashed out at the machine with her iron whips, and Layfon headed for the other automatic machine was that still in hidden from sight. He moved out of the shadow of the trees to make himself a target so Nina could concentrate on her fight. As if to answer his prediction, the other robot was about to swing down its weapon. The fake wooden axe chopped down towards Layfon's head. He took a step back and felt the passing of air at the tip of his nose. Unexpectedly, he got himself into a fight with another machine. The enemy type was a distance-fighting type. Layfon "uh"-ed at that fact and dipped his head to avoid the axe. Distracted by another long-range attack from somewhere, and observing Nina suppressing her opponent, Layfon was unable to make an attack. Noticing his situation, she called angrily into her transmitter, "Still haven't found it yet, sniper?" While calling, she knocked off the colored wooden knife and struck the machine with her other iron whip.

Now that Nina had won, Layfon didn't know what to do next. Should he lead the enemy to her and fight it together, knowing he couldn't block the fire from the other enemy? No, Nina would become the target of the enemy, and besides, he didn't have the confidence to work with her. In addition, once the captain was defeated, they'd lose the match, so he must take care not to involve her in more danger......Confusion caused Layfon's movement to slow down. He did avoid the axe, but the way he did it looked so ridiculous that even he was angry about it. He'd lost his balance. At that moment, Nina headed straight for him. Perhaps she thought he couldn't avoid the next strike. He felt the same. And this was when the long-distance shot came. The bell signaling the end of the match rang through the air.

Spattered with mud and paint, Nina walked in front, looking displeased. Everyone was tired. The scene had now moved to the Resting Room. With both wrists on his knees, Layfon sat tiredly on a chair, looking at the floor. Sharnid laid down on a bench, his eyes covered by a towel. Felli was the only one with a calm expression. She had let down her hair and was combing it. Nina stood before them all, watching them. Anger came through. "We just formed the platoon a short while ago, so I understand we can't yet coordinate well. I clearly understand that," Nina sighed, and relaxed her shoulders. Then she asked each person: "Sharnid, why didn't you cover Layfon?" "It's not that easy to avoid shooting your own teammate. It's not possible with the kind of coordination we're aiming for, if we can't even breathe on the same beat! To do that, Layfon has to accurately sense the timing of my shot and move accordingly. Shooting a comrade who's in an intense fight with the enemy scares me," Sharnid waved his hand. "Really?" She looked at Layfon. "Layfon, why didn't you lead the enemy to me?" "If the captain fell then we'd have lost. I could act as bait and draw out the enemy." "You should have let me make that decision."

"Yes, but there wasn't time." Another enemy was attacking him at close range, so he didn't have the leisure to wait for her order. "Felli, your searching speed was too slow. Couldn't you be faster?" "That was my limit." Felli's reply was unusually cold. Her refusal to respond was like a whip across Nina's face. Would she howl out in anger? That thought tensed Layfon's shoulders, but Nina remained silent, glaring at Felli. Who knew how long this silence would last? Embarrassment and disapproval were thick in the air. Though he felt suffocated, he didn't feel like breaking that atmosphere. He was already exhausted. But...... "Excuse me......" Harley walked in without knocking. He immediately noticed the atmosphere and halted his steps. "What's up?" Nina glared at him. "Ah......ahah, I came to help Layfon with his setting of the Dite," he replied, scratching his head. Perhaps speaking up helped him to make up his mind. Harley carried his box to a chair and opened it. "Since he's used it for a few days, I think I can get some detailed settings done. If anyone else feels your weapon needs adjusting, you can let me know." "No~~ nothing!" Sharnid sat up slowly. "Harley's settings are perfect. That I can be so relaxed is all thanks to you." "Mine's ok," Felli shook her head. "Really? That's great. Nina?" "No. If there's a need, I'll let you know." "Sure." What happened next was just the sound of gears being laid out on the floor. In this very short period of time, everyone was watching Harley's movement. He definitely felt their

weird gazes, but Harley started to whistle happily. The atmosphere became more relaxed. No, perhaps they were only tired of the embarrassment. "Well......" Sharnid picked up his bag. "Where are you going?" "The training's finished, right? Even if we're going to have a meeting, there's not much to talk about. I'll go back after a shower. Got a date afterwards." "What!" "Then I'm also leaving," Felli said, quietly taking her bag. "Aaaah, Felli's not gonna wash away your sweat?" "I don't sweat as much......Besides, showering here makes me feel like someone's peeking at me." "Haha, what a shame. If Felli doesn't grow up more, no one will peek at you." Ignoring Sharnid's teasing, Felli left the room. He shrugged and headed for the shower room. With his head on his hands, Layfon watched Nina standing there. He had nothing to say to her. Her shoulders were trembling. Even so, he couldn't escape as Harley had already caught him. But he felt he couldn't stay silent anymore. Focusing on the gears, Harley seemed oblivious to his surroundings. Nina's face showed she didn't know how to end this awkwardness. "Um......" Layfon made some noise without knowing what to say. "We have to practice a formation. You come over when you're done." Nina walked out. The irritating sound of the door closing affected the air of the room. "......Looking at that face of hers, it'd be good if she calmed down a bit," Harley said, smiling. Layfon smiled in return. "Seriously, Nina can act calmly, but she's impatient now. That can't be helped."

His face full of smiles, Harley wrapped a wire around Layfon's Dite. "Senpai really understands her." "Kind of. We're childhood friends." "Oh......Huh? But I remember Senpai......" She said she ran away from home. "Haha, ran away from home? Do you think she wouldn't know anybody at the place she ran away to?" Harley said cheerfully. That was true. "Uh, that's true. Why didn't I think of that?" But on second thought, he knew the reason. Nina came here against her parent's wishes. Such strong determination gave off a proud and lonely air. So he felt she didn't know anyone here. The other reason was that he didn't know anyone here from Grendan. (Ah, so that's why. Her situation's different from mine.) After laughing secretly at himself, Layfon forgot his misunderstanding of Nina. Besides, the other three girls that he knew also came from the same city. He felt helpless with his slow intuition. As per Harley's instruction, he restored his Dite. The wire around the Dite conveyed its information to the machine. He asked Harley a question, who was looking at the number on the display. "Why did senpai want to form a platoon?" "Do you find it hard to believe?" "Senpai's only a third year, isn't she? I heard that most of the platoon captains are fourth year or above. Hasn't she still got time?" "Yeah, if you look at the study years, then there's still time," Harley nodded. "But who knows whether this city still has time." His fingers flying on the keyboard, Harley asked, "You know right? You should have heard of it from the Student President."

"Yes." "He said it was to make us more alert of danger, but he did all that to increase our fighting strength." "Is that it?" "That's right, but I don't think that's all of it. He's stubborn." "......" "Ah, let's leave the Student President aside for now." Harley clapped his hands, pulling Layfon back into reality. His face had turned green just by remembering the nasty memories about the Student President. "The time Nina spends here is important to her. You should know since you heard of her running away." Layfon nodded. Nina had said that she wanted to see what a majority of people couldn't see: the world outside the city. "That's a precious experience. Yes, it's a precious experience to come to a city run by students only, but it's even more precious an experience to understand the outside world. A lot of people can never experience that." Even so, there were numerous Academy Cities, enough to conduct the Military Arts Competition the same type of cities fought for fuel. In other words, this was the proof that the city had enough number of students. This told Layfon that there were more humans than he thought. But a majority of people would never see each other. Even Layfon didn't know everyone at Grendan. Grendan had a population of about a hundred thousand people. But if people lived in the same city and wanted to meet up, they could. Perhaps if they desired to see each other, even with the filth monsters roaming the earth, they could see the person of another city. But he couldn't place the level of difficulty of those two types of meeting side by side. It's rare to get on a roaming bus just to see another city. It's extremely taxing to travel to another city, and it's dangerous. Numerous cities spread across the earth like stars, moving back and forth in an isolated world. Thinking of this, it felt so unbelievably hard to comprehend that it confounded him. "People might have never met, but we were given the chance to meet here. Don't you find

that interesting?" "......" "Nina doesn't want to lose that experience, so she'd try everything within her power. Nina's the type of person to act." "So please don't hate her too much," Harley added. Layfon didn't think he hated her. Afterward, he headed alone for the training complex in the direction of where he thought the training room was. It didn't take him long to arrive as it was close to the battleground. Layfon felt a heavy weight on his shoulders as he neared the entrance of the training complex. He wasn't sure whether there was a weight. No, he knew he had a burden there. He just didn't want to realize that it was on him. If they lost in this Military Arts Competition, the city would lose its fuel source. In other words, the city's consciousness that he came across at the Mechanical Department that cute Electric Fairy would face its death. What a tragic thing. But he couldn't really feel that happening. Just like the clear scene reflected in the glassy surface of the door to the training complex, he felt that it was happening in another city. He couldn't comprehend the fact that what he did would have a direct impact on the life and death of the city. He went through the door and headed for the training room of platoon 17. The sounds of practice from other training rooms made the entire building tremble. The building was designed to contain the varied powers of the Military Arts students, but it didn't seem to have good soundproofing. "Isn't it time to give up?" He heard this just as he was about to open to the door to the training room of platoon 17. He stopped. There were other students in the room besides Nina. Three males surrounded her. The tension in the air caressed Layfon's skin. His wrist moved towards his weapon harness on its own. Nina's arms were lowered. She held her restored iron whips tightly. She stared at the three students with an icy gaze, hiding her emotions.

The conversation continued. No one seemed to have noticed Layfon. "You should know now that it's not easy to form a platoon," the person standing right in front of Nina said. "And your members are...... Sharnid, who can't coordinate well with his ability, and two others that the Student President forced into Military Arts. Morale itself is already a problem. Do you really think you can form a team with those people and lead them in battle? If that's the case, then you're looking down on Military Arts." The target person wasn't him, but Layfon felt pressure bearing down into his stomach. This was an intimidation technique using the Internal type Kei. It was the opposite of External type burst Kei. The Internal type Kei could directly affect one's body. The voice with Kei made Nina tremble. "Let me say this for the last time. Join our team, Nina Antalk. The 3rd platoon needs your calm judgement and hard defence. Besides, you only need to be in our team to become strong." Nina's shoulders were shaking, but her eyes showed she was not afraid and threatened. She didn't look at the hand stretching towards her. She stared right in the eyes of the young man. "I thank you for your invitation. Let me thank you deeply for giving me such high evaluation," she said firmly. "But if I still want to test my ability. No matter how badly I look in others' eyes, I still want to test myself through my own strength." Her resolute answer tightened up atmosphere again. This time it wasn't the person before probably the captain of the 3rd platoon, but the other two people. Layfon held his breath. The captain of the 3rd platoon sighed. "I knew you'd give me that answer." He relaxed his shoulders. The other two also lowered their hostility. "I feel you're wasting your ability...... really, why did the Student President accept your unreasonable team proposal?" "Sorry." "There's no need to apologize. It's not a bad thing for the city if you become stronger."

"But, I hope you understand that this city doesn't have the time to watch you grow." "...... I understand." "Good." The captain shrugged, turned from Nina, and walked away. As there was only one exit, Layfon quickly moved aside. The captain left wordlessly, not even looking at him. The door closed. Nina's gaze pierced through Layfon to the closed door. She didn't notice his presence. Layfon was painfully aware that he wasn't in her line of sight. She wasn't looking at him. (Ahah, she's looking at the other side.) It was the side of the glass. He felt he had lost his place there. Of course, even he felt it was too rich a line coming from him. Wolfstein He should have understood the moment he abandoned this title and left Grendan. So he could pretend the pain in his chest was someone else's. Then he could view it as something beautiful. "Come, Layfon. Time to practice." Nina's line of vision moved to him. There were no traces of confusion in her expression. No traces left of her conversation with the captain of the 3rd platoon. "Yes," Layfon nodded and hurried to her side. But the feeling of standing on the other side of the glass didn't disappear. He knew this was a feeling of distance. "I know there are plenty of opportunities for us to fight together, but we can't even talk about that if we don't first coordinate our breathing."

Those firm looking pupils of hers. The Kei filling her limbs gave off a painful light from her eyes. This had nothing to do with the quality and weight of her Kei, but with her firm and determined personality. It was beautiful. To Layfon, it was as beautiful as a painting. That was why she stood on the other side of the glass. Layfon Restored his Dite. The sun sank down in the west. The complex closing time came, and saved Layfon from Nina's side. After washing off his sweat, he plodded back to his dormitory...... "Layton sighted! Capture him!" "Roger, capturing him now." Mifi's shrill voice and Naruki's lowered voice vibrated through his exhausted body. Next...... "What? Huh?" When he had collected himself, he was already tied up by a rope. When did that happen? He toppled onto the ground. "We've caught the target. Please give your next order." "Parade him around the city." "Roger." "Hey, stop it!" "Huh~~" Layfon calmly intruded. Mifi puffed up her cheeks. "Uh, that can't be done. Speaking of which, how come he became like this?" "That's my rope-capture technique, passed down by my father. Isn't it incredible?" Naruki

said. "Brilliant. It's too brilliant. But why so sudden? I don't understand what's happening!" "Oh, I'm just doing it. I'm not sure myself." "Just doing it? And what's with the rope? Do you carry it with you all the time?" "As someone who wants to join the police force, it's a must to carry around a rope all the time." "Is that a given?" Layfon asked, but failed to sway Naruki's confidence. "So what's this for?" he asked, looking at Mifi and Naruki. "Oh? I said we were going to drink tea, so we waited here for you." "I see...... but why this?" "Just doing it." "Fufufu ~~ I knew Layton doesn't have to work today. Don't underestimate Mifi's intelligence." "Yeah, but I didn't refuse you. Before I got the chance to refuse, I was like this." "Ok ok. Stop talking. We've invited a special guest today." They didn't listen to his words. Mifi pushed a person out from Naruki's shadow. He thought it was Meishen. But...... no. "...... Felli senpai?" "I got caught," she said without any expression. She was also bound by a rope. They spaced out like that for a while... "Hey--!! What were you guys doing!?" Layfon looked around. Luckily, there was no one around but them. He wondered how long those two girls had been hiding here, waiting to ambush them. "Because ~~ I've wanted to talk with her since I saw her." "No, I'm saying why did you use this method? It's a bit extreme. Um, it's like kidnapping

from the perspective of an observer." "......She's the younger sister of the Student President." "Meaning......We can get a huge ransom, right?" Mifi asked seriously. "......" "......" Layfon and Mifi looked at each other...... "Police, there's a kidnapper here." "OK, I'll catch her right away." In the next moment, Naruki had also tied up Mifi.

"I just wanted to have dinner with everyone!" After Mifi had surrendered, Naruki untied everyone. The four of them headed for the busier district of the city. "Mei-chi's got work today, so we're waiting for her to finish, and might as well enter the "observe Mei-chi's working look" plan." "A plan?" Layfon said. Mifi laughed. "Well, can you imagine her appearance at work?" "......That's a bit difficult." It was hard to imagine Meishen working. She was so shy. "Right? This'll be my first time seeing her at work. I'm really looking forward to it." Mifi skipped on the red bricked path. "It's good she's taking the initiative, but I feel a bit lonely now," Naruki said, shrugging her shoulders. "......Have you three known each other for long?" "Yeah, we were neighbors."

"Our parents knew each other for a long time too, from their birth." "Amazing......" Layfon honestly showed his admiration. He also had a group of childhood friends from the orphanage, but none of them came to Zuellni. "You three must be very close, coming here together." "Yeah~ It's fate." "Yeah." "Yes, we won't feel lonely even if we're in an unfamiliar place. Our parents agree with that," Mifi said, and started a conversation about the past with Naruki. Unable to enter the conversation, Layfon kept a distance between them. Felli was beside him. Silently walking, she stared at the backs of the two girls. "......Sorry for forcing you to come with us." "......It's ok." She didn't move her gaze away from the backs of the two girls. "The rope seemed fun." "......Was it fun?" "Yes," Felli replied, not even moving her eyebrows. Layfon didn't understand what she was thinking. But it was good that she didn't get mad. He let out a sigh. Felli was walking lightly with her hands behind her back. Looking at her childish appearance, he couldn't imagine that she was older than him. She was older, but her age difference didn't stand out at all because she was only one year apart. But comparing her with Mifi and Naruki, she looked even younger than them. "Uh, is senpai working too?" "No." "......I see." He couldn't think of what to say. Even his question was blocked. He knew nothing of her. Unlike Mifi and the others, Felli wasn't the type to divert with a conversation so long as the atmosphere was right. "......Just keep doing that." Felli said as he was thinking of what to say.

"Huh?" "I meant during training. Just keep doing that." "Why?" "Don't you want to avoid fighting?" The honest and direct question made him speechless. "If you perform well without the will to fight, other people will have expectations of you." "......I suppose," he nodded. "It's ridiculous to do what you don't want to do." Meaning Felli also hadn't used her true ability in training. The same as him. He now understood why he was so tired. He couldn't escape the place he wanted to leave. This feeling took a lot of his strength. He made unnecessary moves because of a lack of concentration, which in turn wasted a lot of his strength. "Why do I feel as if there's no other road to take?" He didn't want to, but he had to. All he could do to resist this was to not put his all in training. And because of that, he was tired. "Even so, I have to resist this way. As long as I'm in the Academy City, I can't escape my brother. Unless he lets me go, I've no other choice." "...... Do you dislike your own brother?" He might have asked a meaningless question. She did say she hated him before. But perhaps "dislike" and "hate" were different. "I dislike him. He doesn't care about me at all." Layfon had nothing to say. Walking beside her gave him an urge to find something to talk about, but she didn't care about ending a conversation abruptly. The two girls walking before them had arrived at the shop. They waved back at them.

"......You're so mean." "Never mind. You look cute."

Mifi was calm in the face of Meishen's reproachful gaze. They moved from the coffee shop that Meishen worked at into another nearby shop. In here, senior students were permitted to drink alcohol. Dishes of BBQ skewers and vegetables lay before Layfon and his friends. Naruki nodded in a serious manner as she put the bamboo sticks back into the bamboo container: "Yeah, you're cute. Are you making fun of me because I can't wear it?" "......Of course not." "Yeah, I know." Meishen's cheeks puffed up at Naruki's flippant tone. When Layfon and the three girls entered the coffee shop earlier, Meishen had stood still on her spot, her face turning green. And whether it was fortunate or not, there were no other female waitresses before break time other than Meishen. Layfon felt bad for her. She was shaking like a small animal while ordering her meal, but Mifi teased her happily. "But Mei-chi really is cute, isn't she, Layton?" "Um?" He thought back of her look in the coffee shop. The modest and deep blue uniform in itself wasn't cute at all, but the Meishen hiding her face behind the tray was cute. He gave his honest opinion, and Meishen lowered her head, her cheeks red as of boiled water. "Yeah, yeah, Layton. Well done, you unfaithful~~" "Why?" "It's a high level skill to praise the person in question along with the uniform." "......Mi-chan, Nakki, I'll get mad." The three girls argued in their own styles. Layfon sighed and turned his gaze to Felli. She was silently eating a skewer of BBQ chicken. She didn't seem to want to talk. She put the stick back into the bamboo container and examined the dish, thinking of what to eat next like a mathematician tackling a challenging

question. (Here's another small animal.) Frankly, her sober eating expression was also cute. Layfon nibbled at one end of the batter-fried vegetable stems as he listened to the conversation of the three girls. "Aah, let's stop teasing Mei-chi. The cake over there was delicious." "......Right?" "It wasn't too sweet. I get why Mei-chi loves that shop. Well, how's it going? Are they teaching you things?" "......Not sure. Seems they'll teach me later. Really, I've always wanted to just stay in the kitchen." "Since you showed them your cute look, of course they'd send you out to serve customers." "......Mi-chan!" "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, according to my investigation, no matter which shop it is, it'll prioritize students getting into the kitchen if they've had real cooking experience." "That's insurance. It guarantees the students must have some level of skill." "But it takes at least half a year to get marks." "......Wuwu, half a year." "Can Mei-chi tolerate half a year as a waitress?" "......No problem. I'll steal the recipe." "Hahaha, what an audacious declaration." "......Never mind me. What about you two?" "Me~~? I've already decided." "A magazine?" "Yeah, though it's mostly doing errands. Nakki?" "I'm going to join the City Police force. There're lots of Military Arts candidates, so I can't let down my guard."

"Oh, if you join the police force, then can you get an armed permit earlier?" "Yes, but you can only carry a baton." "Fufufu......But aren't you happy? You're really jealous of Layton's sword~~," "Not at all. I just want it because a baton is the pride of a policeman." "You really are!" Layfon was listening to the three. Even here he felt he was very distant from them. Nothing could help him. Because he stood on the other side of the glass. He could hear the sound, but he couldn't step inside it. He squinted at the three, unable to enter that cheerful territory. There was no chance to speak. The party ended as the closing hour of dormitories neared.

Student dormitories were spread out across the city. After separating from Naruki and the others since their dormitories lay in a different direction, Layfon found himself heading in the same direction as Felli. "......Is senpai going in this direction too?" "Yes, what a coincidence." Layfon nodded. It was that much of a surprise to him. "Senpai didn't enter the conversation back then. I'm sorry for being insensitive." In the end, he himself passed through that time without speaking. He couldn't speak up as a special atmosphere encircled the conversation that only familiarity would allow. Felli shook her head at the apologizing Layfon. "Not at all. I was happy." "Really? That's good." It was hard to conclude whether she was truly happy as her face showed no emotion at all. They alone walked on the path lit by street lights. Layfon felt awkward about it. The sound of footsteps that was usually small and insignificant drifted into their ears.

"I don't talk, not because I'm not satisfied," Felli said suddenly. "Ah, really?" "I didn't know what to say because I haven't had any friends before," Felli said as she walked past a street light. Layfon glanced at her but couldn't make out her expression. Just then, sparks fell from her silvery hair to scatter the dim light. He widened his eyes. "Senpai!" "Oh, sorry. I lost control for a little bit." She pressed down on her long hair with her hand. Green phosphorescence gathered in her hair, emitting a dull light. Unresponsive and without any heat. Only the tiniest bit of vibration in the air that Layfon could feel with his left wrist. This was psychokinesis. It was the external type burst Kei and the internal type Kei, but at the same time, it was different from both. It was an inborn ability, a type of Kei flowing in the body that training would never obtain. He watched her closely. Even her eyebrows and eyelashes emitted phosphorescence. Hair was the best conductor for the Kei of psychokinesis. There were people who conveyed their Kei to whips made by hair. (She lost control of it?) That was shocking. Just that and her hair could emit the light of psychokinesis to the tips of each strand of hair. This meant her ability of psychokinesis was inconceivably powerful. "Senpai......" "......This is the reason that my brother transferred me into Military Arts," she said. "My ability of psychokinesis goes way beyond the normal standard." "I think so too." Layfon had also seen psychokinesis phenomenon of glowing hair, but it was only one part of the hair. He had never seen a case like Felli's, whose whole hair shone without her being aware of it. "Because of this, I've received training in psychokinesis since I was very small. Everyone in my family strongly believed I'd become a psychokinesist. Even I never doubted it." "But......" she added. Layfon could feel her shaky emotions.

He was right. The trembling on her lips was different from that of normal conversation. "I thought that everyone's future was predestined. I thought that they all knew what they'd become in the future. But this was wrong. Of course, it's not possible for a criminal to know he can only become a criminal." She didn't laugh at her words. She only said it without much of an emotion. Perhaps this was meant as a joke. Since he wasn't sure, Layfon decided not to laugh. "Once I realized that, I tried to think of what I'd be doing if I wasn't a psychokinesist. No one knows their future, but mine was determined from when I was very young. I became intolerant of that, and eventually left my home city to come here." Her parents took a huge step back for her and allowed her to study at her brother's Academy City Zuellni. "My parents thought it wouldn't matter much if I didn't get to train in psychokinesis for six years. I also thought I could find the other me, the me who wouldn't become a psychokinesist." But she was unable to do that. Because of Zuellni's present situation and the person who tried to solve the crisis her brother. "I hate my brother. I hate my brother who forced me on the path of psychokinesis," she murmured. Layfon listened to her silently. He couldn't hear any emotions in her light tone, but he felt she felt confined, as if a certain being was under pressure and was crying out sorrowfully. "And I hate myself for only becoming a psychokinesist." Because of her exceptional ability, she couldn't escape her destiny. "Those kinds of people are too radiant," she murmured. Layfon could only nod in agreement. Because he felt the same.

Chapter 4: Platoon match It's been a while since I wrote my last letter. A lot's happened over here, so I'm a bit tired. It's

because of the cleaning duties in the Central Mechanism Chamber and school life. I still haven't received your letter. I wonder whether my letter arrived safely? I'm finding it very difficult to look for my future goal. In Grendan, I was fortunate to have ability and it didn't take me long to choose the path of the Katana. But now I feel that I need huge courage to determine my own future. Every time I look at these people who strive forward for their goals, I think they have lots of courage, yet I feel stupid and ridiculous for thinking that. I know there's no need to admire them. It's enough to look at my own goal. Haha, how weak I am. Uh, I know that too. I've come to Zuellni, but I still haven't found my goal. My school life is smooth. It'd be great if I could find what I want to do in these six years. I can't be too lazy about it, but there's no point panicking. How're you over there? I'm sure you're doing fine. May you have a happy future. To my dear Leerin Marfes, Layfon Alseif. He wanted money. He didn't really care for the reputation that came with the Heaven's Blade. He thought learning the katana was the fastest way to earn money, as his Master had praised his talent with the katana. Lance Shelled Grendan. It was fortunate he was born in this city that prospered on Military Arts. He didn't know his parents, but he was thankful of them for giving him talent with the katana.

He had to use this power to make money. He lived for fifteen years with that purpose alone. The luckiest thing that happened was that he became a successor of the Heaven's Blade before he was 14. But he was still troubled by money.

The air of commotion stretched out from the locker room to the narrow corridor. Layfon walked silently in the corridor. He let out a light sigh and tried to relieve the illusive pressure that was bearing down on him from the air. But he couldn't do it. He thought he had let it all out, but the irritated feeling rushed back into his chest. He felt his stomach, the pressure refusing to go away. "Wuwu......" "Are you all right?" Nina asked beside him. "......I should ask you, senpai. You don't look well yourself." "Don't talk nonsense. I'm very calm." Despite her reply, it was clear that she didn't feel as calm. Her eyes were darting around, and her footsteps were less firm. "Anyway, the 16th platoon is good at formations, but once a formation becomes shaky, there'll be an opening." "You said that three times already." Nina glared at him. He wasn't afraid of her getting mad. The light pink on the edge of her cheeks meant she was only covering up her embarrassment. Even so, he moved his gaze away from her. "Listen. I'm sorry, but we can't rely much on Sharnid's support. I need him to move alone today. And Felli's progress in tracking enemies hasn't improved," she said with a sour expression. Although they had been training since that day, Sharnid's long-distance shots failed to coordinate with the team's movement, and Felli's detection of enemies hadn't improved.

(Uh, of course.) He didn't know what the deal was with Sharnid, but it was expected of Felli. She was determined not to work at her best so her brother would let her go. (About that point, I'm the same.) "This time we're on the offensive. As long as I don't fall, we won't lose. We'll respond depending on the situation today and win the match. Thank goodness my coordination with you has improved." She thwacked a fist against Layfon's chest. It was a light strike, but he still coughed at the contact. After platoon training, he always trained alone with Nina. Because of that, he could accurately read Nina's attack pattern, and she also seemed to understand how Layfon would react. Nina mumbled as she looked at the map in her hand. This must be her strategic plan. She was thinking hard on how to win with the current strength of the team. From dark bags under her blood-shot eyes, it was clear she was determined to win this match. Yes, today, they had a platoon match. Match. Just thinking of that word made his stomach hurt. "I'm sorry. I need to go to the bathroom," Layfon apologized. "Got it. I'll go ahead then," Nina said, still deeply absorbed in the map. In the men's bathroom, Layfon splashed tap water onto his face. The coldness of the water cleared his head.

"Ugh, it's still not working." The pain in his stomach hadn't subsided, and he could also feel the pressure in his chest. "Damn." "What's wrong? You don't look well." A voice floated over as when he was about to splash his face again. He didn't turn to address the owner of the voice, but he saw the other person's face in the mirror. Felli would never have thought such a gentle smile could adorn Karian's face.

"......What do you want?" "There's no need to be on guard. I'm here to give the new platoon some encouragement. I just saw you on the way here. You don't look well." "I'm tense because it's almost time for the match." Layfon didn't detect any pressure from Karian, the pressure he felt when he first met the Student President. But there was a certain dissatisfaction mixed up with the pain in Layfon's stomach. His gaze reflected in the mirror also looked worse. "How could that be? This is child's play to you, Wolfstein." "......It's meaningless no matter how many times you repeat that title. It doesn't belong to me anymore. I was expelled from Grendan and I don't have the Heaven Blade." His disapproval of Karian......Could be because of Felli's words. He resisted Karian who even used his own sister to reach his goal. "And why is that? Are you not satisfied with me waiving your school fees? Speaking of which, you're still cleaning in the Central Mechanism Chamber. Do you still need money? If so......" "......That isn't the problem." "Then what's the issue? Layfon Alseif. The Heaven's Blade Wielder Wolfstein I know cares more about money than reputation." Karian didn't change his expression, but his words cut straight to the core. Layfon only collected himself at the huge noise that came from the floor tiles when he stomped on them. Karian's reflection on the mirror maintained his smile. "I don't know where you got that information from......but it's incomplete." "Um, just what's going on? Can you explain to me what kind of a person Wolfstein is?" "No. That's something you don't have to know." "It's fine if you don't tell me. I just want you to perform well in the fight." Karian ended the conversation one-sidedly and went out into the corridor. Layfon watched his back, having no desire to chase after him. "Yes, yes......" Karian suddenly halted his steps.

"I hope you can stop your naive thinking that playing around in the match can get you back into General Studies. I've said so already. I'll do anything for the survival of the city. As long something is useful to me, I'll use it." "Even if it's your sister?" "Even if it's my sister. Well, I'm going now." Karian moved out of Layfon's sight. He must be heading for the locker room of the 17th platoon. Layfon stayed rooted to the spot. He didn't want to see Karian again in the locker room. He sat on the edge of the sink, lifted his head to watch the ceiling with his hand covering his wet face. "Ah~~Damn it!" Letting out his emotion failed to alleviate the pain in his stomach.

Meishen looked at the basket resentfully on her knees. "You can't help it. They said non-related personnel can't enter before the match," Mifi comforted her in the audience seat. "......But......" Meishen gazed at the basket regretfully. She got up early today just to make this bento. "......Lay......ton lives alone. He might not have had breakfast." "Perhaps, but we didn't ask him to come out. Just forget it," Mifi said, pretending not to have heard the pause between "Lay" and "ton". (Layfon? Layfon-kun? Just which one is it? Hmm, with Meishen's personality, it probably is Layfon-kun......I don't think she'd want to call him just"Lay.") Mifi thought so. She knew Meishen greatly admired Layfon, that was why they became friends, but she never thought Meishen would have made him bento with her own two hands. (Is there a chance? Layton seems pretty slow with this kind of thing.)

She looked at Meishen. Meishen was delicate and small. She was about the same height as Felli. Her face? It would be Felli's overwhelming win in that area. The two girls were of different types, but the girl in the 17th platoon was exactly like an exquisite doll. She gave off an illusive and dangerous allure from head to toe. Compared to her, Meishen definitely wasn't not cute, but she always had this about-to-cry look in between her eyebrows. What about body build? Meishen had the advantage in this area. She was the most physically matured out of the three of them. Although her small stature didn't quite match, her body was so grown up that even Mifi herself felt inferior. Even now, the surrounding males were boldly staring at the curve of her chest. About chest size, the order went: Meishen, Mifi, and lastly Naruki. The order was reversed when it came to height. (I'm always in the middle. It feels like I'm losing out.) Meishen didn't let any boys get close to her because of her shyness, but at the same time, she was protected by many guys. Naruki's brave and bold personality also made it hard for anyone to get close, but everyone agreed she was beautiful. (Only I'm not liked. I haven't received a love letter either.) "What is it? Still sulking?" Naruki came back with some juice. Naruki's short hair danced in the wind. She frowned at it. Both her hands were occupied with snacks and three paper cups of juice, so she couldn't smooth out her hair. That pose suited her. "It's unexpectedly crowded. I waited a long time in the queue......What's up?" "......Nothing." Mifi snatched up her own juice and snack, and lifted her gaze to watch the arena. The uneven ground of the war field, dotted here and there with trees, was fenced in. Above was the camera of the Alchemy course, controlled by a psychokinesist. It was currently being tested; The big screens facing the audience seats cycled through different areas of the field. "Isn't it about time? When is Layton's match?" Meishen should know, but why was Mifi angry? Naruki didn't get it. "There are four matches today and Layton's is the third. How is the unknown 17th platoon gonna react to the speed of the 16th platoon? Everyone's interested in that, but the odds on them aren't good. Layton's team falls way behind."

"People are gambling on this?" Sharp light shot from Naruki's eyes. Gambling over a platoon match was illegal. In Naruki's harness was a Dite with the symbol of the City Police on it. "I didn't place a bet." "Of course." "Besides, it's useless for you to stop it. It hasn't received official permission, but it's mutually acknowledged. As long as they don't make a mess, the City Police won't do anything about it," Mifi said. Naruki grunted, looking around with outrage in her eyes. Mifi sighed. "Really...... Why are all Military Artists obsessed? It's just entertainment." "What nonsense! Military Arts is heaven's greatest gift to humanity. To dirty it through one's own desire......" "Yeah, yeah, yeah. What do you think of Layton's situation?" Mifi changed the subject. Naruki thought for a moment. "Well......" she said with a different feeling from before and touched her chin. "I'm not sure how good his comrades are, but I think he's strong. Yes, that's what I think......" "What is it?" Mifi said, noticing her hesitation. "I've only trained with Internal-type Kei, but Layton's External-type Burst Kei isn't too bad. But I feel that...He himself isn't too keen on the match." "Yes." "......Layton, he wouldn't get hurt, would he?" Meishen said, a deep frown sitting between her eyebrows, as if she was about to cry. Naruki smiled and shook her head. "They're using blunted weapons. We don't have to worry about him sustaining any injuries." "Though, every year, the average number of people getting injured in Military Arts is around 300. It's three times more than other courses and it's mostly caused in training and matches."

Mifi's words made the tears fall from Meishen's eyes. Naruki's fist connected with Mifi's head.

His stomach had stopped hurting, but now his brain felt dull and listless. Layfon wasn't keen on the match at all. The team walked into the corridor, leaving the locker room for the match. Sunlight replaced the artificial light. The fervent atmosphere surrounded them. "Ah!" Layfon voiced his annoyance at the unusual scene in the battlefield. Numerous students sat in the audience section and a camera hovered in the air. One of the big screens showed the members of platoon 17. "Not bad!" Sharnid waved at the camera. Some students in the audience section shouted in shrill excitement. Sharnid's smile widened. "This atmosphere suits me the best. I think I can perform three times better than usual!" "I hope so," Nina said, coldly glancing at him, disapproving his flippant attitude. She then scanned the field. "Except for the area we're now in, everything else is about the same as usual." As Nina said, the terrain wasn't that different from usual. "We can't be careless. The defense team might have set traps. Felli, search for the enemies and traps when the match begins. Can you handle both?" "Who knows," Felli replied, supporting herself on her staff. Nina's expression turned harsh. The atmosphere made Layfon feel weak on his shoulders. The commentator for the match spoke through the loudspeaker, his voice full of energy. The match was about to begin. Layfon restored his Dite. He held a greenish blue sword. In the past, he held it because of money.

But now? The light from the green Dite didn't have Kei in it. It was simply reflecting the ray of the sun. The beautiful and empty light weighed down on Layfon. It was all because of his recklessness at the opening ceremony. He was hassled by the riot. Before he knew what was happening, he had suppressed the culprits of the riot. Why did he do that? He regretted his action. "Really." "Hmm? What is it?" He spoke in a whisper, but Nina had heard it. "Nothing." The siren signaling the beginning of the match drowned out his reply. "Time to go," Nina said. Layfon followed behind her.

Inside the Student President's room, Karian watched the screen. Both camps in the match had moved out after the siren sounded. Karian's gaze followed the attacker who was dragging his greenish blue sword behind and clumsily chasing after his captain. "Is this the guy that the Student President admires?" The owner of the voice was a Military Student, standing before the office desk. With an awe-inspiring countenance, the muscular man patted the beard on his chin, watching the screen. "His movements are clumsy and his flow of Kei is really bad. Did he really suppress the riot in the opening ceremony?" "The very same, Military Arts' Commander Vance." "Ha?" Vance Hardy, Commander of Military Arts the representative of the Military Arts course leaned on the office desk, watching the screen with incomprehension.

"Well then, he lacks enthusiasm. What a useless guy. This includes the one who transferred him into Military Arts." Karian shrugged and avoided eye contact. "I can guarantee his true ability. No one in Zuellni can be his opponent if he's serious. This is only a gathering for a group of novices, an amateurish organization. To one who immersed himself in the professional world for so many years, this match is a child's game." "We're betting our lives on this game." "Yes, even if it's a game , the ideal we hold to keep the city alive is the same, but he doesn't seem to understand that." "And there's also your sister." "Have you a different opinion, Commander?" "Of course. The two who lack enthusiasm and the Sharnid with real power but no cooperation. As the Military Arts Commander and the one who is responsible for the city's defense, I have a lot to complain about for giving Nina a platoon with so many issues. It makes more sense to put her in another platoon and nurture her that way." "Wasn't she the one who refused that proposal?" Vance shut his mouth. "Two years ago, everyone had huge expectations for her. She was accepted into a platoon when she was only in first year. But she'd changed her mind since we failed in the Military Arts competition. She formed her own team because of that. She chose Sharnid herself. I gave her the other two, but I did it with the belief that she could use them well." "I'm against her forming a platoon." "Unfortunately, I have the final say." "......Are you planning to destroy the future of an excellent student!?" Vance roared and struck the desk with his fist. The air vibrated. He was twice as muscular as Karian, but the Student President remained calm. "Only if this city survives," Karian waved away the vibrating air. "Can you guarantee we'll win in the next competition?" The gentle smiled disappeared. Karian challenged Vance with a gaze sharp as the blade of a knife. The Commander lifted his thick eyebrows and accepted the challenge. "There are no absolutes in war," Vance said.

"Yes, but I still want an absolute guarantee. We must win to guarantee the survival of this city. Humans can't live without the city. This cold world rejects us. I think you should know the meaning of losing a city?" What was outside the city The few plants that managed to survive on this polluted earth were poisonous. The only survivors were the filth monsters that had overcome the poison. Unable to survive in this harsh world, humans could only live in an artificial world in a mobile city. "Of course I understand that. But this is an Academy. It's a place of learning. I won't abandon good students!" "I'm nurturing them." "How so?" "You can obtain something by failing. Humans grow through failures. The greatest proof of maturity is what one obtains through enormous suffering. My sister and Layfon Alseif haven't yet understood this point, so I've thrown them over there." "Meaning this platoon is full of abandoned students?" "They haven't been abandoned. You can only make conclusions after the result." "In the end, even you can't guarantee the result." Karian nodded as if this was natural. "There's nothing absolute about people. If it exists, I'll become a mad believer." He moved his gaze back to the screen. The camera controlled by psychokinesis was filming a certain area of the war field. Layfon's desperate expression, his face stuck with sweat and dust, appeared on the screen. "In this life and death situation, you'll be suspected. Have you truly given up? Or have you not?" Karian's murmuring turned Vance's gaze to the screen too. The 17th platoon was losing.

A platoon must have at least four fighting members.

Yes, that was written in the Military Arts handbook. The 17th platoon had four people, so it fulfilled the minimal number. Harley wasn't in the count as he wasn't a fighter. Then what about the maximum number? Seven people. The 16th platoon had five fighting members. This was already counted as a small platoon. Usually, a platoon had seven fighting members. Preparing the fighting strength of the team was an absolute must to win and survive, but the 17th platoon lacked this. The excuse of not having enough time made no difference in the field. The excuse of the losing team was just a dog's barking, not worth listening to. Besides, Nina had no intention of giving voice to it. The 17th platoon lacked the strength of one more member. He couldn't help but think that the result could be overturned. Truly, that was what Layfon was thinking, even though he didn't plan to win. How naive of him. When the siren sounded, he and Nina rushed forward to the enemy base. They had to eliminate the entire enemy team to win, or make them lose their fighting capability and destroy the flag they were protecting. On the other hand, the defense team had to either defeat the captain of the enemy team or protect their flag within the time limit. The defense team could set traps in the field before the match, so they had the advantage if they were to just keep on the defensive side. It was like this because the victory conditions in a real Military Arts competition were the defeat of the enemy's forces or the destruction of the city's Central Mechanism, which was represented by the flag. "The other team will probably choose to defend. All they need to do is protect their flag until the time limit," Nina said in the locker room. "Me and Layfon will act as bait. During that time, Sharnid is to snipe the flag. It's an oldfashioned but realistic plan." "Layfon, the first problem we'll face is getting through the traps as fast as we can. The 16th platoon can't easily detect Sharnid's Kei, but we'll have to attract the psychokinesist's attention with our speed. Our mission is to confuse the other team." That was why the two of them were running on the uneven ground and heading straight for

the front line of the opposing team. They moved at their highest speed while running through bushes and staying alert for traps. Something felt wrong. "Layfon, be careful," Nina said from behind. She felt it too. There weren't any traps. On the ground could be simple traps like pits, nets, conductive wires......and bundles of grass to trip one's feet......They didn't find any mines controlled by psychokinesis. Except for the changes made to the terrain for the match, nothing else looked different. On Nina's gesture, Layfon stopped running and hid inside the shadow of the bush. "Felli, have you found the enemy's position?" "Two reactions in the enemy camp, and three at the front. None of the targets are moving," Felli answered lightly through the transmitter. The opponents didn't plan to hide any of their moves. "They plan to receive our attack without reducing our strength through traps? Are we being underestimated?" Nina mumbled. Another voice came through the transmitter. "This is Sharnid. I'm in position. There's something blocking my target, but this is the best position I could find. If there's a better opening, I guarantee my shot will hit." So he planned to hit the obstacle before sniping the flag. But with that much time wasted, both the psychokinesist and people who could use External-type Burst Kei might discover Sharnid's position. He'd become the target of the enemy's sniper. "Wait a minute. Just stay there and wait for your order." "Roger. I'll shoot if a chance presents itself." "I'm counting on you." Nina's gaze threw out a question at Layfon. (What do we do?) He knew they could only keep on moving. The 16th platoon couldn't be unaware of the two of them. Even so, three members of the enemy team hadn't made a move, meaning they planned to receive attacks head-on. And if the 17th platoon didn't take any action, the enemies would remain where they were till the time ran out. They would win.

There was only one thing left to do. Fight the enemy. In a 2 vs 5 fight, the 17th platoon was at a disadvantage. "Geez," Layfon complained in a low voice. Although the situation was as predicted, this was exactly what the other team had planned. (What do we do next?) Layfon's gaze reflected his question, and Nina wordlessly nodded. Now they had to rush the front line, just as they had agreed. He didn't understand why she was full of confidence. Her voice came through his transmitter. "We'll follow the original plan. We'll draw the attackers into the front section of the field. Aim for the ground when we get there and use the smoke to confuse the enemy." "Just don't get in my line of sight!" Sharnid said. Felli asked for Sharnid's position, and Nina gave Layfon an order. "Draw the enemy to the west." The two of them signaled through eye contact. Layfon emerged from the bush, followed closely by Nina. As he ran, he extended his Kei to his blade. The Kei flowed like blood. This was a Kei vein. It connected Layfon's palm to the sword so the blade became a part of his body. The blade gave off a clear, blue light that was unlike that of the sun's. Layfon could feel the murky feeling from the blade. Because he could feel the blade as if it had grown a nervous system overnight, he experienced the unnatural, numb and irritating feeling......a novice might be satisfied at this stage, but not Layfon. He needed it to be more intense. The colour of his Kei could be more vivid, more exciting. The color of Kei on his blade looked so unsightly! He clamped down his teeth to suppress his desire. He knew his best Kei wasn't of this level. But what would it do to use his best Kei here? What did he want to do? Nothing. He couldn't use his full power because he didn't know what he wanted to do. What he was searching for wasn't the gem-like color of his Kei. "Layfon!" The shrill voice came not from the transmitter. He realized his consciousness had drifted off. He gazed back at the scene before him, but his heart was not in it. When he collected himself, he was in a sea of dust.

In the moment they emerged from the bushes, their enemies had also arrived with high speed. And that speed had filled the air with dust and soil particles, blocking out the sun and dimming the surrounding area. Layfon stopped running. He looked around, sensing Nina behind him. "Look closely at the flow of the air!" Nina's order came through his transmitter. He was irritated. How could she give him such a basic method of searching? Gritting his teeth, he watched the dust whirls before him. Three dust whirls. He slashed out with the sword, the pressure extending to his wrists. There were two pressures, canceling each other. One pressure flowed through Layfon's body, causing him to kneel on the ground. Nina kept silent. She was directing her attack at another whirl. "Whirl Kei......" he murmured, then rolled away from his current position to confirm the situation. Three figures separated Layfon and Nina. This was an Internal-type Kei technique. It could strengthen the legs tremendously and made high speed movement possible. These three must have gone through special training in Whirl Kei. After confirming their positions, the enemies had used their attack to confuse their vision, then executed a speedy attack with Whirl Kei. Their execution was flawless. They must have had special training in it. They didn't need to set up traps at all. The simultaneous attack of the Whirl Kei was the biggest trap. (But......) That strategy had also given Layfon's team a chance. He and Nina had completely attracted the enemy's attention. Next, they only needed to make an opening for Sharnid...... And he realized his foolishness.

Three people separated him and Nina. Once Nina fell, they would have lost. "Senpai!" Layfon couldn't get up because of the numbness in his knees. The pressure of the high speed attack remained in his body, preventing him from using his strength. As when he was trying to get up, one of the opponents rushed him again with a high-speed Whirl Kei attack. Dust filled the air. A presence that Layfon couldn't see with his eyes was closing in. He blocked the attack with his sword. The instability of his legs caused him to fly through the air then to fall, rolling on the ground. The pressure of the attack ran through his body. Sparks exploded in his vision. He had almost hit his head on the ground. Even so, he still had to get back up. He saw Nina defending from a Whirl Kei attack with her iron whips. Rooted tightly on the spot, she held tight to her two irons whips, receiving the high speed strikes. Compared to attacking, she was probably better at defense. She watched her two opponents calmly, and used her External-type Burst Kei to minimize the force of the strikes. Which was completely different from the clumsy-looking Layfon, rolling on the ground like a fool. In Nina's eyes was an indomitable light. The two iron whips spoke true of her determination. That pose was like a firm iron fortress. He had no time to be fascinated by the scene. Again, he blocked an attack with his sword, and fell tumbling on the dusty ground. "This is annoying!" Layfon's attacker said. Layfon couldn't see his opponent's expression through the dust screen, but he understood the enemy was frustrated that Layfon could block the speedy attacks despite his clumsiness. Another strike. Layfon once again tumbled across the earth. He was worse than a rolling stone. All he heard was the vibration deep in his ears. He couldn't hear any external noise properly. His head had been hit numerous times and his consciousness began to dim. (Why am I doing this?) He staggered to his feet and was still considering this question as he once again received another attack, only to fall rolling on the ground. (It doesn't matter if we lose, right?) This wasn't a fight to determine the fate of the city. This was just a school activity. It

shouldn't matter if they lost. The Academy City wouldn't lose its Electronic Fairy because of it. Even so, why was he letting the enemy attack him? For what purpose was he sustaining all these injuries? He couldn't comprehend what he was doing. (It shouldn't matter if we lose?) He confirmed once more. (Yes. It doesn't matter.) It was all right to throw away his sword. It was all right to stay still and not get up. It was unnecessary to make himself more tired and muddy. He had a break today, but he had to clean the Central Mechanism Chamber tomorrow. It wouldn't do to waste his strength here. He might even fall ill. It wasn't good to damage his physical condition, otherwise he couldn't make any money. He was an orphan without anyone to rely on, so he needed money. No one would send him an allowance. He could only rely on the scholarship. Sure, his school fees were waived, but if the Student President changed his mind, all the privileges would disappear. To save up for his future, he must make money. Money, money, money...... All of a sudden, he subconsciously looked at the sword held tightly in his hand. Light still emitted from the green Dite. (It was always money on my lips in the past.) He didn't hate himself. In truth, money was necessary. (Wasn't there something else?) Only that he was more desperate in the past. Not for himself, but for the running of the orphanage. The Head of the orphanage, his adopted father, the person who first saw the potential of katana skill in Layfon, his Master, viewed money as trash. To put it in a worse light, he had no concept of money. So they were always troubled with finances. When Layfon found out he had the talent for the katana, he had decided to use this ability to earn money. For that purpose, he was determined to obtain a Heaven's Blade and become the best fighter in Grendan. In Layfon's heart, he didn't hold any simple and innocent admiration for the strong. He was only realistically following the rules of the world and from there, chose his path. And now, he only needed to make money for himself. Enough money to keep on living. This was in itself difficult, but he didn't have to be as desperate as before. (Don't I have something more important?)

He contemplated while rolling on the ground, his brain almost empty from sustaining repeated hits. For example, the opposite sex. (How naive.) He was disappointed that this was the first thing that came to mind. But because of this thought, the face of his childhood friend, Leerin, surfaced. And lastly was the feeling of their lips touching. (But what can I do for Leerin?) Nothing. He wanted her to see him finding his purpose in this city A Layfon who had succeeded in something other than the katana. But this felt different from what he wanted to do for Leerin. A gap forever separated people in different mobile cities, then perhaps, in his heart, he failed to look at Leerin as someone other than his childhood friend. The touch of her lips made him realize she was female, but he still failed to look at her as someone of the opposite sex. (We're like siblings, even though we aren't related by blood.) It was a feeling nurtured through living in the same orphanage. That couldn't be helped. (Then......) Then who? As he thought of that, only Nina was in his line of sight. She stood in the Military Arts world that Layfon had given up. He envied her bright and dazzling form. And he remembered three other students. One of them was in Military Arts, but they were all striving for what they wanted to do. He was jealous of that bright form. Felli's experience was similar to his. A girl who believed she had no other choice but to follow the footsteps of her inborn ability. Although the road she had gone through to arrive here was different from his, he could understand her feeling on Naruki and her friends. They were too dazzling. (Ahah, what a mess.) What could he do for them? Nothing? He thought, rolling again on the ground. His opponent continued to prattle off his reproofs under his breath. Things like "Hurry up and fall." "This is so annoying." "I don't have time for this." What could he do? What did he want to do?

He couldn't think up an answer. Not even an answer as tiny as the tip of his finger nail. How troublesome. He finally looked around him. He hadn't been counting, so he wasn't sure how times he had been falling and climbing back to his feet. The dead end of his thoughts forced him back into the present. "......Senpai?" he muttered, toppling onto the ground from another attack. The sight he then saw in that one single moment was vividly carved into his mind. She was kneeling on one knee. No matter how good she was at defense, there had to be a limit. The accumulated injuries had taken away the strength in her legs. She had become less responsive. The Kei receiving the high-speed attack was losing its strength. The light of her Kei flow in the iron whips had lost its vitality. (No!) Senpai will fall. Senpai will fall. The platoon will have failed. Failed. The team will be disbanded. Senpai will never get back her spirit. Such naive thoughts surfaced one after another in Layfon's head. (This won't do.) And till now, the thought of losing had already disappeared. Layfon picked himself up. "You're so annoying!" His opponent howled and closed in for another high-speed attack. Layfon jumped aside. He already knew the position of his opponent. Since the movement was based on Whirl Kei, what came next was just a straight path to Layfon. Once Layfon timed the moment of his enemy's move, determining his opponent's position wouldn't be a

problem at all. The important point was how to judge the timing. Forgetting about the man who just sped past him, Layfon raised his sword. "That's a bit far." Because he'd been rolling on the ground, he now stood a fair bit of a distance from Nina. Even if he ran over now, he wouldn't make it in time. "In that case......" He slashed out with his sword. He wasn't even thinking of the Kei flowing through his blade. This was a natural movement for him. Changing the quality of the Kei on his Dite, the Kei shot out of his blade on the momentum of its slashing movement. It wasn't the same as shooting out Kei. He focused his Kei on one point only. This was one of the moves of the External-type Burst Kei Needle Kei. Kei sharp as needles struck one of the members of the 16th platoon and sent him sailing through the air. While the other attacker was spacing out at his suddenly flying comrade, Layfon extended his Kei to his feet. An Internal-type Kei -- Whirl Kei. As he headed for Nina, he used his sword to send another attacker flying. He stopped behind Nina and searched around for more enemies. The two people he had sent flying through the air had not returned to the field. He couldn't feel any hostile Kei. Those two must have fainted. "You......" Layfon didn't understand Nina's surprise. What was so surprising about that? Just when he was confused over this, the siren rang. "The flag's been destroyed! The 17th platoon wins!" The commentator shouted excitedly. The audience roared in commotion. "Hahaha! Did you see? I destroyed the flag with two shots, as promised," Sharnid's excited voice came through the transmitter.

But it sounded far away to Layfon. He toppled.

Chapter 5: Point of difference This is my fourth letter but I still haven't received yours. I'm beginning to worry that you haven't been getting mine.

Honestly, I'm feeling a bit down. What is it like to have a dream? I'm beginning to understand that feeling. I feel that......It's innocent and dazzling, like something at the bottom of a cave. No matter how much you stretch out your hand, you can't reach it. A place of deep despair. The good friends I've made here shine from a place that I can never reach. You also shine with light. Back then, I didn't understand how you could be so diligent and hardworking for such a boring thing. I was too desperate to live, and because of that, I missed the point. What forced me to become like that? I was running away. It's unsightly of me to place the blame elsewhere. Now, I don't find your goal boring. It's the opposite: I'm envious of you. Can I still grasp hold of it now? Grasp hold of the thing on the very bottom, the unreachable......The thing that might not even be there. I'm struggling with whether I should send this letter or not. Useless content. But I still think I should send this. I want to hear your opinion. Don't complicate it. I just want to hear what you think. I want to read your reply to this letter. Your dream is and has always been dazzling. Please don't lose it.

To my dear Leerin Marfes,

Layfon Alseif.

Nina walked in a brusque manner along the corridor, stomping the floor with force. A girl passing by, holding a pile of documents and who seemed to be a member of the Student Council quickly moved aside for her. It was natural for the girl to be startled. Dust and soil particles were stuck to Nina's forehead and cheeks. Her golden hair was dirty and messy, and even her Military Arts uniform was in tatters. There weren't many students who would walk around with that appearance full of anger. Nina was outraged. She wasn't quite sure why she was incensed, but she was currently throwing a tantrum. Unquestioning of the anger inside her, she had stomped over here after the match, propelled by her emotion. Layfon had fainted when the siren rang out and was carried away on a stretcher. There wasn't anything unusual with the flow of his Kei, so he must have just lost consciousness. "Just what was that about?" Nina let out her words in resentment and pounded heavily on the door of the Student President's room. "Come in." Before the reply came through, she had already pushed open the door on her own. Besides the bitterly smiling Karian, Vance was also in the room. Vance's presence calmed her down. She halted her steps. "Third year, Military Arts, Nina Antalk is coming in." "Please." Karian said that and then praised her. "Congratulations on your first win."

Nina's brow furrowed. "......Just what was that?" "Uh......What do you mean?" "Layfon Alseif. You know he's not a normal person, don't you?" "Why do you think so?" "This is all too strange. He really did well in the opening ceremony, but before his ability was confirmed, you transferred him into Military Arts and nominated him to join my platoon. During that time, there must have been lots of people thinking you were just blinded by his brilliant performance. But you didn't take any action afterwards...... Your personality would've made that impossible." "But you accepted Layfon. Don't you admire his performance today?" "I tested him." She'd had Felli bring him to the training room and had measured his strength. At that time, she didn't feel Layfon was hiding his true strength. She'd felt that if he had more training, his strength could exceed that of the existing members. But that judgment was completely in error. The issue wasn't that Layfon could become stronger after more training. He didn't need training at all. She saw Layfon's true strength in the platoon match just then. Needle Kei and Whirl Kei......He couldn't have mastered that power in a short period of time. Vance nodded in agreement. He glanced at the screen that was about to broadcast the fourth match, and turned her gaze back to Karian. "You seem to know who Layfon Alseif is. Did you know of his identity before this match?" Karian shook his head. "It's not that easy to obtain intelligence on other cities." The other two people in the room weren't convinced. "I only found out about him by chance." He raised his hands in surrender. "How did you two come to this academy?" Karian asked. "On a roaming bus of course." "Obviously by riding the roaming buses. Normally, we can only travel between cities by

riding the roaming buses, but what I mean is the route." "Route?" "Yes. All the roaming buses eventually return back to the Traffic City Joeldem and then depart from there. Only the consciousness of Joeldem knows the current positions of all the mobile cities. But sometimes a roaming bus might not come directly from Joeldem. It might go around to other cities before arriving here." Nina nodded. She had passed three cities before arriving at Zuellni. "Did you pass through Grendan?" Nina asked. Karian nodded. "It took me three months to arrive at Zuellni. During my travels, I had a two week layover in Grendan. It wasn't boring over there at all because of the numerous Military Arts matches being held. Fortunately, I saw a Heaven's Blade successor match." "Heaven's Blade?" Nina glanced at Vance. Vance didn't seem to know of it, so she waited for Karian to explain. "That isn't just a title for the twelve best Military Artists in the Lance Shelled City, Grendan......A certain special item also comes with that title, but as an outsider, I have no idea what it is." While listening to Karian, Nina thought of what might have happened. Layfon was from Grendan. That was true. Since Karian rode the roaming bus to Zuellni for first year study, this meant he must have stayed at Grendan five years ago. Five years ago? ......Layfon wasn't even ten years old! "How is that possible......" "I know there are geniuses in this world. But even I was greatly moved by his performance. I was so surprised I was speechless. I don't have the talent for Military Arts, but everyone watching that match was all shocked by the scene." A kid, who might not even be ten years old yet, easily wielded the long sword and defeated an adult. "It wasn't just men, everyone was overwhelmed and shocked. It was a rare and extraordinary scene. A kid could actually reach the summit of the Military Arts world. I couldn't forget that name. When I saw his name on the scholarship application, it was impossible for me to miss it. For him to settle in Zuellni, at this time, is like the birth of a savior. At the same time, I didn't understand why he left Grendan and wanted to specialize in General Studies. No, actually, I wasn't surprised at him entering General Studies. He doesn't need anyone to teach him Military Arts. Even so, I was still curious about the real reason behind his

decision, so I did some investigating, and the results arrived at my desk the day before the opening ceremony." "So......" Nina swallowed, trying to remove the feeling of something sticking to her throat. Right. She suddenly realized why she was so angry. She got it now. Layfon hadn't used his true strength during training. Never mind that. What was unforgivable was the fact that he deliberately lost to her when they first fought. He could have defeated her easily, but he chose to lose to her. It felt like an insult to Nina. Even so, the truth might not be what it appeared to be on the surface. She suppressed her anger and thought more calmly. Perhaps the excited Karian could calm her down further. What was Military Arts to Layfon? Perhaps he didn't like it. If he liked it, even though he didn't need any training, he would have entered Military Arts. (Speaking of which......) She remembered. Didn't he say that when they were eating supper at the Mechanical Department? "Not Military Arts. I've already failed it." She had forgotten that soon afterward, distracted by the Electronic Fairy. But thinking of it now, his words seemed to hide some deeper meaning. Failed? Just what was that about? The Layfon who was a top Military Artist in Grendan. Just what mistake did he make? "He......" Nina almost perked up her ears by reflex. She wanted to know. But then, perhaps she shouldn't be listening to this. If she knew, she might not let Layfon stay in the platoon. Perhaps she wouldn't be able to forgive him.

Just when her heart was swaying in two directions, Karian continued. "He had tainted the reputation of a Heaven's Blade Receiver." It seemed that something bad had happened if he woke up in the hospital. "I'm here again......" Layfon awoke and realized what he had done. He held his head, hating himself. He felt it and found many lumps on it. No wonder it felt as if his head was cramping. "Aah......" As he moaned, trying to escape the pain, his eyes wandered around the surrounding room and saw something placed on the bench. Something that looked like a big basket and three female schoolbags. Then, rowdy noises drifted in from the corridor, and the door was pushed open. "Ah, Layton's up!" Mifi said loudly with a paper cup in hand. Meishen and Naruki were standing behind her. "How do you feel? Are you all right? Speaking of which, you were incredible. You gave me such a scare." Layfon smiled sourly and sat up on the bed. "I didn't know you were that strong. The last two moves were amazing," Naruki said. Naruki said that because she was also in Military Arts. The bitterness on Layfon's face deepened. Noticing Layfon's look, she changed her expression. "......So are you alright?" Layfon took the juice from Meishen. The juice refreshed his thirsty throat. He drank as if to allow the liquid to seep through his entire body. "Thanks. I feel much better." Meishen's face reddened. She lowered her head and half-ran from the side of the bed to the long bench.

"......Um, if you're hungry, I've got a bento......" "Uh, thank you." Layfon got off the bed, made his way to the long bench and looked into the basket. It was divided into two sections. One held sandwiches; the other had things wrapped in paper that seemed to be baked biscuits. "I am hungry." He hadn't eaten since his stomach had hurt since early this morning. Looking at the basket, now he wanted to eat. He took a sandwich and bit into it. Feeling the look Meishen was giving him, he ate the sandwich in two bites and washed it down with juice. "It's delicious!" Meishen's tense expression turned into a blossoming smile. "Uh......" Layfon hesitated, his hand reaching out for more. "We aren't hungry. It's okay if you eat it all." "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just eat it all," Naruki and Mifi said. Meishen nodded. So he took another sandwich. "I'll go buy some juice." "I'm going with you." The girls' sudden movements alarmed Meishen. "......Wha- you two!" she protested. "Don't worry. We'll buy your share," Naruki said to Meishen, who was waving at them in agitation. "Oh, almost forgot. Your platoon's going to celebrate the victory. We've been invited too." "Oh, okay, got it," Layfon replied. Recalling the match brought a shadow over him, but eating took priority. Naruki and Mifi left the room. Now that they were left alone in the room, Meishen had lost her composure. Sitting next to

Layfon, she fidgeted and played with her fingers, her eyes darting around. After finishing the fourth sandwich and settling his stomach, he noticed Meishen's peculiar behaviour. (Ah, is she shy?) And he felt awkward and embarrassed. It was bad of Naruki and Mifi to leave her when they knew she'd become like this. "I'm sorry for making you make the bento." "......Not at all. It's a......th......thank you." "Thank you?" "......You saved me." Recalling what he did in the opening ceremony, he shook his head. "That was nothing." He wasn't thinking of saving her. His body just moved on its own. That was all there was to it. "......But, I was still saved." "Then I'll gratefully receive your goodwill, but I've almost eaten it all." Meishen laughed lightly at the joke. Feeling embarrassed, Layfon grabbed another sandwich. "......Lay......ton. You're strong," Meishen whispered as he finished up the last sandwich. "No......not at all." Even though he wanted to deny it, he knew inside him was another "him" who couldn't deny himself. He understood he had extraordinary strength in Military Arts. He tried his all to hide it. He didn't know how the Student President found out, but he thought he could solve this issue since Karian didn't seem to have leaked the secret. But he had dashed that hope in today's match. There must be a student here from Grendan. Those who thought they had mistaken him for someone else would now know he was a Heaven's Blade Receiver. "......You're really strong. Like how you struck down those two instantly......"

The huge screen set in the audience section must have broadcast his image. "......But, why didn't you defeat them before?" The question he had been dreading now lay before him. He noticed the smell of earth on his clothes. The Medical students had dusted off some of the soil on Layfon before putting him in bed, but that wasn't enough to clean the dirty clothes. While thinking of that, he remembered the pain in his head. (I must have rolled too much on the ground.) In the arena, Layfon had had difficulty thinking because of his head bumping here and there. He thought back to the scene of Nina receiving repeated attacks. Compared to his real strength, she wouldn't have let her pain muddle her thoughts. "I wasn't planning on winning." He decided to be honest. "I don't care about the me who trained in Military Arts. I didn't start training in it because I liked it. I didn't have anyone encouraging me to study it. I learned it because I had to." "Besides, Military Arts isn't necessary to me anymore, so I'm abandoning it," he said in small voice. Meishen watched him with wide eyes. If......if he was more used to it, he might have lost the match with more beauty. That was what he thought, but he was unable to do so in battle. As long as he held a weapon......even if he wasn't doing his best, he always fought seriously. This had nothing to do with the strength of the opponent. He had no feelings besides a desire to fight seriously for the result of victory. "I told you before that I'm an orphan, didn't I?" Meishen nodded and moved away her awkward gaze. "The Head of our orphanage was terrible with money, so he was always having trouble with it. Looking at the dwindling food, I guessed the Head must be losing money again. I was always afraid that one day, there might not be food at all." At that time, he encountered the way of the katana. "I was told I had a gift with the katana, so I decided to make money with it. I participated in all kinds of matches and won lots of prize money......"

And before he knew it, he had become a Heaven's Blade Receiver. Perhaps people who dreamed of becoming a Heaven's Blade Receiver would be outraged by his words. To him, though, this was his truth. This was the value the title "Heaven's Blade" held for him. It was only a step on the path to his goal. "The situation at the orphanage improved because of the prize money. Everyone was grateful to me." "......So, you then decided not to train in Military Arts again?" "Yes, since there was enough money. Unfortunately, it isn't enough for my school fees. That can't be helped, so I've got to earn money through some other means." "......Don't you miss it at all?" Layfon smiled naturally and nodded. "Yeah, but I still haven't found out what I want to do......" "......You'll definitely find it," Meishen said in a light and shy voice. She hunched her shoulders, her body seeming to become even smaller. "But......" Looking at the floor, she added,"......You were incredible......in the match......But you were a bit devious." "Huh?" "......Why did you win if you'd decided to lose the match?" "......" He wanted to say he couldn't think properly because of his injured head, but on second thought, he swallowed the words. It wasn't a good enough reason; besides, he didn't want Meishen to know more about it. "......Layton, you've got your own way of thinking. I don't know much......about winning or losing matches......but, if you've decided to lose, I think it's better to lose the match. It's not so good to change halfway through......About finding what I like doing, I can't properly explain why I like making sweets. I don't know how to discover an interest, so I can't give you any suggestions......" She paused as if to take a deep breath, and then continued, "But the Lay......ton I saw at the opening ceremony was cool. I want to see the Layton from back then." Her face was all red. Then she added a light "Sorry."

Layfon remained silent, and could only shake his head. Afterward, he chatted a bit with Naruki and Mifi. They all decided to part ways before tonight's celebration party.

Back in the dormitory, Layfon took off his dirty clothes and went to have a shower. Coming back to the room, refreshed, he looked at the paper bag on the desk. In it were Meishen's biscuits. "I don't really like sweets." He had taken the package with him without opening it, not wanting to refuse her. Now he opened the paper bag. The sealed-off aroma of sugar rushed out to pat his nose. He wasn't sure why, but it smelled like Meishen. The image of Meishen surfaced in his mind. Because of her passion for making sweets, she was doing a job she wasn't good at. He recalled how she peeked at him eating sandwiches, her face lowered and pink. He popped a biscuit into his mouth. "......So sweet." Of course. But he didn't hate the sweetness on his tongue. It was good for the body to eat something sweet when tired. "Aah~" Holding the bag in one hand, he fell into a sitting position. He brushed aside the hair falling across his eyes, and gazed at the floor. He had lied to Meishen. To put it correctly, he had hidden from her things that would disadvantage him in her eyes. This way, nobody would get hurt. But he resented himself for only wanting to maintain his good image. Either way, his pretense had been exposed. He was useless in the match. He didn't plan on winning, but the other half of him had taken action for victory. It seemed as if he was hiding his real strength so as to hoard the spotlight in the end. Besides, what could he do after winning?

Go back to train in Military Arts? No. Well...... "Just what do I want to do?" Who knew how many times he had asked that question already? But he still had to ask. What did he have besides Military Arts? Was there anything else he could do? Nothing. He just wanted to be doing something. He walked on a path with no dream and no obstacles. All he wanted was to try walking on a path, relying on himself. He hadn't even decided on where to go. And he came to Zuellni for that purpose. But the situation of the Academy and the Student President who knew of his past were denying him the chance to discovering his own interest. Layfon grabbed another biscuit. Meishen probably knew he didn't like sweets, so she had made them with less sugar. They tasted nice. Her consideration pained him. It reproached him. What was he like, the "cool Layfon" in her eyes? "It really is......so sweet......" He ate another biscuit.

The day after the platoon match passed by smoothly. It was now night. Naruki walked near the fighting arena with a flashlight in one hand. On her breast was a City Police badge. A baton hung from her harness. She was patrolling with a Military Arts senpai. "Is that first year in the 17th platoon your classmate?" "Yes."

A wry smile crossed Naruki's face at the curiosity of her senpai. A great number of people had moved over to the busier part of the city at night, so the areas surrounding the arena were quiet and empty. Some people would use this chance to carry out activities here, such as lovers doing something indecent, and students in Alchemy and Engineering conducting illegal experiments. Still, this patrol was a leisurely job. Senpai told her of what the Alchemy students did here and how students from the Engineering department used their machines for underground gambling matches. And somehow, the conversation came to focus on Layfon. "He's amazing. Not that many in Military Arts can reach his level. Just who is he?" "Who knows......He doesn't talk much about himself." It was more like Layfon himself didn't want to talk about his past. His unenthusiastic expression was all the answer that people received for the various questions that they threw at him yesterday in the celebration party. "I just know he's from Grendan." "Grendan? Ah, I see. But not everyone knows Military Arts even in Grendan. Oh, speaking of which......" "What?" "A Military Artist came here from Grendan last year. A good-for-nothing. What an absolute horror in group training," she said, trying to suppress her laughter. "......What was so horrible?" "Oh, I haven't finished. If one enters the Military Arts course, one should have trained in the basics of Internal-type or External Burst-type Kei, right? That girl kept boasting about her Kei and how it was just a basic level in Grendan, but in real combat, she couldn't even reach the lowest level. The other girls finished her off so easily. She ended up withdrawing from the course after only half a year. We all thought Grendan wasn't that great, but after watching yesterday's match, it looks like it's not just all talk about Grendan." "Are there only a few students from Grendan?" "Well, I only know that girl from Grendan. Grendan seems to have moved very far away from Zuellni in these past few years. Isn't it safer to go to a closer Academy City? So I don't think students from Grendan would come all the way out here. Perhaps that girl thought she wouldn't have to use Kei if she went to a place far away from Grendan," Senpai giggled. Naruki sank into contemplation. Couldn't the example of the female student fit Layfon?

It made more sense to enter an Academy City closer to home. This minimized the potential danger of spending too much time on a roaming bus. It was impossible to know the exact location of a city, but the Traffic Department was able to guess its location through the whereabouts and number of traveling days of various roaming buses. Even Naruki and her friends used the information from the Traffic Department to narrow down their options and finally picked Zuellni. (Did Layfon deliberately choose a distant Academy City?) She thought so. So he chose this place because it didn't have as many people from Grendan? She didn't understand, but this hypothesis felt close to the truth. For him who was hiding a secret, he wouldn't have wanted people near him to know it. So he purposefully picked a distant place. If so...... "Um......" "What is it?" the senpai turned around, as Naruki had been deep in thought and had lagged behind. "No. Nothing," Naruki shook her head and ran to catch up with her. (No problem at all.) If so......was there an issue with Layfon? No. Not at all. As long as a person lived, he had to have experienced a sad or embarrassing past that he wanted to wipe clean. There was nothing wrong with escaping the place where he kept recalling his bad memories. (Ah, but that depends on the situation.) The person she was worried about wasn't Layfon, but Meishen. Obviously, Meishen liked him. The closer she got to him, the greater the possibility she'd come into contact with the truth he was hiding. No, maybe she had already touched it. If the two were to be together...Naruki didn't want them to develop a distant relationship of being afraid to touch the other's wound. What would Meishen do? (If it's her......) No problem. Sure, but Naruki couldn't think like that. (Perhaps she'll be depressed.)

This was worrying. Since they were young, Meishen had always hidden behind Naruki, the tallest of the three, who knew how to fight. Nobody bothered with Mifi. Mifi liked to use the fastest means possible to grab hold of the other person's secret and use it against them in the most diabolical way possible. Meishen grew up being protected by them. But she wasn't just being protected. Both Naruki and Mifi fell under the charm of Meishen's sweets. They wouldn't dare lift their heads before her if they went over the line. Meishen wouldn't make any sweets for them. But even so, Meishen rarely left their small circle to make contact with the outside world. Her assertive action of working in the coffee shop was a great improvement. However, this wasn't enough to build a relationship with someone outside their circle. Naruki was really worried. (Um, what should I do? Maybe I should force the truth out of Layfon? Meishen might really fall into despair if it's a hard truth. What should I do? He's weak in personality. Perhaps it's better to use my authority as a City Policewoman? Just make up some evidence to threaten him and arrest him?) Deep in thought, Naruki had been walking slowly. The senpai strolling ahead of her turned back to look... And at the same time...... "Whhaaa......" She lost her balance and fell onto the grass. The ground was shaking. "What is it?" The intensity of the tremor made Naruki kneel down. The trees lining the road and the buildings around them clamoured. The streetlights shook violently, as if they could fall down at any moment. The light jumped. "Wh wh wh- what's happening?" Senpai grabbed hold of one of the streetlights. It seemed to be her first time experiencing a cityquake. "This is a city-quake. The cause could be uneven ground or the city not having a firm foothold......" "Oh? ......I see." It took a while for Senpai to understand her.

It was easy to forget this fact while living a normal life in the city. Zuellni was moving continuously. When Naruki was very young, a city-quake of greater magnitude than this had occurred in her city because Joeldem was trapped in ground with a weak crust. The city-quake had caused huge damage. When the shaking gradually eased, Naruki stood up. It didn't look like there was a fire anywhere. She couldn't hear the racket from the residential district as it was a bit far from here, but things must be chaotic over there. She thought of Mifi and Meishen. They should be sleeping in the dormitory. "I hope there aren't any accidents." And the shrill call of the siren dashed her hope.

She was in a bad mood since yesterday because Layfon had hidden his true strength...... They were cleaning and painting the tubes to prevent the spread of rust in the Central Mechanism Chamber. Holding the paint can and the brush, Layfon focused entirely on the sound of the moving gears behind his back. Nina was silently cleaning a tube. To Layfon, the sound of her brush against the tube was scolding him. "Ah." Nina didn't react to the sound he tried to suppress. Layfon's stomach hurt. (What did I do wrong?) He thought of the possible reason. Nina had been acting strange since yesterday's celebration party. Putting Felli aside, who was absent, both Sharnid and Harley greeted him. Nina was the only one who didn't look like she wanted to talk to him. All she said was "Thanks" and then she had gone to sit by herself.

She must be angry at his hiding of his true strength. This had to be the only reason. Even he could understand her unease. Someone with a lukewarm attitude actually exceeded her in her best area. It was like he was mocking her hard-won accomplishments. "Excuse me......" he called to her. Her brushing movement stopped. "What?" she said without looking at him. "Are you angry?" he blurted out. (I'm an idiot!) He could have said something better. "......No." He thought she'd have roared at him, but all she did was deny in a low voice. "There's no reason to be mad, but......" she sighed, lowered her shoulders and turned around. Her gaze didn't directly touch his. "I regret letting you enter the platoon." "Huh?" "I was deceived by the Student President. I was satisfied to have you since the platoon match was close and we still lacked members. You took my Kei directly, so I thought if you trained well, you could become an attacker in the platoon. Even if we lost the match, you could become stronger somehow, before the real Military Arts Competition." "But your real strength is way beyond my calculations." "No......" "Was the Student President lying when he said you were a receiver of a Heaven's Blade?" Looking embarrassed suddenly, Nina moved her gaze further away from him. "Did he tell you?" "Yes," she nodded. "He told me what he knew, and all I can do is pray it's not true." Her eyes, questioning him and wishing for something, made him release the breath he was

holding. He felt debilitated, as if a certain tension was suddenly cut away, the weight of his body disappearing into thin air......the emotion of despair. (It's all over......) Just what had ended? What he had left behind in Grendan had returned to him. What he had been running away from had finally caught up with him. "Tell me it's all a lie," she pleaded. But she didn't think the Student President had lied to her. Wolfstein......from the moment he learned of the twelve Heaven's Blade Receivers. Everyone had been scolding him, saying it was wrong, yet nobody had taken care to explain just how wrong it was. All they did was scold him. His stiff expression relaxed. Yes, his old self had returned. Nina's face turned frosty. She must have obtained her confirmation from his look. "Was it true?" "Yes," he nodded. "I participated in underground matches in Grendan, tainting the reputation of the Heaven's Blade and was exiled." He watched with indifference as the muscles on her face twitched. "Why?" "To earn money." He trained in Military Arts for that purpose and won again and again. But the prize money from normal matches was too little. As a result of unbroken victories, he had become a receiver of a Heaven's Blade to serve under the Queen of Grendan, Alsheyra. But his salary was still too small and the special scholarship he obtained was still too little. "I needed a lot of money for the many children in the orphanage." The money he had was enough for himself or just a normal family.

But there were too many orphans. The money he earned wasn't enough to provide for their education and living. His Master wasn't the only one managing an orphanage. Layfon needed money to give to his comrades, for all the numerous orphans in Grendan......and what he was earning wasn't enough. He could have just earned enough for the orphanage he lived in, but he felt he needed to provide for all the orphanages. He didn't know why either. Perhaps, all the orphans were his comrades. So he wasn't earning enough. "And at that time, I found out about the underground matches." Nina's expression swayed. She probably thought what he did had tainted the Military Arts. Many people thought of Military Arts as a sacred art to defend a city from outside enemies. This viewpoint was especially strong in those who lived as professional Military Artists. The sacred Art must not be tainted by human desires. But in reverse, because it was sacred, people wanted to taint it. The students gambling secretly on the platoon matches must be immersed in the festival-like atmosphere and commit their illegal act. But compared to the students, there were people who wanted to do such things with clearcut intent. Perhaps they weren't satisfied with the normal matches that began and ended ceremoniously in the spirit of sports. What they lusted after were the mad and bloody fights. And for this reason, the underground matches offered huge prize money. Layfon had found out about it. He contacted the people who organized such matches. Using the threat that came from the authority of a Heaven's Blade Receiver, he suggested that they could advertise his unbelievably strong power. It was easy to tell who would have won in a normal match, but it was another matter to watch a Heaven's Blade Receiver fight without holding back. He used his Kei as if he was in a show, and through that, obtained money from the audience. "But I couldn't keep that up for long." It was difficult to shut people's mouths. The rumor of his deeds spread widely in Grendan and eventually reached Queen Alsheyra's ear. "And so I was exiled." "Of course," Nina said, as if to let out all the anger and irritation inside her.

Nina's outrage was the same as the people's at Grendan, including Layfon's Master, the other Heaven's Blade Receivers and even his comrades the orphans. Even so, he still didn't understand. "Why are you so certain?" "What? You......" "Kei is an important treasure for humanity, striving to survive in this world. Because of it, the orphans and I didn't have to worry about food. Why must people make using it a crime?" He truly couldn't comprehend. "The Queen exiled me because a certain Military Artist was threatening me." "Threatening......?" She probably didn't know about this. "That person wanted to participate in a Heaven's Blade match. He showed me proof of my fights in the underground matches and threatened to spread it around unless I lost to him purposefully and let him have the Heaven's Blade." There were twelve Heaven's Blade Receivers. The only way to get that title was to either defeat a Receiver in a Heaven's Blade match or win the numerous matches after the death of a Receiver. The blackmailer had another way than Military Arts to win a match, and he used it to threaten Layfon. But Layfon didn't accept the deal. He couldn't abandon his title as it was his key to the underground matches, to fight as a Heaven's Blade Receiver. So he tried to kill the other person. His secret would be safe if this person died. He planned to win with one strike. He had that confidence. Once his opponent got careless, Layfon would deal a fatal strike and finish him off. But, he failed. His one strike only managed to sever his opponent's arm, and the match ended as his opponent was unable to keep fighting. And then the news of Layfon's deed in the underground matches spread. "I don't find him despicable," he said to the speechless Nina. "He was only doing everything he could to obtain what he desired. But he got careless in the end. That's all there was to it."

To Layfon, the way he finished his opponent was naive. One must fight desperately to survive, but the level of desperation he showed in his method was meaningless. At that time, there were still things driving him to act that way solely for the purpose of survival. And as such, he wasn't angry with the Student President. Karian's attitude of manipulating things and people to ensure Zuellni's survival was the same as Layfon's. But Karian's concern on what Layfon had abandoned made him revisit the feeling he had in Grendan all over again. "And that is who I am. Do you find me despicable?" Everyone in Grendan reproved him for being base. Was Nina the same? He waited for her reaction with a neutral expression. He felt pain as of his heart being torn apart. The pain was an illusion, but he had no way of shaking it off, so he could only suffer it. Why was he feeling this kind of pain? No. He had already experienced it before the punishment that Queen Alsheyra had passed down to him. All the Heaven's Blade Receivers served her, so Layfon could only surrender to her judgment. All the Heaven's Blade Receivers, officials and his Master watched him as his punishment was dealt out. Their gazes were cold and icy. The pain jolted him back to reality. "You......are despicable," she said. And then the ground shook violently.

Chapter 6: On the polluted earth "It" has been living inside the earth for a long time. Without moving, only ingesting pollutants from within the soiled earth, for a long time. Maybe "It" doesn't even have a sense of time; living beneath the surface without ever feeling discomfort, moving slightly between sleeping and waking to eat soil. Time is wasted away in slumber. However, the time to awaken is approaching. Since "It" is already a Mature Form, it can survive by consuming pollutants. But it's offspring are different. Since the larvae are

intolerant of pollution, they can't digest it. That's why they need unpolluted nutrition. In order to thrive, it can no longer sleep. With the cracking of the earth, the signal to awaken begins ringing. The sound of grinding pipes screeching echoes all over the place. The violent shaking of the floor causes Nina to lose her balance, but Layfon caught her by the arm. For a moment, there was a sparkle on her face. Feeling that he just did something which shouldn't be done, Layfon thought of letting go of her arm. However after reconsidering it instantly, he slowly stooped. "What...is this...?" To overcome the sound of metallic screeching all over the place, Nina raises her voice. Otherwise, her voice wouldn't be heard by Layfon, who is standing next to her. "It's a city-quake." Layfon also raises his voice. "This is...... a city-quake?" Looks like this is the first time Nina has experienced such a thing. Layfon thinks, as she looks at her surrounding with a confused face. "At first it was shaking up and down; maybe the city took a misstep into a ravine......" Layfon carefully checked the pattern of the shaking. At first it was shaking vertically, and then it was shaking diagonally. The bucket and brushes that were near their feet are now sliding freely along the floor. If it took a bad step, maybe it's sliding into some kind of hole? If so, then this was the worst possible situation. A city which cannot move is perfect prey for filth monsters. Nina, who was momentarily overwhelmed by the shaking, has quickly recovered herself and shouts, "There should be an emergency call! We have to return, quickly!" "But the floor is unstable! We can't move around yet!" "Even so, we still have to go back!"

Nina shook off Layfon's hand and stood up, Kei running through her body. Using Internaltype Kei to enhance body movement, Nina runs between the gaps of the pipes, as if weaving them together like a needle. "Ah, the hell with it!" Also using Internal-type Kei, Layfon chases after Nina. Even faster then Nina, Layfon quickly moves forward, as if he is half-flying. In front of him, Nina is running through a passageway suspended in mid-air. "She's too reckless." Although that is the shortest route to go to the surface, it is a risky action. At the moment, the passage is swinging left and right, as if saying it could collapse at any moment. As such, it wouldn't be strange if Nina, who is running with all her strength, suddenly gets thrown out from the passage. There wasn't time to use the stairs. Layfon leaped upwards, using the pipes around him as footholds. Beneath the corridor was the heart of the machinery, where the Electronic Fairy lived. While chasing after Nina, he caught Zuellni at the edge of his vision, an existence pulsating with dim light. In the form of a child, Zuellni was gazing at the deep earth with a terrified expression. She was curled up, as if she was too scared and was trying to hide somewhere narrow. As if she was peeking at some terrifying existence and hoping it wouldn't surface......And Layfon's got his confirmation. "Oh, no!" Muttering, he jumped off the last pipe to land on the corridor. "Wait up!" Just as Nina was about to run past him, he grabbed hold of her wrist again. "Let go! There's no time to spare!" "Yes! No time!" Layfon said, his anger matching hers. Even the bold Nina paused, caught by his aura. She stared at him with wide eyes as he shouted. "This is an emergency. We don't have time to laze around. If we don't escape......" "What did you say?"

"Hurry up and head for a shelter. We need every single second we have." "Just what are you talking about?" she questioned. Irritation and annoyance filled him at her reaction. (How could she be used to such peace!?) He just wanted to shout out in lamentation, but Nina still didn't know anything. If this was Grendan, anyone would have known what Layfon's expression was about. But this wasn't the case in Zuellni. Perhaps the other students here were the same. Just how many people knew the real situation? The more he thought of it, the more irritated he became. "Layfon!?" Nina's angry voice called him back to reality. He slowly let out his breath and tried to speak in a way that would affect every corner of Nina's body. A simple and absolute message. "The filth monsters are here." The siren rang. Informed of the situation through the phone in his dormitory, Karian immediately left and went to the school building. His destination wasn't the Student President's office. He entered a conference room in the middle floor of a tower that was surrounded by the Military Arts buildings. The few students in the room turned their gazes on him, including Vance. "Situation?" A thin, tall male student replied to Karian's short question. "One-third of Zuellni's legs are trapped in the ground, unable to escape." His pale skin looked green. "Escape?" "Yeah......It should be able to move on its own under normal circumstances, but now......Well, the legs are stuck." Karian addressed Vance. "How's the evacuation going?" "The City Police are evacuating the students, but it's too chaotic; they don't have the situation under control yet." Vance shook his head with a scowl. Karian nodded to comfort him.

"That can't be helped. We don't have enough people here with real fighting experience. But I hope you can speed up the evacuation as much as possible." Next he turned to the representative of the Alchemy course. "Release the safety setting of all the Dites of Military Arts students, and please hurry and activate the city's defense system." "We're already on it." "Gather all the platoons. We must fight with them as the core." Karian once again looked at Vance, who nodded but voiced a question with a stiff face. "Do you think we can do this?" Everyone looked at Karian. The problem of an Academy City was that it lacked experienced fighters. Everyone in it was a student. There were no adults in any of the grades, from seniors down to freshmen. These factors caused the greatest pressure and doubt in its citizens. Could they pass this crisis safely? "Only a dead end awaits us if we don't do this. Not only will the Military Arts students die, but everyone in Zuellni," Karian concluded. Everyone in the room was holding his breath. Once again, they understood the situation they were in. Under the shadow of death, no one wanted to say "Let's run away". Even if they ran out of the city, they still couldn't survive on the polluted earth. "We have to live no matter what. This is for everyone's - no, also for our own future. Please understand this fact and act accordingly." Everyone nodded at Karian's icy resolution. "......The filth monsters?" Nina said after pausing for half a second. She had taken some time to digest his meaning. This told Layfon how serious her lack of experience was in regards to the danger around them. "How could that happen?! The city should be moving and avoiding the filth monsters. This can't be happening......"

"A city can only avoid the filth monsters on the earth, and even then there are limits. What Zuellni encountered this time is likely a mature mother-form sleeping beneath the ground." He told her his hypothesis. The female filth monsters had eggs inside their bodies. The mother hibernates until the eggs mature into a larval stage. The young ones that just hatched could not absorb the pollutant, so the mother would provide them clean nutrients she had stored in her body during her hibernation. If this still wasn't enough food, the babies would devour each other. The mother would choose a few of the leftover ones and care for them till they fully matured. And if even that wasn't enough, the mother would become food for her young. The instinct of filth monsters to reproduce and care for the next generation was this strong. "The mother won't become food if there isn't a need for it." If there was close enough food source...... "What......" Now Nina understood what Layfon was saying. The people of Zuellni would become food. Nina's hand trembled. Was it fear? But, if so...... Without understanding, Layfon continued to speak. "So please head for the shelter......" "Stop it!" Her reaction hit him on the face. "You're telling me to evacuate!? You're telling me to run away!? Do you think I could do that!?" He looked at her, lost. The light of Kei enveloped her, a symbol of her fighting spirit. He held his breath at the Kei that was more intense and beautiful than the Kei she had exhibited during the platoon match. She was too naive. "What is our power for? What is the purpose of this power within us!? Isn't it for times like this!? Not for fights between people, but for our survival! Do you think we are allowed to run away at a time like this!? Stop joking!" He knew why she was trembling. It wasn't fear, but the drumming of the heart waving away

that fear. Her honest and determined heart had overcome her horror. This was the drumming eliminating her fear. And that was why it was so bright. Layfon squinted at that brightness. He never thought a person's Kei could be this bright. He knew of someone whose Kei light was more intense than Nina's, and someone whose Kei was fiercer. But he knew of no one whose Kei was the same as the Nina's right here, exuding this level of light. "......You really are despicable," she said in a low voice, suppressing her violent emotion. "You have great power. Why don't you use it for something useful?" Her eyelids lowered. "I don't know the terror of having nothing to eat. I don't get it, so I can't fully understand your standpoint with money. But even so, there must be something else that's worth pursuing, right? You don't need to use dirty means that taint your strength and station. From your viewpoint, it isn't wrong to purely chase after money. But for someone strong like you, shouldn't you be able to do something greater than what I can do? Won't you be able to save many things? If the comrades you want to save are proud of you, then aren't you also saving their hearts?" Her words stabbed him like a knife. The eyes of his comrades at the orphanage when he became a Heaven's Blade Receiver. Their eyes when he lost his right to the title of "Heaven's Blade." Their sudden change in attitude convinced Layfon that no one understood him. He had been betrayed. But could they have been the ones who felt they had been betrayed? "I'm going." "Wait." (Even if you go, you......) He swallowed the other half of his words. (You can't possibly win.) He was dizzied by Nina's Kei, but this Kei was just a symbol of her inner heart. A strong heart was no indication of increasing strength.

So what would happen if he said that? "If we don't fight now, when do we fight?" The words she left behind indicated her determination to fight. Besides, what if he stopped her? It was natural for Military Artists to fight against filth monsters it was their mission, given to them from heaven the duty of those given Kei and psychokinesis. All of them would think like that. If they don't fight, who would? If it was me...... Layfon was no longer a Military Artist. Even though he possessed Kei, he was no longer duty-bound as he had given up the standpoint of a Military Artist. He didn't want to fight for the sake of others. He made many wrong decisions in Grendan. The attitude of the people around him was a great shock to him. "Who's fighting for others......" Having chased after Nina, he was now back on the surface. He strolled towards the dormitory, listening to the sirens and the commotion of people evacuating. "I don't have a goal to fight for anymore," he repeated again and again, as if chanting a spell. The dormitory was empty. Of course, everyone had evacuated. The silence made him uneasy. He knew he had come to a place that he shouldn't have, but he had no idea where else he could go. He headed straight for his room. Layfon changed into his Military Arts uniform. The fact that the weapon hanging from his harness calmed his heart mocked him. But since he didn't go to a shelter, he let himself keep it for self-defense. Even if it wasn't for others, he had to fight for his own life. The weight of the Dite had wiped clean his uneasy feeling, but this only made him feel restless about what he was doing. The dormitory was empty, and he was in here, doing nothing. The strange feeling that he wasn't on the field fighting filth monsters. "Fighting them has become a habit," he said, mocking his own wound. Back in Grendan, he could make extra money by killing filth monsters, so he was always at the front, standing alone upon the battlefield. For some reason, there were always lots of filth monsters in Grendan's way. The number of fights that Grendan had had could not be compared to other cities.

And that could be why Grendan was called the birthplace of Military Arts. But this didn't matter anymore. "I don't want to fight for others anymore......" Then he noticed something behind the door. "!" He picked it up, not knowing what it was. "A letter......" It was an envelope that was bigger than the size of his palm. Its crumpled corners were proof of its long journey. On its back was an address in Grendan and a nostalgic name. "Leerin......" The dorm security must have stuffed the letter through the crack of the door. It must have arrived while Layfon was at the school. He let go of the unimportant speculation and cautiously opened the letter. His eyes widened at the first line, which completely shattered his lie.

Don't lie! I'm very angry. Layfon, why are you lying? Oh, and this is my reply to your second letter. Your first letter was somehow sent to me together with the second letter. Don't blame me. I wasn't lazy in replying. But please, at least remember my address. Anyway, I'm angry. It's impossible for you to become good friends with people so quickly, and live a normal academy life like ordinary people. Please don't underestimate me.

"So mean......" He sat back on the floor. Her evaluation of his terrible social skill...So that was how he appeared in her eyes...... He continued reading in spite of that setback. Leerin had been the closest to him in the orphanage and she was one of the few who still talked to him after what had happened. He couldn't ignore her words. As he read, a feeling stirred inside him. The stirring intensified, striking him hard from the

inside. He couldn't sit still anymore. He read as he stood up, unable to suppress the urge inside him. As he finished reading, he shoved the door aside and rushed through the corridor. He ran. He ran heedlessly and recklessly. As he ran, he stuffed the letter into his pocket, reflecting on its contents.

I understand your desire to forget your past in Grendan. If it was me, even I'd want to run away and forget everyone's cold gazes. But you don't really want to forget everything, do you? You're still sending letters to Grendan, to stay in contact with me. If you truly wanted to seal off your past in the depths of your mind, then I should also be forgotten. I always watched you train, watched you grow strong. Back then, I never thought 'that person doesn't want to train in the Military Arts.' That stance of yours when you were waving your longsword with the whole of your heart, training in the dojo, was dazzling to me. I also want it; the thing that can propel me forward with all my strength. Layfon, you're the hero of the orphans in Grendan. Everyone finds you dazzling, and that isn't a lie. You, who knelt before the Queen, felt so distant, even for me. It was a lonely feeling, but it gave us hope, that we could also make something ourselves. We grew up under the same circumstances. If you could give off such heat, then we could also be successful. It was all because of you that I chose to study instead of work. I want to study management. The Head of the orphanage has also changed his thinking because of you. He regrets that you became like that because of him. He said he'll pay more attention and be wiser when spending money. Our father is so useless. But whether it's the past or the present, he's caring for us in his own way. If it wasn't for him, you and I wouldn't have met. And you've changed him. I've decided to help father. I want to study management and build an orphanage not plagued by money issues. I want to protect our orphanage, just like father. It'd be good if Layfon could protect the orphanage, when we live together in Grendan once

again. Do I sound stupid? Like returning to the past but with some advancement. Can't we change ourselves like this and go back to what it was like before? I pray for the day when you once again step on the soil of Grendan. To my dear Layfon Wolfstein Alseif. Leerin Marfes. The sound of heavy movement pierced the atmosphere, as if the entire world was twisting into another form. A number of Zuellni's legs were stuck in the ground. The metallic sound of the joints of Zuellni's legs struggling to move filled the air. And the other noise was...... Gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha, gacha...... The sound, like water oozing forth, came from under the earth, twisting the world more intensely than the metallic lamentation. The lamentation of Zuellni. Something climbed up from the ground along with the noise. On the ground that Zuellni stood, they came one after another...... Dots of red light lit up the deep night. One, two, three, four......One after another, red lights climbed out of the hole in the ground. Soon, Zuellni was drowning in a sea of red light. The warning light underneath Zuellni lit up, proof that the Military Arts Students had equipped themselves. Strong light tore through the darkness to illuminate a fraction of the red lights gathering on the ground. It had a shell that was as scarlet as the earth. Encircled by the polished shell, a single compound eye on it's head flashed with red light. The *Gacha* sound came from the friction between its moving body and its shell.

This was the larva of a filth monster. Driven by their instinct to eat, all the larvae turned their eyes to the light shooting down from above. Where the food was. The earth cried out. It was their mother's voice. Hurry and eat. What can keep you alive is over there. Eat. Slaughter. Drink. And become strong, strong, strong...... The larvae stirred. They didn't even yet know how to move their bodies, but they obeyed their mother and tried. Irritation grew from their unfamiliarity with their bodies, but, driven by their appetite, they bore it and learned, moving as their mother's voice directed them to. The shell above the body split in two. And beneath it was something half-transparent; it was filled with something that looked like crumpled paper. As the larvae shook, the crumpled paper that was wet with moisture pushed and spread out to become wings. And, a new noise dominated the scene. Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.................. The sound of fast-beating wings floated into the air, and the larvae lifted off from the ground. Hundreds of larvae floated in the air and headed straight for their food Zuellni.

Nina watched this scene from the edge of the city, facing the northwest. The disturbing sound echoed through every fiber of her being. Then groups of larvae appeared, as if a floodgate had been opened. The shocking numbers of larvae made her hold her breath. Their numbers overwhelmingly

exceeded the number of Military Arts students she led. Each of the seventeen platoons assigned to different sectors must be witnessing the same scene...... (Are there more filth monster's than people in Zuellni?) She swallowed the despair flashing through her. This wasn't the time to despair. If she, the commander, revealed that feeling, how could the platoons under her continue fighting? The sea of red and black swept towards Nina's position, the noise of beating wings loud enough to shatter her eardrums. "Artillery, commence firing!" she shouted into her transmitter. The artillerymen, led by Sharnid, fed their Kei into the cannons on the outskirts of the city. They fired. The condensed Kei hit the larvae's front-lines and detonated. Red sparks exploded everywhere. Shells shattered and small legs fell, scattered onto the ground. The surviving larvae landed, folded their wings and stored them underneath their shells. "They can't fly for extended periods. Sharnid, target those that fly. Don't let any reach the city." "Roger. I can't die here. I still have a date tomorrow." Usually, she would have been irritated by his joke, but this time his laughter made her smile. She relaxed, and Restored the two Dites she took out from her harness. The Kei flowing through the iron whips with their safety locks released looked more vivid and clearer than usual. Out of the 17th platoon, only Nina and Sharnid were here. Layfon was useless, and Felli had not heeded the call of the Student President. Nina heard that the psychokinesist had not been spotted at the shelter. Then where was she......? There wasn't time to ponder this question. Before Nina were numerous larvae. The larva's head, which looked tiny compared to its body. Below the flashing red compound eye, a small orifice opened to extend a jaw, in which four sharp teeth were stirring. "How could we be eaten by these things! Attack!"

Nina bellowed and rushed towards the larvae. Harley's eyes widened. "Why are you here?" Not far from the front-line at the city's edge was a temporary tent. Students from Medicine and Alchemy waited inside it. The sound of the larvae could be heard here. The medical students checked their medicine with stiff faces. The alchemy students also had the same expression as they prepared the Dites. The machine Harley had been using to release the safety locks on the Dites was now cooling down, and standing before him was Layfon, who appeared to be breathless from running. "Great, you're here......" Layfon relaxed his breathing and removed the Dite from his harness. "Huh? Is the safety lock still on?" "Yes, but I have to ask another favor......" Harley quickly set to unlocking it. "A favor?" "Can you make two settings?" "Two?" He widened his eyes. "Yes, two." Harley looked back and forth between the Dite and the machine. The Dites with the safety locks were the same type as the machine that made the setting, so he could adjust the settings here too. Because if that couldn't be done, students whose Dites were damaged wouldn't be able to fight. Many spare Dites had been prepared here, and many more were coming in. "Can you do it?" "Yes. It's not difficult to adjust the settings, but......Can you use it?"

It was natural to have doubts. He had never heard of a Dite having two settings. It wasn't impossible on a technical level, but it was harder for the wielder. One had to use a keyword and his Kei to Restore a Dite. The Dite would Restore into its adjusted form according to the wielder's voice and his Kei. The quality of a Dite could be adjusted to suit anyone's Kei. As long as a setting remained the same, only the Dite's original owner could use it. The problem was the Dite's adaptation to Kei. To make two settings meant there had to be two keywords. But a person couldn't make two types of Kei. The attributes of Kei differed from person to person. It wasn't impossible, but it was rare for a person to have two types of Kei flow. "Can you use two different Kei?" "No, but that won't be a problem. All you need to do is enter the exact value of the Kei output." "And that's the hard part." "I can do it. Please make the setting." "But there's no time to make adjustments. And if you really want to, you can use two Dites......" That was reasonable enough a suggestion, but Layfon shook his head. "I want to experience it the way I did in the past. Please." Harley sighed. He inserted the terminal into the Dite. A number came up on the display. "What's the setting I have to enter?" Layfon told him the number and Harley entered it on the keyboard. His fingers stopped. "Uh?" The detailed number caused him to widen his eyes for the third time. "Can you really do this?" "Yes," Layfon answered without hesitation. Harley cautiously entered the detailed number once again, so accurate that it made him dizzy.

"And do you know where Loss-senpai is?" "What? The Student President?" "No, our senpai." "Aah......Isn't she with Nina?" "No. Well, I'm not sure, but I don't think she's there." Felli wouldn't be there. She hates being used. (Where is she? This won't work well without her help.) Perhaps she was somewhere nearby. He looked around but couldn't see her. While he was doing that, Harley finished the adjustments. "......Will we survive?" Harley said as he handed over the Dite. He looked at the floor, patting his gear. "We easily forget that we live in a harsh world. I was very scared when I came here on the roaming bus. We were extremely uneasy without any equipment. I was relieved when we safely arrived at the school. I once saw a city destroyed by the filth monsters. A city called Blitzen. I didn't know what that city was like. I was scared, thinking that the fate of Blitzen might befall us one day. "Nina looked regretful. I think at that time, she realized how useless she was. "But after arriving at this city, I forgot about it. Forgetting...It's more like I didn't believe that would happen to us. The greatness of a mobile city......But it isn't perfect. And that imperfection is now before us......" The filth monsters were attacking Zuellni. "Will we survive? Nina, everyone, me, and you......" "Of course," Layfon nodded. Harley lifted his face. Layfon nodded again to wipe away the doubt on the other's face. "I'll definitely protect this place." Layfon began to run again just after saying that. "Where are you going?" Harley called. "To someplace high!"

The highest place in Zuellni......Was the command tower next to the Student President's dormitory. He headed for it. There was some distance between the outskirts of the city and the Student President's dormitory. He could have ridden a tram, but its route wouldn't have taken him directly to the place he wanted. Instead, he used Internal-type Kei and flew along the rooftops to his destination. And landed in front of the dormitory. Intending to head for the tower, he saw a girl standing at the entrance. "Senpai......" It was Felli. She stood there, lonely and without purpose. She wasn't surprised to see Layfon. Her lips trembled lightly. "Senpai, why are you here?" "No reason......" He could guess what was happening, looking at her lowered gaze. Perhaps she was overcome. He studied her closely and saw her cheeks were slightly pink. "Does it have something to do with the Student President?" "It's unrelated." She turned to leave, and he quickly grabbed her delicate wrist. "......What is the meaning of this?" Her eyes narrowed. He hadn't the time to shrink under that gaze. "I need your help." A shiver ran through her body. "What do you want?" She shook off his hand, her glare sharper than ever. "Do you so want me to use psychokinesis? I don't want it. Isn't it fine to not use it? I don't need this ability. I hate it enough to toss it to someone else. Do you still want me to use it?" Her voice was calm, but every single word was reproving him.

"I thought you were the same as me. You didn't want to use your power, but I was wrong. You......" "I also don't want this power." Layfon talked, seizing his chance to speak without interruption. "I'm only using what I possess. Perhaps I've never liked this ability." But Leerin didn't think so. He thought he was only using it to reach his goal, but perhaps deep down inside, he truly liked wielding the katana. He couldn't be sure. It was already in the past, and he didn't feel that he liked Military Arts in the present. In reality, he had such painful memories because of the Arts of the Katana. Even if he had used it wrongly. "Besides this, the current situation needs us. This can't be helped." Displeasure showed in Felli's eyes. He said solemnly, "I don't want anyone to fall victim. I want to eliminate every single filth monster, and I need senpai's power to achieve that. I need your help. Please!" He bowed. Looking at her feet, he had no idea how she would react. Her feet remained still, and Layfon kept silent. "......Even I know this isn't the time to be willful," she said. "But I still don't like being used. I hate it." "If you don't use your power, people will die," he said still bowing his head. "I also want to find a future without Military Arts in this city, but for that purpose, this city must live. I've already failed once in my life. I don't want to fail again." (And also......) "And also, I don't want the people here to lose their futures because of today." Mifi, Naruki and Meishen were here. Their dazzling lives made him dizzy. He didn't want their futures to be dashed. He only fought for his survival back in Grendan, but that wasn't enough. The world of Regios allowed people to live with dreams. The Electronic Fairy, the little girl Zuellni protected them and gave them the chance to have dreams. In that case, this time, let him fight seriously for his goal. To keep on living and fighting for the satisfaction of living. And for that purpose, he would not allow Meishen and her friends to meet a tragic end.

They gave off so much light and allowed him to look forward to a dream. "......You really are a good person, beyond help." He heard her sigh. And then Layfon looked up after hearing the sound that followed. In Felli's hand was a Restored staff. "What do I have to do?" she asked lightly. Layfon bowed to Felli again. Her face reddening, she turned away from him. Droplets of sweat rolled down from her forehead and wet her eyebrows. Nina wiped it away with her sleeve to prevent it from seeping into her eyes. Absorbing the sweat, her sleeves turned heavy. Impatience sent Kei flowing through her entire body, and the Kei blew off some of the sweat sticking on her. With her iron whips, Nina kept striking the larvae that had lost their legs and couldn't move. "Tsk!" she called out at the result of her attack. Internal-type Kei strengthened her body and she struck the larva with the force of Externaltype burst Kei, and all that did was make a small dent on its shell. "Damn, just how hard is this thing?" She retrieved the iron whips and jumped aside. Another larva landed in the spot she was in just a moment before. The number of larvae showed no sign of decreasing. The larvae that were hit by Sharnid's team crashed down onto the ground, and instead of flying once more, dragged their bodies towards Nina and her platoons. The students had been attacking these larvae for a long while now. It felt like a long while. Nina couldn't tell just how much time had passed. Usually, she had no problem measuring time with her biological clock, but that failed her today. "Damn!" She knew she was tense because of her inexperience. She would have gotten used

to the fight soon enough if her opponent was human. But not to these larvae. None of the students had fought any non-human targets in mock training. Nina attacked the larva beside her with Kei, managing to destroy a compound eye and tear open the red veined muscles. The larva continued to sway forward and then stopped, blocked by a fence. The high voltage electricity flowing through the fence lit up the larva in green light. The larva ceased struggling, as black smoke rushed out from beneath its shell. Perspiration dotted Nina's forehead. Fortunately, the movements of the larvae were clumsy and repetitive. All the larvae did was move in a straight line. If they didn't fall flat on their opponents, pressing down hard, they couldn't use their jaws. What Nina had to look out for was the horn that extended out from beneath the shell. All of the Military Arts students were working hard to incapacitate the larvae, aiming for the shell. But without much of a success. The problem was obviously the huge number of enemies they were facing. "This never ends......" Sharnid's team kept hitting the flying larvae as Nina's troops continued to eliminate the larvae that had landed. They kept repeating this strategy, but the combination of air and land combat was nothing compared to the larvae's advantage in number. The larvae had the absolute upper-hand in this fight. "Ha!" The shouts pulled Nina's attention away to where three Military Arts students were fighting against one larva. "Ah......" Nina watched, forgetting the fact that everyone else was also fighting. The three fought with a female student as the center. The color of that female student harness showed she was in first year. It was a tall and awe-inspiring looking female. A badge of the City Police was on her baton. This explained why she was on the battlefield, even though she had not yet obtained an arms permit. A speedy rush took the female student to the side of the larva, and she kicked out at one of the joints in the leg. It looked like she hadn't yet trained in External-type burst Kei, but the Internal-type Kei sustaining her was amazing.

The larva howled in pain and changed its direction, charging towards its attacker. The girl pulled open her distance with it. And while that happened, the other two seniors struck the larva with their Kei, causing a crack to appear on its shell. The larva wanted to again change its direction, but the girl kept on distracting it. Their repeated strategy had destroyed one larva after another. A number of larva corpses lay strewn in their vicinity. What a brilliant plan, to fight three against one. But what attracted Nina's attention was the girl who acted as bait. Her movements were deft and skillful. "I've seen her somewhere," Nina muttered. She had no time to dig further into her memory, as another larva approached her. Nina would learn later that the girl was called Naruki Gelni.

A small mountain had piled up at the edge of the city, made of the larvae that Sharnid's team had hit with their cannons. As the larvae couldn't reform their attacks, they had given Nina and her troops a chance to keep on fighting. The shooting team took out that mountain of larvae. The larvae scattered to fall onto the ground. A larva suddenly came close and Nina bent down to avoid its horn, flicking out her whips to strike at its head. She rolled back, narrowly escaping the fate of being trampled by other larvae, but a larva was already waiting at the spot where she would roll to a stop. The tension and pressure in her head made her act reflexively. Her External Kei burst out, and using that momentum, she widened the gap between her and the larva. She regained her fighting stance and entered the fight once more. As a shell covered the larva's body, the larva's head was the easiest target. Nina's strike was off by a few millimeters, and her whips broke one of the larva's forelegs. The larva shifted its movement, and headed left. What a close call. She relaxed a little. "Captain!"

Whose angry voice was this that came through her transmitter? Sharnid? Without the time to determine who the owner of that voice was, she instinctively leaped to a side. A presence kept closing in from behind, and pain flared in Nina's shoulder. Her body flipped through the air. She crashed onto the ground, the things in her vision spinning. Her wound brushed against the earth. Bearing that intense pain, she stood up. The wound was on her left shoulder. Muscles had been torn apart from her shoulder and arm. The iron whip fell from her numb hand. The larva that rushed past her had crashed into another student. Blood and pain gushed out from Nina's wound, staining her tattered sleeve scarlet, and her wrist turned numb. (No!) The loss of blood took away the vitality of her Kei. Her body felt heavy. (No, this isn't good......) Anxiety halted her steps and made the iron whip heavy in her right hand. The spasms running through her left fingers irritated her. Her consciousness was starting to fade. No. She must move......Despite her thought, her knees refused her order and could only tremble. The exhaustion that she couldn't feel thanks to her Kei now overwhelmed her. She stared off blankly, her consciousness slipping. She stared, and failed to move her body. In her vision was a larva, its huge body turning, its polished black horn targeting her. The vibration in the air hit her first. (I'm about to die......) She accepted her impending fate as the vibration pierced through her body. This didn't feel like the Kei from the cannons, but from a normal Dite, and it rained madly down on the larvae. Who was it? Sharnid? The rain of Kei successfully destroyed many larvae's heads, but it wasn't enough to eliminate every single filth monster. Even the iron whip in Nina's right hand fell to the ground. She watched the larva head towards her. She'll die. She'll die. Facing this reality, she could only watch it happen. "Uh......" She let out her breath. And murmured. "Damn."

(What a detestable way to die, out here,) but her body refused to move. The Kei that flew out of her with her blood showed no signs of reviving. Having lost too much blood, she hadn't the strength to consider how to reactivate her flow of Kei. Perhaps that was why she could watch what happened next with hazy calmness. All movement ceased. Temperature lower than zero descended onto the entire battlefield. In Nina's eyes, the stirring of air particles seemed to have stopped, as if the coldness had frozen the water vapor in the larvae's bodies, halting their movements. The entire world was holding its breath for what was to come. At first, the scene was of it falling apart. The larva closing in on Nina had been split apart. Its huge body broke in two. The upper part fell off, its simple innards tumbling out from beneath the severed shell. Thick green liquid sprayed, its smell stinging Nina's nose. And the larva behind that was also split apart. And next, and next...... And next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, and next, was split in half and tumbled to the ground as lumps of meat. In the blink of an eye, the corner where the larvae had gathered became empty. "What......" What had happened? Nina did all she could to support her body and remain conscious. What was it, that could so easily break through the hard shells of the larvae? She didn't see what it was. But the changing atmosphere...... An indescribable feeling filled the area. A feeling of something strong, like a heart drumming. The beat of flowing blood hovered in the air.

Was it this feeling that had wiped out all of the larvae? It didn't feel real. The haziness in her brain was reality. Someone dragged her aside. Could be someone from her team. That person dragged her to the back and pulled her onto a stretcher. She weakly pushed away the medical student from her. "Retreat, you fool!" the voice of the Student President drifted through the air. "We're entering the final phase. All Military Arts students, follow my instructions and retreat behind the fence." Searching for the source of that voice, Nina saw petal-like things floating in the air. "Flakes?" They were the flakes that a psychokinesist used. The flakes could analyze information from their surroundings and transmit messages from far away. Who was controlling the flakes? (The Student President......) But what surfaced in her mind was his sister. Was she actually with the Student President? "Are you all right?" The voice came from the flakes. "Layfon?" "Yes. Please leave now." "Wait. Did you do that? Just what did you do?" "I don't have time to explain. The countdown's about to begin." He repeated. "Listen carefully. You must retreat to the area within the fence. There wasn't time to make minute adjustments, so I might not be able to control it as well. Worse comes to worse, this could tear up even the Student President." "Wait!" she shouted, but Layfon didn't reply. The flakes lifted into the air and flew outside the city. "Countdown begins," came the voice of the Student President.

Nina pushed away the medical student, hard. Her brain had cleared a little. As the person responsible for this section, she couldn't retreat into the back. She must coordinate with the countdown and make sure everyone has evacuated. Besides, she wanted to see what Layfon was about to do with her own eyes. Because he was her subordinate. Reproving her swaying body, she stayed rooted to the spot, watching the larvae before her. Felli stood alone on the rooftop of a dormitory for senior students, not wanting to enter the command tower. She watched the sky with eyes closed. She hadn't lifted her head. The images from the sky surfaced in her mind, conveyed by the flakes. Thick cloud cover floated in the north, blocking the moonlight. And on that piece of land were Zuellni's legs, trapped in the scarlet, filthy earth, surrounded by countless numbers of larvae. Nine hundred and eighty-two. "That's a small number. I fought more than ten thousand larvae at Grendan once." Layfon's voice was sober. The horror of those larvae made it difficult to breath. A breath escaped from Felli's lips. She opened her eyes. To her left was the command tower. The flag of the Academy City fluttered in the wind, revealing the drawing of a girl, Zuellni, and a fountain pen. A person stood beside that flag. Layfon. The dim light outlined his silhouette. All of the flakes had scattered outside Zuellni. Only one flake remained to keep contact between Felli and Layfon. As she couldn't make him out under the insufficient light, she used the flake to confirm his location. Out of the many images overlapping each other in her mind, she plucked out the image of Layfon. Dim light. The artificial light of Zuellni illuminated Layfon's shadow.

Something felt different about that face. The Layfon Felli knew always wore a troubled expression. Tense gaze, an unnatural feeling that he never attempted to hide, of knowing he shouldn't be where he was. That was the Layfon she knew. On the top of the tower, Layfon's line of vision hovered on the outskirts of the city the earth filled with filth monsters. The vision of a normal person would be unable to make out what went on in the darkness outside the city. But what about the Layfon now? The way he stared faraway was like he had confirmed something. (Good.) "Senpai, have you found it yet?" "......Not yet." To reply, she swallowed what she was about to say. Her face was hot. What was she thinking, looking at him? As if to toss away her shyness, she switched off Layfon's image and went to check all of the other images. The hovering flakes brought back information to her through many means. Vision reflected by light, infrared rays, ultrasound, etc. She searched for Layfon's target through what humans didn't originally possess. To possess strong psychokinesis was not enough to be called a genius. Felli was a genius because she could process a massive amount of information simultaneously. "Please hurry. I can destroy as many larvae as I like, but it'll be hard even for me if the mother calls for reinforcements." "I know." The voice of the Student President counting down drifted over. From ten down to one. Felli increased her processing pace. Ultrasound could not pierce the ground, so she made the flakes enter the crack where Zuellni's legs were, heading deeper into the depths of the earth. At the same time, she searched above the ground through infrared rays. She filtered through the heat sources of numerous larvae, and using Layfon's information as the basis, extended her search for a bigger heat signal. At last......when the countdown reached "Two". "Found it. Heading 1305. Distance, 30 Kilomel. Depth, 12 Mel. I'll lead you in."

"I'm counting on you." Zero. What will happen when the signal goes off...... At the end of Felli's thought was Layfon. But he remained immobile, gazing straight ahead with the Dite held tightly in his hand. The flakes conveyed their search results to Felli. Nine hundred and eighty-two. Nine hundred and sixty-five. Nine hundred and three. Eight hundred and seventy-seven. Eight hundred and thirty-three. Seven hundred and seventyeight. Six hundred and ninety-one......The red lights of the larvae were snuffed out one after another. Four hundred and seventy-seven. Three hundred and sixty-five. Two hundred and twentythree. One hundred and ninety-eight. One hundred and fifty-seven. One hundred and two. Ninety-nine......The huge number that had exhausted all of the Military Arts Students was greatly reduced over a short period of time. Felli didn't want to confirm with the images. The moment that Layfon saved Nina was too tense for her. She looked at him again. He had Restored his Dite. A strange looking weapon with only a handle. "What's important is control. Once you have the key, even senpai could be so much better than me," he said. But she truly doubted whether she could exhibit such power. The Dite held another form of Restoration that Harley had adjusted. It wasn't just a handle. Countless numbers of long, thin threads hung from the tip of the handle, so fine that one couldn't distinguish them with the naked eye. A weapon of steel threads. The pressure and friction of a normal string could cut through flesh. The threads were enough to be a murdering weapon. Layfon deftly controlled the threads, as if they were a part of him. The threads spread across the edges of the city, tearing up the larvae. Ninety-eight. Ninety-seven. Ninety-six. Ninety-five. Ninety-four. Ninety-three. Ninety-two. Ninety-one. Ninety............ The threads targeted their prey with shocking speed. The disappearing red dots were another countdown to Felli. She must find the mother before all

the lights disappeared. If not, the mother would call over any filth monsters in the surrounding area and Zuellni would become a feast for the young of other filth monsters. The filth monsters' determination to extend the survival of one's kin sank Zuellni deeper into its current crisis. If Felli couldn't find the mother...... Fifty-six. Fifty-five. Fifty-four. Fifty-three. Fifty-two. Fifty-one. Fifty...... Her consciousness flew alongside the flakes deep in the earth. Deeper and deeper, flowing through the twisted caverns and snake-like corridors. There. A huge and ugly abdomen. The body of the mother as if it was dead. A huge heat signal. "I found it. I'll lead you over." "Thanks." As he replied, he disappeared from the tower. To fly in the air. No, not flying. He was probably pulling himself over, using one of the threads as an anchor. Through the Kei in his legs, he sped from the center of the city to its outskirts. While flying through the air, he continued to control the threads. The number of larvae was reduced to zero when he reached the edge of the city. Felli sent another flake to his side. "You have five minutes. Your lungs won't hold beyond that." "I know." His soft reply worried her. Humans could not live long on the polluted earth outside the city. The pollutant floating in the air would rot one's lungs. She didn't understand why he was risking his life. Because of his ability? The ability that'd only bring him danger...... "He doesn't want to do this," she said to no one. It was for others, and also for himself. Felli couldn't understand his naive thinking.

But...... "Please don't die," she said to his image through the flake. She didn't send the words to him. He felt sticky the moment he left the air shield. Layfon leaped down from the very edge of the city. He controlled the threads and set them as anchor points, using them to lower himself down into the crack of the earth. He minimized contact with the ground and kept his breathing shallow. Soil particles fell into his eyes, causing intense pain. The pollutant ate at his flesh. He squinted, and tears filled his eyes. He regretted not bringing a mask with him. Did they have it in Zuellni? Perhaps the Mechanical Department would have some. The Kei-filled threads replaced his nervous system and led him through the dark cavern. He chased after one of the threads wrapped around his guide, a flake. Humidity came through the threads. The moisture in the air was laced with pollutants. Even the skin beneath his uniform felt pain. How much time did he have left? Pain flared from deep inside his throat. It wasn't possible to completely stop the seepage of pollutant, even though he kept his breathing as shallow as he could. If he held his breath, then he couldn't create Kei. He had never managed to get used to the anxiety and irritation that arose from fighting filth monsters. No matter how many times he had done it. A world not habitable to humans. What a harsh world. The world was cruel to the people living in sealed off cities, who could only communicate with the outside world through the danger that hid in the shadow of roaming bus. Yet humans continued to live in this world. A world that did not permit their existence. But they had to pay a price to keep on living...... The pain reached his lungs, and he could feel the juice in his stomach flowing backward into his throat. If this feeling became more intense, so intense that he couldn't bear it, then everything would be over.

Considering the time he had spent getting here, he probably only had one minute left. "The mother's right behind this last corner," Felli said. He flew around the corner, released all the threads and turned the Dite back to its original form. A normal Dite. He opened his eyes. He was standing on humid earth. And before him was the mother form of a filth monster. Her abdomen was two-thirds of its bulky body. The body had been damaged. The uterus in the abdomen was where the larvae were nurtured. Earth buried the immobile wings above its shell. In its head, so much larger than a larva's, was a compound eye. Its jaw was half closed, as if it was breathing out its last breath. The sound of friction caused by the shells grinding against each other filled the cavern. "Restoration 01." The Dite restored into the blue green sword. "Perhaps, our will to live is the same." Without fearing the waste of breath, Layfon talked to the mother. "Perhaps, the feelings of not wanting to die is the same." Layfon strode towards the mother while talking. Every step increased the light of Kei in the blade, driving back the darkness. "Those people who aren't satisfied with that alone, are probably too rich." The filth monsters who had adapted to the polluted earth might be the masters of this world. According to history, when humans didn't have to rely on Regios, they did whatever they wanted as masters of this world. The fact that humans could only survive in artificial worlds in this era meant the filth monsters had risen to become the new conquerors. Whether the mother had discovered Layfon or had sensed danger from Layfon's Kei, its jaw started to close and open rapidly, and the sound of friction deepened. The mother was about to call for reinforcements. "But we still want to live on," Layfon said in a low voice and raised his sword. "I don't plan to apologize." The blade swung down.

Epilogue In the silence, Nina stood rooted on the spot. Before her lay the decapitated corpses of the larvae. No one at the scene understood what had happened. The medical students were the first to collect themselves. They started to work on the injured. The medical student who had dragged Nina back applied antiseptic liquid, haemostatic and cell regeneration gel to her wound. He then bandaged the wound, not too gently. What had happened? Only a few minutes had passed since the Student President began the countdown. No one else had done anything, yet the larvae were torn apart one after another. Did Layfon do this? Probably. She shivered. Was this due to her blood loss? Or excitement...... Or fear? Extraordinary skill. Was this what a Heaven's Blade Receiver was like? She thought of this as she pressed down, hard, on the trembling of her body with her right wrist. The students who didn't know anything began to move. Some shouted in shock. Others were joyful for being alive. Yes, they should be happy. She tried to think along those lines. Damage was minimized because of Layfon. She didn't plan to deny that point. As long as Layfon was here, they could safely win the next Military Arts competition. But, was this really ok? To resolve a crisis by relying entirely on one strong person? If she had lost her life, she wouldn't be here, thinking like this now. Without Layfon's help, she would've died already.

He wasn't proud of his exceptional skills in the Military Arts, and his viewpoint was totally different from everyone else's. She didn't think the way he thought was totally bad. The former Nina, who didn't have to worry about money, could never understand, but now she could. She understood because she also had to work to pay for her own school and living fees. But...... "No, what am I thinking?" She turned around, about to give the retreat order. And her gaze came across him. "Layfon......" Layfon stood on the edge of the city, on the other side of the larvae corpses. He wasn't there before. He had just flown up from the ground, using one of the wires. It looked as if he had just jumped up one step to stand on Zuellni's edge. No words came from Nina. "Ah, it's great that you're ok, Senpai." He staggered to her, his appearance appallingly terrible. His face and part of his arm not covered by the uniform was swollen red. His eyes were all red and tears tracked down his cheeks. "This......?" "Sorry, I ran too far from the city." So he was in pain, but his smile looked more like a spasm. "If I didn't destroy the mother, the other filth monsters would come......" As if he was shyly......No, looking at him trying to smile and break the awkward atmosphere, she felt her thoughts were too foolish. "You were stupid. We've got gear tailored for combat outside!" "Eh!? Really!"

"Of course. This might be an Academy City, but even so, it's a famous one. You can find standard equipment here." His dumbstruck expression looked ridiculous. She laughed. And he also smiled, if only a bit sourly. Then...... "Sorry, I'm a bit tired. Let me rest a bit," he said, and toppled. "Hey!" She supported him, but he showed no signs of waking up. As she herself was weak from blood loss, she also fell, unable to fully support his weight. "H-Hey, you shouldn't sleep in such a place!" He hadn't planned to, but Layfon was using Nina's chest as a pillow. Though she looked flustered from the pressure on top of her, she couldn't move. "And you look so thin too......You're heavy!" No matter how much she pushed at him, he remained inert. For some reason, none of the medical students nearby came over to help. Angry, she struggled to get him off her. The sound of peaceful snoring. "Geez......" she sighed. "Well, you did really well," she patted his hair that was roughened by soil. He said he participated in the underground matches for money, but he risked his life in a fight that had got nothing to do with it. Wasn't this the right thing to do for a person trained in the Military Arts? She herself probably hadn't discovered that Layfon's nature wasn't bad. He was just too honest. To the level of rushing forward to do the right thing without harboring any doubt. (If only I could do something for this guy.) She thought as she patted his hair. And......

"Cough." "Huh!? Aaahhhhh! Blood! He's vomiting blood! Stretcher! Get a stretcher over!" she shouted. With Nina's panicked voice, the medical students finally stirred.

(So noisy......) Layfon thought, half asleep and half awake. (Oh yes, I have to write a letter back to Leerin.) The normal days might come. And they should be more relaxing than the past. He'd report everything to Leerin. As that thought fled, the background noise also fled, and he fell into a deep slumber. Prologue The boisterous sound of a ringing bell echoed through the area. The sound delivering the result. The sound of judgment, dividing the winners and losers. The signal of the end. "......" "......" "......ah" "......" As Layfon stood, wordless, Sharnid made some silly noise and Felli sighed lightly. Nina heard all that through Felli's transmitter flakes. Without a word, she accepted the truth, while the sound of the siren freed her from tension and excitement.

"This, this, this......this is unexpected!! What a turn of events!!" The excited voice of the emcee echoed in the battlefield, and in turn, the howling of the audience became louder. Forgetting the noise that seemed to swallow her, Nina stood still.

What did it mean to be strong? Nina Antalk asked herself. As the captain of the 17th platoon, Nina Antalk asked herself. To be absolutely strong means not losing to anyone. In other words, it means to be the strongest. If that was the case, then what was the existence of the strongest? She searched through her memories, looking for the existence of the strongest. Different kinds of strong people surfaced in her mind. The people she had met, the people she knew from books......These people were valiant, strong......but they were still far from being the strongest. Even strong fighters had experienced failures. They matured through failures. As they went through a journey of failures in order to become stronger, then they weren't the strongest. And half of those people reached the end of their lives through that journey. Was it impossible for humans to be the strongest? If so, then what does it mean to be the strongest? Is the creature on the top of the food chain the strongest being? Those filth monsters? If she kept on following this line of thought, then the world itself was probably the strongest. Leaving aside the food chain, all creatures managed to live only by standing on the stage this world provided. And should the world change, the so-called food chain would be easily destroyed. In fact, there had been a huge change in the world's distant past, before Nina's birth. No records remained of how this happened, but the filth monsters appeared and conquered the Earth. They spread across the world, destroying the ecosystem, turning the Earth into a barren place.

But was the Earth really the strongest existence in this world? That was doubtful too. Because humans still lived and survived in this world, despite its changed appearance. Humanity lived in mobile cities that were isolated from the rest of the world. In other words, they created their own worlds. Wasn't this the proof of the strongest? The other proof was the filth monsters. When the ecosystems were destroyed and all plants and animals faced extinction, the filth monsters were born, making the pollutants their food. Wasn't this the result of survival adaptation? (......I'm thinking too far.) She abandoned her thoughts to watch the young man before her. Here is a man who had defeated the filth monsters. Layfon Alseif. The new Military Arts student. And he belonged to the 17th platoon. The genius Military Artist who had obtained the title of the Heaven's Blade Receiver at Grendan. To Nina, he was the closest to what could be the strongest existence, but...... "Ah......" Layfon lifted his gaze at the ringing of the bell and loosely lowered his sword. The two members of the 14th platoon that he had struck down moaned, and relaxed at the sound of the bell. "Geez......This is so tiring."

The captain of the 14th platoon lowered his weapon. The satisfied smile of someone who executed a successful plan blossomed on his face. The broadcast was irritating to the ear. "Big turnabout! The 14th platoon's plan was

successful against the newly formed platoon that had won the match against the 16th platoon. This time, the veteran team has turned around the result! They showed great teamwork that the new platoon lacks!!" Teamwork...... Nina turned around to look behind her, strengthening her vision through internal-type Kei, and saw the flag of her team had fallen. Over there, Sharnid shrugged as if surrendering. Nina resented herself for worrying about how people would have perceived his response. "Well, that's how it is," the captain of the opposing team patted her shoulder. "That guy's strong. He's strong......But there's a way to handle him." The murderous eyes of the captain during the match turned back into those of a senpai. "This wasn't a one-on-one fight." "Yeah......" The exhaustion of not having tried her best loosens up her tension, and she lowered her shoulders. "You still have lots of work to do to become strong." The captain of the 14th platoon walked over to say a few words to Layfon, and then help his subordinates, who were still lying on the ground, get back to their base. "Th......Thank you!" Nina bowed to the back of the captain, fulfilling the etiquette required from a junior student. She bit her lips as she gazed at the ground.

Chapter 1: Confusion How've you been? My school life's busy, but it's more ordinary than yours. After I got one of your letters, a few more reached me a few weeks after. I don't know when you'll receive this letter, but I hope it will reach you faster than yours reached me. I'm happy that you haven't given up the Military Arts. You've finally made a decision after going through a lot of trouble! I'd be embarrassed if you made up your mind because of my letter, but I'm still happy about that. I've made a new friend. It's tiring to be around that interesting person. This must be what they call pros and cons.

The orphanage is still full of noise and life. Father has left the dojo, but he's not teaching the kids at the orphanage; he's gone to teach in a real dojo. It's hard work to manage a dojo in Grendan, but people living nearby have enrolled, so we're making money. We plan to apply for government funding, so don't worry too much about the situation here. We're not getting as much money as we were when you were helping here, but I think we can manage. So how are you doing over there? Are you sick? Have you been eating well? I'm worried. You never pay much attention to the nutrients in your diet. It seems you've made a lot of friends. I'm relieved that you're not alone. But......how come they're all girls? That, I do mind. Perhaps Layfon is a lecher? That kinda thing makes me worried. I really should have protested more strongly about you going to Zuellni. Ah, please take it as a joke. Right. Oh yes, just to say, I'm happy that you haven't given up the Military Arts! But I don't want you to become the Layfon you were in Grendan. I envy the Layfon training with all his concentration on the Military Arts. You looked cool. But I didn't like the Layfon who became a Heaven's Blade Receiver. Do you understand the difference? When the letter first came, there was this interesting topic. Maybe you'll be surprised, but I won't tell you just yet. It'd be great if it can surprise you a bit. I'll write to you again. To my dear Layfon Wolfstein Alseif. Leerin Marfes.

......Delicate fingers folded the letter along old folds. Praying that nobody would discover this, she put the letter back into the correct mailbox.

 Forbidden from living on the polluted earth, humans lived in mobile cities. As if floating on the earth, the cities move according to their own consciousnesses and maintained contact through the center of the traffic network, the Traffic City Joeldem. The network wasn't reliable, but it was a way to connect them. Academy City. Within the ranks of the Regios were cities of different functions. This type of city, specializing in education, moved within this unstable network. It gathered boys and girls, letting them study knowledge. In here, where no adults set foot, children were learners and also teachers. This was the Academy City. And Zuellni was one of the Academy Cities.

Sunlight shot through into a classroom that was filled with a boisterous atmosphere before class began. The students entering the classroom placed their bags behind their seats and either joined into different conversation circles or prepared for class. Some ran about, asking for notes to copy. Some stayed immersed in their own world. Surrendering to the urge to sleep, Layfon bent over his desk. "Oh~~Morning!" "*cough!" The other person gave his back a heavy hit. "What? What? You look tired!" "*cough*! Uu......Mor......Morning......" Layfon coughed. "Mi-chan, you went over the line." "Yeah, maybe Layton still hasn't recovered from the match." Naruki said. "Oh, wasn't that two days ago?"

Mifi puffed up her cheeks. "As if Layton would get tired just because of that. Right?" "Yeah......Uh, the match wasn't tiring. I'm ok." "......But you look like you wanted to sleep." "No, really, I'm fine." Looking at Meishen's worried eyes, he nodded in a carefree manner. Her eyes were always teary. He didn't know what to do about that. "Even so, you look tired. What is it? Did you have to work yesterday too?" Naruki studied him. Her tall presence made him feel like he was being interrogated. "It's alright." "I see. Well, working for days at a time can be tiring." "......It's hard work to clean the Mechanism Chamber." "Yeah. If you seriously want to prepare for the platoon matches, I think it's better for you to quit the cleaning job." These three girls knew each other before they came to Zuellni. Layfon met them because he stopped the riot at the opening ceremony. And that was also the reason he was transferred into the Military Arts. But these three had nothing to do with his transfer. The Student President, Karian Loss, knew from the beginning who Layfon was. A Heaven's Blade Receiver in Grendan. "No......I'm getting used to cleaning there already," he said as he smiled at Meishen. The cleaning job in the Central Mechanism cleaning the heart of the Regios Layfon really had gotten used to it. The repetitive body work was way more relaxing than using his brain. "Then what is it?" Mifi asked. "Ahhahahah......Um, something." He gave a vague response. "......Are you hiding something?" "No. Definitely not!"

"No, you have a secret! Don't think this can escape my eyes! Hurry up and tell us before you get it!" "Get it......" Her pair of questioning eyes came closer. No one could stop Mifi when she was deep in her passion to collect and record any information. "Tell, tell, tell......" "Ah......" A troubled smile appeared on Layfon's face. Naruki grabbed the back of Mifi's uniform and dragged her away. "Didn't we have to tell him something? Class is about to begin." "Huh?" "Ah. That's right. Geez......Because Mei-chi is always staggering, we almost forgot about it." "......Is it my fault?" Meishen said, sulking. "Well, Mi's always making a huge ruckus. Hurry up, Mei!" "......Oh." Naruki pushed Meishen. Meishen walked forward, facing Layfon, her face a fiery red. "......Um......" "Yes?" Layfon sat up. "......Lunch......I made a bento. Do you want to eat together?" "Huh?" "We're always eating out for lunch, so Mei's decided to make us a bento," Naruki said. Meishen nodded at her, her face so red, it seemed like smoke was about to rise from her head. It was true. Since his first day here, he'd always been buying bread for lunch. He had helped out in the orphanage so he knew how to cook, but because of his late shift in the Central Mechanism, he spent more time sleeping late in the morning. "Ah......Is that ok?" "......Hmm."

"Mei-chi loves to cook. Just be thankful and accept her goodwill." Wondering whether the continuously nodding Meishen was becoming a robot, Layfon smiled happily. "Then, thank you." Meishen stopped nodding. "I'm jealous!" Harley said, after having listened to Layfon talk about Meishen's invitation to lunch. He was looking at the display. "Thank's for the compliment," Layfon nodded, holding a green Dite with a wire connecting one of its ends to Harley's machine. "No, that's not what I meant." "Um......?" "Uh, I meant......I also want a girlfriend!" Layfon came to the training complex after for platoon training and was accosted by Harley to do some checking. The intense sound of training in other rooms drifted past the walls and into the boys' ears. Only Layfon and Harley were in the room. "That's wrong! We aren't lovers! She just likes to cook." Harley sighed and shook his head. "Oh, that's right. What's this for?" Layfon had been sending his Kei into the sword. There were two types of Kei, a destructive Kei that flowed externally and an internal Kei that strengthened the physical body. They were the skills that Military Artists used. "Well, there's something I wanted to check." "Um......" Layfon continued to extend his Kei into the blade, not knowing what he was doing it for. The sword emitted soft green light.

The vein of Kei made him feel like he'd grown a new limb. The vein extended into the blade to feel its heat and caressed the wind around it. Harley sighed in admiration. "Your concentration of Kei is incredible! In this case, isn't it better to use a Platinum Dite? That'll increase the conductive rate." "Really?" Layfon was actually unsatisfied with it. It wasn't as good as the Heaven's Blade he'd used in Grendan. (Now that I think about it, wasn't the Heaven's Blade also a Platinum Dite?) But it was useless to compare the two. In the end, the sword was made to fight the filth monsters. "So I was able to use the weapon before because of my amount of Kei." Not long before, the filth monsters had attacked Zuellni. Zuellni's multi-legs were trapped in a filth monster's nest. With Layfon's help that crisis has been resolved. Harley had made a new adjustment to the Dite at Layfon's request. A weapon that could be divided into countless wires. Layfon used that to wipe out the larvae. He even stepped outside the city to eliminate the mother. "But they took that weapon. Oh, this is fine." The Student President and Vance had confiscated the weapon. It gave too much of an advantage to Layfon in a platoon match. The Dite Layfon was now holding was newly made. "Well, I didn't plan to use that weapon in the platoon matches anyway." He cut off his Kei flow and lowered the sword. The residual heat from his Kei remained in his body, making him sweat. "Really? If you used that, it would've been easy to win a platoon match." "True, but isn't it pointless to win through that method?" "Really?"

"Yes. Besides, the captain would never approve of it." "Ah, true, true." A sour smile appeared on Harley's face. "She wouldn't be happy, winning through other people's strength." "Yeah," Layfon nodded and swung the sword. Having released so much Kei, he wanted to exercise his limbs. It was a casual swing from high to low. The remaining Kei on the blade disappeared along with the scattering green light of the Dite. He confirmed his body condition by swinging the sword, and while dong that, he adjusted his different moves. Slowly swinging the sword again and again, focusing his attention to one single point. He no longer detected the color of Kei emitting from the blade. The feeling he had had till now, of the changes in his nerves, slowly extended to the outside, resulting in the feeling that Layfon was swinging the sword like a machine. And as he concentrated more, even that robotic feeling was pushed outside of his consciousness. He had become empty, whereas everything else was painted with color. He swung at that color. The point of his blade tore a track through the intangible air. This action repeated itself again and again. No matter how many wounds blossomed in the air, more air rushed in to fill it. He repeated his motion, and only stopped when the wound, affecting the flow of air, was unable to recover. Unenthusiastic clapping sounded. "Ha ha, brilliant!" Sharnid had been watching at the door. "Seems like it's been cut up to so many pieces that it just died." "It's not that incredible......" "But it really is! The wind pressure was strong when you first swung your sword, but in that last swing, the wind pressure just vanished......It was amazing," Harley said excitedly. Layfon scratched his head, embarrassed by Harley's child-like excitement. Then Sharnid poured cold water on Harley's emotion. "Harley, have you finished what I asked for before?"

"Oh, yes, yes. It's already done." Harley opened a box beside him and took out two Dites. The two Dites were like rods of charcoal. They had curved handles that were smooth and polished. In the bend of the handles were metal rings, hiding a hook like thing. "Are they guns?" Sharnid's job was to support the team with long range fire. "It won't do to snipe when we have so few fighters on our team. Just think of it as insurance," Sharnid said. He used his Kei to restore the Dites. "What a crude appearance!" The body of the gun looked very heavy. There were no blades extending from above and below, but the shape looked sharp. The gun was designed with several bulging points. Either way, it looked like some type of attacking weapon. And Layfon could tell the texture was not of Lithium Dite, but the hard Chrome Dite. The same material of the captain, Nina's iron whips. "I used black Dites as requested, but the shooting range isn't as long because of the bad conductive rate for the Kei flow." "Not bad. I don't plan to shoot long distance with this thing. As long as it can hit anyone within ten Mei, it's fine with me." He placed his fingers on the triggers, practicing with his new Dites. He reversed the gun barrels. "Is this close-quarters gun combat?" Sharnid whistled. "As expected of someone from Grendan. You do know a lot." "Ah, I think even people not from Grendan would know......" "What is close-quarters gun combat?" Harley asked. To put it simply, this was martial arts using guns. Guns had the advantage with long range combat, but compared with swords and daggers, they were slow in terms of close-quarters combat. And so a new type of gun skill was invented to overcome this weakness. The skill of closequarters gun combat.

"Ah......Sharnid senpai knows how to use it?" "Well, people who know how to use this are either stupid people that try to look cool, or amazing fighters......And I'm the former," he said with a cunning smile. Not sure whether Sharnid was speaking the truth or not, Layfon looked at Harley, who only shrugged. "......I'm late." Came the clear and small voice. It was Felli. Her form was as exquisite as glass art, giving off a pressure as if to freeze everything in her vicinity, but Layfon and the guys were already used to this. "Felli-chan's cute today too," Sharnid commented. "Thanks......" She glanced at the guns in his hand, and sat down on the long bench in a corner, already losing interest. Harley checked Felli's Dite and said "Nina's the only one not here." "Meaning she's the last!" "Seems so." Nina was more determined than anyone to strengthen the 17th platoon. She was always the first to arrive for training, but today, she hadn't shown up yet. "I remember her saying she had something to do......" "I think she's not keen at all," Sharnid yawned. And just as he said, a lazy atmosphere filled the room. Not knowing what to say, Layfon gazed at his sword. (A lot has happened after the match.) Revealing his real strength in the first platoon match was a setback for Nina. This time, he kept himself at the same level as the rest of the platoon and fought seriously. But in the end, they lost the match. He didn't do his best. It was meaningless to hide his strength anymore, and he agreed with Nina that they had to protect the city. Even so, he tried to fight with some will.

And the reason for his not giving his all in the fight was because the platoon match wasn't the real Military Arts competition. Layfon's strength would be needed after the platoon matches. At some time, mobiles cities would approach nearby cities and fight for territory. In reality, it was the people living in the city who fought. And warred. The reason behind the fight was the fuel source for the Regios selenium mines. For some reason, a city would only fight against the same kind of city. To reduce the number of casualties, Academy Cities had introduced the Military Arts competition. But even so, this couldn't change the reality that the losing city might die. Zuellni once had three selenium mines. When Layfon came to study, it only had one mine left. If they lost in the next Military Arts competition, Zuellni would have lost its one and only mine, and face death. At first, Layfon didn't understand what this had to do with him. He felt it was unfair, for he had already decided to give up Military Arts. Despite that, it didn't feel bad to do what he could for the city. But...... One of the key people who changed his way of thinking, Nina, was not happy. Against her parents' wishes, Nina ran away from home and came to Zuellni Without money, she had to work in the Core Mechanism. Layfon was also half-studying and half-working. He always bumped into her at work. Recently, they'd earned the trust of their supervisor and were assigned together to clean a larger area. Layfon had been working from midnight till dawn beside the wordless Nina. (This is tiring......) Thinking back, he felt he had never been through such a long night. Anyone could see the unhappiness on her face.

(Is it really because we lost the match?) He thought. But if he was the cause......That part he didn't understand. Speaking of which...... (Shouldn't I speak with her?) He was being indecisive about it. And time passed as he brooded. "If there's no practice, can I go back?" Felli said listlessly. "Just wait a little bit more!" Harley said. He had already finished checking her Dite, and he had nothing to do. Sharnid was leaning against the wall with eyes closed. Perhaps he really was sleeping. Felli squinted at Layfon beneath her long eyelashes, her sharp gaze reproaching him. "Sorry to keep you waiting." Nina's voice saved him from Felli's sharp gaze. Nina was in her third year, a junior, but she had become the captain of a platoon. "You really are slow, Nina. What've you been doing? I almost fell asleep!" Sharnid yawned. To him, a fourth year, Nina was younger, so he didn't call her captain. "I had to look into something, and it took some time." She walked to the center of the training room. The Dites in her harness gave off metallic noise as she moved. Doubt rose in Layfon. The sound that was usually reliable and convincing now felt unnatural. The sound of the Dites...showed she wasn't walking normally. Nina might have sustained wounds in the previous match, but she didn't look injured. She didn't walk carefully so as not to jar a wound. "It's late. We won't be training today." "Why?" Everyone was shocked. Even Felli widened her beautiful eyes, watching Nina with suspicion. Layfon felt the same. Nina formed a platoon to give something back to Zuellni. It was because of her passion that

he felt it was okay for him to step back onto the path of Military Arts. And it wasn't just her. Meishen, Mifi, Naruki...They followed their dreams with an honest heart. Even though the thing that really encouraged him was the letter from his childhood friend, Leerin. "So, why?" Sharnid said. Layfon wasn't just surprised at her canceling the training, but today's Nina seemed to lack something. Just like the sound coming off the Dites in her harness. Something he couldn't quite grasp...... "I'm thinking of changing the training method. Sorry, we'll just cancel today's training." "Sure......" "Go do individual training if you want. Dismissed." She left the training room. Layfon watched her back. The two Dites bumped against each other. It really was an uneasy sound. She realized this when she was panting heavily and had to stop. She pressed her palm against on her chest, just above her heart, and realized that feeling of coarseness was gone. "Heh?" She searched in the pockets of her uniform. The breast pocket, inside pocket, dress pocket, her schoolbag. It was gone. The letter she was supposed to give to Layfon was gone. It was still on her when she left the classroom. She had wanted to give it to him in the room, but while she hesitated and tried to find an opening, he had left. Meishen chased after him, to the training complex, but as a General Studies student she wasn't sure whether she should enter the building, so she could only wait at the entrance. (I can give it to him tomorrow......Isn't it better to hand it over now? Should I go in? Would I

be interrupting? Should I just wait here till he finishes training......?) She couldn't wait for long, as it was almost time for her shift at the coffee shop. She had checked that she still had the letter while thinking outside the training complex. She'd had the letter then. While checking to be sure that the letter really wasn't on her, she couldn't help but think what would happen next. That letter had been stuffed into the crack between the door and the wall with other letters at the dormitory. Besides the letter from her parents, she also found letters from close relatives and friends and when Meishen was happily checking the names on the letters, she found this name. Leerin Marfes. A name she hadn't heard of before. She checked the name of the receiver, and held her breath. It was Layfon. She realized that the letter must have been delivered to the wrong place. She and Layfon lived in different dormitories with different room numbers. This letter was mistakenly delivered to her room by some coincidence. Thinking of this, she was glad that she got to chat with Layfon. She could always talk to him, but it was another thing to talk about serious matters. But...... (Leerin......This is a girl's name, right?) If only she could ignore this name and stay immersed in happiness. (What is their relationship? Friends?......What if they're lovers?) Uneasiness filled her chest. (......But, to peek into another person's letter......) Her fingers shook. Looking at someone else's letter wasn't worth praising. (But......) She really did mind it. If this Leerin was someone important to Layfon, then what about Meishen herself?

She was afraid, thinking that the truth could be written in this letter. Even if she just left the letter alone, she'd probably have insomnia. (No......But......But......) Shaky fingers lightly touched the covering of the envelop. She mustn't peel it off too obviously. Lightly, lightly...... (Ahah......) And she read what was inside. What she felt afterwards were a sense of self-hatred and rivalry. She relaxed, knowing she herself was the only one looking after Layfon's diet. Yet at the same time, she was jealous of the time that Layfon had spent with Leerin. The guilt and self-hatred of peeking into another's letter stayed with Meishen. She had decided to give him back the letter when she was making him a bento. She had wanted to, but somehow dragged it out till after school...... ......And now this had happened. "......But it was there earlier." She wanted to cry, her eyes feeling hot and her body weak. She sat down on the ground, hugging her schoolbag and searched in her memories for a hint. "......Oh!" Perhaps...... Because 'she' had appeared before Meishen, who was determined to stand outside the complex and wait for Layfon. She didn't mind being late to her job at the coffee shop, since this was her fault. But when Meishen had worked up her courage, 'she' appeared. Felli Loss. Hearing Felli's question, asking what Meishen wanted with Layfon, the determination Meishen held vanished like a puff of smoke, and she ran off as if she was escaping. She must have dropped the letter then. "Uuuu......" She could do nothing without Naruki and Mifi. She hated herself for getting nervous before unfamiliar people. Once again, she returned to the training complex, searching for the letter

on the ground and failed to find it.

"I find it strange," Felli murmured in incomprehension as she went home. Nobody felt like training after Nina left, so they just dispersed. Sharnid left immediately to go somewhere, and Harley went back to his lab after saying to Layfon "I'll find you if something comes up." Layfon and Felli ended up leaving together, as their dormitories lay in the same direction. Felli was one year older than Layfon, but she looked like a girl just a little over 10 years of age. "She actually suggested we cancel training. This doesn't feel right." Layfon smiled sourly at her. "What?" "......Nothing. Senpai's worried about the captain, so......" He smiled. Felli glared at him, her pale face turning pink. Felli's level of psychokinesis was of the level of a genius, but she hated to use it. She was in the 17th platoon because her brother Karian Loss, the Student President, forced her into it. "As if I'd worry about her," she said. "I meant that her coming up with weird ideas doesn't feel right." Felli increased her pace, her argent hair fluttering behind her. The male students walking past the pair couldn't help but stop and look at her. Layfon caught up with her, walking past the dreamy-eyed male students. "But, it really is strange." Even if she were changing the training methods, there was no need to cancel today's session. (It was more like she was distracted by something else.) That's what Layfon thought. However, he didn't know what it was.

He remembered Nina's attitude at work last night. A cold expression coupled with silence. Was it really because they lost the match? Perhaps she was thinking of something else. "But I still don't get it." "Are you still thinking?" Felli said, angry. "Please slow down." "Oh, sorry." He had sped up his pace unconsciously. The Felli he knew now always had some sort of expression on her face. This was different from when he first met her. Neutral. A face like a doll's. "You won't find the answer by thinking too much. All you need is to observe more keenly." "True," he nodded. "Compared to that......" "What?" "Nothing." Her lips moved, then, clamped down altogether. "?" "My brother......wants you." "The Student President needs me?" Layfon frowned. Knowing Layfon's past, Karian had forced him into the Military Arts department. "I wasn't told why, but he said it's important." Felli was also unhappy. "Shall we go and meet him?" Why didn't she just tell him at school? "No," she shook her head. "He said it's secret......We'll talk at my place." "......What?"

"I need to buy groceries for dinner. Please come with me." Why Felli's place? Before he could ask that question, she had strolled ahead of him. He followed silently.

And now he was holding shopping bags in both of his hands. (Just how many days of groceries has she bought?) Felli was also walking with her hands full. Instead of parting at the usual place, they headed for Felli's dormitory. Layfon felt uneasy walking in an unfamiliar part of the city. "......It looks big." It looked more like a villa than a dormitory. On the first floor was a big living room enclosed in glass walls. A spiral staircase (next to the sofa) took them up to the second floor. Layfon clearly felt the gap between the rich and poor as he pushed open the engraved door. It was too naive of him to get so excited over having a twin room all to himself. A wide corridor stretched ahead to another spacious living room, and from there was a door that led to more rooms. "Please leave the groceries over there." The kitchen was about the same size as Layfon's room. He didn't know whether to feel comforted or disappointed by this. "Please wait outside. I'm going to make dinner." Layfon put down the groceries and went to sit on the sofa in the living room. A desk, a magazine bookcase...Small oil paintings adorned the walls, looking as if they were just put up to have something cover the bare walls. The room felt dry and tasteless. There were actually two doors leading from the living room. One of the doors must lead to Felli's room. Then the other......?

(I see. She lives with the Student President.) This wasn't surprising, since they were siblings. (So why does this meeting have to be a secret?) The Student President had somehow obtained information about Layfon's past, but the two of them weren't close enough to share each other's secrets. In truth, Layfon didn't want to meet Karian. (Well, there's no point in thinking about it. I'll find out soon enough,) he decided, recalling Felli's advice. With nothing to do, he listened to the noise coming from the kitchen. The sound of sorting out the groceries was replaced by the sound of chopping...... Doh......Doh......Doh...... The sound...... Dohdoh......Doh...... Doh......Dohdoh......Doh...... "Woah!" Layfon called at the irregular sound, and went over to the kitchen. "Senpai......What're you doing......" "Don't......talk to me." With a serious facial expression, she fought the potato seriously with a knife in her hand. Felli held down the uneven, round potato on the chopping board with the tip of her trembling fingers, and slowly cut it in half. Sliced taro filled the salad bowl beside her. "Senpai......" "......What?" She hadn't looked at him. "Do you know how to cook?"

"Of......Of course." "Of course," he smiled, nodding. "......What?" she finally turned to him, her forehead adorned with droplets of sweat. He smiled again. He wanted to laugh, but suppressed it. "Wh...What is it?" He could only laugh. But he couldn't laugh to her face. "Well. I have a suggestion." "And what is it?" "It'll be easier to cut the rest if you peel the skin off first." Her eyes widened. He didn't mean to hurt her dignity. All he wanted to do was give some advice, but he still wanted the food to be edible. No. He wasn't thinking of using another's kitchen and showing off his skill at cooking......

"Mm......This is delicious," Karian nodded with satisfaction, chewing the chicken and taro cooked in tomato sauce. "Ah......Thanks," Layfon said, embarrassed. "......" Felli ate the food with disapproval. "......What?" "No-nothing." "......This is delicious." "......Thanks." In the end, Layfon made the dinner.

Because there was too much potato in the salad bowl, he used the potato to make another dish one with mushrooms, chicken fillets and cream. They had plenty of ingredients to choose from. Next came the bread. And that was their dinner. "And I was thinking of eating dinner together at a nearby restaurant......It's been a while since I've had a home-cooked meal. I'm really grateful." Karian made a happy face. "Aaaa......Um, but it's a shame this is a guy's cooking." Layfon sighed. "It's enough that you know how to cook! Do you like cooking?" Karian asked. "Not really......Everyone had to help out back at the orphanage." "Oh, I see." Layfon didn't know his parents. The Head of the orphanage picked him up when he was little. The Head was a Military Artist, and the person who discovered Layfon's talent. "I'm envious of your cooking skill. I wanted to learn how to cook after coming here, but it's beyond my ability." Whether or not this was taken at face value, the idea that this brother and sister pair was unable to do something necessary to survive was alien to Layfon. "And what did you want to talk about......" "Oh, we can leave that for later. I want to enjoy the food." "Ah......" Layfon wanted to finish what he came for and get out of here. Felli sat eating her food in a foul mood. Karian also noticed her mood, but he did nothing about it. (Anyway, just finish dinner!) And Layfon concentrated on eating. After dinner, Felli picked up the dishes and made tea for Layfon and her brother in the living room. The tea smelled nice. Felli seemed to have used some high class tea leaves. "I want to show you this......" Karian said, giving Layfon no time to enjoy the tea. He took out a photo from a folder. "I realized from the last attack on Zuellni that I had to have a bigger budget set aside for the

city's defense." "That's a good idea." Karian must have realized this since Zuellni hadn't encountered filth monsters for a long time. Zuellni was a peaceful city. The city was populated entirely by students, so even the Electronic Fairy itself hadn't been paying attention to the possibility of filth monsters nearby. It sounded amazing that a city was run by students, but to put it in a worse light, it was a city full of immature youngsters. "Thanks. So I've been sending off drones since then, and this image came back......" A bad quality image. Everything was blurred. This was due to the pollutants in the air, affecting any long range wireless communication. Somehow, only psychokinesis worked well for long-range transmitting, but it was still not possible to establish contact between cities. This image had nothing to do with psychokinesis. "It's hard to make out, but the location of this image is a mountain about 500 Kimel ahead of Zuellni's current position." Karian traced his fingers around a shape in the mountains, so Layfon could finally see it. "What I'm worried about is this area of mountain here." "What do you think?" Layfon studied the image for some time. Then he placed it back on the desk and rubbed his tired eyes. Felli stood to the side, looking at the photo. "How is it?" "I fear the same." "Hmm......" Karian leaned back on the sofa, troubled. "What is this?" Felli asked. "A filth monster."

She glared at her brother. "Are you planning to use him again?" "Relying on him is the only way we can survive," he replied calmly. "What's the point of having a Military Arts course!?" "The true strength of Military Arts, Felli......You should understand now, thanks to what happened recently." "But......" "Even I want him to focus just on the Military Arts competition, but this is an emergency. There's no helping it. Then, what do you think?" Karian's finger pressed on the image of the filth monster. "It's probably a male. Compared to the size of this mountain, the filth monster's either in its first or second phase." Newly born filth monsters were asexual not male nor female. After a larva molted, it was a male. It absorbed pollutants from the air and went about searching for prey......Humans. Molting was measured in phases. The more it molted, the stronger it became. And as it approached the mating season, the male molted one more time to become female. A gravid (pregnant) female. It then buried itself beneath the ground and hibernated until the eggs hatched. "The city I was born in hadn't come across any filth monsters for a long time, so I can't really tell how strong this is. You?" "A filth monster in its first or second phase isn't that horrible, but that's when it isn't attacking a city." "Um......" "Almost all of the filth monsters enter their reproductive stage in their third to fifth phase. The most terrible are filth monsters who've given up on reproducing. They grow stronger as time passes." "Have you beaten one of these monsters?" "With two other people. At the time, I thought I was going to die." The Loss siblings took a deep breath at that. Layfon observed their reaction without much of an emotion.

After dinner, he left the dormitory. "Do you hate him?" "You've asked me that before." His muscles froze in the middle of the staircase. While Felli listened, Layfon answered with a wry smile. "I'm not joking." "I know." "Very few people know you were a Heaven's Blade Receiver in Grendan. My brother doesn't plan to spread it around, so you can just ignore his request." Almost no one knew it was Layfon who had defeated the attacking filth monsters. The few who knew were Karian, Vance, and the members of the 17th platoon. Not many people outside of Grendan knew about the Heaven's Blade Receivers. But even now, matches for the Heaven's Blade title were being fought fiercely in Grendan. People fought filth monsters and each other for the title of the strongest twelve. "That can't be announced casually." The Queen of Grendan took away Layfon's title as a Heaven's Blade Receiver because he had tainted its name. If everyone knew about his title, then they'd all know of his shameful past. So he'd keep this a secret. "Why didn't you say you don't want to do this? Don't you want to give up Military Arts?" "I want to, but right now......" "Then why?" "In the end, the filth monsters are the same as the Military Arts competition. Isn't that so?" he replied, a bit surprised by how calm his voice was. "You're an idiot!" "Ah, that's too much." "You really are an idiot," Felli repeated in a small voice.

He shrugged.

Chapter 2: What can be done Kei was a flowing energy inside of every human being. "Blood" flow sent signals through the nervous system. It flowed through the bone marrow......It was like a network of thoughts, and amidst all the flowing energies was one called Kei. Certain people were born with the ability to create a huge amount of Kei. On a certain level, one could view it as redundant energy produced by the phenomenon called life. Kei could strengthen the body or destroy things outside the body. Did this new human ability evolve to ensure the survival of mankind in this polluted world? Or was this the evidence that pollutants were slowly invading the human body......? Humans called this power Heaven's Blessing. They treasured it and respected it. The flow of Kei created the Military Arts. It took a long time to pass down and spread this skill through the cities in the world. And in the intervening time, many cities fell prey to the filth monsters. "Fu!" The sound of a breath being let out brushed past his ears. Layfon pulled back his stance to respond to that breath. And the sole of a shoe suddenly appeared before him. "Wa......" He bent forward, and the kick went over his head. His opponent changed tactics and swung down towards Layfon's back with the foot. In a flash, Layfon's left hand shot upward to grab the foot, his right hand already pressing down his opponent's chest, and he kicked out at his opponent's other leg. "Wha......" Red hair scattered. His opponent fell onto the mat on her back. Amazement at the action echoed throughout the gymnasium. "Are you all right?" Layfon extended his hand to his opponent.

"I thought I almost got you!" "Yeah, almost." "That's like praise, coming from you! You just increased your speed to avoid my kick, right? I lost because of that!" Naruki combed her hair with her fingers. A cunning smile appeared on her face. "Speaking of which, Layton......Have you forgotten I'm a girl?" "Huh?" Then he remembered how he had pressed his hand down on her chest. "Yes, I admit my breasts aren't big, but for you not to have felt it......It makes me feel a bit......" She glowered at him. "Ah, no......I didn't mean that! My body just moved on its own......" He explained. Speaking of which, it was a shame he couldn't feel that softness - NO NO NO! How could he think like that...... Naruki smiled. "I was just joking." "That's......That's mean......" "Ah, you gotta pay the price for touching a girl's breast. That's the etiquette for being a man." "Really?" "Yes. Besides, I don't want to be touched so easily......" she said, scanning the sports hall. He followed her gaze. This was the class for martial arts. Most of the first-year students had been kicked flying and were lying on the floor. Thunderous noise filled the hall. Their sparring partners were all third-year students. As expected, none of the first-year students were winning. Layfon was in first-year but was also a platoon member. Nobody wanted to spar with him, so he was paired up with Naruki. "Has the captain of your platoon got some kind of problem?" The two of them were watching Nina. Nina calmly fought the two first-year students she was facing. "Does she look like that to you?" "Yes. As if her heart's somewhere else."

"Yeah." Layfon also thought so. "Do you know something?" "We had a match recently." "Aha......Losing a match can be shocking." Almost all of the platoon captains were in their fourth year, but Nina was a third-year. She obtained permission to form a platoon because of her excellent skill, but that wasn't all that she wanted to do. She wanted to save Zuellni through her own strength. In other words, she wanted to win in the next Military Arts competition. Therefore, losing a match must have been a huge blow to her...... "Um..." Even though that was how he thought...... "What is it? Is something wrong?" "No. That's what I think......" But he felt that wasn't the real reason. Things weren't as simple as he thought they were. "Hey, you over there! Practice seriously!" "Ah, sorry!" Layfon apologized automatically to the three third-year students. Behind those three were other first-year students, watching Layfon with curious glances. As for the three third-year students...... "What is it?" Naruki asked. "He's the trump card of the 17th platoon, right?" one of them said without glancing at her. All three were watching Layfon with challenging gazes. "Um......" Layfon replied listlessly. "Do you want something from me......All three at once?" "Um......" A hostile and provoking attitude......Hiding in it was jealousy. Layfon was used to the negative emotion currently hanging in the air. It was a normal event for him, like eating meals everyday. He had encountered this sort of scene before and after he became a Heaven's Blade Receiver in Grendan. This was an older person's contemptuous attitude towards his junior......And his jealousy at having a kid be better than him.

"I'm fine with it." "Layton......?" Naruki said in amazement. "You don't have a sword though. Is that okay too?" One of the three students giggled. "No problem. It's natural not to use a sword in a martial arts class." "Aren't you a bit conceited?" "This is not conceit. Besides, it's just a class." "That's being conceited." That male student had reached his limit. Layfon felt an growing gap between his words and feelings. He responded lightly to the provokers, as if he was a robot. He didn't think the situation would improve if he said anything else, so he decided to accept the challenge. But he didn't think accepting the challenge would improve the situation either. "I'm not conceited. This is the truth," he said anyway. "......I see." The observing crowd turned angry. They watched the three third-year students move to Layfon from three different directions. Layfon didn't take a stance. He took a step back so he could see all three of his opponents. "Well then......" As the person directly facing Layfon muttered, the two students rushed in from the side. "Let's go!" Strengthening their bodies through Internal-type Kei, they attacked Layfon with fists and feet. The bullet-like fist and scythe-like kick didn't hit Layfon. "Huh?!" They searched for him. Layfon was in the air.

He turned in midair and kicked off at the steel beam on the ceiling to descend at unbelievable speed. A loud noise from the mat on the floor confirmed his position right behind the student in the center. "What!" His surprised face was inches from Layfon's. Layfon stood up. "Wu-!" His fist found the chest of his surprised opponent. Ignoring the third-year student he had defeated, he faced the other two. The other two third-year students turned back at the noise and saw their friend lying on the floor. Layfon still hadn't taken a stance. He stood, stoic, paying no attention to the student he had just taken out, his gaze sweeping through the other two students. And in that one swift moment, he disappeared. It looked as if he disappeared. In fact, the other two third-year students couldn't keep up with his movement. In the silence of a light breeze, Layfon moved swiftly to the two opponents and repeated his attack, burying his fist into their chests. "Arrr!" "Whu!" The two students toppled. Joyful shouts erupted from the group of first year students. Layfon let out a breath to soften his blank expression.

"I don't think you should've done that." "Hmm?" He was gratefully eating Meishen's bento and listening to Mifi talk all by herself when suddenly, Naruki had spoken up.

They only had class in the morning, so the four of them went a bit further from the school today to the patio of a General Studies senpai's restaurant. The patio faced a freshwater lake that was used for agriculture. They ordered the cheapest juice from the restaurant and took out Meishen's sandwiches from the basket. It was refreshing to appreciate the lake while eating. Layfon saw a field of fruit trees on the other side of the lake, and more fields for the agricultural major. There weren't any tall buildings anywhere. The sky looked like it merged with the trees. "I mean your attitude back in the gymnasium," Naruki clarified. "Oh......" "Huh? What's that?" Mifi had started the conversation as she had gotten news of the incident and wanted Layfon and Naruki to give her more details. "No matter what, they were just jealous." "True. I'm not saying he should've lost deliberately to them because they were senpais, but I feel it would've been best to leave them some face." Naruki didn't worry about other patrons overhearing. It was past lunch time, so there weren't many people in the restaurant. "Hmm. For example?" "For example, not taking on three people at once and fighting them one-on-one instead." "Is that......all?" But didn't he finish them one by one? "They wouldn't have accepted it. Aren't they in a platoon too?" Mifi said. Naruki nodded. "Perhaps they wouldn't have accepted it. But it would have looked better if the other three suggested to three-on-one fight. Now it looks like Layton's the bad guy." "Oh......" Perhaps she was right. "Layton might not care how other people perceive him, but this is troublesome for the friends around you," Naruki said. She then looked at Meishen. "......I......I don't really mind," Meishen waved her hand in negation. "Ah, sorry. I didn't think about that."

"Well, I might seem harsh, but I just don't like people badmouthing my friends," Naruki said. "Thanks," Layfon nodded his thanks. "Never mind. It's not Layton's fault, so don't mind it." "......Yeah, don't worry about it, Layton." "......Thanks," Layfon said. Face reddening, Meishen lowered her head. But perhaps there was a problem with his attitude. Just as Naruki had said, Layfon didn't mind making enemies......To the point that he had no interest in it at all. All he wanted was to end the fight as quickly as possible. He didn't care what consequences came from that. That was the attitude he held. Why did he have such an attitude? There wasn't a need to ask that question. Problems were never-ending. Before he became a Heaven's Blade Receiver, he'd fought countless matches with people jealous of his talent. People challenged him. They felt they had been insulted because he was only a kid. He was foolish to respond to them all seriously. From the very beginning, he had had no knowledge of Naruki's alternate method. Even though, when he had grown up a little, he felt it wouldn't be bad to hold an attitude that could avoid some of the trouble...... ......In the end, he still hadn't understood. When he was little, he had always used his fist to solve his problems. And he now responded instinctively. Till now, he had never thought anything of his attitude. He didn't know what other people thought of him, and the people at the orphanage were happy he was becoming strong. That was enough for him. But because of that...... "Speaking of which," Mifi said, interrupting Layfon's train of thought. "What did we come here for today? Although I had always wanted to come here one day...... " Naruki had suggested coming here today. This restaurant was quite popular among

girls......Of course, that Naruki had told Mifi and Layfon that when she'd said she wanted to come here. Layfon also felt strange about Naruki's request to come here, since Mifi was usually the one jumping to this kind of thing. "Uh, well......" Naruki patted her hair. "I have a favor to ask of Layton." "Here?" Naruki stuttered. "Uh, we didn't have......to come here. If Layton's ok with it, I can just say this......" "......Is it tiring?" "Sometimes. Sometimes it's relaxing. Sometimes it's hard work or not hard work at all. But it'll surely take away some of your time." "That's like a riddle!" "Yeah, this isn't like me," she sighed. "......Is this, to work for Nakki?" Meishen said. A sour smile on Naruki's face. "Yes." To work for Naruki meant to work with the City Police. "Me?" Layfon said. "I'm not trying to scout you from the platoon. I don't have the authority anyway, but the Military Arts course has recommended people to the City Police. I only knew of this after joining the police force. And there's one empty slot in that temporary list." "And you want me to join?" "Ah......My superior knows that I know you. He wants me to ask you. A first-year entering a platoon really stands out." "But I have to clean the Central Mechanism......" "I know, so I'm not forcing you. Since you're a temp, that means you won't know when you'll be called, and the pay also isn't that good. I understand it's not reasonable to ask this of you when your job and school work have such irregular hours, but......" Looking at her troubled expression, Layfon felt there must be something else she was hiding. If he didn't agree to her request, he might never find out about it.

"I get it. Sure." Naruki was surprised. "......Really?" "Yeah, Naruki......You, and you two are so good to me. If it's something I can do, I'll do it." "No......It might be strange for me to say this now, but you can think about it for a few days more and then give me your answer?" "That's all right. Whether it is the cleaning job or team training, I don't think they'd mind if I let them know what I'm doing." "I'll tell them. After all, I asked for your help." "OK, then shall we end the conversation here?" He clapped his hands.

He never thought he'd be asked to work the same day. "Sorry!" "That's ok." Layfon said to Naruki. They stood in a building at the outskirts of the residential district, looking at the ground below.

Naruki's superior in the City Police was Formed Garen, a fifth-year student in Cultivation course. Short, but with a sturdy build, Garen was nervously checking water in the lab. "Ah, it's you......I'm sorry for troubling you." It felt hard to approach Garen, but the man wasn't that difficult to get along with, really. His big and rough hand, like a blacksmith's, placed a beaker on the desk with caution, perhaps even fondness. "It's a bit too quick, but I want you to lend us your strength." "Sure." Garen didn't look concerned at asking for Layfon to work right now. That must be the difficulty that Naruki was trying to hide.

"I want to explain to you the details. Have you got time today?" "I have work in the Mechanism today. If you can do something about that, I don't mind." "Good, then I'll talk with them. The reward isn't as good, but I'll pay for it. And you'll also get paid by the City Police." "No......You don't have to......" "Either way, we're students. An equal price must be paid for the difficult living circumstances affected by this." Layfon's reservations were quickly brushed aside. "Besides, those guys who snatch away the achievement of students' hard work must be punished!" Garen said, unable to hide his fury.

And so Layfon stayed to watch the dormitories near the building he was in. "I can make money doing this too," Layfon murmured to himself, who hadn't expected to get extra pay, and looked away from the dormitory to what was near it the roaming bus station. Most people who needed to use the buses were those getting out of the city, and most of them were business travelers, moving between cities to sell products. Sometimes true travelers without homes would appear, but that was rare. The freedom of travelers in Zuellni was restricted as all the districts were populated by students. The dormitory here was made for that purpose. "Hasn't anyone taught you that intelligence is the most important thing?" Naruki said, playing with the rope she was carrying. "Yeah, back in Grendan, I was always checking for sales." "I think we're talking about different things......" "That was important. If I wasn't paying attention, many kids wouldn't have seen the new year." "......" Feeling the speechless atmosphere around them, Layfon recalled what Garen had told him earlier. They were watching a dormitory that a group of business travelers had been living in

for two weeks. The travelers identified themselves as businessmen from the city of Rulgraif. They worked for a logistics division under the international company Vinesleif. In the business district of Zuellni, Vinesleif sold news, novels and comic books from other cities, and also current information on fashion and entertainment. On the other hand, Zuellni also sold news and entertainment information made in Zuellni, as well as any (already unveiled) seeds of new species developed in the agriculture course. This group of business travelers had been staying for two weeks. "This isn't strange because the next roaming bus hasn't arrived yet, but......" Roaming buses didn't follow a schedule. Every bus traveled freely between cities. It wasn't possible to make a timetable for them. Sometimes, one had to wait a month to get on a bus that would take them to their destination. "But their purpose isn't to buy and sell ordinary information." The agricultural major's research lab had a break-in one week ago. An information archive had been illegally taken. "The missing information is the genetics pairing list of yet-to-be-unveiled new products. This goes against the treaties of the Alliance. To think they actually took the information before it was published......" "But where's the evidence against them......?" A data chip was tiny. The tiniest was just the size of a fingernail. As such, a chip could be hidden anywhere, and besides, many of the products brought in by the business travelers were also data chips. The best way to hide a tree was to put it in a forest even if they had the data chip from the lab, it would still be hard for the City Police to find it. "We have proof. Although they disabled the security cameras, they can't deceive our eyes." Yes, the City Police had an eyewitness. "To take back the chip and prevent them from making a copy of it, tonight, someone from our side will confiscate all things related to the information system." Every city had its own laws. There were laws set down by the Academy City Alliance that applied to general areas, but in reality, only the police force in the city itself could enforce the laws. Inside Zuellni, there were no jails to keep people in for a long period. Students who committed a crime were either suspended or forced to withdraw from a course. As for people outside Zuellni, they were forced to leave the city. When the crime involved a

company and some organization, all Zuellni could do was report it to that organization and the government of the city that the organization was based in. Zuellni had no way of interfering with whether the criminals would receive punishment back in their home city or not. But without the roaming buses, cities would become isolated. Besides, if the criminals were outsiders, they had nowhere to hide in the city. Usually, they wouldn't resist meaninglessly and would follow the City Police's instructions. If they resisted, they'd either die or be forced to leave......Which was much better than being marooned on the barren earth. As long as they didn't come close to the city anymore, their crimes would also disappear. But...... Garen's expression twisted. "We could've done this smoothly, but the roaming bus is here." "And the departure time is?" "Supplying takes three days. The workers are delaying the paperwork to give us time, but the bus will depart tomorrow morning." If they knew there was a way out, the criminals might escape on their own. They'd probably do that. "Tonight's the key." "Ah......We'd have had more time if we had found the eyewitness earlier. Anyway, it's no use regretting it. The problem is we don't know how powerful 'they' are. We don't know how many Military Artists they have with them, but there can't be none. We don't have many people in the City Police and Military Arts course who have had real fighting experience. Like before, we've accumulated some real experience fighting monsters......But, it really is better to have a platoon member when it comes to fighting people." "But in that case, you could've picked someone else......" "No. It has to be you!" Garen smiled. A cunning smile. He patted Layfon's shoulder. "I have high expectations for you, newcomer!"

Layfon touched his shoulder. In it wasn't pain, but Garen's expectation which wasn't a bad feeling at all, but the 'him' hiding somewhere inside himself wasn't sure whether that expectation was a comfortable feeling.

(Will I feel troubled by someone else's expectation of me?) No answer surfaced. "I'm sorry!" Naruki said suddenly. City policemen had been deployed around the dormitory. Two officers were heading for the dormitory, about to confiscate the data chips. "What?" "Sorry for asking you to do this." "It's nothing." "No, because......This is too despicable. He used our connection to......" "What does it matter? I don't mind so long as it's something I'm capable of doing. Meishen's bento was delicious. I feel bad for always accepting her goodwill, so I'm glad I have a chance to return the favor." "No, you don't get it, Layton. Platoon members don't have to work for the City Police. This isn't your job." Now he understood why Garen said "It has to be you". So that was why. Did Garen think that it was easier to call on Layfon because of his ignorance? The feeling of Garen's hand on his shoulder disappeared. Even so, no resentment arose in him. "That really is strange. Power should be used where it's needed. So if there's a need here for a platoon member, then a platoon member should help out." In truth, a Heaven's Blade Receiver's main duty was to fight filth monsters, but sometimes they also worked with the police to maintain security. A few Heaven's Blade receivers were so strong that they could only fight filth monsters, but the rest of the Receivers helped out the police as best as they could. Layfon felt uneasy that, being a platoon member, he had the privilege of using his strength for good and ill. "Layton......" "And they said they're paying me for this, so you don't have to mind me." "Really? I suppose. Well......"

A devious light shone in her eyes as her face relaxed. "Do this like you're returning a favor to Mei. You can take her out on weekends and listen to her talk. She seems rather troubled lately." "Oh......" "You don't want to?" "That's fine, but where should I take her?" "There are many restaurants she hasn't tried. I'll ask Mifi to pick a bright restaurant with a good atmosphere. You take care of the rest." "Isn't that the hardest part?" Anyway, his experience in dating a girl was limited to Leerin. Besides, at that age, he never quite thought of Leerin as a girl. They hadn't reached the age of romance yet. He hadn't seriously thought of what places a girl would be happy to visit. "Good luck!" Naruki smiled at the sighing Layfon. Thunderous noise shot out from the dormitory. Naruki and Layfon turned their faces to that direction. The door to the dormitory was busted open. The two officers rolled out from the room. Blood sprayed in the air. Five men ran out, kicking aside the shattered door. The document said there were five people......So all five were here. One of the men carried an old suitcase. The data chip must've been inside. Layfon studied the culprits. "All five of them." "All?" "Yes, and they're all skilled." Layfon saw the light of Kei flowing in them. Wild Internal-type Kei roared in their bodies. Naruki also narrowed her eyes, but couldn't see anything. She didn't doubt Layfon's words. "This is bad."

"We also have five Military Artists in the surrounding forces, but......" "It's best if we move over to the scene," Layfon said. As they were analyzing the situation, policemen had surrounded the five culprits, raising their batons. "Don't resist!" a student who seemed to be the captain shouted. The business travelers took that in a relaxed manner. Layfon saw they had Dites in their hands. "I'm going." "Counting on ya," Naruki said. The five business travelers made their move as Layfon leaped out the window. They restored their Dites sword, gun, scimitar. All were close-quarters weapons. The normal students in the troop called out. The five moved. Their movements weren't particularly fast to a Military Artist, but their weapons were hard enough to cut through flesh and bone. Compared to them, the policemen only held batons. A baton was the same as a Dite and could be quite powerful if used in different ways...... Unfortunately, all of the Dites in Zuellni had safety locks on. A pointy blade would have its point removed. In Zuellni, they fought fights that would never see anyone die. And that point was now decisive in this fight. The movements of students who lacked experience in fighting with dangerous weapons and the movements of mercenary Military Artists who had earned their fair share in life and death battles were really different. "Waaaa!" The thought of not letting the enemy's blade come close made their movements stiff. The baton pulled close to defend, but the opponent's blade pierced through an opening. Blood spurted from the student's shoulder. "Ahhhh!" He wasn't the only student calling in pain and falling onto the ground.

The other four students had different wounds on different parts of their bodies. And then, Layfon landed. The five culprits were about to rush into the roaming bus. Noticing Layfon, they all stared at him in surprise, alarmed, but they didn't stop running. Layfon restored his Dite. Kei flowed into the blade, and a blue light traced the night sky. He swung. His Kei shot out of the sword towards the five people. The nearest two culprits jumped up and evaded the attack, but Layfon wasn't targeting them. A light noise came from beside his feet. The suitcase had rolled to him. "Ah......!" The man who had been holding the suitcase yelled in pain. Layfon kicked back the suitcase. It slid to one of the members of the troop. "You!" The five stopped running. Layfon raised his sword, as if to prevent them from going past him. It seemed the police were right. The data chip must be in the suitcase. "It's not good to steal," he said. The five rushed Layfon. Layfon slowly moved the blade before him. The five closed in on Layfon at high speed, using Internal-type Kei. Layfon shot out External Burst-type Kei. The three people in front of him jumped aside to avoid the Kei. But where were the other two? Without giving him time to think, the man leading the five landed and slashed upwards. Layfon jumped back, and at the same time, two people appeared from behind the man, as if his back had just split in two. They attacked Layfon's sides. Layfon crouched, evading a huge knife and used his sword to block the stabbing motion of a spear. The three encircled Layfon.

The other two people...... "Hey! What happened!?" the man who previously carried the suitcase shouted. He looked back and saw his two comrades lying on the ground. "How did this......" "I knew it wasn't possible for five of you to reach me," Layfon said. "It was you......" "I saw through your moves. Your tricks were useless." He deliberately let the two evade his Kei the first time he shot it out, but he hid a second wave of Kei within it, one that dispersed into the evading paths. Needle Kei. The condensed form of Kei hit the two in their chests, and they fainted. "And......" Layfon looked behind him. "!" The three remaining culprits also followed his gaze. They widened their eyes in surprise. The suitcase was gone. Had the police taken it?......No. Layfon's gaze flicked to the upper left the rooftop of the dormitory, and saw Naruki. In her right hand was the end of a rope, and the left was a suitcase, wrapped tightly in the rope. Naruki's lassoing skill. "I'm not returning this to you!" she shouted. "Damn you!!" The three rushed Layfon, who was pouring Kei into his sword, not at all impatient. His Kei had turned the sword into a part of his body, and through it, he felt the murderous intent of the three in the disturbance of the air. The point of the sword caressed the air as if to quiet it then Layfon slashed the air apart.

External Burst-type Kei Whirl Kei. The wind before Layfon ceased its movement for a split second, and it started to spin at an increasing velocity. It pulled the three culprits in, floating and tossing their bodies in midair. Numerous small explosions battered them, the air spinning madly, the Kei smashing them without a moment of rest. As everyone gazed at this scene, breathless, Layfon raised his sword and swung down. The air stopped spinning. All noise ceased, leaving behind the silence of the three unconscious criminals.

"Brilliantly done!" Garen praised. He had already checked the contents of the suitcase. The police collected themselves and went to deal with the five men. "Confiscate everything, the clothes too. Forget the food and water though. Don't miss anything. Change them into prison clothes with the crime seal and put them on the roaming bus," Garen instructed. Members of the troop went to cut through the culprits' clothes. They were being careful, considering how the data chip could be hidden inside a seam. Layfon watched the men work as he checked the contents of the suitcase. "Is it in here?" The inside of the suitcase was crammed full of data chips. "Not sure, but we can't tell till we've looked through every single chip. Um, it's probably in there." Garen's smile turned devious. "I wonder how much we can get for this many chips?" Layfon widened his eyes. "What's with the look? We don't know whether they got these chips through legal or illegal means, but anyway, we have no way of returning the chips to their rightful owners. In that case, isn't it right to sell them so Zuellni can profit?"

That was true, but the way that Garen told him this so honestly and matter-of-factly was a bit surprising. "There's never too much money to feed all the students in Zuellni." "Yeah......" "Ah, Alseif-kun's done great today. I'll increase your pay for tonight," Garen said and left to join the men looking through the clothes of the culprits. "I'm sorry. He's that type of a person," Naruki said and patted Layfon's shoulder. "No......I don't find him a bad person." Naruki frowned at Garen. "Perhaps......I can't really tell whether his attitude on money is good or bad." "I'm not sure either," Layfon smiled bitterly. This must be nonchalance. People might think Garen was thick-skinned, but Garen himself didn't find his action despicable......No, he wouldn't have cared even if people thought him base. That was the truth. Garen was similar to the old Layfon back in Grendan, doing all he could to earn money for the orphanage. Only that Layfon had hidden his attitude till the last moment, and he hid it because he felt guilty about it. (Would I have turned out differently if I was honest like him?) He couldn't help but think of this possibility, huh, but that was pointless. It was useless to think up hypotheses. The present him existed because he was unable to become like Garen. (Besides, I don't hate the me I am now.) The me......His circumstances. He had friends to talk to. He wasn't as tense and anxious as before. He had hoped for such a good environment. (No......There's still pressure here.) Still a tiny bit of trouble. (Hmm......)

How did Senpai spend her night? What was she worrying about? No answers came from the night sky he was gazing at. Above him was only the darkness, scattered with the light of countless stars.

Chapter 3: Cry for what? That night, she was cleaning the floor by herself with a cloth. All kinds of noises, signifying the gears were at work, filled the Engine Room. When she first started school, she had trouble focusing, as the noises she heard the previous night while cleaning kept distracting her. Now? It didn't bother her anymore. She looked at the oil-stained gloves, the cloth, the blackened foam of the soap, and the dirty floor that stayed dirty no matter how hard she worked at it. In truth, Nina wasn't looking at anything. According to the student in charge of the Engine Room, Layfon was helping the City Police today. 'Helping the City Police' meant he was working as a temp? Why did he take on that irregular job when he already had to clean the Engine Room? Would his body be alright? (If he gets sick......) What would happen to the 17th platoon? The team might be disbanded arbitrarily. If their ace got sick...... (No......This is too strange.) She had expectations for Layfon when he first joined the platoon, but they were lower then. She had only seen him as a particularly brilliant Kouhai in the Military Arts, but what she now anticipated was the level of his fighting skill. She didn't think it was wrong for her to expect him to fight well. Layfon was stronger than she first thought he was. This was the truth, and it wouldn't be right to ignore that reality. She would use what could be used. There was nothing wrong with that way of thinking. (I've always wanted to find a solution.)

Sharnid and Felli were the same. They had the strength but not the drive. Nina wondered whether her expectations of them were wasted. The team she had formed was not the team she had in mind. But she didn't wish for a perfect team at that time. It was just that her way of thinking had changed since then. Nobody was better as a sniper than Sharnid. She hadn't seen the true worth of Felli's psychokinesis, but the girl's ability must be extremely high for the Student President to recommend her. Harley's knowledge and skill in Dites hadn't failed her. Nina thought all she needed was for herself to become stronger. But...... Layfon appeared. (That power......) In Grendan, a place with more experience fighting in Military Arts matches and against filth monsters than any other city, Layfon had become one of the Twelve Heaven's Blade Receivers. (Is scary......) That day when the filth monsters attacked Zuellni, Nina thought she'd die as food for the larvae. She thought she had no way of resisting the principle of natural selection that ruled the world. Nina came to Zuellni to see the outside word. As someone living in a city facing the end of its journey, Nina had formed a platoon to do something about that. This feeling she held was frail in the face of the gigantic wave of filth monsters. Layfon had pushed back that wave. He wiped out all the larvae and killed the mother all by himself. She was truly scared when she saw him appearing on the other side of the air shield in a place where the air was polluted, filled with harmful substances. Was he human? And she was relieved when he collapsed. Yes, he really was human. The time required to fix the damaged city and for Layfon to recuperate in the hospital had

wiped away her feelings of that time. Leaving the fact that Layfon was very strong. The 17th platoon could operate as the ideal team she had always wanted as long as they had Layfon's power. (But......We still lost the match.) They lost to the 14th platoon in the platoon match. The captain of the 14th platoon said it wouldn't work if only Layfon was strong. (Then......Just what should we do?) Nina was confused. The 14th platoon had used teamwork to win. Was that what the 17th platoon needed? But she held no expectations for that to appear any time soon. Her experience with the team, from the moment when it was first formed till now, told her it was not possible. (What should I do......) Despair must have come to her then......Nina must have realized what the team needed when the filth monsters attacked Zuellni. That feeling came to her when she was helpless. There could be no teamwork if they relied entirely on one person's strength.

A tug......

"Um......?" At the tug of her hair, she brought her attention back to the present. At some point in time, her hand had stopped its motion. A light weight had settled on her shoulders and the back of her neck. She reached back and felt something soft. "Oh, it's you......" "~~~" She took hold of the thing and pulled around to where she could see it. "Geez......Did you run away again?" She smiled.

Zuellni returned an innocent smile. The city's consciousness, a consolidated form of electric particles, protected the people from filth monsters. Zuellni's hand touched Nina's face, patting it gently. Nina relaxed at that guileless face. "You......Why do you like me so much?" Nina said, even knowing she wouldn't get a reply. And as Nina had known, Zuellni only smiled, showing no signs of whether she had understood Nina's words. "Yeah, I shouldn't need to think about that." This kid really loved the people living in this city. Nina wasn't anyone special. She had only accepted Zuellni under a chance circumstance, so the Electronic Fairy often came to find her. Just like how Zuellni was touching Nina's face. Zuellni wanted to be touched in turn. The consciousness itself, rather than its physical manifestation in the form of the city, wanted to be caressed. "Meeting you was the best thing in my life." And...... "Because I met you, I want to protect you." Nina met Zuellni when she first started cleaning the Engine Room. Just like Layfon, she was shocked at the encounter. She knew the city had a consciousness, but she had never guessed it took the form of a little girl. "I can love this city because you're in this form. Don't laugh at me for being cold-blooded. Just view me as narrow-minded......It's a refreshing and surprising experience to touch, to understand another and laugh together. I'm very happy." That was why she wanted to protect Zuellni through her own hands. "Yes......that's right." She held Zuellni close to her face. The Electronic Fairy struggled as if she was itchy, then she pressed her nose on Nina's hair. Her small nose touched Nina's ear lope. The absence of breath was the difference between human and Electronic Fairy. "I'll protect you with my own hands."

So she had to become stronger. How strong could humans become? Nina knew someone was far ahead of her. That, at least, was a level humans could reach. "I will become strong, Zuellni!" she murmured in Zuellni's ear. Zuellni shook Nina's hair, pouting in incomprehension.

"......Ah!" The sound stopped Felli's steps. This was the entrance to the Military Arts training complex. The girl that Felli saw stood up from the steps. She was Layfon's classmate Meishen Trinden. "Ex-excuse......me." Looking at the teary-eyed Meishen, Felli wanted to ask whether her face was that scary, but on second thought she decided against it. (She ran away the last time too.) The last time Meishen seemed to need Layfon for something, so Felli asked her to come in with her. However, Meishen had refused after saying something incomprehensible, and had run away. (I know I'm a bit cold......) But that was still a great shock to Felli. "......Um......Uh, well......" "What is it?" Felli still replied in a deliberately cold manner to the stuttering Meishen. "......Ah," Meishen lowered her head. Felli knew what Meishen wanted to talk about.

The letter. Besides the letter that Meishen had dropped when she fled, she It wasn't possible for her to come and find Felli, especially all by herself. The letter was for Layfon. Felli had thought, for a moment, that it was a love letter. The letter bearing stamps from various cities and its worn out appearance, proof of its long journey, convinced Felli it wasn't a love letter. What she wanted to know was why Meishen had a letter for Layfon? And who mailed this letter to here? Leerin Marfes. A girl's name. Felli couldn't hand the letter over like this. She'd feel guilty for giving it back with signs the letter had been opened. (As if I had peeked at the letter.) Felli thought so, leaving aside the fact that she did open the envelope and read the letter. She still had it with her. It'd be bad if her shifty brother found the letter in her room, so she had put it inside her schoolbag. "Ah, excuse me......Excuse me......" "......If it's about the letter, I've already given it to him." Just what was she saying......Felli wondered. She was tired of Meishen's stuttering and planned to say something annoying, but what burst out of her mouth was a lie...... (If I had said straightaway that it was a lie......) Then Meishen could have interpreted it as a mean joke. ......But when Felli had thought of what to say, it was already too late. Meishen lifted her face, her disposition now bright and lively. "......Thank you very much!" ......Not a lie anymore. Now she had to do it. "......That's all right. I'm going now."

Felli fled through the entrance to the complex without looking back. In that case, she must give Layfon the letter before Meishen mentioned it to him. (How do I give it to him?) That was the problem. The letter's been opened. If she gave it to him, he'd know she had read it. (Really......Why?) If it was anyone else's letter, she would have returned it with no interest at all. (Why did this letter come to my hand?) She resented this unfair coincidence, but not the cause of it Meishen. The girl must have received the letter under some circumstance......Like a letter being delivered to the wrong place. (Damn......) "Felli." Someone called her name as she cursed the postman who made the flawed delivery. It was Nina. "Lucky I ran into you. I booked the battle arena. We'll train over there today." "All right." "Please tell the others that I'll take care of the paperwork for borrowing the training drones." "Ok." Having greeted Felli quickly, Nina headed outside the training complex. (Battle arena......?) Just when annoyance at the conversation came through...... (The Locker Room......That's a good place.) Nobody would find out if she placed the letter in the Locker Room. In other words, it was enough that nobody knew Felli was the one who put the letter there. (Yes.)

Felli hurried to the training facility. She had decided on the method, but she didn't relax. (How annoying.) She found herself getting irritated for having to lie and take up this troublesome burden. But it wasn't just that, she also wanted to get rid of the letter from her schoolbag. (Why did this thing come to me?) She was annoyed because she thought too much of it, too much of the person who sent this letter, of what Meishen was thinking when she picked it up, of whether Meishen had looked at the letter, of the expression Layfon would have when he received the letter...... And the expression she herself showed after reading the letter...... (I'll put this letter back quickly!) She wanted this impatience gone. Felli's hand pushed open the door to the training arena.

This thing was huge. Too huge. "So what is it?" Sharnid asked. In the room were Layfon, Harley and Sharnid. It wasn't that Sharnid came on time to train, which was rare for him, but that Nina was late again. Felli's lateness was usual though. "Well, this is for my research." What came with Harley's trolley was a sword. A huge sword. The sword was removed from a niche on the trolley, and the sword's handle now rested near Layfon's chest. It was as long as Layfon was tall. It was a sword, but just a wooden sword. A few wires were twisted around the blade. "Layfon, can you try wielding it?" "Oh......"

Flabbergasted at the huge blade, Layfon took up the handle and lifted the sword with one hand. The heavy weight pressed down on his wrist. "How does it feel?" "A bit heavy, but I can use this......" He waited for the two others to retreat to the wall and then swung down the blade. The weight of the sword and the centrifugal force of the swing caused him to lose his balance. "Um......" He took a deep breath again and let internal Kei run through his body. This strengthened his flesh, increased the density of his muscles and lightened his body in a way different from the lightness of the air. He swung again. A low howl rumbled through the air. Not the same as the usual tearing. "Woah!" Harley called as the gale swept past his position. Layfon's consciousness had already drifted away from the outside world after Harley's outburst. He tried different moves. An upward strike. Left to right. Sudden stab. The howling of the raging wind dominated his eardrums. A feeling of himself separating from the sword rose in him. He felt his body swaying thanks to the centrifugal force. He immediately knew he had to handle this weapon differently, but it wasn't possible to use that move in this narrow space. "Hu......" Layfon stopped moving and breathed out the remaining Kei and heat inside him. "......Are you satisfied?" Layfon almost swallowed back his breath at that icy voice. Felli stood at the door. Her elegant brow furrowed. Her cold gaze pierced him. "......Thank you for all your hard work." "Yeah! It was hard!" The silver hair that seemed to melt at a touch was tangled up like a typhoon.

"This long hair......" "Ah, yes?" At the edge of his vision, Layfon saw Sharnid and Harley running as far away as they could from the door, as if this had nothing to do with them. Sharnid was bold enough to whistle deliberately. No, forget Sharnid, even Harley ran away. Just what was going on...... "......Were you listening?" "Sure." "Really? This hair......It's hard work to comb it everyday. Yes, very, very hard......" "Uh......Is that so......That must be tiring." "Yes, very tiring." "Ha! Hahaha......" All he could do was laugh dryly. What else should he say? Nothing. No, there was something. "......I'm sorry." "I don't accept your apology." No hesitation at all. "Aaaah, isn't this fine? Look, Layfon regrets what he did." "......No matter how I look at it, you were the one who brought this thing in, weren't you?" "......Sorry," Harley lowered his head, shot down in an instant. Felli sighed. "Never mind, there's something more important. I met the captain on the way here. She said she got permission to use the battle arena, so we'll be training over there today." "Wow, that's sudden." "I don't get it either." Without changing her foul mood, she disappeared to the other side of the door.

Released from the tense atmosphere, Layfon and Harley sighed at the same time. (Oh...the battle arena.) "Senpai......" "Yes." Layfon spoke softly to him. "Oh, so you do have to do that? Right, I'll ask." "Thanks." "What're you two talking about?" "Just talking about the sword." "Oh......" Sharnid looked at the huge sword without much of an interest as it was placed back on the trolley. "But......Why did you have to make this sword so ridiculously big?" "Ah......It's the issue with the density of the foundation. No matter how it's calculated, the size comes out the same. Once this is completed, it should be lighter." "Oh, so you're making a new type of Dite? If I remember correctly, inventing isn't your specialty, is it Harley?" "Yeah, my roommate came up with this idea. Well, I'm better at organizing information and adjusting settings, but my roommate isn't the only one inventing. Our budget was only approved on the condition that we work on this project with three people." "Right......Sounds annoying." "That's mean." "I'm not saying you're stupid. I just don't know much about this kind of thing," Sharnid waved and left the room. Layfon and Harley caught up with him and together, they headed for the battle arena.

Training ended without incident. Layfon thought the cooperation of the team as a whole was

better than when he first joined. He could feel Sharnid's eyes when he was providing support from the rear, and Felli's speed at conveying intelligence, though not as fast as the time when the filth monsters attacked Zuellni, wasn't as slow as before. They had three rounds of mock training against the drones. They won all three matches, and there was nothing they could comment on about their timing. Even so, Nina's distant expression remained. "Well, we'll stop here for today." "Uh, thanks for the hard work, everyone." "Thanks for the hard work." The review session in the Locker Room ended sloppily under Nina's announcement. As usual, Sharnid headed instantly for the bathroom, and Felli, who hadn't even sweat a single drop, took up her bag and left the room. As usual, Layfon prepared to return to the training complex to train with Nina. This was because the team needed its two primary attackers to work closely. If they couldn't develop a chemistry between them and coordinate intuitively, then everything was just talk...... "Layfon." "Yes?" "You can go back today." "Huh?" "We'll stop training together for a while." "Why?" "Because there's no need to." He was dumbstruck at how easy she gave voice to that thought. It was easy for him to say "Definitely not." In truth, they did coordinate in the mock training just then, but that was because their movements matched. He wouldn't call that the perfect intuitive coordination. He thought Nina wanted him to coordinate well with her, so their current situation wasn't too good. But she said "There's no need to."

What was going on? "Anyway, we'll stop training. You can go back," she said and turned from him. He felt like he was just rejected. "Nina......" Harley said. Harley had easily entered the area of rejection that Layfon, wondering whether he should step in, failed to enter. This was the free relationship of childhood friends, a relationship not bound by anything. This feeling was different from the distant feeling he had, of standing on the other side of the glass. He was dumbfounded at her refusal to train with him. "I'm going then," Layfon said. Aghast at himself for saying this without resistance, he left the Locker Room.

The closing of the door seemed to seal off their relationship. The simple tone of the voice cut through her chest. Nina shook her head to disperse that pain. "What am I doing?" She knew. She knew, but what was she doing? Asking herself this question? "Don't be confused." As always, when she failed to find the exit to the maze of her thoughts, she stopped thinking. Even if one could speculate about the future, predicting it wasn't possible. The only predictable thing was death, but no one knew when they'd die. (My future's at a state where even speculating over it makes it sound strange.) So she could only do what she thought was right. "Should I return to the training complex?"

She had been clear in her refusal to train. Layfon probably wasn't in the training complex now. ......If he was there, she had to move somewhere else. "......Hm?" Something had fallen beside the chair.

(Success.) Felli had placed the letter beneath Layfon's bag. This way, Layfon might think he had misplaced it in his bag and hadn't realized it. She had resealed the letter, albeit a bit clumsily. Layfon might not discover the letter had been opened though, since he really was slow. Her heart snickered, but her expression remained cold as usual. She raised her fist a bit to compliment herself, then left the battle arena with sprightly steps.

Night came. The sky turned dark. Layfon stepped into the battle arena again. In the darkness of the night, the bugs sheltered in the bushes called, their sound sending ripples through the air. In Layfon's hand was the sword Harley had brought over. Holding the wooden handle of the clumsy and huge sword that had iron wires wrapped around it, Layfon waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. "Fu!" He let out a breath, waited for Internal Kei to flow through his body, then began his movements. First he repeated the basic moves he had used in the training complex. Strong wind blasted the war field, the sword's weight unbalancing Layfon's center of gravity. He adjusted his center of gravity as he swung the sword. Instead of using force to control the swaying of his body caused by the sword, he adjusted his movements to follow the direction of the sword's weight.

And used that power. After some time, Layfon was no longer staying at one place. He was moving constantly in the confines of the arena, following the direction that the weight led him. And not long after, he was controlling that direction. Moving without a pattern, he propelled himself forward in the arena. His movements were different from before. Very different from the basic moves of handling a sword. He leaped from the ground as he swung. Spinning in the air, he used the weight of the sword to shoot out his Kei. The force generated by the attack that pulled him forward was then turned into the force of his next attack. His repeated this process numerous times, his feet not even touching the ground. "......" The sword penetrated the ground, and Layfon stopped moving. As numerous soil particles rained down on him, Internal Kei gathered in his feet. Internal-type Kei Whirl Kei. And he leaped upward, pulling the sword out from the ground and swinging it. Touching the ground, he leaped up again to swing the sword. It was much harder to control the weight of the sword in midair than on solid earth. Layfon continued to practice, trying to find a way to control the blade. At last, he stopped his leaping movements and breathed out slowly to disperse his Kei. Light flooded the arena. "I no longer know......how to describe it," Harley said in a low voice as he approached with Felli and Karian. "How's it doing?" Harley jotted down notes on a notepad as Layfon told him his thoughts. "How're you doing with the invention?" Karian asked when Harley finished writing down everything. The alchemy student replied, his face dimming. "No problem at all. The basic theory was completed at the time Layfon started here. The only issue left is whether the thing would work after it's manufactured. Yeah, just a few adjustments would do. There aren't many people who can use this, so I never thought I'd have a chance to make it."

The fact that filth monsters were near Zuellni was top secret, but it wouldn't make sense to hide that from the alchemists, so Karian had divulged it to Harley and his camp of inventors. But not everyone in the 17th platoon knew not Nina and Sharnid. Layfon had also asked Harley to keep it a secret from them. "We can only give up if that's the fate of the city." "......True, but I don't want that kind of fate," Harley sighed, clearing the cloudy look on his face. "Is it really all right for the guy who came up with the basic theory to miss this?" Karian said. "He's a weirdo. He's got incredible skill and wrists as a sword maker, but he himself is pretty annoying." "That's the sign of an artist." "Really? I think weirdo is enough to describe him." "Hahaha." "You'll feel the same if you meet him." Karian left them to lock up the battle arena. At the exit, Harley also left for the alchemy lab, saying the weirdo might still be there. Layfon and Felli stayed to wait for Karian. The streetlights dimly chased away the darkness of the empty road leading to the war field. "You're accommodating," Felli said. "I can't let others do this, right?" Layfon smiled bitterly. Felli lifted her face. "Perhaps......I can't help but feel that you've given up." "Given up?" "Your purpose for coming here." "......" "Don't you want to live a normal life?" "I'm not giving it up."

"Then why did you agree to this?" Layfon moved his gaze away. "Well......I can't do anything about it. A man's instinct is strong." "Yes, but the problem won't end just by getting rid of filth monsters." "......I suppose." Unable to argue against Felli, his smile turned weak. A huge number of filth monsters were outside the city. "Won't it be too late if something happens to humanity because of your foolish act?" "I don't know about something that big. But if that's what I can do, then I can only do that. Isn't that right?" "......Has it got to be you?" "Huh?" "We can win if we aren't afraid of sacrifice. You said that before, 'We can still win if we are willing to sacrifice.'" "Yes, but I don't think it's good to not do what I'm capable of doing." "......" "......I'm sorry." "That's fine, I know I'm the type who can but won't do things." Layfon watched Felli. "I don't find that despicable. That is my determination. It's a path I chose for myself. No matter what others think, I won't regret it when I die." Layfon admired her determination. She tried hard to confront her fate, and she kept trying even though it wasn't successful. Her way wasn't bad either. "But I hate myself for doing nothing and causing people to die, especially if it happens to senpai and everyone I know." "Hm?"

"Even in Grendan, I tried to solve everything alone. I didn't care that others found my way base and despicable. On the contrary, I really don't understand why they had to say those things." Had the people at the orphanage wanted him to do that? He didn't know. He had never thought to ask. He knew the answer even if he didn't ask. On the other hand, perhaps that wasn't the truth. Layfon had left Grendan to come to Zuellni. He didn't hate them. But even if he didn't earn money that way, he would have found similar means as he didn't want the orphanage Head and Leerin to worry about poverty. He attempted to solve everything through his own strength. "I'm really naive." "You are." "That's mean!" "......Anyway, I dislike the traditional title of 'senpai'. Call me something else." "Huh?" "Don't your classmates call you Layton?" Her sudden change of topic was perplexing. "Yes, but......I don't think I'd be happy if that name got out, uh, how should I put it......" "Then let me find something else to call you. Lay, Layton-kun, Layfon-kun, Lay-chin, Laysan......Which is better?" "Uh? Can I only choose from that list?" "Have you got any other suggestions?" "Hmm, it's hard to come up with a nickname for myself." "Then I'll call you Lay-chin." "......Please let me think on it more." "Why? Isn't Lay-chin cute?" "No, if there's a cooler way......"

Being called 'Lay-chin' by an emotionless voice just sounded strange. Not that he wanted her to use it in a cute voice. ......Just thinking of that sent a chill down his spine. "How about 'Lay the Flash'? Everyday, when I see you, I'll say "Good morning 'Lay the Flash', 'Hello, Lay the Flash', 'Goodnight, Lay the Flash.' In any situation when I need to use your name, I'll call you 'Lay the Flash'." "......" "Are you embarrassed?" "If you know, then don't call me that!! But why Flash?" "Do you want a word other than Flash?" "That's not the issue." "You're selfish." "Me?" "Oh well, I'll just call you Fon Fon." "Wa, that's totally different! It sounds like the name of some rare animal." "What does that matter? Fon Fon, do you want snacks?" she politely took out a wrapped up chocolate from her pocket. That action of hers totally depleted Layfon's energy. "Am I a pet?" "It's enough that you act like a pet." "Wu......" "You only need to be a pet, so you don't have to force yourself." "Hmm?" "......My brother's back," Felli turned around quickly, giving him no time to seek clarification. "Sorry for making you wait. Actually, I didn't expect you to wait for me." "You didn't say not to wait for you. Besides, you're pretty frail. It's dangerous for you to head back alone."

"Hahaha, how extreme a way of putting it. Sorry for making you guys wait, but I've got something else I must do, so I'll be heading off to the Student Council room. You can go back first." "You should have told us earlier." "Uhhh, it was my mistake. Sorry. Right, you must be hungry after all that exercise, Layfon. Because of me the schedule was pushed back so late. Felli, take him to a good restaurant and have something to eat," Karian said, took out some bills from his wallet and handed them to Felli. Before Layfon and Felli could say anything, the Student President had already left them. "Got it," Felli murmured to the speechless Layfon. "Well, since this is a rare occasion, let's go to a lively bar. We can enjoy the night while drinking delicious wine. Please get a key to a decent hotel room." "No, please don't say that as if everything's been decided. Besides, we aren't old enough to drink alcohol." Moreover, both Layfon and Felli wouldn't suit that kind of atmosphere. Layfon wasn't solemn enough to have to go to a bar, and Felli's crisp and beautiful face gave off a feeling different from an adult's. But if it was a place for Felli...... (A restaurant catering to families......) A family restaurant with kids......Putting aside her beauty, Felli was like a child pretending to be mature. Lips pouting, she was paying a lot of attention to the toys near the cashier. (Ah, that would suit her too perfectly!) Unfortunately, there weren't any family restaurants in Zuellni, but that didn't mean there weren't any toy shops. "......You seem to be thinking of something weird," Felli said. "Of course not!" She held her suspicious gaze. "Never mind, there's a restaurant close by that I often visit, and its open till quite late. Is it okay for me to treat you?"

"You don't have to worry about that kind of thing. Let's go, Fon Fon." "......Wait, have you settled on that name already?" "I've decided. Fon Fon, I'll leave you here if you don't hurry up." With no room to resist being given a new nickname, he chased after Felli, feeling more tired than when he was practicing in the arena.

After dinner with Felli, Layfon returned to the dormitory, had a shower and fell into the bed. His body relaxed in complete exhaustion. As he slowly entered a state of false sleep, he thought back on what had happened to him so far. He spent a lot of time focusing today. That image and those words distracted him while he was handling his sword. "We'll stop training together for a while." He didn't think Nina's words had that much of an impact on him, but he might be wrong. "But it's probably different from a mental impact." It felt more like......A bad premonition. Irritation was more like it. At that time, he thought he had seen the clear face of the feeling that he got from Nina......It looked similar to irritation, but he had yet to grasp hold of its true form. "Yeah, it feels familiar." In the wake of impatience and anxiety, his will to sleep had gone off somewhere. In one swift moment, he thought he understood it, but then it slipped away. That was frustrating. "Uuu......Aaah!" He moaned and tossed on the bed and accidentally fell off it. He was too relaxed, so he didn't have time to protect himself from the fall. "Wu......" He climbed back up, pressing his nose with a hand, and he saw his wrist. White dots scattered around his wrist, like injuries caused by scalding heat.

They were traces left from his contact with pollutant. When Layfon was being treated in the hospital, the doctor said the scars would fade given enough time. Yet even now, he could still find traces of their existence. He thought his injuries were nothing, but he started doubting that when he saw the reaction of Nina and others. It would be good if people looked at his scar and didn't think they were responsible. But the scar Layfon was gazing at was another one. A black scar that stretched from his wrist to his elbow. It was a scar that would never fade, a scar left after the injury had healed. This was also one part of Layfon's past. As long as one searched for it, one could find traces of injuries on his body. Injuries made in training, in matches, in fights against filth monsters. Not only that, but also the cuts he got on his knee and upper forehead when he was little, running around and crashing into walls. These two scars were lighter. "This wound was really painful," he murmured, sitting on the bed and looking at the scar on his wrist. He got this injury when practicing with the steel threads. When he had become a Heaven's Blade Receiver, he learned ways to fight filth monsters from the other Heaven's Blade Receivers. The Heaven's Blade Receiver who used steel threads was Lintence Savoleid Harden. At first, Layfon trained with just one thread. At that time, he already knew how to extend his Kei into his weapon and feel the weapon as part of his nervous system. But that wasn't enough to control the steel threads. Lintence said not only the nervous system, but the weapon had to become his muscles too. Layfon thought that was Lintence's excuse, but after watching him groom the trees of the palace yard with his countless steel threads in one breath, Layfon had nothing to complain about. While suffering for not being used to this way of fighting, he gradually learned how to control the steel threads as he pleased. One thread became two, two became four, four became eight, eight between sixteen......The number of steel threads increased. Yet, it was only the number of threads that was increasing. He was still a great distance away from being able to control the threads as if his own arms had extended, as if they were really a part of his body. ......With the Layfon now, he would have understood, but back then, he didn't get it.

He shouldn't have seen that technique. Filth monsters at a more mature stage than the ones that attacked Zuellni not long ago assaulted Grendan at the time when Layfon managed to control more than 100 steel threads. Lintence defeated them all. Layfon couldn't help but imitate him, thinking he could also manage that technique. The Lintence watching him practice, as if putting him under surveillance, gradually faded from his vision. He tried the technique when he was alone......Cut by his own steel thread, he had fainted through intense pain and blood loss. When he came to, he was lying on a hospital bed. "Are you a moron?" was what he heard from Lintence when he opened his eyes. "Would spiders stick to their webs? Then do those spiders that do have a right to live? A spider that's not a spider wants to become a spider. You need a thousand times, a million times, a billion times more practice than a true spider to become one. Moron! You're worse than a newly born tiny spider. It's too soon to want to weave a spider web when you don't even know how to emit silk. Go and start practicing from the very beginning!" Layfon got quite an earful. "His speech was over the top." Rather than anger, a strange feeling rose in him as he thought about the past. Gazing at the scar, he laughed dryly. Nothing had changed from then. The only condition to become a Heaven's Blade Receiver was to keep on becoming stronger, so he didn't have time to be scared of the weapon. He had then continued to practice with the steel threads alone. Lintence had also fallen silent, interrupting only when needed. Every Heaven's Blade successor knew it was a lonely journey to reach the top by competing with each other. Young Layfon also had to satisfy that condition. He didn't have to be asked to satisfy it, because he was already fulfilling it. But he had become more cautious. He knew an uncontrollable power could harm its user, so before he managed to fully control that power, he decided to seal it inside himself. Lintence hadn't taught Layfon anything beyond the basics of the steel threads. The duty of a Heaven's Blade Receiver was to become strong himself, not to help another become strong. Lintence had already broken that mutual rule by teaching Layfon the steel threads

technique, so Layfon continued to practice without any complaints. He hadn't sustained an injury as deep and severe as that one since then, but he still got many other injuries. Those injuries had all healed, disappeared, leaving many scars. Every time a new scar appeared, he knew more of his weaknesses. He would correct that weakness before the wound healed. And by repeating that process, he finally managed to control the steel threads. "Ah, perhaps......" Why was he thinking of it? Why did he recall it? It was neither a painful nor a warm snatch of memory. Without thinking, he was projecting his feelings over the feeling he got from Nina. He had experienced the uneasiness and incomprehension he felt from Nina. Did Nina want to become strong alone? Was she forcing herself to become strong through loneliness? If that was the case, then......At this thought, a dull pain flared in his chest.

Chapter 4: Run the entire lap At the same time Layfon was whispering to himself...... The heavy iron whips hung listless from her hands. Nina felt like she was suffocating, unable to stop her panting. She was sucking in air, yet her body wanted more. Despite the pain, she attempted to slow down her breathing. She was so exhausted that her legs shook and pleaded with her to lie down, but she desperately kept standing, and slowly let her body cool off. Proper breathing technique was basic for controlling Kei. She mustn't disturb it. Her body must not rest immediately. Everything had to gradually calm down. On top of the drumming of blood bombarding her ears, the sound of friction from the movements of gigantic multi-legs of the city echoed from below. The city's edge was the only place right now that was quiet and secluded enough, a place without people where Nina would not be scolded. "......Great!" Gaining control of her breathing, she lifted the iron whips again. In fact, she looked as if she

was forcing herself, but she could keep going as long as she extended her Kei through her entire body. She controlled her breathing for that purpose. Conscious and aware of the place she was standing, the place where Layfon had shown his strength, Nina danced alone with the iron whips. What could she do to become stronger? Basic moves flowed into more complicated moves. When using a weapon, most moves were variations of the three stages of movement: retrieve, hold with increasing strength, and attack. For a sword, it was slash. For a spear or staff, it was stab and hit. It wasn't meaningless to repeat her moves. While the mind failed to keep up at the other end of the ladder, the body instinctively repeated familiar movements. The repetitive movements increased Nina's physical strength, which would be helpful when she fought. "Fu......Ha, ha, ha, ha......" And then she rested again. Controlling her breathing, she took out a towel from her bag to wipe away her sweat. When the school year started, a bone-chilling cold would immediately cool down the body, but it was better now. Even at night. Zuellni was probably heading towards a warmer climate. Because of that, the heat from Nina's body took some time to dissipate. Irritated at the sweat continuously pouring from her skin, she lifted her head to watch the night sky through the invisible air shield. And like that, she sat down on the ground. The cold, hard ground felt good to her. Exhausted and feeling she hadn't the strength to stand up again, she sat there to look at the sky. Only a half moon floated above her, with the endless darkness serving as a backdrop. The existence of the moon seemed to point to the boundary of the night. The iron whips, turned back into simple Dites, fell to Nina's sides. Still gazing at the moon, she touched them with her fingers. To look at the moon as if reflected in her eyes, she felt for an instant that she could touch it. She didn't reach out a hand. It was embarrassing, and she knew she couldn't possibly touch the moon. "......It's so far away," she said. As if it was within reach, but it actually wasn't. The moon existed between illusion and reality. It made people think it was within reach, but it was billions of Jimels away from Nina. Her arm wasn't long enough to touch the moon. Even so, she thought there was must be a way. If her arm wasn't long enough, then she'd fly up there......

"Ah......" She laughed, knowing how ridiculous it was. She couldn't fly in the sky. This dream was meaningless. What was meaningful was her weakness, for wanting to rely on such an unrealistic way to reach the moon. "This......Won't do." She didn't think it was meaningless to repeat the moves she'd learned, as they were directly related to her growth. She had been training like this from the very beginning. The very beginning, when she knew she had discovered Kei and decided to become a Military Artist. She didn't think she would become strong all of a sudden by repeating the same movements. Was there a faster way......? She understood that was just a wish. A wish not grounded in reality. She couldn't help but think of it though, and that irritated her. "Damn!" She should become stronger if she trained at this pace. She believed if she was industrious and put more time and effort into it, she could catch up to Layfon. But how much time would she need to reach his level? One year? Two years? Impossible......It wasn't that simple. She had only reached her current level, after living all these years. One or two years of hard work weren't enough for her to catch up to Layfon, who was one, three, probably many more times stronger than her. And she didn't even have one year. "I won't make it!" What she needed wasn't a possibility in the future, but what she could reach for now. To balance the unbalanced 17th platoon, she must become stronger. Only she could make it happen. She had decided to protect Zuellni. "Can't I make it?" Her hand slowly moved from the iron whip towards the moon. Her finger caressed the air and touched the moon before her eyes. Imagining touch. Imagining success.

Yet she knew this was meaningless...... "Ahhhh!" Watching the hazy moon, she lowered her wrist. Was this bitter regret or jealousy? Facing the Layfon who possessed what she desired...... And......That letter. She had read the letter that had fallen out of the envelope. The impatience and anxiety inside her became more intense after she read the letter, along with her growing desire to catch up to him. She didn't know what to think of Leerin, the girl who understood Layfon more than Nina did. Increasing anxiety. Irritation. "Is this the end?" She wiped the sweat off her brow and suddenly stood up. "It can't end here!" She picked up the iron whips. The night was still long. Time was limited, but it should be enough. She believed so...... "HA!" She started her flow of Kei.

The next platoon match was set for next weekend. A sigh burst out of Layfon. He hadn't had a chance to see Nina recently. It wasn't easy to bump into her as they were in different grades. During training, time passed without giving them room to chat privately, and once training finished, Nina left the room immediately. They hadn't even met in the Engine Room. Somehow, they had been separated and placed in

different groups. They now had different janitorial responsibilities. Losing the chance to talk to Nina forced him further from the truth. Moreover, he didn't have much spare time as he had to test Harley's invention and attend meetings with Karian and the other Alchemists. Although he didn't have the time to stand still, he wasn't worried about it. But "How come you seem to be so busy these days?" Mifi asked. It was now lunch break. They were eating Meishen's special bento on the rooftop of the school building. Long benches lined the metal fences around the rooftop. "Huh? Do I look that way?" "Yeah." "......Mmh," Meishen nodded. Layfon scratched his head. "We wanted to hang out with you after you were done with training, but you're always going somewhere. And I specifically picked a time that you didn't have work!" How did she know his shifts in the Engine Room? Mifi's ability to gather intelligence was terrifying. "Maybe he's busy because it's almost time for the next platoon match?" Naruki said. "Huh~~ But I planned to catch Layfon when he wasn't training. Isn't this strange?" Mifi said. Layfon was right before her, but she was indifferent to how she appeared to be gossiping about him. Besides, Naruki didn't seem to believe the reason she herself gave, as if she only said it to eliminate one possibility and force Layfon to tell the truth. "Then, what other reasons are there?" Beautifully shooting down Naruki's guess, Mifi cut straight into the chase. "Is this secret preparation for the platoon match?" "Why do you sound suspicious?" "Eehhhh, why?" "You're joking."

"I'm not joking. I'm serious." "Uh?" Mifi stared at him. He looked down at the bento. "Have you got a woman?" "......Why do you think that?" "Well, you're always with senpai lately. Isn't that right? Senpai stands out a lot, so you can't hide it." "No, that's not it!" Layfon waved his hands, noticing how Meishen's face had gone white. "Our dormitories just lie in the same direction." "So because they're in the same direction, you have dinner with her all the time?" "......How come you know about that too?" Yes, since that night at the battle arena, he had had dinner a few times with Felli. It was Karian's treat, but the Student President had never come to dinner with them. Felli was the only one eating with him. "Don't underestimate my information network!" It was another arrow to his chest. "No, it was just a coincidence." Layfon tried to make up another reason, but he could tell from Mifi's eyes that she was still suspicious. "Really? Her level of beauty and cuteness is shocking. When two people are alone, don't they just......start shooting out the energy of youth meaninglessly? Because of a moment of thunder and fire, don't they think they are permitted to do anything and so derail off into the lust of youth?" "......I'm having trouble following you." "In other words, have you pushed her yet?" "I wish you wouldn't use such clear words......" He shook his head. He hadn't the courage to do such a thing to Felli. No, no, no. He didn't mean he'd do something if he had the courage...... "So just what are you doing?"

"......" "Uh......Is it something you can't talk about?" "I was asked not to." Karian asked him to keep it a secret. To students who hadn't fought filth monsters, news of filth monsters in the direct path of the city would be a huge shock to them. Just like in the previous assault, when it was so chaotic within the city that students failed to follow the proper defensive procedures. They tried to plan better for when the next wave of filth monsters hit, but that couldn't be done overnight. And the only person who could fight back against this threat was Layfon. Hence, it was best to have Layton solve everything while everyone remained ignorant. "Boooooooring." She stared at him for a while and gave up. "Mi......?" "This is boring. I'm gonna go to eat by myself." She raised a hand and left the rooftop. "Geez......She didn't have to throw a tantrum like a kid," Naruki said, standing up."I'm sorry. Please don't be mad." "No, this is my fault." "Really......Maybe, but her demand is unreasonable," Naruki shrugged and looked at the uneasy Meishen. "I'm going to stay with Mi. Please take care of Mei." Naruki took her bento and left. "......Ah." While Meishen stammered, Naruki disappeared from the rooftop. (Why do I feel like this has happened before...) "Sorry," Layfon apologized. "......You're not the bad one here, Layton." Meishen shook her head like a bell. "But still, it is my fault."

"......But, you can't tell the truth, can you?" "......" He didn't say anything. If he said "yes" then he was admitting that he was hiding something, and if he said he wasn't hiding anything, that would expose him too. He couldn't say it, but also didn't want to lie. He didn't want to lie because it was Meishen and her friends, so he could only shrug. "......I think we shouldn't ask and listen to what can't be told. I feel that if you want to tell us, you'll tell us one day." "......Thanks." "......Mi knows that too." "I hope so." "......But, Mi is curious." Meishen smiled. Layfon envied the affection in that smile. "......If Nakki and I had any secrets, Mi would expose them immediately. But she doesn't know what Layton's hiding, and knowing that you don't want her to know frustrates her." "She feels frustrated because I don't want her to know?" "......Mi wants a better relationship with you. With her curiosity, she wants to be close enough to you that you can tell her things on your own. If it's Nakki, she'll do what she can quietly, but me......" She shook her head. "......Especially Nakki, she's impatient too." "Especially?" "......Yeah, especially." "Why?" "Didn't you help Nakki before? She's impatient because she can't help you out." "I never knew," Layfon murmured at a loss. "......Nakki's good at being patient." "I don't think she has to worry about it. After all, I did get paid," he said, but he knew that wasn't important. To receive help from someone when she needed it, but unable to help when that person was in trouble. Naruki's feeling of uselessness had nothing to do with Layfon getting paid.

"I see......Um, so it's my fault." "......No, it's not Layton's fault." "No, it's my fault." For not realizing that Meishen and the girls wanted to get closer to him. That was enough to make him at fault. Thinking back closely, Meishen didn't use to speak that much when they first met each other. She never talked much, always saying very little and giving snippets of words each time, but she was now talking and taking the initiative to get closer to him. "Do I look troubled?" "......Not troubled, more like......worried?" "Worried?" Layfon didn't get it. "......Sometimes you seem like that." Meishen frowned. "......Really?" "......Yeah." "I see......" ......And Meishen was always on the verge of tears, but he wouldn't say that even if someone tore his mouth apart. "......What is it?" Layfon fell into contemplation. Worried? He didn't worry about the filth monsters. There was a high possibility of filth monsters attacking Zuellni. Unable to run away, he had to face the crisis. This feeling was different from worrying. Either way, he was prepared for the reality that filth monsters would come near. Coming back to it, fighting filth monsters was normal in Grendan. Considering that death might become real was indeed a heavy burden, but if he lost to that pressure, he would've died already. To him, the fight of his spirit had already ended. Then about this worry......

"Ahah......" "Huh?" "Ah......Hahaha......So that's why......" "Huh? Huh?" "Mi sounded strange, so I got it all wrong." "Huh!?" "Ah......But that can't be helped." "......Wuwu." "Uh-?" Having laughed for a while, Layfon looked at the wall. "......Layton......" Face white, Meishen's hands were put together tightly, as if she was praying. "Meishen......?" "Um......Well......Ar......" "Ah, Ahah......No! No......Nothing. Nothing really. I just got something wrong......So, please don't cry?" And as he comforted the trembling Meishen, he told her the truth. Naruki and Mifi came back to find Layfon comforting a trembling and nervous looking Meishen. In order to explain he wasn't bullying Meishen, Layfon had no choice but to skip his afternoon classes. Then he told them the entire truth. "Uh, the captain doesn't look strange......" Mifi nodded as she played with the empty milk packet. "Is Layton worrying about her?" Layfon nodded. "Yes." "So you want to help her?"

"If I can." He nodded simply, burnt out from explaining things to them. "Why?" "Why......?" He sat up straight, surprised by the question. Both Mifi and Naruki were watching him. "Because you're both in the same platoon? I thought Layton wasn't interested in the platoon and the platoon matches. If so, then the captain acting weird shouldn't be that bad for you, right?" "......Mi," Meishen looked at Mifi and Naruki, troubled, then she shook her head as if giving up. They must have understood something between each other in that split second, but Layfon had no idea what it was. He only knew he was being asked a question. Why did he have to do something for Nina? "Is there a need to ask me that difficult a question?" "Depends on Layton whether it's difficult or not, right?" Naruki said. "Perhaps," Layfon nodded. Perhaps it wasn't a difficult question, but even if Mifi kept on asking him the same question, he still had no answer to give them. "Even now, I still don't care about the platoon matches. But my thinking's changed. I want to stay in the platoon before the next real Military Arts competition ends." "Oh? Is that the awakening of a righteous heart? A little investigation tells me Zuellni's in a crisis. Everyone above the 3rd year knows of it." "I'm not that good-natured." "Then what is it?" Mifi said, as if she was reproving him. "It'll be troubling for me if Zuellni disappears. I can't return to Grendan. If I don't study something here for six years until I graduate, I don't think I can survive in other cities. I don't plan to train in the Military Arts all the way to graduation." "You're not returning to Grendan?" Layfon shook his head. "......You probably know already. My skill in Military Arts doesn't come about through spare training."

"Of course," Naruki shrugged. "If you managed to train up that skill in your spare time, then all the other Military Artists are terribly weak. I guess you had formal training in Military Arts back in Grendan? And you've trained to a level that the Academy City can't teach you anything more in Military Arts. But that's not what I'm concerned with, rather, it's the reality of you wanting to give up Military Arts even though you're so strong." The three girls watched him, increasing the pressure on him. They were concerned about his past. Naruki's mouth moved, preparing to turn her suspicions into clear questions. How should Layfon answer her? He still didn't think what he did in Grendan was wrong. It didn't go against his sense of morals. But he only knew that what he did had hurt a lot of people. What would the girls think of him? Shocked? Contemptuous? Would they then leave him? Thinking of the loneliness made him nervous. How would he feel if Nina found out about it? "......Isn't this enough?" Meishen said, cutting through his emotions. "Mei......?" "......You wouldn't want to listen to Layton's past now, right?" "Well......" "But......" "......If that's the case, then it's enough, isn't it?" Meishen's repeated question silenced the other two girls. Layfon's reflection danced in the regret and guilt in Meishen's eyes. "......Sorry, they......and I, just want to understand Layfon more." "No......" He failed to speak, his chest feeling hot. He didn't know how to express his weaknesses to them, and he was scared of them knowing his past. (Really? So I'm already so close to these three.) He was used to hanging out with them, going to class and studying together. This had become a part of his daily life.

He was scared of losing it. "......I still like the people on the platoon, so I want to help." He squeezed out those words and was left with nothing to say. He fell silent. He understood that just like how he was with Meishen and her friends, he was also enjoying the time he spent with Nina, Felli, Sharnid and Harley. He was afraid of losing them. "......In that case, I don't have anything to complain about," Mifi said, but still with suspicion in her voice. "Aah, I was planning to help from the beginning. The only person who didn't want to was Mifi." "You're lying, Nakki!" "I was never suspicious of Layton!" "Liar. You were concerned too!" "My concern's not the same as your concern." "They're the same." "No." "The same!" "No." "Nakki was concerned about it. Definitely, definitely, definitely concerned about the captain, Felli-senpai and that letter......" "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!" Meishen suddenly shouted, her face all red. Everyone stared at her, dumbstruck. "M,Mei...?" "......!" Her shoulders heaving, Meishen quickly covered her mouth with her hands.

"Ah......" "So-Sorry......" "......Uu......" Tears filled her eyes. (And I thought I could apologize.) Meishen had been trying to find an opening to apologize for reading his letter. But not under these circumstances...... Tears flooded down her cheeks.

This time Layfon was chased away. At a distance, he watched Mifi and Naruki comfort Meishen. Sometimes they said something wrong and made the situation worse. At other times, they mentioned the past and Meishen looked even worse at that. Meishen got angry, and was comforted, and like that the process repeated itself...... Meishen......When the three girls had calmed down, the bell signaling the end of class rang out. The bell of the last class.

Although they did agree on it, he never thought they'd really come. "Well then, let me explain our mission." It was now night, or more like it was almost dawn. Everywhere was still dark and dim, but the sun would rise in two to three hours. They couldn't have stayed awake all night, so they should have been sleeping till now. Mifi's hair was tangled, the sign of a sleepyhead. "No, this isn't really a mission," Naruki said to Mifi, who, for some reason, was wearing a long coat and sunglasses. When the workers had finished cleaning the Engine Room, Meishen, Naruki and Mifi were already waiting for Layfon outside the entrance.

The quartet's breath came out as steam. Meishen had hot tea in her thermos. Everyone enjoyed the hot liquid thankfully. "Where's the captain?" "The class leader's called her over. She should still be inside." "Good. We'll wait here then tail her," Mifi smiled deviously, cupping the cup as steam from the hot tea rose to fog up her sunglasses. "I think she'll go back to bed like usual......" Layfon said, uncomfortable with her expression. "Oh, I've been observing her. She trains until it's time to work, so if anything happens, it must happen after work." "Huh? Has she been training?" "Yeah, it's pretty scary too, when she trains." "It's like she's another person." If even Naruki said so, then the training must have been intense. "......" She canceled her training with him, but continued to train by herself. "I see." "Hm? What?" "Uh, nothing." That confirmed his suspicions. He glanced at Naruki. She seemed to have arrived at the same conclusion. "......Ah," called Meishen softly. Everyone looked at the entrance. Nina was coming out. Breathing out steamy breaths, cold and shivering, Nina only wore her Military Arts uniform. Did she come straight from the Engine Room without returning to the dormitory? Her worksuit probably was inside the bag she carried. Layfon remembered that Nina had that bag with her when she came to team training. Even the scattering street light, dim as it was, couldn't cover the shadows of exhaustion on

Nina's face, but her pace while walking didn't show her fatigue. Layfon drained the tea in his cup and tossed the cup into a bin. The four of them waited for Nina to walk ahead a bit before following after her. Layfon and Naruki decided on how far they had to stay behind Nina. If left to Mifi and Meishen, they'd have been discovered already. Although that was his conclusion, Nina's appearance changed his judgment. Mifi might tail her well even by herself. A kind of tension surrounded Nina, but it looked more like an old wire fence to him. A fence with lots of openings. "She's very tired," Naruki said in a low voice. Layfon nodded. What had pushed Nina to this stage? Was it because they lost the platoon match? Could it have been that big of a shock to her? He wasn't sure. No, perhaps he did know. He had tasted failure in Grendan. In order to survive, it was important for him to win again and again. The important point wasn't his life and death, but more his being afraid of encountering a stumbling block in the process of doing what he wanted to do. Was this the feeling that Nina held? ......Sure. She wanted to protect this city from harm. She said that to him not long ago. "......She's going somewhere?" "Probably." Troubled expressions adorned Meishen and Mifi's faces. Nina continued towards the outskirts of the city. The edge of the city was a danger zone, a zone where emergencies tended to arise, so residential and any important buildings were usually built further in from the city's boundary. On the other hand, any buildings close to the danger zone were rented out cheaply. Layfon didn't know the exact location of Nina's dormitory, but he could guess from the direction she headed after training and cleaning in the Engine Room that her dormitory did not lie on the city's edge. Nina finally arrived in a clearing devoid of buildings. The sound coming from the movements of the city's multi-legs rode the wind. Layfon and the girls hid in a forested area. This place was a bit far from the roaming bus station. All they could see was the wind carrying pollutant, a sandstorm rioting outside the air shield. The wind tonight was especially strong. The sandstorm in the dark looked like some stirring creature.

Meishen held tightly to Layfon's sleeve. A hazy sky blocked out the traces of the moon. The cloud cover must be very thick. Nina walked down some stairs to the middle of an amphitheater and dropped the bag from her shoulders. She took hold of the Dites in her harness. "Restoration," she said softly. At that sound, a familiar feeling ran through Layfon. She readied her fighting stance. Layfon knew she'd then breathe in deeply and allow the Kei to flood her body. The iron whips struck downwards or to the sides. She received, let the pressure slide off a side, and struck back at an imaginary enemy. Nina's body spun left and right, sometimes staying in one place as if defending against repeated heavy strikes, sometimes running forward as if attacking, charging in. Nina practiced all the moves she knew. There was no delay or hesitation in her movements. Each move flowed smoothly into the next. It was an Art, and it had a frightening air. All three girls except Layfon were holding their breath. Nina was like a first class dancer, showing every scene of the world in her movements. At the same time, she was like a mad fighter, fighting against everything in the world. Meishen and the other two girls had already seen Nina training last night, but watching her for a second time did not reduce their amazement. They watched her wordlessly. Layfon fixed his gaze on Nina, watching the light of Kei emitting from her. Her flow of Kei was brighter than the Kei she showed in team training. But unlike the first time, when Nina's Kei was so dazzling that he could not look directly at her, a shadow now traced her Kei. It was meaningless to judge one's strength against the light of Kei, since the two held no relation to each other. Layfon wasn't sure whether he should to be happy or not about the change in Nina's flow of Kei. He was just saddened for some reason.

The remaining Kei dispersed from her body like steam, giving off light and floating up into air as of something finally being released. From her fingertips, shoulders, neck, head, back, toes......The remaining Kei shook like strings. The strings wove together to become one and stretched out to the sky like something struggling against a force too heavy to resist. What a tragic scene. And that was where her problem lay. "What a mess," Layfon murmured, earning wide-eyed stares from his companions. "......Layton?" "Huh? But I think she's amazing......?" Mifi asked and looked at Naruki. Naruki didn't seem to understand Layfon. She wore a perplexed expression. "Is something wrong?" "The problem's not with the Kei flow or her movements......" No, that 'was' the problem. Internal-type Kei would not strengthen the entire body. What it did was coordinate a person's movements and cause changes accordingly, making the moves faster and stronger. It was a type of training like Whirl Kei, generating sudden and speedy changes. But in Nina's training, there were many redundant moves. Layfon didn't want to point that out. Her weakness could be improved, given more training. "It's not a problem that she trains by herself. Military Artists are always lonely. One must face oneself and struggle hard to become strong. Nobody can help you, and it's not something you'll ask someone for help with, but......" he shook his head. How could he put it? He hadn't yet organized his own emotions, so no words surfaced in his mind. He failed to find suitable words. "She's too reckless," he said in the end. The way she dispersed her Kei was like she was drowning, struggling to hold onto anything, even a bunch of wheat, but even so, it still wasn't enough to escape the flood. She could only sink. What would happen if she continued to sink...... "......If she keeps this up, she'll break." "Yes......" Naruki nodded in realization. Nina had classes and training in the Military Arts course, then team training after class and

individual training after that, janitorial duties in the Engine Room after all of that and then individual training again......Just when did she sleep? Did she get enough rest? Looking at her, she had probably spent most of her time training alone when she wasn't at her work. But she would pay a huge price later. In Grendan, Layfon once had to fight filth monsters for an entire week. A whole week without time to sleep and rest. A week that took away his awareness of time. In the end, he was so debilitated that he couldn't lift a single finger. No matter how he lied to his body, his biological clock went crazy afterward. A twist of the normal pattern appeared. He spent two whole weeks resting before he could return to duty. "......We must stop her," Meishen said. Layfon agreed. But how? It was easy to say you'd damage your body......But Nina knew that too. Layfon knew training was not enough for Nina to reach what she wanted, and he didn't know what advice to give in that area. Sure, he knew on a basic level how one became strong. The head of the orphanage was the first person to teach him the way of the Katana. Nobody was born with an innate understanding of the Military Arts. But teaching Nina the Katana wasn't what she needed. She needed better training in the basics, but...... Layfon couldn't teach her his training in Kei flow. He had already passed that phase of needing someone to teach him how to handle the flow of Kei at a very young age. He could teach Nina some simple steps, but he didn't have the confidence to teach the deeper theories. He knew his own knowledge in this area wasn't an easy thing for others to obtain. Maybe it'd be presumptuous of him to say this, but what he meant was the ability of a genius. It would be difficult to pass on all of his instincts, instincts that a genius possessed and made real. And as such, none of the other Heaven's Blade Receivers had apprentices. All they did was concentrate on their own training. "We're the rarest of the rare, special and strange. We're humans but not entirely humans. Even if we pass on our knowledge, it'd only be one-thousandth, one-ten thousandth, onebillionth. We're those kinds of people, off the beaten path." Lintence had said that when Layfon was slowly getting the hang of how to control the steel threads technique. "I taught you this skill as a small experiment. You've reached one-thousandth of my level, but it isn't possible for you to get any better at it. Even if you can control billions of steel threads, they still aren't as sharp as the point of your Katana. It's better for you to use the Katana when you're in a crisis."

Layfon wasn't disappointed at those words. He understood and accepted it. This reality hadn't changed. He felt the running of his Kei flow the best when he held a Katana not steel threads. Why was there a difference? He couldn't pass on his skill to Nina when he was unable to explain his own skill. He shook his head. She would have asked him already if she had wanted to learn from him. "......Layton?" Against Meishen's question, he had no idea how to show them his helplessness at Nina's situation. "Can't we do anything?" He shook his head. "Probably......No, I don't know. We can tell her she's training too recklessly, that she'll seriously injure her body; but is there a purpose to this? There's something she wants to achieve even though she's like this. I find it meaningless to tell her to stop training when we can't help her at all." Nina wanted to become stronger. She had always wanted to become stronger. This wasn't some sudden idea of hers. But...... "Why's she only doing this now? Because she lost the match? Is that all?" Mifi asked reflexively. Layfon couldn't think of any other reason, but doubt remained. Was that all, really? "......I think I understand," Naruki said. They all looked at her. "This is how I felt when I asked for Layton's help awhile ago. Layton's too strong, so I feel that I can't fight beside you. I don't know how to feel about this other than that. You can say that's how Military Artists think. This feeling is lonely and regretful......Frankly, I'm also jealous. The feeling of only being able to rely on another's power is hard, especially for me as a Military Artist. I think it's harder for her as the captain of the team that you're in." Listening to that reminded Layfon of Sharnid testing his new Dite. Though Sharnid had laughed, saying that sniping was not enough for him, that might not

have been the only reason. Did Sharnid ask Harley to make him new Dites because of the feeling that Naruki held? And Nina too? No, she must be criticizing herself even more intensely than Sharnid, right? Because she strongly wanted to save this city...... "If that's the case, then I don't have anything to say......" It was natural for a Military Artist to want to become strong. "......But why?" Meishen said. "Hmm?" Layfon responded. Meishen, not being a Military Artist herself, wouldn't understand......He could think that about her, but the way she voiced her suspicion sounded like more than mere doubt. Meishen said something vague, but changed her mind. "......I know the captain wants to be stronger, but why can't Layton do anything? Why does Layton have to do anything?" At first, he didn't understand what she was getting at. "......The captain wants to become stronger so she can win, right? Does she want the entire platoon to become strong? In that case, it's not just Layfon, but everyone together......" Was it alright to become stronger alone or was it better to become stronger together? Which one was it? Layfon thought that it was the same either way. "Together?" he asked. Meishen nodded, her face all red. "Together......" "What's so strange about that?" Mifi asked. He felt as if something was stuck in his throat, preventing him from speaking. "I see, it's that simple......" Naruki said, touching her chin. Something sounded strange. The sound of flowing Whirl Kei had stopped. Layfon was the first to look over, then Naruki and the other two girls. Nina had fainted.

It didn't take long to get to the hospital. Layfon had carried Nina to the hospital and the medical students on the night shift had quickly prepared a room for them. The doctor that had been napping came over to do a simple checkup and ordered the nurses to get someone over and prepare an IV. During this time, Layfon had called Harley, and as he was about to return to the patient's room met Naruki, Mifi and Meishen. It was now another shift. A different doctor was checking up on Nina. The nurses had changed Nina into patient clothes that were open at the back. The doctor was placing needles into Nina's back. "He specializes in Kei vein treatment," the nurse said to Layfon. "Is this 3rd year Nina Antalk!?" the doctor said, displeased. Could it be because of sleepiness? His eyes looked quite sleepy. Layfon nodded. "I never thought a 3rd year in Military Arts could faint in such stupid way." "Is it serious?" "There's a decreasing level of function of her internal organs. She lacks nutrients and has overworked her muscles......Anyway, everything about her is weak. The simple cause is the overworking of the Kei vein." As expected. "Kei can strengthen body functions and speed up healing, but the source of the Kei vein is the flow caused by human activities. Military Artists have a special organ to generate Kei flow, but the basics are the same. No, to a Military Artist, this is the same as increasing her weakness, because that organ is the same as a heart or a brain. If it's damaged, then it might die," the doctor said as he placed more tiny needles into Nina's back. From her waist going upward, as if the needles were mapping out some sort of a terrain. "Even if the brain's damaged, one can still live in a vegetative state. If a heart's damaged, we can give them an artificial heart. But this is the only organ that is irreplaceable. If the Kei vein is damaged beyond repair, then it's over. I think I said that already in class, that it has to be looked after carefully," he said, continuing to place tiny needles on his patient's back. Although there weren't any professionals in the Academy City, this doctor's skill seemed reliable enough. "Can she be cured?" "This isn't fatal. I'm using acupuncture to strengthen her flow of Kei."

Layfon relaxed. "But she can't move for now, and she can't participate in the next platoon match." "......Really?" "Hum? You don't seem shocked?" "That type of thing means nothing to me." "It seems like that rumor of the newbie of the 17th platoon being a weirdo really is true." So there was such a rumor? The needles spread from the waist to Nina's fingernail and heels. The doctor placed the last needle on Nina's left heel, and massaged his shoulders. The nurses adjusted the air-conditioner and left the room. Nina continued to sleep. Layfon's fast and irregular breathing had now calmed down. A relaxed sigh escaped his mouth, and he remembered the three girls waiting in the corridor. He went out to tell them Nina was all right, that they could go home first. It was almost dawn and the girls also had class next. "What about Layton?" "I'll stay here a bit then go." "......Is there anything you need?" Meishen asked. Layfon didn't understand what she meant. "......She'll need things, staying in the hospital." "Ah......" "Layfon won't be able to prepare everything. We'll bring the things after class." "Thanks." "Aah, that's all we can do for her," Mifi said as he escorted them to the lobby. And he saw Harley. Representing the other two, who weren't here, Harley's face was stiff and green. "How's Nina?" "She's sleeping."

"I see......Is she all right?" "She won't be able to participate in the next match." "That can't be helped," Harley said without resistance. He sighed, relaxed after knowing Nina was all right. "Don't you think it's a shame?" "What's important is the real match, right?" "True." Harley's reply gave Layfon courage. To Layfon, the platoon match wasn't at all important, but he wasn't sure whether Nina felt the same. "I've contacted the other two. I think they'll be here soon......But they aren't the hasty types, huh?" Harley shrugged, not at all criticizing their slowness. They returned to the patient's room. Harley gasped at the needles covering her body, but he breathed out slowly after seeing her sleeping face. And suddenly directed his gaze to the wall. His face turned red. "Can we cover her?" "......The nurses didn't. If we do it ourselves, it seems......" Layfon understood Harley's meaning, and he also felt heat creeping up his own face. After knocking quietly on the door, Felli walked in. "......What're you doing?" she asked coolly, her gaze sweeping across Nina, her underclothes illuminated by the light, and the two young men. Losing interest at her tongue-tied teammates, Felli observed Nina's face. After confirming that Nina was all right, she once again put her face closer to the captain's. Felli was in uniform. It was not yet dawn, but neither her hair nor uniform showed signs of her having slept. Layfon was peeking at the two girls. Felli moved her gaze away and looked at him. He hastily moved his gaze back to the wall. "Pervert." "I didn't see anything."

"Giving that response means you're a pervert." Unable to fight back, he could only moan. "Never mind, that's not important. What's important is......" Her gaze landed on Harley, then she took out a big envelope from her bag. "My brother gave me this." Layfon read the letter. He had already guessed the contents of the letter before Felli opened the envelope. And after observing Harley's reaction, stiffening and recovering and then looking at Nina, Layfon understood more. Back at the bed, Felli was checking whether Nina was truly asleep. Inside the envelope was a photo. "This is the second image from the drone." The image was the same as the last one, but it was clearer and sharper. Maybe because it was closer to the city. That thing was fastened high on the face of a mountain. Was it sleeping? Its wings were folded, laying on top of each other. Its body was curled up. A filth monster. It was a male......In which phase? Layfon couldn't judge from the photo. If only it would continue to sleep; but this hope was far from possible. "Has the city......Has Zuellni changed direction?" When a city detected a filth monster, it'd take evasive action. Every mobile city acted this way, including Zuellni. Felli shook her head. "Zuellni's still heading straight in that direction. At this rate, it'll encounter the filth monster the day after tomorrow." The day after tomorrow......Was the weekend, and the day of the platoon match. It appeared that the 17th platoon would have to give up on the match. Layfon sighed. He put the photo back inside the envelope and returned it to Felli. "The Dite's ready. You can use it anytime," Harley said.

"The combat gear for external use is ready. My brother wants you to depart tomorrow night if possible." "I understand." "Are you afraid?" Felli suddenly asked. "Hm?" "Of fighting the filth monster." "Well......" Of course he was afraid. That line touched his lips but did not leave them. It wasn't because he thought he'd lose face by confirming his fear, but he hesitated at the expectation and hope in Felli's eyes. "It's a bit late for you to be asking that question." "That's......true." As if imitating Layfon, wanting to say something and deciding not to, Felli's lips opened and closed. She sighed, a sigh of one who knew how many times cuter and more beautiful that sigh could be. "Can't you stop......?" she murmured. Confirming Nina's condition once more, she left the room.

Chapter 5: Things in life The tight armor-suit felt cool on his skin. The suits looked like they'd be heavy and hot on the outside, but didn't feel hot after he put them on. They had surprisingly good ventilation. He had worn something like this back in Grendan. Wearing the suit wasn't new to him. Under the light, one could just make out the color of his skin beneath the sheer cloth used for filtering pollutants outside the city. The fitting was done at the last moment, so this was his first time wearing this suit. He left the fitting room. "It feels fine," Layfon said. He was underneath the city, inside what was called the waist of the city, located beneath the Engine Room and connected to the multi-legs. A space that was basically a gap.

A lot of work, mostly involving the maintenance of the multi-legs, started and ended here. And in here right now were Layfon, Karian and a couple other students. The student leader of the technology course let out a relieved sigh. On his face were traces of sleepless nights. "That's great, next is the helmet......" The helmet was made of two parts. The hard component that made up the outer part of the helmet pressed down on the same material as the cloth that made up the armored suit. The cloth was cut according to the contours of Layfon's face. Once he put on the helmet, his face was sealed from the outside world. Lastly, the student leader connected the piece of cloth hanging out from beneath the helmet to the suit to cover Layfon's neck. Nothing illuminated the helmet. In total darkness, the Student President sent out a signal to someone through his transmitter. A scene of somewhere else appeared before Layfon. Barren earth greeted Layfon's eyes. "Oh......" Right before him was the desolate and sterile earth, with cracks like spider webs across its surface. The dry smell of the earth drifted into his nose. Wind filled with a huge amount of sand beat against Layfon as it blew past him......Like an illusion, the clear images coming through the helmet gave him the feeling that he was seeing things with his own eyes and feeling things with his own body. "Does it work?" Felli's voice. But she wasn't beside him. "Perfect." "That's good," came the cool reply. The helmet was connected to Felli's flakes. They replaced Layfon's vision and conveyed to him all kinds of information. This way, he wouldn't have to see the world with his own eyes and risk burning them through contact with the pollutants, and he would also avoid the inconvenience of the sand sticking onto the helmet and obstructing his vision. "Then everything's prepared."

In his harness hung the Dite he got from Harley. It differed from the normal Dite in that it was slightly longer. A small and thin slab of metal curved inward from the handle, and on it were three holes. This was the completed version of the Adamantium Dite......And its inventor still hadn't shown up. Lastly, Layfon equipped himself with four more Dites. "Please use the bike," Karian pointed at the thing beside him. It was a vehicle from the past that had long since lost its original function. Its design was wide but delicate. Underneath the dim light, liquid silver ran across its black outer shell. The rubber wheels could not be used on the barren earth. Long distances were out of the question, and there was little meaning in making using the wheels for short distances. The obvious conclusion was to adjust the design in a way that was similar to how the robotic legs moved. Even so, its movement far exceeded the speed of robotic legs. Every city had a few of these bikes for emergencies. The seat for the person needing rescue had been taken off this bike. Layfon took his seat and switched on the engine. A low rumble sounded out from beneath the vehicle as the bike vibrated. Karian and the others went to the control room, and the gate leading to the outside world opened. A lift lowered Layfon to the ground. Furious wind and the city's slowly moving multi-legs surrounded Layfon. As the lift descended, he gazed at the mountain protruding from the ground far away. The filth monster was there. It would take him one day to get there......The long and lonely journey began.

Time rewinds to just a short while before Layfon's departure. This was the hospital room. "This is......" At the voice that sounded lost, Layfon looked away from the vase. It was Nina. The nurse had removed the needles from her back, turned her over and pulled a blanket over her. The remaining light of the sunset shone through the window. Light and shadow separated the room into two colors. Except for the dusky red on Nina's bed, everywhere else was dim.

Layfon turned on the light. It reflected off the whitewashed walls and shooed away the darkness. Nina squinted at the dazzling light and saw Layfon's silhouette. "This is the hospital." "Hospital......?" "Don't you remember?" "......Uh......" She slowly shook her head as she watched the ceiling, followed by a light sigh. The sound of quiet movements from nurses, patients and visitors outside the room caused small vibrations in the air. Layfon looked at the vase again. In it sat Sharnid's flowers. "I see, so I fainted." "You overused your Kei, senpai." Layfon felt suffocated at the sparseness of the conversation. Nina gradually reached the logical conclusion she didn't want to accept it......A premonition of her struggling to escape and failing at it. "Were you watching?" she said. Watching the vase, Layfon felt her gaze stab one side of his face, but the Nina at the edge of his vision was looking at the window painted red by the sunset. "No." "Do you find me ridiculous?" "I didn't laugh." "But I want to laugh at myself." He sensed the blanket move a little. "I'm so unsightly......" "I don't think so." "Why?" Irritation filled her question. Mixed in it was also the sound of crying, but he didn't attempt to confirm that. Perhaps......He didn't want to look at the Nina gazing at the sunset.

"This might seem cruel, but I think some things can only be understood after a near-death experience. No one can help with that." "And this is one of them?" she asked in a mocking tone. Mocking herself. Layfon nodded. "......We have to give up on the next platoon match." "......I see." She must have understood it. "Did I waste my time?" "Waste?" "I want to win and become stronger. In that case, haven't I been wasting my time?" "Have you lost just because you can't participate in the next match?" "That's not it!" She tried to sit up, her face twisted. Her entire body hurt so much that she couldn't even sit up properly. She lay back down heavily, the pillow supporting the sudden weight of her head. "......Even so, I still want to win and get stronger. If I stop here and can't do anything in the real match, then nothing else is worth mentioning." "True." "So haven't I been wasting my time?" She didn't turn to him. Inside the blanket, her body seemed to become smaller. "......At first, I thought it would be enough if I used my own strength and helped out Zuellni in the next Military Arts competition," she said softly, still not turning to face him. "But I got a bit greedy. Because you're so strong. I was scared when I first witnessed it. I wondered whether you were even human, but when I confirmed you were, desire came to me. I didn't want just to help, I wanted to become the driving force, the core of victory. I thought the 17th platoon had become stronger even though there was no proof of it. If you want to laugh, then go ahead." Layfon shook his head solemnly. "But I lost the match. Of course. And I feel it was fortunate that we lost. That match corrected my error, but I stopped moving forward after that......If that's the case, what do I have to do to win?"

As long as the team became stronger. The answer was simple, but Layfon didn't voice it. He understood a little of Nina's line of thinking. Sharnid had a lukewarm attitude, and Felli clearly had no interest at all. Especially because Felli told him that she wouldn't use her true strength. She hated herself for being a psychokinesist. The strength of a team showed in their coordination. It was meaningless for one person to be strong. The opposing team had demonstrated this truth in the previous match. "I thought only I needed to become strong. Even if I can't fight alongside you, at least I can be strong enough not to become a burden, so......" So she increased the time spent training herself? The unusual training schedule meant she had a high evaluation of Layfon's strength. "But I might have wasted my time." Something quiet and heavy pushed down on the air in the room. "......Does senpai know about the irregularity in your Kei breathing?" "Huh?" "I mean the breath of Kei. Senpai was very painful in that last moment." "Ah, Aah......" The sudden change in topic confused her. "The irregularity of your Kei breath shows you've wasted your training, to a certain point. It's natural for that to happen because you lie to your body and, despite your exhaustion, you continued to use Kei. This is the same theory as how one can't breathe in at will while exercising. When a person first breathes with Kei, the Kei vein generates an amount of Kei that's larger than usual. The training method for the Kei vein is different from how you increase the capacity of your lungs. In the final phase of Kei training, you can live your daily life using the breath of Kei without having to use Internal- and External-type Kei." "Layfon......?" "It's hard work to maintain the Kei breath without generating a Kei flow, but if that can be done, then it'll increase the person's sensitivity to her Kei and the amount of Kei she holds.

It's like the Kei becomes your nervous system. Kei breathing is the foundation of using Kei." Kei breathing is the foundation of using Kei. That was explained in the junior textbook in Military Arts. But he had said something that wasn't included in the textbook. None of the textbooks mentioned maintaining a daily life with Kei breathing. "If humans with a Kei vein want to survive by relying on Military Arts, then it's meaningless to live the same as normal people. They breathe differently, so the meanings are different. Please look at the flow of Kei as more important than blood. Believe the information from the Kei flow more than what you feel from your nervous system. Don't become a blood bag that thinks, but please become a formless body of Kei that thinks," he said lightly. Nina remained silent and inert as she listened. She watched him with surprise, her eyes slightly red. "If you want to live by the Military Arts, then give up trying to live as a human." He said that to the Nina who was at ease because he was a human don't live as humans do. "That's all I can tell senpai," he smiled. It was a forced smile, so it must have looked quite stiff. He could feel the hard muscles of his face. "Have you noticed? Sharnid-senpai has a new Dite." "Huh?" "He seems to know how to use Close Quarter Gun Combat. I don't know what level he's at. You can check later. Perhaps we can have more variation in strategies now. But all the formations we've used so far have used everyone to attack; maybe you can do it another way and stay at the back. My brain's terrible with strategies, and they probably aren't right, so I have to leave it to Senpai." "......" "I'm good at fighting alone, but I'm terrible when fighting in a team. It's not easy to fight while thinking of the comrades fighting alongside me. Frankly, I feel that the battle arena is too small." "Layfon......" "Please give me orders, and I'll try to act them out to the best of my ability. Sharnid-senpai seems to have his own thinking on this. As for Felli-senpai......Well, let's work hard together."

He stammered out those last words, so he laughed to cover them. "It's all up to senpai whether we can become the strongest platoon, so please don't abandon us." "Abandon you......How could I......" Nina recalled her recent actions. Yes, it wasn't strange to think she had abandoned them when she was training to become strong by herself. "Yeah......I've nothing to say." "I'm not against senpai getting stronger. I'll help out the best I can if there's anything I can do. Although all I can do is teach you how to train your Kei......If you can find anything more useful than this, then learn from me as much as you can." He smiled, a bit embarrassed. This time his smile might have been even stiffer. Please don't abandon us......That felt just like a kid not wanting to part with someone. Had he come to like the 17th platoon this much......? Without knowing himself......? Or was it because of......her? He didn't want to leave Nina Antalk? (Which is it?) He wasn't sure himself. "I see......So I'm the only one who's wavering." Her soft voice stopped his train of thought. "We're comrades, so let's get stronger together." He couldn't deny the other him who was happy thanks to the intense light in her eyes.

"It was like you were saying your last words." "Huh?"

The bike moved forward, bumping across the deserted earth. He was already driving on the smoothest surface, but he wasn't sure what good it did. He'd had training back in Grendan for driving, but he had never driven for so long a distance. There was a spare tire. If possible, he didn't want to encounter a situation where he had to use it. The sun had sunk down in the west. The headlights cut out a circle from the darkness around him. As long as he got the location right, he'd arrive there, so he constantly checked the compass on the bike's dashboard as he drove. And Felli was guiding him, so things shouldn't be confusing. He still hadn't taken any action at this distance regarding the filth monster. One reason was because of the limited preparation time and movement, but the main reason was his need to coordinate with Felli's information. Felli's voice came through the flake on his helmet. "I heard......What you said in the hospital room." "Those weren't my last words," he laughed. "But it's not strange to think so in this situation, right?" "Is that so?" "Yes." "But I don't plan to lose." "You didn't say you wouldn't die." "I don't know anything besides the fact that the filth monster is male. I can't say what isn't certain." "See?" He felt the low howling of the wind through his armor-suit. The pollutants beat against him. On the other side of the skin-thin suit lay a dead world. Nothing lived except the filth monsters. On the barren earth, shards of soil jutted from the ground. Pollution poisoned the air. Contact with pollutants would cause burns, the skin peeling off in flakes. If one breathed in the air, one's lungs would rot. One person was in this dead world.

The uneasy feeling of being in a place he shouldn't be invaded Layfon. He had fought in this dead world numerous times, fighting continuously in an arena that was far wider and vaster than any city, but filled with a sense of suffocation. Was he truly alive right now? Even that feeling of "Of course I'm alive" was fading. His mission was all that kept him going in this place, so when he faced battle, he always felt his life was somewhere far, far away from him. "I don't plan to say my last words here," he repeated. "Really?" "Really." "Fon Fon......" He almost crashed. "Have you really decided on that name?" Embarrassed at the nickname that didn't suit the current atmosphere, he steadied the vehicle. "I've decided." There was stubbornness in her icy voice. "Can you not use that name?" "No......I remember. We were deciding on something to call me. How did we end up deciding on your nickname?" "......Don't ask me." He didn't even get a say in the name of Fon Fon. "Ah......I get it, because my brother showed up. He has to interfere in everything I do. My emotionless and tearless brother is the cause of my misfortune. I pray daily that he'll be forced to withdraw because he's been exposed using public funds for private purposes and other crimes he's committed." "What are you saying......" Her solemn expression surfaced in his mind. "Then you decide." "Now?"

"I'm bored, so you can either talk to me, or you can make some funny jokes?" Yes, there was still some time before he reached his destination. "Um, I can't, but......" "Please don't make jokes. I'll get a headache if you turn into Sharnid-senpai." "......Then what do I do?" "Just think of what to call me." "Um......" "Hurry......" He was troubled. Anyway, all he needed was to say what he thought. "......Felli-chan?" "I'm already used to that. I've been called that since I was very little. Use more creativity. This name's denied." "Felli-chi?" "I feel like a moron. Rejected." Then what about when Meishen was called Mei-chi? But he didn't say that to Felli. Recently, he had been calling her Mei. Speaking of which, that was how he called Naruki too, but that seemed different...... "Felli-chon." "Is that even meaningful? Rejected." "Felli-yan." "My name is not a joke. Rejected." "Felli-lin." "Are you laughing?" "Felli Felli." "I hate rehash. Rejected." "Feffen."

"Sounds like a strange laugh. Rejected." "Fernandez." "Who's that? Rejected." "Felli-tan." "Do you want to die~? Rejected." "......Sorry, I give up." "You're not permitted to give up." What should he do......He wanted to hold his head. Besides, the name was usually shortened or changed to add variations to its tone. Or he could use some similar thing as an analogy...... "......" "What?" "Nothing." He decided not to say she was a cold, bloodless doll. That would definitely hurt. "Please hurry," she urged. His head felt like stone. He couldn't think of anything else. (Fe?......What is that?) If he shortened her name, it became some strange sound. What if like Naruki became Fekki? How strange. "Hurry up. What's with you?" "Felli," he said in resignation. There were no variations and no comparisons. Just her original name. Perhaps that sounded rough. Even so, he couldn't help it. He had no other ideas. (How about that?) "......" "......Say it again." "Um......Felli."

"Mm......" Felli's image wasn't displayed in the helmet, but he felt he saw her. Her right hand caressed her chin, left hand supporting her right elbow, her head slightly cocked, her gaze lightly stroking the sky above her......This image of her surfaced in his mind. "It's not creative at all, and you didn't put any effort into it. No respect for your senpai at all, and there's no affection for me. It's so bad that you can't call it a name." So that didn't work......Well...... Layfon tried to think of another name, but instead was surprised by what Felli said next. "Never mind, we'll just use that." "Heh?" He was rather shocked, then glad of her letting him go. "But you have to say it with more emotion. I don't need the respect for a senpai though. Call me that from now on, okay?" "Uh...Um..." "Well, Fon Fon. Say it again." "Ah, yes......Felli." "Good." Layfon relaxed. "Promise me." "......What?" "Call me that from now on, ok?" "Uh, in front of others too?" "Of course." "And Fon Fon too?" "Sure." "Sorry, please forgive me." If he was called Fon Fon during team training and after school......

(No......No No NO!) That would be so embarrassing. "Fine, then I'll call you Fon Fon when we're alone." He could truly relax now. "In exchange for that, I'll add one more condition." "Yes, leave it to me," Layfon said, not really having heard what Felli had just said. He'd agree to any request as long as she didn't call him Fon Fon in front of everyone. "Please remember to call me by that name when you return." "......" "It's a promise." Those were the last words; Felli stopped talking after that.

He took a quick nap before dawn. The swaying of his body stuck to him like echoes. And like that, he lay on the vehicle and closed his eyes. The wind had died down and everywhere looked dead. He didn't know what Felli was doing on the other end of the flakes. She hadn't spoken to him for a while now. It was really quiet, as if even his own voice had died off. When he moved slightly, the sound of Dites bumping against the bike shook his eardrums. On the other hand, the feeling of him being alive was more intense than ever. He knew there was no such thing, but that feeling came unbidden to him. He had no one beside him, no one to help him. The people living in Zuellni were far behind him, and he had no idea where the other cities were. What was Leerin doing? This flashed through his mind. After the attack on Zuellni, he had only written one letter to Leerin. He felt that he was waiting for a return letter from somewhere. It wasn't that strange that he still hadn't received a letter. The roaming buses hadn't delivered any letters, so the mail would probably come soon. He candidly told her about the current Layfon in that letter. How he was forced to transfer

into the Military Arts, enter a platoon and fight the larvae......And his inability to give up on the Military Arts. What would Leerin think? Would she smile bitterly and say "Can't be helped since it's you," or would she lecture him with a pink face...... The harness swayed and the Dites jostled against each other. (I......am quite afraid of being alone.) He deeply thought that. He used to write to Leerin every week, but he hadn't been doing that now. One reason was his losing the fresh and curious feeling he had when he first started school. The second reason was that Leerin didn't write as much in her letters to him. He felt a distance between them. He hadn't received a letter from Leerin since her last letter. (It must be the distance between cities.) In the time when cities couldn't contact each other, Layfon was doubtful as to whether his letter had arrived safely at Grendan. He didn't think Leerin would not want to write to him. The unreliable connection between cities, the Layfon involved in this situation, the Layfon who thought of Leerin in this time...... He arrived at this conclusion from all these factors combined. Had the people he met in this city filled his loneliness of not being with Leerin? No. It didn't fill his loneliness. It replaced it. The truth of leaving Leerin remained in him. He was just so busy with school and everything that he hadn't the time to feel lonely. This was the Layfon in Zuellni. Perhaps it was a good thing that he wasn't as tense as he was in Grendan. (Although there's a lot of troublesome things, and I'm doing what I did before......) And as part of his life in Zuellni, he was out here in the open, in a desolate environment, totally isolated from his normal life. Particles of sand beat against the vehicle and his Dites. The wind was rising again. Listening to the sound of the wind, Layfon's consciousness sank into shallow darkness.

Time rewinds back to just after Layfon's departure.

The door was pushed open. "Yo, Nina! Are you alright?" "I don't think that's a question you ask a patient." "Yep. Just like this!" Sharnid walked into the room, smiling flippantly as he winked at a nurse walking past in the corridor. Harley was right behind him. It was the morning of a weekend. Nina put aside the book she was reading. "What're you reading? Ugh, a textbook! And it's 'Military Arts Principles I' ......Why're you reading this now?" Nina nodded as she confirmed the Dites hanging around Sharnid's waist. "Because I have something I need to relearn." "Ha ha, even though you fainted all of a sudden, you're still so serious," Sharnid shrugged. "Forget it. What about today's match? Is it okay not to watch it?" "If you want to know, I can bring you the disc later. Because of the sudden holiday, it was too abrupt to arrange a date, so I've got time on my hands." If so, then just go and watch the match. But Nina didn't say that. Harley's smile lacked his usual cheerfulness, and that bothered her. "But it's tragic to faint due to over-exhaustion. And you're still so serious about it after fainting; I greatly admire our captain." "......I'm sorry," Nina apologized, lowering her head. "No, no......" Sharnid said. "I don't want you to reflect on this. I've that that sort of thing many times already...... besides, I have something else to talk about today. Sorry I have to push back visiting the patient." "Something else?" Sharnid snatched up his Dite. "For someone who's not in a team, my words probably don't mean much......" He said as he deftly spun the larger-than-palm-sized Dite. "Everyone has secrets, but there are two types: ones that don't matter, and ones that people take notice of. I don't care if it's the former type, but the latter......"

A rapid movement from him. The Dite restored in his hand in the blink of an eye and it was pointed right at Harley. "Sharnid!" Nina said loudly. A smile still hung on Sharnid's face. As for Harley, he was frozen stiff at the sudden Dite's appearance. "If my comrade's keeping secrets, then I can't move freely, cause I'll worry that he'll stab me in the back. For example, whether this guy would shoot the wrong target......Something like that," Sharnid stared closely at his Dite pressing down on Harley's forehead. Meaning he was suspecting Harley? "How could that be?" Nina said. "Harley is my childhood friend. He'll never betray me." "I don't doubt this guy's skill, and I don't think he'll betray the team, but it seems we were the only two left out." "What?" Nina looked at Harley. Resignation filled his stiff expression. "Harley?" "......Sorry." "The weapon you made in haste a while ago was for Layfon, right? That ridiculously huge sword, just what was it for?" Nina remembered, but she had never suspected Harley. Recently, she was only thinking about herself. "What do you guys plan for the ridiculously strong Layfon with that type of a weapon? I think I can guess. Felli's with you guys and that's enough confirmation. But if it's possible, I want to hear it from you." Nina kept silent. "Sorry," Harley's lips were clamped tight against each other. Slightly shaky lips opened again. Nina had forgotten her own breathing, and the same feeling remained with her as she listened. After that......

The nurse went in to deliver lunch, and seeing the bed empty, she ran out into the corridor.

Layfon arrived at his destination shortly after noon. He drank down protein paste with a straw, and confirmed the information conveyed through Felli's flake. The high and jutting mountain gave off an unapproachable bearing. The scene appeared on his helmet. The inert filth monster was fastened onto the surface of the mountain, its posture almost the same as the image in the second photo. The filth monster's body had slightly expanded. Its length, from head to tail, was long like a snake's. Two insect-like wings extended from its back. Muddy green veins spread across the tattered wings, which were weakened to such an extent that they were bent, almost broken off, by the wind. Legs were attached to the curled body of the filth monster, and the claws of the forelegs weren't dug into the wall of the mountain. The filth monster must be degenerating. A thin layer of white covered its green compound eye. The prey whose nutritious value was much higher than the pollutants...the filth monster made no reaction to the prey, the human standing within reach. As if it was dead. But what about the sudden chill he felt? "How is it?" Felli said. "A Phase 4 or 5 male. I can tell that from its shriveled legs." "Is it that thing in the photo?" "The filth monsters lose their legs every time they molt......Uh, females are different. They stay underground when they're laying eggs." He dismounted the bike and took out two Dites from his harness. In his right hand was the special Dite that Harley made. "When its body's grown old, its legs will completely degenerate. This is the mature phase.

Once the male fully degenerates, it'll be able to fly, and that is its cruelest and wildest form. Next is the second maturation phase with increasing functions and variations. The form of a Phase 2 is never stable." "Fon Fon?" Leaning stiffly against the bike, he tried to relax his body. It was meaningless to get anxious now. He allowed his Kei to run through his body. "Just like its unstable appearance, it's also hard to judge the filth monster's level of strength. We have to be particularly wary of Phase 2 filth monsters. If this filth monster is in its first phase, then there're still ways to handle it." "What are they?" Incomprehension seeped through Felli's voice, but Layfon wasn't paying attention. "A Phase 2 filth monster is rare, so perhaps there's no need to be concerned, or it's simply not possible to recognize it. But there is a difference between knowing and not knowing. If one knows, then one can take appropriate action. Please remember, sometimes Phase 2 filth monsters don't attack humans because they've learned to be more than simply violent." "Fon Fon......What're you saying?" "Something that might be my last words." Cracking noises. As if the air was rent apart. A loud noise hiding the sound of a secret's breath. The chill on Layfon's skin turned into needle sharp pain. As the noise increased in intensity, the tattered wings collapsed and the scales covering the filth monster's body peeled off in flakes. The entire compound eye popped out and rolled down the side of the mountain. Felli's voice intruded. "I've got a report......Zuellni's changed direction. The entire city's made a rapid turn." "As expected......" Now he knew why Zuellni kept moving straight before. The city hadn't discovered the filth monster, or maybe it thought it was only a corpse. In the end, Zuellni found out it wasn't that at all, so it changed its route. "Fon Fon......This is......" "It's molting. This is my first time seeing this, but it has to be that." "Zuellni's changed direction......Please escape!" Layfon ignored her. "Restoration 01," he said the key word, restoring the Dite in his left hand. The Sapphire Dite's blade tore through the air.

"It's too late. This guy was waiting. After molting......It holds a different body type and will get hungrier than usual. It was suppressing its molting moment until the prey got too close. The reason why a Mature Phase filth monster is particularly aggressive is because of its extreme hunger." It was too late for Layfon to escape. The filth monster had waited for the smell of prey to get close, to the point where it couldn't escape. Layfon readied his fighting stance and increased the amount and density of his Internal Kei. The back of the monster split into two and sticky body fluid oozed from it, down the face of the mountain in many branches. Low howling made the air vibrate. The filth monster announced its rebirth, lifting itself from the empty shell to spread its pure and moisture-filled wings. The intense red of the wings stained the sky. The liquid covering its head fell off, revealing a head different from before. A long protruding jaw, sharp teeth on the outside, diamond blue light like a human's eyes......It looked very similar to an insect. "Phase 1......Please remember. You can defeat this monster if you are prepared to sacrifice half a city." He connected the end of the restored Dite to the end of the other Dite in his right hand. He grasped hold of the connected Dites carefully with his right hand then charged forward. Internal-type Kei Whirl Kei. Strengthening his feet, he leaped onto the face of the mountain. The monster's wings vibrated as the liquid enveloping its body shot out, painting rainbows around it. It must have caught the scent of countless humans in Zuellni. The filth monster's nose pointed directly behind Layfon. The steel threads bounded up the entire filth monster, the action quiet as a mouse. The filth monster kept on ascending without signs of slowing. The difference between their two sizes was too huge. Unable to suppress his opponent, Layfon was lifted up to dangle in midair. (If it were Lintence, he could cut off its wings like this......) As expected, its shell was much harder than a larva's......He wondered how Nina and the others would think of him if they saw him like this......As he returned his attention to the current situation, he focused on binding the monster tighter. Intense vibration shot down his wrist. The wings beat fast and rapid, and the steel threads bounced off them.

"It still isn't working......" Layfon didn't have the time to try another tactic and aim at the base of the wings. The filth monster was now in the air and it could head for Zuellni whenever it wanted. Layfon let the steel threads loose into two bundles; one binding the filth monster, the other shot into the face of the mountain. "I'll have it land." The monster rumbled in pain. Its body twisted and its wings danced more intensely, but the monster failed to ascend. At the same time, keen wailing came from the mountain. Layfon removed the part of the combined Dite that was anchoring the steel threads in the mountain, then twisted in midair to land on one of the steel threads and ran across it, his face green and stiff, as if he was performing in a circus. While running, he took out the rest of the Dites from his harness and inserted them into the holes in Harley's Dite. "Restoration AD," he said as Kei flowed through his entire body. Heavy weight burst out from him at the weight of the weapon and the power flowing in his body. The steel thread dipped, and he used the momentum of its rebound to jump up to the filth monster's back. A huge blade was born in Layfon's hand. Three different types of Dites......Combined with a Dite that was already an amalgamation of different alloys. This feat wasn't possible before. But the end product was just a different type of Dite. It wasn't particularly special in any way. The new Dite maintained and combined all the advantages of three types of Dite. There was a disadvantage though. It wasn't possible to reduce the weight and density of the restored forms of the three types of Dites, so Layfon was practically holding four weapons. Any normal person would have had trouble controlling that weight. He landed on its back. Using his left wrist, he reeled in a steel thread anchored in the mountain, all the time running, dragging the huge blade with him. His targets were the wings. He headed for the left wing. Furious winds buffeted him, but he shot through them using Internal Kei. He raised the sword and chopped down. The red of the wing scattered. The monster howled, not in pain, as the wing had no nerves, but because it lost its balance. The filth monster sloped to one side. Layfon released the sword and retrieved it using a steel thread. Letting loose the steel thread looped around his left wrist, he ran up the back of the

monster. He jumped and descended. He had wanted to shoot out a steel thread to reduce his falling speed, but there wasn't anything above him to latch onto. A shock wave on the ground signaled the filth monster's landing. The wind rolled back from the monster and caught some of Layfon's weight as he landed. The filth monster struggled to its feet. Blood filled its raging eye as it watched Layfon, the small creature who was interfering with its dinner. Its starving and furious gaze seemed to be enough to stop a person's heart. "How long does it take to regenerate your wing? Two days? Three? As long as there's a big enough gap, then Zuellni can escape......" Layfon murmured, feeling the wetness coming from inside his armor-suit. He was sweating profusely. The murderous intent of a Phase 1 filth monster was this amazing. But more focus than that was needed for him to cut off its wing. "How long will it take you to die of hunger? One week? Or one month? I'll play with you no matter how long it takes." The filth monster had used up all of its stored nutrients to enter the first maturity phase. It didn't have enough strength to molt a second time. Layfon couldn't run. This thought caused his stubbornness to lift its head, and that was enough indication of his collapsing will to fight. If this continued, an opening would appear for the teeth of the filth monster to sink into. The monster headed straight for Layfon, its body waving away the clouds of dust and its movements generating more dust. It had no legs as it had already given them up in the molting process, but its snake-like movements were fast even without legs. This huge body of the filth monster in itself was a weapon, its every scale hard and sharp. Even if it didn't make direct contact with Layfon, a brush with it could tear open Layfon's armor-suit. Although Layfon had taken away the opponent's advantage by forcing it to move on the ground, he himself was still at a disadvantage. "Fon Fon......" Layfon leaped back into the close pressure of death.

"I think if it's him, he can do it......I admit I didn't consider fully in my passion to invent the new Dite, but I really think he can do it!" Harley's voice hovered in Nina's mind. The sound of the running bike shook her entire body. The sun shone overhead. The temperature should be cold, but she felt hot. This must be because of the armor-suit. Seated in the sidecar with nothing to do but sit still, she wasn't at all impatient and anxious because...... "But looking at him, I thought I might have been wrong. Layfon - He, how should I put it......He was very serious. Of course he'd have such a reaction encountering this event. He has to fight a filth monster alone......His reaction is natural, but I don't feel that that's the only reason." The bike flew across the earth. Sharnid was the driver. Only one set of armor-suit had been improved, so Nina and Sharnid wore the old type of armor-suit. They had worn it once when they were on a training mission outside the city. This old type restricted the body's movements, but it was better than wearing nothing. But even if she could move more deftly, what could the present Nina do?

After listening to Harley, Nina went to find Karian at the office of the Student President. He received her with an expression free of guilt. "Just what is this?!" Nina said angrily. "Nothing. Layfon-kun said he doesn't need any help. I believe in him. Believing is different from abandoning." Nina's fist pounded down on the desk. The documents rose an inch and the pen holder swayed. The fountain pen next to the documents rolled to the side. Her hand hurt. "......He also said, don't let anyone get close." "Huh?"

Picking up the pen which was about to fall off, Karian turned it about skillfully with his fingers. "It seems a fight with a filth monster is dangerous. I can't tell how dangerous since I'm not a Military Artist, but it seems that one would die while looking for somewhere safe. He said he doesn't need anyone to wait for orders in a safety zone in that type of battlefield. There are only two outcomes in a battle with filth monsters outside a city either come back alive, or die. He said we had better be mentally prepared......" Nina held her breath. That was all she could do. Layfon was all alone out there...... Her fist tightened on the desk. Her muscles still hurt. Her condition was hardly normal in this present state. If she tried to generate a Kei flow, her waist would hurt painfully. What could she do in this situation? But she couldn't stop herself. "Please let me go." "And what do you plan to do there?" Karian's question was reasonable. "I understand your condition. Even if I don't know the details, as President, I can't allow a pale-faced student to enter that dangerous a place." "He's my subordinate and my comrade. Even if we can't fight together, at least let me go and rescue him......" She didn't know what she could do to help out. But when she said "comrade", she could imagine Layfon's genuine smile. "Mmm......Okay. I'll give you permission to use a bike. My sister will guide you." "Thank you." "But you must come back alive. Escape immediately if the situation turns bad." "......I won't run away." "You people are the only ones who can keep this city alive." "Layfon's the same," Nina said and ran out of the room.

She was now riding the bike. The problem was, what could she do to help? Only a few days ago......Layfon was alone, pondering on how to the fight the filth monster without telling anyone. Facing the him like that, what could she do? She and Layfon differed in strength and experiences, but fighting as a platoon and fighting the filth monsters were different things. Even so, she couldn't continue her normal daily life not knowing what was going on outside. Didn't Sharnid say that there were two types of secrets? Ones that mattered and ones that didn't? This was a secret she was concerned about. She couldn't stay hidden in the dark. (We aren't the only ones who want you to live.) The sender of that letter must feel the same. That letter was written with ease, worry and jealousy. It was clear that the girl felt something for Layfon. To leave this person behind in a place where only one choice, life or death, was possible......Just what was Layfon thinking? (Perhaps that's what she meant by "difference?") Pain rose in Nina's chest. Was this what Leerin meant when she said in the letter that she was happy Layfon didn't give up the Military Arts but she didn't want him to become the Layfon of Grendan? Thinking of this, a tightness spread through Nina's chest. (Aaah!) She chased away the uneasiness inside her. What she wanted to know wasn't how much Leerin knew of Layfon, but what Layfon's true intention was in this fight. For him to head alone into this kind of a place. Even if it was the fate that no Military Artist could escape from. She didn't know what to do if she failed to find out. (Just what is he thinking......) And...... (What do I do after I find out?) If she didn't understand that either, she felt she had no way to move forward.

Did this concern belong to the future? Or was it because of her present self......She wasn't too clear on the question itself. "......You're almost there," Felli's voice came through. Fatigue came through Felli's voice. Nina never knew Felli's psychokinesis could reach this far. This made her acknowledge once more just how ignorant she was of her team members' strength. (I'll think about that later......) "What is it?" "Hey, over there......" Sharnid said before Felli did. He shook his head and pointed ahead. The bike entered a dust cloud. And this was what Nina saw after a while. The deserted ground looked as if someone had been madly slashing at it, and in that ground laid a huge, deep gutter. The sand and dust fluttering around were proof of it. A lone shadow had fallen inside that gutter. Nina's hand pressed down on her chest, her heart tightened. Sharnid slowed down the bike, heading towards the dark shadow. It was the bike that Layfon had taken with him, but Layfon himself was nowhere to be seen. "Where is he......?" She couldn't see properly through the dancing sand, but something was certain. She didn't get it. The mountain where the filth monster had fastened itself onto should be right ahead of them. But it was gone. "Felli, where's Layfon?" Felli didn't reply. They were already one day late. Was Layfon all right? "Answer me. Is he all right?" "He's okay, but......" "But...? What's it?"

"He said don't get closer. Run far away." "What did you say?" And the sound of some distant explosion filled her eardrums, and she saw a dark shape spattering the sky. A huge rock was descending towards Nina and Sharnid.

In an instant, his concentration broke. Something had happened, but he had immediately focused back on the task before him. It seemed to be some information......And he had shouted out something in panic. The break in concentration was almost fatal. Layfon didn't have time to remember it. He didn't dig through his memories as he had no time to think or do anything extraneous to the battle. Because if he did that, then death awaited him. The huge monster filled Layfon's entire vision. It roared as its body batted at Layfon. The steel threads flew at the filth monster's tail and wrapped around it. The tail thrashed, pulling Layfon up and down, as if Layfon was a fish struggling off a hook. When Layfon stopped spinning, he lowered himself His destination was the filth monster's head. The filth monster seemed wounded. It seemed to have been buried quite deep, and it still hadn't managed to shake loose the rubble on top of it. The huge sword chopped down towards its body. The scales resisted the sword point, but in one swift movement, Layfon had pierced through the tough outer-shell - only to feel yet another resistance, another layer of scales. "!" It was one layer after another. Every time the sword hit a scale, sparks lit up. Bathed in a shower of sparks, Layfon realized he had failed. His usual self could have torn through the monster like it was paper......But why couldn't he do it?

At this rate, the filth monster's flesh would have swallowed Layfon's blade. Before that happened, Layfon had turned the blade around. He grasped hold of the handle again and put his foot on the monster's back. He pulled the steel threads to confirm they were anchored about one Jimel ahead of him in the mountain face, then he 'pulled' again as he kicked at the monster's back. As Layfon was torn skyward, the huge blade leaped out of the flesh. Red blood sprayed from the filth monster's wound. Layfon landed on the ground. He turned around quickly to face the monster and he looked down at the Dite. Smoke rose from one of the Dites inserted into the three holes. A closer look revealed small cracks along the Dite. Its color also looked different. "One's broken......" He took out that Dite and tossed it away. Although the Dite had the strength to maintain its form, that strength was limited. It had managed to hang on till now because of its high density, but now it was broken. The combined Dite felt lighter in his hand. This different feel might cause the next fatal error, but he couldn't stop fighting. He watched the filth monster. Many scales had fallen off its body. Blood spurted from its wound. It had lost too much blood. Slabs of something black fell off from its body. It had also lost half of its remaining wing. To Layfon, the filth monster looked like a gigantic snake prostrated on the ground......But the scales covering its body weren't as smooth as a snake's. They were as tough and sharp as rocks. Layfon had destroyed its left eye. The blood flow seeping from under that shattered eye had slowed. The wound must be recovering. Layfon didn't know whether the filth monster would regenerate the nerves in its eyes. He had no wish to find out. So hot......The ventilation function of the armor-suit had reached its limit. Layfon's sweat became steam. He knew his concentration was slipping. "Damn!" He renewed his focus. He wanted to defeat this monster without sustaining any injuries. While doing that was nearly impossible, how could he get distracted?

He didn't plan to die. Although he did say something to Felli that might be his last words, still, it was just a possibility. He hadn't had time to talk with her properly since the fight began. As for last words......All he needed was to smile after returning safely to Zuellni. The filth monster struggled to get up. It must be because of the heavy wound in its head. The monster didn't seem to know where it was while its anger increased with every passing second. Its rough and wild movements sent sand flying everywhere, and the various wounds on its body sprayed out more blood. (I'll rest a little before it finds out where I am.) Layfon didn't know how much time he'd get to rest. He might not even have one minute, but all he needed was a gap in the fight so he could generate more Kei and let it fill his body. It was painful that he had nothing to replace the water and salt he had lost. He licked his lip and tasted something salty his sweat. "Fon Fon......Can you talk?" How long had it been since he last heard her? "Ahah......How long has it been?" "About a day." "I see......" (I should be able to stay up for two more days without water.) He thought as he watched the filth monster. It hadn't discovered him yet. "And......?" "Well......It's about the captain." "The captain? What's happened to her?" "......I said before that the captain and Sharnid-senpai are heading this way. Though you said they were to retreat......Don't you remember?" Now he knew why he had lost his concentration. "Ah......Sorry, I don't. Did they retreat?" The astonishment back then felt so far away from him. Felli's question wasn't because she doubted him. She said it out of obligation. Although he was resting, he didn't let down his guard. He was still focused on the fight, so everything else felt far away from him.

"Well......" He had no time to listen to her. It had discovered him. What should he do? He felt uneasy at the lighter weight of the Dite, but it wasn't just because he had lost one of the Dites. The clumsy feel of the Kei flow indicated that the combined Dites themselves had sustained a certain level of damage after a fight that lasted one entire day. (How many moves can I still execute?) Compared to his physical strength, the weapon itself might be the first to fail. This wouldn't have happened if he had the Heaven's Blade with him. Fighting to his limit, he realized for the first time how rare and valuable the Heaven's Blade was. That was strange. Did he not have the vision to understand that? "It's useless to make excuses." He had decided what he had to do. In that case, all he needed to do was finish his duty. He would defeat the filth monster with one move, so he must find an opening. As he thought of this, the enemy made a peculiar movement. "Uh......?" It didn't seem to intend to attack him. As if it was getting distracted. Layfon followed it......And his concentration broke again. A small dust cloud. A bike with a sidecar......It wasn't the one that Layfon rode on. Yes, the filth monster was looking at it. "How could they come here!?" Although he couldn't tell who they were as they were wearing armor-suits, he was sure they were Nina and Sharnid. He leaped up to a steel thread and ran towards them, using Whirl Kei. Sharnid's shower of bullets had little effect on the filth monster. As Layfon passed their position, he felt Nina's eyes stabbing his face. Perhaps he was being oversensitive. And like

that, he appeared in front of the filth monster. His body suddenly bounded upwards. Flying in the air, supported by the steel thread, Layfon turned the huge sword around and swung down to cut open the monster's forehead. He flew back as blood mixed with a howling noise shot high into the air. Layfon landed on the moving bike. "Layfon!?" "Why are you here!?" he asked angrily and looked back at the filth monster. It was on a rampage as the pain twisted its long body. The feeling in Layfon's hand told him he had failed in delivering a fatal strike to the brain. And...... He looked at his Dite. Smoke rose from another hole. That couldn't be helped as he had tried to cut through the already tough scales along with the even harder forehead bone. (The strike I have left......) Feeling the lightness of the weapon, he made his decision. (Then what?) He still had his own green Dite that he could use to buy time. He had been using its steel threads as support so it hadn't sustained any heavy damage. But if he used his last move, he'd forego the steel threads move that had helped him escape countless times. Losing that option would be a huge setback for him. Perhaps this was better than losing his chance to attack, but he would be forcing himself into a dead end. Buying time would ensure Zuellni could move to safety, but if he did that, he'd lose his life. And there were also Nina and Sharnid...... This was the only way......To determine the outcome of the fight before he lost use of the steel threads. And it was a highly dangerous gamble. If he failed, he'd die, Nina and Sharnid would die, Zuellni might also die. Everything would vanish. Should he bet everything on the last move......He hesitated. "Hey, are you listening?"

"No......Anyway, you guys hurry up and escape." "Listen up! Your bike's broken. This is the only vehicle that still works." "As long as I beat this guy, people will come to get me." "Can you defeat it?" "......" "That weapon's at its limit. Can you really beat it with this thing?" "......It's starting to move. I have to go!" He had no answer for her. He hadn't the confidence that she'd agree with his answer. His only reply was to head out and fight. Sharnid pulled him back by his collar, steering the bike with one hand. "Aaah, wait!" "Please let go of me!" "It's rare for the captain to order others to listen to her." "I'll use force." "It's fine if you tear off my arm. Please go ahead." In reality, if he pulled himself out of Sharnid's grasp with Kei, he really might just end up tearing Sharnid's arm off. And even if that didn't happen, the bike might lose its balance and flip over. "It's too embarrassing to come out here and not do anything. That's how it is for me, and the same goes for the injured captain. The 17th platoon can't embarrass its captain!" "I hadn't heard that order before." "Same here. I just made that decision." By looking at Sharnid's back, Layfon could tell he was smiling. "Have you got a plan?" Nina said. "Are you absolutely sure that you can win with your next move?" She had even seen through this. "......Yes. It's the wound on its forehead. If I strike there again......"

The scales were shattered. Half of the forehead bone was probably cracked......If he struck there. The wound must be healing, but not the scales and the bone. If he could stab its brain and release his Kei there......But Nina had calmly pointed out the uneasiness he felt about that move. "Do you have a plan that can take you there and make sure you strike it on its head?" "......" "Okay." Nina nodded. "Then we've increased our chance of success." "Heh?" "You were listening in, Felli? Find the setting I want nearby. Hurry." Then Nina listed out her conditions of the place she had in mind. "It's near. Head southwest. It's about 20 Jimels from you." "Sharnid." "Roger, captain." He changed the bike's direction. "Layfon, will the filth monster leave us?" "Huh?......Probably not. It moves faster than this bike." "Then buy enough time for us to head for that place. Don't damage your weapon." "With this......" He could interfere with the filth monster's movements using the steel threads. "Keep at it." He nodded reflexively. How should he put it? It was a feeling of suddenly being swallowed. He saw Nina's face through the helmet and the armor-suit......He looked at that face and the tension he held wavered. He felt more at ease. Should he be comforted by the wavering of the destructive pressure on him? Or be alarmed at it......He wasn't sure. Even so, he felt a part of him wasn't able to deny Nina.

He continued to control the steel threads. Twenty Jimels. He focused on buying them time.

They arrived at a valley surrounded by cliff faces. Green plants and clear water might have once flourished here. Now the valley was dry, extremely dry. Nina had explained her plan as they rode the bike. They looked back at the slope, as if waiting for something to fly into its mouth. "How long till that guy catches up?" "Three minutes." Nina nodded. "We're getting off. It's impossible to drive the bike here. Sharnid, take the bike to the firing position. Layfon, carry me." Felli explained the terrain and Nina asked a few questions based on Felli's information. It seemed just by doing that, she had already formed an accurate map in her head. Layfon dismounted, clear about instructions he had received. The sound of shattering rocks came closer. The filth monster was already here. "Hurry!" Layfon carried her deeper into the valley. "Is this really all right?" he asked, uncomfortable with how light she was in his arms. "The plan will be successful as long as that thing stops moving, right?" Layfon nodded on the bike. "It's hungry, so it'll rush straight for food, right?" Layfon nodded again. "Well, all we need is bait......No need to think of anything else."

"......Captain?" "Limit your enemy's movements and turn the situation into your advantage. That's a basic tactic." "You aren't thinking of......" "I'll act as bait. Who else can do this besides me? Sharnid's got his mission and you have to give it its fatal strike. If you do everything, including what's unnecessary, isn't that the same as what you've been doing in the past?" "That was how I did things in Grendan." He had always done things this way. To change his way now...... "Weren't there many people to replace you in Grendan? Aren't there twelve Heaven's Blade Receivers? So eleven people could replace you. Even if you fall, there are still other ways, so you fought with those kinds of tactics. But nobody can replace you in Zuellni. Grendan and Zuellni are different. Grendan's way is not my way. You're my subordinate. I can't just leave you." "But......" Layfon stopped speaking. Her determination in her eyes. Her furrowing eyebrows as if she was glaring at him, as if she was staring at him with trembling eyes...He felt he was being sucked into them. Those eyes suddenly turned gentle. "You want to abandon the you of Grendan, don't you?" "......But, I can't." Because the threat of meeting filth monsters existed everywhere. "It's okay to abandon it." "Heh?" His eyes widened in astonishment. "Your desire to protect Zuellni arose after you came to the Academy City, right? Then treasure it. As for your way of fighting, living and thinking in Grendan......leave them all. It's enough to protect Zuellni. Leave everything." "......" "You don't think that helps you? But, that's how I feel and how the person waiting for you in Grendan feels. Isn't that what was written in the letter?" "Letter......?"

"I can repeat this as many times as you want. I won't let you, my comrade and subordinate, die. I'll do whatever it takes to reach that goal!" An intense light emitted once again from those gentle eyes. A determination that would never bend and break. Those eyes were what made him swallow his words. Looking at his image in them, Layfon nodded. "I understand. Then, I'll hold senpai's life in my hands for a bit." "Stop talking nonsense," she laughed. "I'm the captain. Your lives are in my hands."

Nina was all alone in the valley. Trees once stood here. Clear water once flowed. Fish once swam, and everything must have been filled with songs of birds. Lives drowned the earth as a matter of course. The lives were short, but creatures continued to sing out the song of life's chains. Something white was stuck to the rocks. They were probably the bones of some fish. It was a life that failed to keep on living. The world had shriveled up. And the reason behind that......How did the pollutants manage to spread across the entire world? Some said it was a material created from humanity's insolence when human civilization reached its peak. Some said it just happened all of a sudden. And Nina had heard of many other different explanations. She didn't know which was the truth, and didn't know whether there was meaning in looking back at the past. Everyone else now only lived in Regios, living under the threat of filth monsters. Nina hated that feeling. Couldn't something be done? She wanted to do something about it. She hated herself for being born into a narrow world. She wanted to see other worlds. It didn't matter if it was just a tiny outside world, and so she had come to Zuellni. But she still understood how useless she was, even though she had reached Zuellni. She understood more of the cruelty of this world and her own insignificance, her own weakness. Surviving in this world, what she should do, what she could do...... She wanted to keep on living. And to survive, she must become stronger. Because she lived in this kind of world, she must become stronger. Because heaven blessed her with the power of Kei, she must become stronger. That was what she thought.

Except for a small failure. She didn't think she was entirely in the wrong. She just didn't use the correct way. And now, the Layfon who corrected her was making the same mistake. To Nina, Layfon's mistake was a small failure on his part, since he didn't know where he stood. In that case, she had to wake him up. The rumbling closed in. It was the filth monster, the existence on the very top of the pyramid. Covered in wounds, the creature headed towards Nina, driven by nothing but hunger. Compared to the injuries that Layfon had sustained......If Layfon and the filth monster kept on fighting, which side would win? She recalled she had been pondering on what the strongest existence was not long ago. Filth monsters lived in a larger world than humans, a world that humans could not enter without protection. On this level, the filth monsters were the strongest. In the filth monster's starving stage, fighting for the most basic requirement of life, pollutants weren't enough for it. So it had to eat humans. Compared to this creature, humans lived in their own worlds without having to worry about food. Looking from this perspective, just who was stronger? "What boring thinking." The dominating presence neared Nina, its gaze piercing her like teeth. She couldn't help but imagine her tiny body being crushed by those sharp and gigantic teeth, her organs rolling on the tongue of the massive monster. "Is this the world that he sees......" Facing this horror alone, Nina's legs shook. The present her who was unable to use Kei was too weak. Besides, even if she could use Kei, what could she do? This must be the decisive gap in strength between humanity and filth monsters. Layfon had been facing this type of creature all alone. "I won't let you do this alone from now on," she said to the subordinate who was nowhere beside her. But he should be able to hear her.

"You have me and your comrades." A sound. A tiny sound compared to the rumbling of the filth monster, but it echoed in the sky and in Nina's ears. One side of the cliff face suddenly collapsed. Caused by Sharnid's sniping. The sudden avalanche of rocks, sand and soil descended on the filth monster and towards Nina. The creature howled anew. Nina's body shot upward. A long thin thread......A steel thread was wrapped around her body. She saw him as she was pulled up. A figure that brushed past her, descending rapidly......Layfon. He plunged straight for the trapped enemy, his ravaged sword pointing downward. Nina confirmed her plan was successful.

Epilogue I sent you a few letters all at once. I think I understand some of your feelings now. For some reason, I really want to read your response. But what separates us is something that can't be easily overcome......It makes me impatient. Back then, I could hear from you immediately, but now I have to wait until letters get through. I told you before that my days were pretty ordinary, but I have to study a lot, so it's not that easy. Did you read my last letter? I'm writing this after the last roaming bus has left, so I think my last letter should have reached you before you read this. But perhaps you'll get this letter first. Who knows?

Recently, I've been having a recurring dream. It's about a more grown-up you and I, living together in the orphanage. I have to wake you up in the morning and make breakfast for everyone. Layfon would help out at Father's dojo and I'd walk around in a suit......A small dream of the future. Just before I wake up, I'd see Layfon leaving, wearing the white and silver uniform of a Heaven's Blade Receiver. This makes me sad.

I liked the Layfon who trained in Military Arts, but not the Layfon who was a Heaven's Blade Receiver. I'm proud of the heroic Layfon who fought for everyone, but I didn't like Layfon going to such dangerous places alone. I know I'm spoiled, but my wish for Layfon not to do anything dangerous is real. I understand a bit more of your situation in Zuellni through your letters. In Grendan, it's hard for us to imagine a threat besides that of filth monsters, but it's possible that we might die from this other threat. Do your best in the Military Arts Competition but I hope you don't do your best when fighting filth monsters. You can't not do your best when fighting filth monsters......I think that's what you'd say. You'd say, there's no such thing as doing your best or not when you face a life and death situation. Yeah, I know. But, please don't do your best. What a headache. I'm not sure how to explain this! I'm rewriting the last part of this letter.

I hope Layfon can come back to Grendan. Yeah, that's what I want to say. It's okay if you don't come back as a Military Artist. Anything's fine. I just want Layfon to come back. Six years is a long time, but if Layfon decides to return, then I'll wait for you. I'll wait and write to you during this time, though I don't know whether letters can bridge the far distance between us. That's all. To my dear Layfon Wolfstein Alseif.

Leerin Marfes

"Aah......This is a piece of crap," Sharnid complained. "Don't say that. It's managed to come this far," Nina said, but she wasn't sure whether her evaluation was right, as this was her first time being so far away from Zuellni. The bike had stopped in the middle of nowhere.

"At a time like this, we should be returning in victory. You won't ever see this kind of scene in a movie." "This isn't a movie. It's life. Forget about that; if we don't hurry up, we won't get back before sunset. And we've eaten all the food." "If that's what you think, why not come and help?" "You want a patient to work? What a terrible man you are." "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll do it, captain." "Mm." Nina nodded. Sitting on the spare tire, Sharnid lowered his shoulders and sighed. He was changing the tire. Nina sat on a nearby boulder and watched him work. "This guy can really sleep......Geez, I've got to do everything." "Don't say that; he's really tired," Nina smiled. Layfon......wasn't moving in the passenger's seat. He was sleeping. He was exhausted......Of course. He had been fighting the filth monster for an entire day. He must have overextended himself. "Let him rest." "......Be grateful to our kind captain." "Yeah," Nina smiled again and looked at Layfon. Both layers of his armor suit were dirty and covered in sand. Who knew what expression he wore while he slept? Nina couldn't tell because of Layfon's helmet. Was he dreaming? If so, what was he dreaming about? About...the sender of that letter? She waved away that thought. "This guy......Is really abnormal in many areas." He wanted to solve everything himself. Whether it was the past that Nina had heard of, or the things he encountered in Zuellni. She told him back in the valley to abandon those things, but could Layfon do that? Although he wasn't that old, what she said to abandon dominated a large part of his personality. It wouldn't be that easy to abandon everything. He would do something similar again. (If that happens, I'll just stop him again.) Because Nina was his captain......

"I really don't know what to do with him." She smiled again and realized Sharnid was looking at her. "What?" "Nothing......You really think a lot of him, so maybe the captain likes younger guys." "How's that possible......" She smiled and shook her head. It must be because she was tired too. "He's my subordinate and comrade. His position in our relationship won't go higher or lower." Sharnid shrugged. "No fun at all." He screwed the spare tire in place. She looked at him and turned her gaze back to the sleeping Layfon, her subordinate and comrade. "......That's all there is to it." The tiny pain she felt when reading the letter...... Nina's words disappeared under her armor-suit without an echo. Prologue The voice that answered was a sharp reproof. "Have you forgotten Gahard Baren?" I took a deep breath and waited quietly for an answer. An icy pressure closed in. Was it fortunate or not? Chance created a sealed space between the two combatants. Under the tense and strained atmosphere, it was as if the two of them were fighting to the death. As an observer, I breathed in deeply. Just what were these two doing......When my life was about to end in only a few minutes, just what were these two men doing? One was wounded. Not wounded enough to die, but he had a few broken ribs and the bone in his right shoulder seemed cracked. Due to the Kei attacks, the armor-suit hung in tatters. It slid open at his stomach. Traces of pollution burns were visible on the skin. A black stain spread out gradually around his wound. The other person wasn't injured, but his armor-suit was torn from the chest to the left shoulder, and a very shallow wound could be seen through the rip. Pollutants were eating away that shallow wound, but the person himself paid no attention to it. Even so, the least

injured person was the one who held the most serious expression. Layfon Alseif. "Don't tell me you've forgotten......" "How could I have forgotten?" I let out a breath and looked at Layfon. That name must have touched a past he didn't want to remember. It was a weapon to wound his spirit. What expression did Layfon hold......Finally understanding the situation, what changes would appear on that face...... I swallowed my breath and waited silently. He...... "I can't forget......And I don't want to, but, I don't force myself to remember." An extremely icy expression. "Damn you......" "Is......Gahard Baren dead?" "What!?" From shock to anger to stiffness......Layfon recovered from the malignant effect of the words thrown at him to observe the changing expression of the other guy. "It's time to let go of him," Layfon said with a frosty tone......But his eyes weren't looking at the person before him. He was looking at someone far away. Someone who wasn't here. Gahard Baren. That was what I thought.

[edit] Chapter 1: Proposal "Fu......" Leerin sat on a stool, holding a juice packet she had bought from the vending machine. The lounge of this high-class, two-story school was comfortable and soothing. Many students came up to the second floor during the day. Only one floor was needed to accommodate

those who decided to stay after school. Since this wasn't the only lounge available, the student athletes who came over to buy drinks from the vending machine tended to move to a place closer to the gymnasium. This place was quiet and close to the library. The senpais of the Language Club gathered regularly on the first floor, but by the time their voices drifted over to Leerin, they had become mere background noise. "Fu......" Leerin sighed again, gazing off in the distance under the dim light, the edge of the paper cup on her lips. Warm, sweet chocolate dispersed in her mouth. The warmth slid down her throat into her chest. "Ah......Geez, what's with me......" She watched the floorboards, her hands cupping the cup for warmth. "......Should I go back like this?" She didn't feel like bringing the books over from the library. Her space in the library was already filled with numerous books and report papers. If she went back to the library, she wouldn't be able to leave them alone. That was Leerin. "The importance of news updates between cities and their consequences on the economy." The professor had suddenly given Leerin this assignment, to be handed in a week later. Although there was still time to do it, the question was close to impossible for Leerin, who had only recently entered this school. All of the reference books were professional. If she wanted to understand them, she would have to have a large repertoire of professional vocabulary. She had been pulling books off to read just to understand the reference books, and in turn, had been pulling more books to understand the books that explained those reference books. "......Guh, my basic knowledge isn't good enough. Besides, these numbers mean nothing if I can't understand them. Really......what should I do?" And so she had spent two hours after class piling up books. This wasn't a problem with tepid enthusiasm. To escape the problem dogging her, she reached inside her breast pocket. She touched something hard and took out a small box for letters. She cautiously took out a letter and spread it out. "His handwriting's still ugly......" Leerin's face relaxed automatically. She started to read the letter that she had already read numerous times. How have you been lately? I'm still the same.

Ah, not entirely the same as usual. What you were worrying about has happened over here. A filth monster came close to Zuellni again. Zuellni wasn't aware of it, as the filth monster was in its molting phase. Fortunately, the city's drones discovered it and we managed to avoid the worst-case scenario. But......just like what you were afraid of, I chose to fight alone. The fight was intense, just like the battles I had tired of in Grendan. As a Heaven's Blade Receiver, I had no time for anything besides fighting filth monsters outside the city. I was being extremely careful to avoid getting wounded, because if I did, I might have fallen to pollutants. I knew about that danger, but I've never chosen to fight with anyone before. No, even from the beginning I never considered it. I forgot I no longer had the Heaven's Blade, and I did something foolish. In truth, it was dangerous. No, extremely dangerous. I even knew my weapon wasn't reliable. Although I know what a Heaven's Blade is, when I was holding my weapon, I fought like before......Am I too arrogant? I couldn't help but be immersed in it, so your words cut straight to my core. But, about that fight, it won't happen again. I'll try not to fight alone again. I no longer believe I cannot give up Military Arts. It's tiring, but I'll try to overcome it. I haven't given up on finding a path besides Military Arts, except, right now, I can't lose Zuellni. This place is a new place, a fresh start for me, so I can't lose it. Perhaps this feeling can relieve some of my tiredness. Leerin, it's because of you that I can accept Military Arts like this. I think I haven't entirely given up Military Arts because you're part of my past in Grendan. Perhaps this is a very fortunate thing. You said that, in truth, I like Military Arts. I haven't yet had that feeling, but since you said so, it might be true. At least, the me now came from the me who spent ten years immersed in Military Arts, so that must be an important part of me. It's a blessing that I haven't lost it, and the Leerin who prevented me from losing it is also someone irreplaceable and important to me. I also feel that it'll be very hard to communicate for six years through letters. Why can't we break through this wall of distance? I believe we can.

Hope everything works out for you! Layfon Alseif. She finished reading......Although she had read it many times, she still read it closely. Reading it and losing herself in thought. Reading it in joy...And anger. She was happy that he said she was important to him, but he was so slow that he didn't understand her real feelings. She was lost in thought because of his slowness and clumsiness, and then she became angry. Just how many more pieces of paper did she have to sacrifice until he would understand...... "Aah, really......" She knew that by reading the letter, she'd forget about the report she needed to write...But it still made her feel tired. (I'll just sleep here on the stool.) "Haha......" "?" Someone was laughing. "Hm?" Leerin turned around and saw a young man sitting on a chair against the wall behind her. "Ah, excuse me." Seeing how he had watched her while she was reading the letter, Leerin's face grew hot. She studied the young man. A long mane of silver hair hung neatly down his back. His sleeves were short despite the cold weather. A harmless laugh, and his laugh wasn't tasteless. But if he was laughing at her, then she wouldn't feel well disposed towards him. "......Excuse me, who are you? You don't look like a student here." His arms were muscular. Not like a student at all. A Military Artist. It wasn't strange to see Military Artists walking around. Some of the students were Military Artists, but this young man didn't look like a student here. "Yes, you're right. I'm not a student here." "Do you need something? There's the office......"

"No, I'm not here for the school." "Huh?" "I'm looking for you, Leerin Marfes." "Huh?" "Ah, let me make this clear. I'm not chatting you up." "......Why are you pointing that out?" "Well, for some reason, the girls always try to chat me up, so I'm just making sure. Just in case." "You're too self-conscious." True. Perhaps it was a girl's dream to be chatted up by this guy in this way. But not in this situation......To be mocked after she had read Layfon's letter. She would have seriously refused this man. But he had made it clear, and that made his face more displeasing to her. Especially the point that he didn't mean it at all. "I really didn't mean it. I really didn't mean it!" "I don't want to listen to this." For some reason, she felt nothing evil and malicious from him. On the contrary, he felt like a kid. "Well, what do you want me for? I'm busy." The report became her excuse. In principle, Military Artists were noble in character, but there were some who were criminals. Even if this young man wasn't a Military Artist, Leerin didn't feel like talking to a stranger who suddenly started talking to her. "Oh, is it Professor Randeon keeping you busy? If so, you don't have to do it." "Huh?" "The Professor said anything's fine if you'll stay in this school. 'Leerin Marfes is a bright student. She can solve simple problems very quickly. Let's give her a harder assignment to do.' That was what the Professor said. If you're busy because of that, then it's okay not to attempt it." "......What do you mean?"

Unable to express her astonishment, Leerin felt tired. She didn't know why the Professor wanted her to stay, but knowing the reason behind the difficult report......Somehow, it didn't feel like it reflected well on her. "Even so, you should have talked to the office and let them contact me......" she said weakly. "If possible, I wanted to meet you in secret......It's about Layfon." "......Huh?" Time seemed to stop. "Yes. How should I put it? Actually, it's not that bad, but when it comes to Layfon, some people may get sensitive. So I wanted to keep this meeting between us." "You......you are?" "It may not be a happy topic for you, but, uh, well......Fate? It probably is that. It'd be great if you can think that way." "......Ha." She understood the situation even if he didn't repeat himself. She had no idea what motive he had to get close to her, but now she knew who he was. The Professor probably listened to this man's request. If it was this man's request......Then only the Queen could have that much power. Under this light of understanding, the name of the young man surfaced. "Then what do you want me......" That was all she managed to say. "Ah!" And was suddenly pulled away. Her vision blurred. She couldn't make sense of what was happening. The scene of the dim lounge became a series of lines. Leerin was pulled over in a very exaggerated way. "Aah!" She could only make out the young man's shadow in her blurred vision. She was flying through the air. Being pulled out of the lounge and moving upwards. She was being pulled forcefully, but she wasn't hurt at all. It felt as if some unknown power had lifted her into the

air. "Hah." Finally she was let down on the ground. A guest had already arrived on the rooftop. A man with wild hair, a stubble of hair trying to be a beard, and wearing a dirty-looking coat. He was surveying the world around him from his high vantage point, his gaze sharp and clear. "What did you do that for?" Leerin said crossly. The young man walked leisurely along the roof, looking at the man in the coat reprovingly. But the man in the coat ignored him and continued to study the scenery. "You took too long. It was irritating me. Just how long did I have to wait? Until I married this girl?" "If you want it, it can be as long as you want. Since it's you, you can complete Her Majesty's orders anywhere and anytime." "Stop joking. From the day I was born, I had never heard Her Majesty give me an order." "That's what you think, right, Lintence-san?" "Isn't it the Queen's order to kill billions of filth monsters?" "Aren't the Queen's orders to us to protect this city?" "It never ends when it comes to talking with you." "That's true." The man in the coat looked disappointed. The young man shrugged. "......Well." Leerin studied them closely, unable to determine whether the two people before her had a strained relationship or not. (Just how did it turn out like this?) "So, you're Lintence-sama and Savaris-sama? What do you want with me?" she asked the two Heaven's Blade Receivers the pride of Grendan. Fervent cheering dominated the battle arena.

Layfon felt those eyes looked similar to someone else's, someone he knew. "There's another one behind you." "I know." Although Felli was slower than him, he wasn't frustrated about it......If it was Felli, she could have found the enemy even earlier, but that couldn't be helped. She hated her own ability. The cheering from the audience drowned out Felli's voice. Layfon could see a strong-looking man wearing the badge of the 5th platoon captain on his battle uniform. Meanwhile, the emcee's voice commented. "Oh, oh! The audience is cheering Layfon on. He has already participated in a few matches; he's one of Zuellni's strongest attackers. In a match against the captain of the 5th platoon, Gorneo, how will he match up!?" The opponent wore armor around his arms and legs. Judging by the color, the armor was made with red Dite alloy. (For melee combat......No, not just that.) With that thought, Layfon changed his green Dite into a sword. "And now what, Gorneo? He can't protect the flag if he doesn't stop Layfon." Layfon had charged straight in from the beginning of the match, ignoring the psychokinesist of the 5th platoon. His target was the flag in the other team's base. Sitting on the defensive side, the 5th platoon would have lost the match if they failed to protect their flag. On the contrary, if the captain, Nina, of the offensive team fell, the 17th platoon would lose. "(Melee combat......Maybe......) What Layfon was concerned about was the red Dite. He stopped and studied the stronglooking man, Gorneo. Gorneo had short silvery hair. His face and body were hard and solid. There was nothing cute at all about his serious and harsh looking face, eyes and nose. Eyes that might look like the eyes of a good man if he smiled, that sharp gaze was staring at Layfon. A huge fist pounded towards him. Kei was gathered in that fist, surrounding it with red light. The armor on his arm had become something totally different. "Karen Kei......?" Layfon jumped back.

The huge fist hit the ground. The dancing rubble from that strike didn't just disperse into the air. Mixed with Kei, sand and soil particles attacked Layfon. At the same time as he leaped back, Layfon released the Kei from his blade through Whirl Kei. Blasts of wind struck down Gorneo's pieces of earth, causing them to explode.

Within the sand-covered space, Layfon felt a stirring in his opponent's direction. "Restoration!" The key word revealed a red spear and a small body that closed in fast on Layfon's position. "(This is a red Dite too.) He had already known about this other enemy from the beginning, waiting for her to attack. The problem was ... "(What kind of attack?) Layfon was still in the air. It was impossible for him to change his posture, so he decided to settle this in one swift moment when he landed. Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald......The difference between them lay in the amount of black alloy in them. Black alloy made the Dite harder and sturdier, but it also decreased the conductive rate of Kei. Black alloy directly affected the function of the weapon. Dispersed Kei......This required the highest level of skill in Kei manipulation. To a Military Artist of this type, no Dite could be better than a Ruby Dite. Having analyzed what he was facing, Layfon couldn't face this move with an easy manner. He didn't have the leisure to wait for the enemy to strike first. Dispersed Kei was famous for its variety of offensive moves. Against this type of opponent, Layfon's correct response was to strike first and attempt to slow down the enemy's movements. And in this one swift moment, he had decided on how to slow down his enemy. Gorneo had to do something on the other side of the smoke screen. It should be advantageous for Layfon to slide back further when he landed, aided by the remnants the Kei he used for the Whirl Kei. This way, his opponent would miscalculate. Layfon added a rotation to his basic sword move and swung the blade backwards against the existing flows of Kei to add momentum to his movement. "Enkei Shoudansen!" A loud, strong voice announced the name of the attack. Kei burst out from the spearhead in

the form of bullets of fire. Heat pressed down on Layfon's head, and he gathered Internal Kei into his wrists as he brought the sword back to him. A huge amount of Kei spread around him. Layfon spun in the air like a top. Combined Internal and External Kei Variant, Ryuusenkei. All around Layfon, Kei spun up into the clouds like a tornado. "Aaah!" That tornado dispersed the heat and the voice of his opponent. The enemy with the spear was blown away, but that small body turned in the air and landed on Gorneo's shoulders. "Damn. I thought I'd be able to get him." It was a small girl with red hair, carrying a red Dite on her back. She had an intimidating look about her. "Looks like using a variety of Kei techniques won't work against that guy." "I said so already! Speaking of which, how could you attack in that situation? You're too reckless." "Anyway......About that guy......" They looked for Layfon as the tornado gradually lost strength. And they were astounded. "What!" "No way......" They found a number of Layfon before them. "An afterimage attack? And so many!?" Behind them, on the tree branches, in the sky, in front, to their sides......The two members of the 5th platoon were entirely surrounded by Layfon's many images. "A thousand......" Gorneo watched the Layfons around him, biting his lips and feeling a bit dizzy. This was a variation of Combined Internal and External Kei The Thousand Killers. In reality, there weren't a thousand, probably just about twenty or so. With nowhere to escape to, Gorneo and his subordinate received Layfons' attacks, but the attacks all missed by a few inches. Even though the Dite had a safety lock on it, it would have been fatal to receive that many attacks at once. After receiving the merciful attacks, the

two Military Artists fell on the ground. At about the same time, the siren signaling the destruction of the flag rang out, but the cheers of the audience almost drowned it out. Layfon swung his blade to disperse the remnants of his Kei, and saw the girl with Gorneo......He remembered her name from the news: A member of the 5th platoon, Shante Leite. "Uhhhhhh!" Shante groaned as she collected herself. "Bastard," Gorneo got up slowly, watching Layfon. His eyes looked like they were staring up from the bottom of a deep valley......Where had he seen it before? (If I remember correctly, his name is......Gorneo......Luckens......) Luckens......A name that rattled Layfon. "My performance was perfect today too," Sharnid praised himself as he spun the two Dites in his hands. "Yeah, I didn't expect it to go that smoothly. Nina's strategy was successful." "Hey, hey. Don't forget that it was all on me, Harley." "Of course," Harley shrugged and took Sharnid's Dites for maintenance. "In truth, the captain's strategies have been pretty successful in the last two matches." Sitting in a chair, Layfon listened to their conversation and looked at Nina. "That was because of everyone's hard work," Nina smiled sourly. She didn't look satisfied. First, Layfon acted as bait, followed by Nina. Sharnid sneaked through the enemy line, avoiding the psychokinesist as he did so. When Layfon fought enemies, Nina drew out the rest of the enemy teammates to make an opening for Sharnid, who successfully moved into his firing position overlooking the flag. Sharnid was using close-quarters gun combat, and the technique fitted beautifully with Nina's strategies. While trying to reinforce the main attackers, Gorneo and Shante, the rest of the 5th platoon members had been a bit slow in their reaction. Sharnid had always fought long distance. Changing from that to a close range attack had given them unexpected results. "Sharnid's hidden ability has given us good results so far......But that strategy must have been analyzed thoroughly in the last two matches. We still haven't fought the 1st platoon,

Commander Vance's platoon. So I don't think we should let down our guard." "Hey, hey, I've been waiting a long time for this feeling. Don't smother it with worry." "But......" "Let's just celebrate our victory today. If you got anything to consider, you can leave it till tomorrow." Layfon could tell Nina wanted to say something, but she swallowed it because of Sharnid's words. "Okay, let's do that then." "Yeah, let's leave the terrible topic for now. Let's celebrate. The usual at Mule? I'll book a table. Let's meet up again at 6. Now, dismissed." "Hey, don't just decide on your own," Nina said. Sharnid was already heading for the showers. "Oh alright. Dismissed." Looking at the Nina like that, Layfon smiled. Someone's gaze pricked his face, so he turned around. Standing to the side was Felli, pouting. The world was polluted. When did that happen? Why? How did it happen? Those questions were lost in antiquity. No records remained. Pollution stopped the normal cycles of life and killed all the creatures. The earth turned red and arid. Wind and sand swallowed the bones of corpses. The plants that adapted and survived were filled with poison. A strange new ecosystem arose in this new world, giving birth to greedy and stubborn filth monsters. This was no longer a place for humans. Regios. Humanity's new earth. The only place where humans, rejected by nature, could live. A world drifting in this world, created by a long lost technique. In these artificial worlds, people were born, and people died......

At the same time, they fought...... "Number 3! Mifi! I'm gonna sing!" Mifi grabbed a microphone and all of a sudden the shop was filled with loud cheers. Zuellni had a number of streets lined with shops. The most prosperous street was the one with numerous stations for roaming buses, parking lots and facilities for people planning to go to other cities Sarnaky. Layfon and everyone else were inside a shop on Sarnaky Street called Mule. Inside Mule was a bar and a lot of empty space, with only a few tables and chairs. Usually, the bar was full of wines and beers, but today, the shelves were filled with empty bottles. On the counter were trays and trays of sumptuous dishes. "Oh well. If it's something they like it'll be alright even if they aren't drunk." Sitting at the bar, Sharnid placed a wine cup to his lips with dull eyes. This bar had no audio equipment. The members of the 17th platoon and their guests must have brought some along with them. "Sharnid, aren't you gonna sing?" "I'll pass. My singing isn't for everyone." "Ah, really? Then when do you sing?" "When I'm alone with someone." "Hmm, would that someone be someone not here tonight?" "You're harsh," Sharnid said to the hostess. Sitting next to Sharnid, Layfon was drinking juice and letting the rowdy atmosphere roll over him. Along with Mifi's song, singing that didn't sound too bad echoed through the shop and the male students couldn't help but cheer. They were Sharnid's classmates, a male and female choir, reading from scores and chatting at the same time. Harley was also there with his friends. Another group was there, staying slightly distant from the other groups. A group of girls who looked serious and earnest. The atmosphere over there was a bit different. The girls were all chatting happily amongst themselves. In that group were Meishen and Naruki, and Nina was in the center of the group. Nina was talking to Naruki, who listened with a troubled expression on her face.

(What's she talking about?) Layfon thought, but he had no intention of walking over to find out. He had just escaped from Nina's friends and moved over to the bar. He didn't want to go back to the thick again. "It really is rowdy here." Mifi's singing and the sound of the door opening drifted over to Layfon. Having already sensed the movement through his Military Artist ears, Layfon turned to watch the door. "Formed-san?" "Yo, how've you been, ace?" Formed Garen. The City Police's Chief of Security walked over with a smile that didn't match the seriousness on his face. "Please don't call me that." "Well, isn't that the truth? No one in Zuellni can defeat you. You've already become a legend. What do you think?" He sat down matter-of-factly beside Layfon and asked for a drink from the hostess. He reached out for the food. At first he had called Layfon "Alseif-kun", but now he was already calling him "You guy". Against Formed's familiarity, Layfon could only shake his head lightly. "I can't help with that title, but a lot of things have taught me that being strong alone can't do anything much." "Um, it's as if you're talking about someone else. You aren't that old, but it feels like you're looking at someone from far away. Have you had some painful experiences?" Formed Garen was also a fifth year student in Cultivation. In Zuellni, the youngest student was sixteen, so a fifth year student was around twenty years old......Perhaps Layfon felt some pity for Formed Garen. He doubted anyone would object if he said Formed was around thirty. He waited for the Chief to explain what he had come for. "So do you need anything today? If it's Nak...... Naruki, she's over there," Layfon had almost called Naruki by her pet name. Good thing he caught himself so quickly. "Ah, I came specifically to congratulate you, but it looks like I've been misunderstood. I feel so lonely," Formed smiled. Layfon had once been asked by Naruki to apply as a temporary member of the City Police. It was a job dealing with events that might involve Military Artists, meaning only Military Artists were capable of doing it. Of course, there was danger involved. Layfon was asked to cooperate with the police and prevent the culprits from escaping.

"Relax, there's nothing you need to solve right now......But, if possible, I want to ask you a favor." "Ha......" Formed was looking at Layfon's drink. "That's not wine? It might be a problem from my standpoint, but I think in this situation, it's all right to drink a little. But it doesn't feel like you want to drink. Anyway, don't be too harsh on yourself. Your captain is very serious and strict," Formed turned his gaze on Nina. Layfon looked over too. Nina Antalk. A Military Artist who formed a platoon when she was only in third year, whereas all the other captains were fourth year or above. Her short, golden hair brightened up the dimness around her. The curves of her face seemed to accentuate her beauty. "Not a bad looking person. It was tragic that we lost in the last Military Arts competition. You and the captain over there appearing in Zuellni probably is a good thing." "Is it really that tragic?" Layfon asked. All Regios needed pure selenium to function. Selenium, a mineral discovered only after the world was polluted. Low-level Selenium could be found anywhere, as much as one wanted. But a large amount of pure selenium was needed for a city to function, and that could only be found in a mine. The ever-changing paths of Regios revolved around selenium mines. This was assumed to be true, even though people didn't have maps of the world to check. They could just tell by the yearly re-supply at a selenium mine. And it was a certainty that a selenium mine would reach its limit one day, so......How many mines a city possessed symbolized a city's lifespan. The fight between cities for selenium mines took place once every two years. The people living in the cities were the ones fighting in this war. A city's life and death was directly related to the people living in it, so they had to fight without holding back. "Yeah, it was very tragic," Formed frowned, remembering the past. A city would only fight against the same type of city. For example, Academy City Zuellni would only fight with other cities that specialized in education. In other cities, they might fight with blood, but for Academy Cities, the Alliance of Academy Cities had set down rules for the Military Arts competition, turning the war into a sport that wouldn't see anyone getting injured. "It's hard for someone who's not an expert to explain......Anyway, they totally owned us. They predicted our every move, and they went through our openings whenever they wanted. That was the type of feeling I got." "Was it because they had excellent psychokinesists?"

Psychokinesist......Military Artists with a special type of Kei who could turn it into psychokinesis and use it to gather and analyze a massive amount of information. "Well, I don't really know much about the opposing force," Formed scanned the shop. "Speaking of which, the psychokinesist of your team isn't here? The Student President's sister." "She doesn't like this type of atmosphere," Layfon replied. "I see." Felli was a genius in psychokinesis, but she hated her ability. Although her brother forced her into the platoon, she didn't plan to use her true strength. Layfon couldn't do anything about it. To Layfon, born in Grendan and given the title of Heaven's Blade Receiver, he hadn't used his true strength in the platoon matches. It wasn't because there wasn't a need to use his true strength, and not because he would be invincible if he displayed his true strength. Layfon came to Zuellni in the first place in order to give up Military Arts but he had become a platoon member and was working hard for the next Military Arts competition. The fact that he ended up fighting again was surprising to him. "Do all Military Artists in Grendan have to have strength like yours?" Formed asked. "......Not really. What is it?" "Ah, nothing. Besides you, the captain of the 5th platoon also came from Grendan, and both of you are platoon members. I don't know any Military Artists from other cities, perhaps it's just my prejudice. From an outsider's perspective, Grendan's a place of monsters." "Uh-huh......" Layfon nodded without putting meaning into it, and asked. "Was Gorneo Luckens born in Grendan?" "Yeah, seems so. What? Do you know him?" "No, I don't know him directly, but the name Luckens sounds familiar." "Oh, then he was probably born into a pretty good house." Layfon smiled. "I don't know why he came here, but to him and I, we have a certain confidence in our own skills. Before coming to Zuellni, we fought many battles. Of course, there were opponents like monsters." Layfon found it hard to say he was also a monster.

"Then I'm fine," Formed smiled, but something shone in the depth of his eyes. Perhaps he had understood something, or perhaps nothing at all. He was a student but also a person who had handled all sorts of things in the city. Nothing could escape his eyes a person's language, expression......On the contrary, Formed's eyes seemed to be a trap, tempting people to make a mistake. It looked like Layfon couldn't relax after all. "Ah, chief." Naruki and Meishen came over. "Oh." "Did something happen?" Looking at Naruki, who was all keen and ready, Formed sighed. "Am I someone who would neglect my work? I'm still a student." "You aren't too convincing," Not knowing what Formed was keeping from her, Naruki relaxed her shoulders, discontent. "Aren't you the workaholic?" "I'm not up to Chief's level yet, but I'll catch up soon." "Never mind. Don't waste your precious school life." "It's my right to choose." Looking at the silly conversation between a superior and his subordinate, Layfon and Meishen exchanged a glance and smiled. "......Is it about time to go?" "About time. Need me to take you back?" "It's okay. Nakki's here." "Ah......it really is ok." "Right." Both Naruki and Layfon were in Military Arts, and they both worked for the City Police. Meishen was safer with Naruki than with any man. Mifi wasn't around. Layfon checked and saw her still reading music sheets. "She can't stop once she's started singing."

"I'll take her back then," Layfon said. Naruki returned to the conversation. "Well then, we'll go back first. Layton, thanks for tomorrow." "Oh, yeah. Is it really alright? If you really can't, we can change the date." "Don't worry. I'm pretty accurate at the timing of being a light bulb." "Nakki!" Meishen said as she pulled the smiling Naruki out of the shop. "What's going on tomorrow?" "We're hanging out." "Oh." "Originally the four of us were going together, but Naruki and Mifi said something sudden has come up and they can't go. We wanted to change the date, but in the end, we still decided on tomorrow." "Is that girl beside Naruki going to go?" "Yes, I'm going to thank her for the bento she made." "......I feel that I'm wasting my precious school life because of work, but you're wasting it in another way." "......Ha?" Formed slowly shook his head and said nothing. She held the heavy staff Dite in a place devoid of people. (I still can't control it completely.) Not long ago......She trained here after the fight with the Phase 1 filth monster and after Nina had fainted. Nina hadn't wanted anyone to see her. It was the same with Felli. She didn't want anyone to know. Standing on the outskirts of the city, Felli gazed at the faraway command tower. There wasn't any wind today. Without wild dancing sand, the nighttime scenery around the command tower was clear and unhampered.

Felli thoroughly understood the inconvenience of being unable to pierce this darkness. The world was clearer and more vivid. She knew. Countless stars dangled in the sky, in the darkness opposite the command tower. They shone and sparkled beautifully beyond the reach of the city's artificial light. The pale moonlight shined down, as if to look through the polluted earth. Felli knew there was another life form besides filth monsters in this world. Microscopic creatures that weren't categorized as animal or insect. She knew those sad little creatures lived in the depths of the earth, their power of life not losing out to that of the filth monsters. She knew of that point of grandness. Knew. Filth monsters howled under this moonlight that seemed to come from a dream or perhaps, from reality. Sad and lonely conquerors. Felli understood this world better than anyone else. "Ah......"She breathed in the silent air. She relaxed, and bathed in the light that ran down her long hair to illuminate her surroundings. The light emitted from her hair suppressed the darkness and enveloped her. Psychokinesis. A huge amount of psychokinesis exuded from her body, conducted through her hair. Felli was a genius in psychokinesis. Even psychokinesists born without training in the special power but born with their hair emitting light could not be like Felli. It was the same with psychokinesists schooled and familiar with their ability. The power of psychokinesis couldn't be increased through training. The Kei of psychokinesis flew into her Dite. Felli did not need a keyword to restore her weapon, a translucent staff made of flakes. The flakes scattered, leaving nothing in Felli's hand. The flakes were connected to Felli through the power of psychokinesis. They became her eyes, mouth and ears. These flakes increased the communication range of a psychokinesist. Felli sent the flakes out to feel the existence of the world. She filtered out the burns of pollution, going back to the time when humanity and earth existed in harmony. She experienced the pale world of night, imagining a picture dotted with the jewels of the stars. It was a psychokinesist's privilege to feel the world outside the city. Anyone else would have to wear an environmental suit to walk outside the city. If they went out naked, their lungs would rot in five minutes. Their skin would burn. They had no way of touching this world, because the world rejected them. Even so, there were people who still had to get out. Those who fought. "I don't understand," Felli murmured.

Through her innate feeling and the feeling she acquired through maturity, something else felt peculiar. Perhaps.... Something wasn't right. This feeling was similar to the one she had when she met him. Layfon Alseif. A feeling of hating one's own ability, but being admired by others......His past was different from Felli's, and for that past, he planned to abandon Military Arts. Layfon's past was more strained and distressing. He had experienced more hurt and pain than Felli. He was different from her, who was born to be a psychokinesist. No. If it was about ability, then his ability had forced him to choose the path of a Military Artist. Layfon used his ability as a tool for survival. People wanting Felli to become like that were all around her. Both Layfon and Felli attempted to head for a path other than the paths they were already treading, and both had experienced setbacks. And their experiences were different. Layfon had experienced a setback, whereas Felli chose to have a setback. (Could I be wrong?) (No.) Layfon came to Zuellni for a road besides Military Arts. What prevented him from chasing his dream were Zuellni's current situation and Felli's brother, who knew of Layfon's past Karian. At first, Layfon hated it. He should have hated the platoon match...... But he didn't look like that now. He didn't look keen in the matches, but he didn't give up fighting. (He really is indecisive.) He hadn't given up on finding a path outside Military Arts, but he didn't ignore what he was capable of doing. And people thought he was zealous. (A helplessly good-natured person.) But perhaps, the road Layfon picked was right. (Or......) Or...... feeling something murky weighing on her, she shook her head and called back the flakes. She came here to clear her mind. Wasn't it meaningless to consider so much...... "?"

Something was out there in the darkness. She had almost missed it because of the mountains. It wasn't possible to discover it through the reflection of light. She probed with ultrasound and electromagnetic waves. The flakes approached the source of the disturbance. It wasn't far. Judging by the city's speed, that thing was two days or so from Zuellni. If she let the flakes head for that thing's location, daylight would arrive. The flakes hovered a short distance from it and began their investigation. Looking at the numbers surfacing in her consciousness, Felli swallowed. "This is......"

[edit] Chapter 2: After a day of rest A breeze blew in the morning. Leerin felt as if she hadn't slept the night before. This strange feeling came about because of what had happened the day before yesterday. Whatever had happened, the passing of a day had put that event in the past. Time was merciless, but it treated everyone fairly. No matter how astonished and shocked Leerin was, it wasn't possible to reverse the flow of time. As she neared the school, she heard other classmates greeting each other. She only joined them, as she walked on the path shaded by tree canopy that headed towards the school entrance. "Fu......" She had been sighing continuously since morning, and she was aware of the reason behind it. "......The muscles on my back are twisted." All of a sudden, something intruded from behind Leerin's armpits to grab hold of her breasts. "Ahahahahahaha!!' A pair of hands was caressing her front. Because it was so sudden, Leerin had dropped her schoolbag and stood spaced out for a little while. "Oh, Leerin's chest is the same as before. It feels good." "......Please stop voicing your lamentations so deeply." A face leaped into Leerin's line of sight. "Ah~ If I don't do this, I can't feel the arrival of a new day."

"Please get rid of your habit..." Long black hair covered a large part of Leerin's vision. The "hehe" laughter ruined the elegant face that the black hair revealed. "But Lee-chan's breasts feel too good." "That's not true." Finally escaping the evil palms, Leerin felt helpless. Synola Aleisla. She belonged to the research laboratory that was located in the same area of the school. Leerin felt many gazes on her side. A body that matched her long limbs...... The protruding parts and depressions of Synola's body were perfectly outlined. Lab personnel had no uniform. Synola's clothes seemed to emphasize her body build, so it couldn't be helped that she stood out in the crowd. "No, no. It's a shame really, but whether it feels good or not is meaningless to the owner of the body. It's your body after all, but it isn't necessarily the best for anyone. What's most important is that it suits my hands. That feeling of being just right, but with enough left over. That's a soft feeling that no sweets can match. Ah~~" Synola looked like she was reminiscing something really deep.... She started to shake her head like an old man. "You're the best." "......Please stop," Leerin said. Synola really didn't look normal to say something like this early in the morning. Besides, she was gesturing before Leerin's breast as she said. "......Well, did something happen to Leerin-chan?" "Huh?" Synola's hands returned to her pant pockets. Her expression turned back to normal. She was already beautiful, and that pose made people's hearts jump. "You've been sighing while fidgeting. This says that something's happened." "Ah......" Leerin thought she had done enough to cover her worries, but it seemed she had failed. "Sorry."

"Hmm~, Isn't it meaningless to apologize to me?" "Yeah......" "Never mind. It's ok if you don't want to explain." Sometimes Leerin wanted to pull in that distance, but their relationship was far apart. She was thankful for Synola's sensitivity, her ability to see through what should be and should not be touched, but she also felt her own inadequacy in this area. (Maybe I can try telling her?) She looked at Synola. Either way, as a beautiful woman, she was somewhat strange in wanting to touch other girls' breasts. And for some reason, Synola started laughing in that 'hehe' way. (Um......) "Ah, cookies are nice, but it's not bad to try fruits sometimes." "Ha?" "I'm saying Lee-chan's breasts are very soft, and they're also bouncy. This is great! To put it the other way......they feel like cookies." "......Thanks." "So I say cookies are always the best, but I can better experience that feeling by not eating cookies all the time. So it's good to change taste sometime and try the hard nut." Her hands moved. "Like this. I can feel their weight by holding their bottoms, and caress them with that resistant feeling of hardness. I guess they don't lose their shape in sleep......I can feel them by searching and touching like this." "Just what are you saying?" "Ah, it's not bad to touch Lee-chan's breasts like this sometimes, but wouldn't that hurt? I can't do something that makes you hate me." "Just what are you saying!?" Leerin shouted angrily with her face all red. Synola showed no intention of answering. "I was just talking to myself ambitiously." Looking at Synola's breasts, Leerin burst out. "Isn't your ambition over there......?"

(Ah......Grendan is so peaceful.) This was the Lance Shelled City, Grendan, a city that had more fights with filth monsters than any other city in the world. Every year there were five to six emergencies. As the emergency siren sounded, Grendan's residents would move towards the shelters as if they were out on a road trip. They followed the procedures without pushing and fighting for a place in the shelter. Yes, that wasn't necessary at all, because their Queen was leading them. A Queen who also was a Heaven's Blade successor. Alsheyra Almonise. Grendan was probably the only city that had experienced this much danger, but Grendan's residents believed it was the safest city on earth. Under the protection of the Queen and the Heaven's Blade successors, the threat of filth monsters was nothing. Grendan had also fought many times against filth monsters in their mature phases, and that wasn't recorded in Grendan's history books. In the fifteen years of Leerin's life, Grendan had fought those mature forms many times. The number of fights the city encountered was unusual for a mobile city that aimed to evade as many filth monsters as possible. Even if a large number of filth monsters stood in Grendan's path, Grendan did nothing to change its path and avoid them. Some people from other cities even called Grendan "A city that has gone mad". Leerin thought that that might be true. Her conviction received support when she read from Layfon's letters that Zuellni had not encountered any filth monsters for a long while. Even so, there were also the Heaven's Blade successors in Grendan. The people relied on their skills to protect them. After parting with Synola, Leerin headed for her classroom. She greeted her classmates, went to her seat, and once again fell into her own thoughts. She was thinking of what had happened to her. "Sorry, please let me protect you for now," Savaris said on the rooftop. "Uh......" "Your question is rejected," Lintence said. "Sorry about this, but that's the way it is," Savaris apologized. "But, Layfon......" Leerin wanted to say more, but fell silent when she glanced at Lintence. No one would disobey a Heaven's Blade successor in Grendan. That wasn't a law, it was just a mutual habit of everyone living in this city.

"I won't interfere with your daily life......until something happens. Meaning what concerns me is the time when you're alone. If possible, I hope you can refuse even your friends' invitations. Find some reasonable excuse." "Um......Am I being targeted?" "I said your question is rejected......never mind." Savaris nodded with a sour smile. "Yes, you're being targeted. I know you want to know why, and what people have targeted you, but please don't ask." "......And this is related to Layfon?" That was what Savaris said in the Resting Room. Lintence said any questions were rejected. Any resident of Grendan would listen to him. Any of them would think nothing bad would come out of listening to a Heaven's Blade successor. Leerin felt the same. But if this had to do with Layfon... And that was the only thing she couldn't keep silent about. Lintence's gaze turned intense. Leerin failed to move under that pressure. "Ah......I told her that," Savaris sighed. In that split second, Leerin was released. Her body trembled as if her bones were broken. Her legs had lost their strength, and she sat down on the rooftop. Savaris, who received Lintence's gaze in her place, didn't look pressured at all. He shook his head. "Then I'll just tell you this. This is related to Layfon. You're involved in something that's got nothing to do with you. That's all I can say." (......Meaning, this is Layfon's world.) Meaning. This was the other world of Grendan. Within the cheering in the shop, a waitress placed a bowl in front of Layfon. "Please enjoy," she smiled and walked to the screen. The screen was showing a platoon match in the war field.

"......Is this ok?" "Huh?" Layfon looked back at Meishen, who was peeking at him. A bowl of noodles also sat in front of her. The smell of food tickled her nose. "Is it ok not to watch the platoon match?" "Ah, yeah, the captain's watching it." Nina had gone to the match with a camera, wearing a serious expression. They would probably watch this video when they next had training. "So it's ok. Don't worry about it." "I see." Meishen looked to be finally at ease. This shop was always full because of their delicious noodles, but today, the shop was surprisingly empty. The few customers sitting in the shop were watching the screen, so no one sat around Layfon's table. Everyone must have gone to watch the platoon match. Because the audience seats were booked out, lots of people would have gathered outside to watch the match on the giant screen. For this shop that only had a small screen to offer, of course the number of customers was small. "Thanks to that, we don't have to wait long for the food. We're lucky," Layfon concluded, picked up his fork and attacked the noodles. "Ah, yes......" Even so, Meishen still nodded awkwardly and picked up her fork in haste. (Well, this can't be helped.) Because Naruki and Mifi weren't here. Originally, Layfon planned to invite all three as thanks for Meishen's bento. "We can't go," Mifi had said. The shop was nearly empty, but Meishen still failed to calm down. It would have been better if the other two girls were here. (Why didn't they come?) Naruki said she had something on, but Mifi's sly smile seemed to suggest she was hiding something.

Because Layfon had received his pay for cleaning at the Mechanical Department, he had wanted to treat the three of them. Originally he planned to work at the Mechanical Department for his school fees, but Karian had transferred him to Military Arts and waived all his fees, so now he had spare money. "Ha...... Wu......" Meishen moaned at her failure at coiling the noodles around her fork. Looking at Meishen, Layfon wondered whether he should have delayed the date and waited till all three girls could come. "Sorry......" "Huh, Huh?" Meishen lifted her head to look at him fearfully. The noodles that she finally managed to roll up fell back into the bowl. "I'm thinking whether it might have been better if I had waited till the three of you could come together......" "Noooottttt. Not at all." "Really?" "Yeah, yeah. Yes," Face reddening, Meishen continued to work on the noodles. Layfon pushed down the impulse to repeat himself, and continued to eat. Sudden cheers filled the shop. Meishen looked over, and so did Layfon. "......What's happened?" "Sorry, I can't see it either." They couldn't see the screen because of the employees and other customers gathering before it. He could have strengthened his hearing with internal Kei, but he wasn't that interested in the match. "......You don't seem to be concerned." "Um?" "About winning or losing a match." "Yeah, I suppose." "So you're still not interested in it now?" "Um......not really."

"Layfon isn't concerned about his opponents because he's very strong?" "Not really. It's just that......" "Ah, I'm sorry......" Mei-Shen lowered her head, feeling as if she had asked too much. "Oh, no. I don't feel like that. Um......how should I put it?" he paused. "......Military Artists are always the center of attention in Grendan." "......Center of attention?" "Yeah. You know that Grendan has an unusual number of encounters with filth monsters?" "......Yes." "There're lots of people in Grendan who can use Kei, but it's totally different for one to use that Kei to fight filth monsters......" "Especially in Grendan, a place having numerous fights with filth monsters, those Military Artists are valued. So between Military Artists, there are many matches like the platoon matches here. There are also official contests to choose members who are to fight filth monsters. In Grendan, one must obtain acknowledgment in an official match to become a Military Artist." To Layfon, the students of Zuellni were too lax. Although he never let down his guard in a platoon match, he had never felt the tension he had back in Grendan. He was better at fighting without knowing any information beforehand. He could concentrate more in a fight when he was ignorant of everything. On some level of meaning, perhaps he really was despicable. But that was matter of fact in a match. One couldn't always wait for five minutes before a war starts. "I've heard of it, something about a title that Grendan's Queen gives. Has Layton participated in that kind of a contest?" "Yes." Not only that, but he had also obtained the title that the Queen gave out a Heaven's Blade successor. He didn't have the courage to tell Meishen and her friends about that. Either way, he did something that caused the Queen to take back his title. He didn't think he was in the wrong, but in the end, what he did was a big issue against the city's system. He

was afraid that Meishen and her friends would fear him. (Do I really have an issue inside me?) He remembered those sad eyes of Nina's when she knew of his past. Would that pair of eyes appear on another person too?......Thinking of that, everything became painful for him. "......Have you also fought filth monsters?" "Yeah." Layfon was unsure whether it was because his answer was too simple, but Meishen had a shocked expression on her face. "......Weren't you scared?" "Huh?" "I was so scared when that happened not long ago. I was in the shelter all the time, not like Naruki and Layton, fighting out there......Thinking that I might die, I was very scared." "But that's a part of any Military Artist's job." "Naruki wants to be a policewoman, and Layfon......You don't want to be like that, do you?" "No, but......" In a world where humanity could only survive in cities, a world where Military Artists were a threat to filth monsters......For Military Artists to be given privileges in cities, they weren't permitted to run away from filth monsters. This was the absolute rule of any city. (Even so, I want to abandon my identity as a Military Artist.) He didn't resent Karian for transferring him into Military Arts anymore, but he hadn't removed all of his dissatisfaction with Karian for preventing his dream from becoming a reality. (Perhaps......) Perhaps the part of him in Grendan didn't want him to abandon his identity as a Military Artist. It seemed almost impossible to give up Military Arts and pick up something else. It was like starting all over again, walking an even harder and more painful road. The name Layfon Alseif was taboo in Grendan. (Her Majesty had no choice but to exile me.)

He shook his head, scolding himself for revisiting the possibility of returning to Grendan and realizing how foolish he was to consider it. "Layton?" "Uh? Ah, nothing." Meishen's bowl was empty. "Shall we go to another shop for dessert? It's noisy here." "Huh? Um, OK." "Do you know of any good places around?" Layfon said. "......Um, anywhere is fine?" "Anywhere's fine if you think it's good." "Then, just a little bit farther from here." "Let's go then." Meishen led him out and in the direction of the school where many facilities were gathered. "Is it ok there?" "Yeah, it's got some very delicious ice cream." "Oh, um, that's all?" The place they were heading for was near the school, but it was different from the place they went to everyday. Layfon wasn't aware of such a shop. "I chanced across it a few days ago." Walking and talking like that, Meishen seemed quite happy. The tension she held back in the shop was gone. She seemed to have gradually gotten used to not having Naruki and Mifi around. (Does that mean she's accepted me?) He felt that this was his proof for getting used to his life in Zuellni. They came to a park. The gaps between the trees fencing the park revealed a few school buildings. Inside the parks were also a large number of trees. A place to put one's worries at ease.

"This is close to the Alchemy course campus." "Yeah." It was the weekend, and smoke in hard-to-believe colors blew out from the windows of an Alchemy building. Someone must be conducting some strange experiment. Although Layfon didn't know whether the experiment was a success, he hoped there wasn't any harmful substance mixed in that smoke. As for his lack of surprise in the sounding of the alarm, that must be more proof of his being inured to life in the Academy city. "It's that stall over there," Meishen pointed at a stall painted in the colors of the rainbow. She too, didn't seem to notice the alarm going off. "A stall?" He thought they were only taking a shortcut through the park. "I found it by coincidence. Great that it's open today." For sure. Most people should be gathered at the war field or outside it, so the chance of the stall opening today couldn't be that high. Meishen ordered an orthodox vanilla flavored ice-cream. Layfon spent some time worrying about picking a not too sweet ice-cream and in the end decided on one with a soft serve yogurt. "You don't seem to like sweets, sorry......" "Not a problem. This is delicious." Actually, the soft serve yogurt suited his tastes perfectly. While looking around for a nearby bench as he licked the ice-cream, someone caught his attention. Two people, one riding a wheelchair "......Ah." "Ah......" Having noticed each other, Layfon and the person sitting on the bench next to the wheelchair called out. "Good afternoon. How unexpected meeting you here," Harley said. So to speak with Harley, Layfon stuffed the ice-cream in his mouth and stood up from the chair to wave at him. "Good afternoon. Did you go to the lab today too?"

"Yeah, just to accompany someone. We're restocking some sugar for the brain," Harley said with a that's-how-it-is expression as he looked at the person eating ice-cream in the wheelchair. That person hadn't yet turned his head around. "He's Kirik Seron. We work in the same lab." Kirik stared at Harley with a troublesome gaze, but Harley ignored him. "You said you wanted company. Oh, he's Layfon." "......What did you say?" Kirik's gaze swung to Layfon. A delicate face and pale, unhealthy skin from spending too much time indoors. Kirik gave off the weak air of a patient, which might have something to do with the wheelchair he was sitting in. But the way he glared at Layfon swept clean that feeling of weakness he gave off. "So you were the one who destroyed my work?" "Work?" "He made your new Dite." "Oh......" In the previous fight with the filth monster in its aged phase, Layfon was given a Dite that was combined with different types of alloys. And the inventor of that Dite refused to show himself using the excuse of his dislike of meeting strangers...... "Really, you really did it. Rather than letting you handle my art like that, I'd have had it eaten by worms." "Hey, hey......" This guy had a critical mouth. "I don't think Layfon's skill is that bad." "I could tell from the remnants of the Dites. What's with the messy swings? It's a miracle that you managed to stay alive, swinging the weapon without looking at the paths of the swing." Layfon, speechless, could deeply feel this man's anger. (Has he watched my fight?) Two of the three Dites inserted into the restored Dite were damaged, and Layfon only

managed to return the last Dite to Harley. This man was able to determine the progression of Layfon's fight just by analyzing the traces left on the Dite. "As I said, the compressed Dites are easily affected by heat. Heat expands and reduces the solidness of the Dites, which in turn damages them. So I installed a safety lock to prevent that from happening, but that has yet to become reality because it still overheats after a long period of time in use. Two of the Dites were damaged due to this reason. This is unforgivable." "You couldn't have perfected it for lack of real battle experience," Harley said. "No, that's not the case......" "............!" "............!" Kiriku and Harley started arguing. Layfon observed them. "......Is it all right not to stop them?" Meishen said. "The ice cream's about to melt. Hurry up and eat it," Layfon said. "......Yeah, I guess so." Meishen accepted Layfon's advice. The two Alchemy students were debating with technical jargon. Meishen and Layfon didn't understand a word. Looking at how the two had deviated from the original topic, Meishen decided not to interfere. The two of them finally stopped their debate when Layfon and Meishen had finished their ice-cream. "Haven't we wasted the sugar we just stocked up?" Harley wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve. "Then we'll restock and review the problem again. I want strawberry flavor." "As you wish. I'll have chocolate." After having this conversation that sounded like an argument or a genuine decision on what to buy, the two parted. Harley walked to the stall, so he must also be buying for Kiriku. Kiriku glared at Layfon. "......What? You're still here?" It seemed he had totally forgotten them. "Um, well......I'm sorry for ruining your work," Layfon lowered his head and heard the tense Meishen swallowing her saliva behind him.

"......A tool is made to be broken," Kiriku looked away. "But if possible, I want the reason behind it being broken to be more meaningful......Isn't this your responsibility?" "Of course. If I had used a normal Dite, I'd have had trouble escaping." "......Yeah," Kiriku turned the wheelchair around to have his back facing Layfon. "My next work will be even better. I hope you can also use it well." "......Yes," Layfon lifted his head and left the park with Meishen. He saw Harley strolling back to Kiriku with two helpings of ice cream in his hands. "Ah, when those two get together, things get out of hand." After telling Nina about his day, her attitude became different. They were cleaning in the Mechanical Department, scrubbing a wall of a corridor. "Out of hand?" "Out of hand." "......Yeah." "Yes!" Nina nodded, suppressing her laughter. "I've seen him a few times, but I still don't quite understand him. "You only know to use brute force" those kind of things. He's lectured me a lot, but the way he says it is too professional. It's hard to understand." "Did he make Senpai's Dites too?" "Ah, yes. Even if I got lectured, he really is amazing." At the park, Kiriku had said "the path of the swing." Everything had an angle that allowed it to be cut through easily. If one sped up the swing from that particular angle, no matter how hard the thing was, it could be cut apart. Of course, the path of the swing was different in different situations for the same thing. If one wasn't familiar with the Art of the Sword, it was hard to discover the path. "That person might have been a Military Artist in the past." "Perhaps." Nina must also be thinking of Kirik's wheelchair. If Kirik really was a Military Artist, it was natural for him to look at the path of the swing

and become angry with Layfon for breaking the Dites. And that was why Layfon apologized to him. "Speaking of which, though it's his style, but to say your skill is bad, that's a bit......" "No. He did point out my error." "Really?" Nina said, disbelieving. "Yeah, Senpai saw it too. The reason of that situation was because of my two failures." Of course, there was also another reason that broke his concentration when he was attacking the filth monster. Both misses had something to do with Nina. Moreover, the Dite itself had been overworked. But Layfon couldn't say that. The main cause was because he fought with the way he fought in Grendan. After the fight, Layfon had done some researching in the library on records of how other cities fought with filth monsters. And as expected, Grendan......the way that Heaven's Blade successors fought filth monsters was extremely unusual. To fight alone outside the city was the same as being foolhardy. And the Dite made for this style of fighting didn't exist anywhere except in Grendan. "Layfon." "Hmm?" Nina might blame herself if they analyzed too deeply the reason behind his failures, so he was glad that she changed the topic. And he realized that she had turned around hesitantly. Layfon bent and saw her face reddening. "What is it?" "Oh, um......About the girl named Naruki, what do you think?" "Naruki?" "Yeah. Just say whatever you think," Nina coughed as if to cover up something. (Why is she saying this?) "Well, she's pretty strong for a first year. She's better at internal type Kei. Besides that, her movements are also exceptional." "I see," she smiled shyly.

"......Could it be, that you want to recruit her into the team?" Nina nodded. "Ah, perhaps." "But why so sudden......" "It's not sudden. I've been thinking about it," she said, cleaning the brush in a bucket of clean water. "It's a must to train the best from the very beginning. In the Military Arts course now, there aren't any who are good enough to join a platoon. We can get good results if we recruit some quality members and nurture them......so I've been looking around. That's also why you attracted my attention in the opening ceremony." "Is that so?" "But with you, you don't need anyone to pick you out," she laughed. He shrugged. If he didn't get involved with the two Military Arts students who started the whole fiasco because of their home cities, Layfon wouldn't be the way he was now. At first, he was tired of being forced back to Military Arts, but now he didn't regret fighting. "I've observed the first years for a while, but I still haven't found anyone better than that girl." The noise of the gears drowned out Nina's sigh. People whose ability in Military Arts was discovered at a very young age were usually kept in their home cities. To any city, the number of excellent Military Artists it held denoted its fighting strength. For the crisis of filth monster assault and war between cities......these people were irreplaceable. It was every city's dream to hold in hand exceptional Military Artists, so they wouldn't have let them go easily. (Could it be......) Could this be the reason that Nina ran away from home? She was recruited into a platoon when she first started school here. She should have been acknowledged at her home city. In that case, she should have no means of leaving the city. She also said her family was rich. Perhaps it was a family of great Military Artists. The ability of Kei was what made one a Military Artist the internal type Kei that strengthened one's flesh, and the external type burst Kei that could directly damage and destroy anything outside one's body. The source of Kei was a special type of organ that these people had, the Kei vein. There were two types of people with Kei veins the type that was born in a normal family, and the type that was born in between Military Artist parents to increase the rate of a baby born with the Kei vein. In order to increase the rate of babies born with the Kei vein, every city had prize money given out to families who managed to produce those special kids. And if a person with the Kei vein had his ability proven......For example, one could be given a

status equal to a Heaven's Blade successor in Grendan. (Am I thinking too much?) The possibilities he thought of might not be zero. This was the world of Regios that he knew. And he had managed to earn large sums of money because of using, no, abusing this relationship the cities had with the world. "What is it?" "Ah, nothing......" He had stopped cleaning, diving too deeply into his thoughts. He started cleaning again. "No matter what, I'm going to invite her in. I'm counting on you when the time comes," Nina concluded and went back to work. (I guess it'll be quite hard.) Layfon thought. (Oh no, I asked something unnecessary again.) Having picked up Layfon's letter and read it, although she pretended not to have done so, Nina felt tired about it. She still wasn't sure what she was feeling now. Irritation and a bit of disappointment. She was angry with him but at the same time, she couldn't really get angry. She wanted to bellow, but somehow just couldn't. For reasons unknown, she wanted to understand Leerin......the sender of the letter. (Even if I ask, I wouldn't have known anything. Let's just leave it.) It was time to finish up. Layfon and Nina packed up their cleaning tools. "Speaking of which, Zuellni is behaving well recently," Nina said as she opened the door for the cleaning equipment. She didn't mean the city itself, but the city's consciousness the Electronic Fairy. "Yes." The Electronic Fairy who used to escape from the center of the Mechanical Department once a week and play hide and seek with the workers had not appeared this week. Sure, the Mechanical students had no plans of playing hide and seek. Nina was concerned about Zuellni. The Electronic Fairy always escaped when it was Nina's turn to clean at the Mechanical Department, and it always ended up being Nina who shouldered the responsibility of finding Zuellni. Layfon helped out with Nina, so he also had had a few encounters with the Electronic Fairy. The Zuellni flying freely around with light emitting coolly from her body always gave off a mysterious feeling.

"It can't be any filth monsters coming near again......" Nina said after confirming there was no one else around. The Mechanical students were thankful enough if Zuellni could stay where she was and behave, but it might feel strange for her not to act the way she used to. Perhaps the city had sensed a distant crisis instinctively. If the Mechanical students knew of this, who knew what expression they would wear? "Just what is happening?" "Even if you ask, I can't give you an answer. I've never come across a situation of the city's consciousness separating from its physical form in Grendan." "Yeah? Well, it's not like this kind of thing will just happen." "Yeah." Unlike Grendan, Zuellni hadn't encountered any filth monsters for a long time. That was before Layfon arrived at the city. "I suppose." "Yeah." The two of them said as if confirming with each other. "Oi, over there!" It was the head of the Mechanical Department, calling them with a tired face. "What is it?" "There's a phone call for you, from the Student Council." "The Student Council?" "Yeah." He handed the phone to Nina, mumbled "finally got rid of it" and left. Layfon and Nina exchanged a glance. "It seems something's happened." "Seems so."

[edit] Chapter 3: The time of a destroyed city The Student Council had only called Nina, but Layfon decided to accompany her to the Student President's office. The thing was, if it had something to do with Nina, then this might be connected to the fate of the entire 17th platoon. "What do you think happened?" "What? Judging by how that phone call was made, this isn't anything secretive." This was different from the last encounter with the filth monsters, in which Felli was the one who conveyed the secret information to Layfon. "I suppose, but well......oh, it's already morning. It must be something urgent for them to call us over at this hour," Nina mumbled as she lifted her head to look at the sky. Gloom shrouded the city. The streetlights were fighting as hard as they could to disperse the surrounding darkness. Layfon followed Nina's gaze. Purple rays gradually seeped through the horizon, spreading out to engulf the sky. "Don't overdo it." "Eh?" "No matter what happens, I won't let you face it alone," she looked at him. Morning light seeped through the gaps in between buildings, outlining Nina's face. Layfon couldn't make out her expression, and found that regrettable. "......Thanks," he said. "But, senpai, don't force yourself too much either." "What're you saying? You're my subordinate. It's natural that I'm to protect you, isn't it?" Layfon chased after Nina, who had suddenly picked up her pace. They headed for the Student President's office. Inside the office were Karian and Felli. Despite the early hour, both of them were in uniforms. (Did they sleep like that too?) Imagining the two siblings sleeping immobile like corpses, Layfon found Felli glaring at him from the sofa.

"Excuse me. Did something happen?" Nina asked. "That's true but......excuse me, would you wait a bit? Not everyone's here yet," the female helper in the room indicated for the two to sit down, then she spread out food and drinks on the table. "It looks like this will take some time. You two haven't had breakfast because of work, have you? Eat up. We've already eaten." "OK," Nina reached out for the bread. Layfon did the same. He glanced at Felli. She was drinking tea. "What?" "Nothing. Just thinking about what's happened......" "You'll know soon," she continued to glare at him. "Yeah, still......" he could only shut his mouth. Someone knocked on the door as they finished breakfast. "Military Arts commander......And......" Standing beside Vance was someone as robust as Vance himself. Layfon remembered him. "Captain of the 5th platoon, Gorneo Luckens." "Thanks for coming." "What's happening so early?" None of the two carried with them the sleepiness of having just been roused out of bed. Karian nodded as if he was very satisfied with them. "It's very urgent." Under Karian's indication, the two sat down on the sofa opposite Layfon. Gorneo's sharp gaze swept over him in one split second. "Please look at this," Karian took out a photo from a drawer of his desk and placed it on the table. "This is......Did the drone take this?" "Yes, about two hours ago."

"Two hours? Then isn't this urgent?" "A bit." "Um," Vance let it go and resumed examining the photo. In the photo was a mountain, its outline sharply captured. It didn't look that tall but the problem surfaced quickly. A huge shadow covered the upper right hand side of the photo. It didn't look natural. In the middle of the table-like thing were numerous tower-like objects that were connected together, and beneath them was something that was similar to a ball cut in half. Numerous multi-legs sustained this gargantuan thing. "Can this be a city?" "Yes." "A war?" "Who knows." Under the tense atmosphere, Karian calmly took out another photo. "This is the zoom-in photo of the city." "This is......" Nina swallowed. Layfon frowned at the tragic scene. It was a city in ruins. "So cruel......" Gorneo said softly. The metal plates covering the first level of the city were either broken or had been peeled off. Only half of the multi-legs were left and some looked to be broken. The buildings in the city seemed to have sustained severe damage. A number of mechanical plates were conducting auto-repair on the second level. Vines and moss covered the exterior of the city. Judging from the progress of the auto-repair, it had been quite some time since the city was attacked. "It seems the air purification system is working normally......" "This city's been attacked by filth monsters." "My thoughts exactly." The photo was taken at night, but there wasn't any light in the city. "......Meaning there're filth monsters around here?"

"We've checked the information in the vicinity of the city and didn't find anything suspicious. We'll continue the investigation. Compared to that, what I'm more concerned about is this," Karian pointed at one of the photos. "About this place, Vance, does it ring a bell?" "......Ring a bell..." Vance stopped. "Wait......" "I'm not sure since this photo was taken at night, but the things scattered on this mountain look familiar." "Could this be......a selenium mine?" Nina lifted her head and saw Karian nodding at her. "Yes, this is Zuellni's one and only mine. It looks like Zuellni's trying to resupply." "Then that city was also......" "But why here?" "According to my speculation, that city might have deviated from its territory while fleeing from filth monsters, so it failed to reach its own mine." "Even a city can go mad with hunger." "What a tragic reality," Vance sighed deeply. Layfon couldn't tell whether he was thinking of the same thing as Karian. "Well then, Gorneo Luckens, Nina Antalk. Besides Vance, I called you two over for a reason." "Is it to investigate the city?" Karian nodded at Vance. "Looking at the numbers sent back from the drone, there're no filth monsters around the mine and the city, but that city was obviously attacked. We don't entirely understand the biological condition of filth monsters, and we don't know whether this city is a trap the filth monsters have set up to lure in more prey. Under these circumstances, we can't wait and do nothing, so I'm requesting your teams to enter the city and investigate the situation. Obtain some real proof." "......I've no objection with the mission, but I want an explanation on why these two teams were chosen." "Simple. Numbers. We don't have newly improved protective suits for outside city work to fit two teams with full members. Of course, I also did consider the strength of the teams shown in the platoon matches, so I believe you should have no objection to my decision.

What do you think?" "We'll complete the mission." "......Roger." "I'm counting on you. Departure time is two hours from now. Gather your members in these two hours." "That's quite rushed." "I wish to save some time, as there's no way of stopping Zuellni from moving," Karian said and saluted Nina and Gorneo. "......Well, so that's how it turned out like this. Geez," Sharnid said at the exit located by the city's edge. He was the last to arrive and held the biggest complaint among the team. He jumped around, his unkempt hair showing his lack of sleep. "I was planning to sleep till noon." Nina watched him numbly. "You......It's not the weekend today. What're you planning?" "You can't imagine the night life of a handsome guy." "Whatever. It's better to live normally," Nina said, cross and tired as she closely examined her protective suit. "It really is light." She wore the protective suit beneath the normal fighting clothes. It didn't feel uncomfortable at all, as if she wasn't really wearing an extra layer of clothes. "Not bad. Ah, this is what I have to wear," Sharnid looked at this own protective suit meaningfully. "What is it?" Sharnid watched Nina and then Felli who was sitting in the back seat of the bike, his eyes serious. "......Really sexy." "Hurry up and get changed, stupid." "Got it," he took down the protective suit that was tossed onto his head, and dragged himself to the Change Room. Layfon had watched the exchange of the two with a sour smile. The check-up on the bike was finished. What was left was Harley's check-up on the Dites. Without meaning to......his

gaze fell down on Felli, who was bending down on the bike. "What's it?" she said. "Um......Did senpai discover that city?" "......Fon Fon," she glared at him. "Aah, sorry. Did Felli discover the city?" he collected himself, not certain why she hated to be called senpai. "I found it by chance." "Of course, but......" What was surprising was that she used her psychokinesis power when she wasn't in a match. Even if this were chance, her action would just prevent Karian from transferring her out of Military Arts. "......" Feeling as if something had struck him, Layfon quickly turned his head away. The 5th platoon was going through their preparations a little distance from the 17th platoon. Unlike Layfon's team, none of the members from the 5th platoon voiced any complaints. They completed their preparation under the orders of Captain Gorneo. (Again......) The gaze came from the 5th platoon. The members of their team were discussing something with Gorneo standing in the middle of them. His back was against Layfon. (Strange?) So it wasn't Gorneo's gaze. He was busy talking with his team members. As a 5th year, he had the qualities that made him a captain. He could fully understand his members' needs. It was the girl sitting on the bike beside Gorneo who was looking at Layfon. Shante Leite. Judging from the color of her harness, she was also in her fifth year. She wouldn't qualify as a teenager since she was twenty, but she was shorter than Felli, with a face that looked even more childish than Felli's. Underneath her red hair, pupils stirring like a cat's stared straight at Layfon. (Eh? Eh?) Layfon appeared flustered; having thought it was Gorneo who was staring at him. Seeing how Layfon cringed at her hostile gaze, Shante looked away with satisfaction.

"What's wrong?" "Ah, nothing......" Felli followed Layfon's gaze to the 5th platoon, and saw Shante grinding her teeth. "......How petty." "Hahaha......" Layfon laughed dryly and took the Dite that Harley was handing back to him. "Is this about the last match?" Harley said. "I suppose?" "The 17th platoon is pretty popular outside the Military Arts course, so there are many people who don't like this." "Ha......" "Winning matches elegantly. Every member is a junior. The captain is a beauty. Their opponents are elites. Don't you think that looks very interesting to the audience?" Harley analyzed. "......If we didn't have to rush, I planned to give you your new Dite," he continued. "......Did you guys come up with something yesterday?" Layfon ventured. "Well......something about a weapon specialized for combat against filth monsters," Harley's voice lowered. "The problem of the Dite not being durable enough remains. We don't want this problem to persist, but we still hope to avoid a Dite breaking in the middle of a fight." "Yes." "What we can do now is make a Dite that is more suitable for the user, meaning, you. The price of a lighter Dite is to forsake the combined Dites you previously used. When the new Dite's done, please come over and try it out. Even you wouldn't want your weapon to fail in a key moment, right?" "True." After Sharnid had finished changing and received his Dite from Harley, the 17th platoon had completed its preparation. Under the icy gaze of the 5th platoon, everyone from the 17th platoon mounted their bikes. Layfon and Sharnid were the ones driving Nina and Felli. They put their supplies in the spare space. Their helmets were connected to Felli's flakes, making the world before them more vivid. The gate to the exit opened.

"Good luck, everyone. I hope you can bring back some good news," Karian's voice came through the transmitter as Layfon and others headed out into the desolate land. It took them half a day's driving to arrive at the destination. "Well......" Sharnid's shock came through the transmitter. Experiencing this in reality was much different from looking at the photos. Above Layfon's head was the surface of the broken multi-legs, and covering the mechanical plates in autorepair mode was moss that looked as if it could fall off at any moment. "Even if it was attacked by the filth monsters, does it have to be so over the top?" "It was just a guess." "The Student President's speculation......something doesn't look right here." "The investigation of the west side is completed. The parking bay is totally destroyed and the anchor rope doesn't look like it's been used." "This is the 5th platoon. We've finished investigating the east side. There's no parking bay and the gate outside is locked," the psychokinesist of the 5th platoon said. "Ah." "Doesn't look like we've got a way up." "We have to use a rope," Layfon said. Nina nodded. "This is the 17th platoon. We'll enter the city with a rope and begin our investigation." "Roger. We'll continue our investigation and let you know of the rendezvous later." Layfon took out his Dite. A green light followed after the keyword. The Dite in his hand disappeared to be replaced by a weapon with only a handle. Steel threads. Under Layfon's Kei, a countless number of steel threads connected Layfon to the city. "Layfon, we'll go together." "Got it." Wrapping Felli with the steel threads, Layfon was the first to reach the city. The feeling of the air shield passed by him. As he scanned the scene, the steel threads moved under his command, investigating anything within a 10 meters radius in detail...... and he completed

that task the moment he landed. "I guarantee you it's safe here. Or are you more at ease unless you've checked it yourself, Fon Fon?" Felli said. "Of course I trust you, but this is my habit. I still want to confirm for myself," he retrieved the steel threads. Sweat beaded on his forehead. "How meaningless. Rather than wasting your energy, you should be more cautious." "......I'm sorry." Speaking of which......He was covered in chill sweat as he watched Felli. This wasn't his first time checking the vicinity with the steel threads, but such delicate and detailed work was a huge burden on his brain. (The brain structure of a psychokinesist really is different from ours.) Normal people would never think of handling a massive amount of information at the same time. Human, but not really human. Military Artist, but also a psychokinesist. (......I can't ignore that part.) "What is it?" "......Nothing," he replied, swallowing back his words. Nina and Sharnid had arrived. "How is it?" "No corpses so far," Felli said, emotionless. She had restored her Dite and the flakes were now scattered in the sky. "Then investigate the important facilities one by one in our vicinity." "If it's to investigate half of the city, I will have finished it in an hour." "Yeah, can't we just wait here?" Sharnid said. "I don't doubt Felli's ability, but there are people who don't accept the result of this type of investigation." "......Fine," Felli accepted. She had no other choice. "......Have you found the entrance to the Mechanical Department?"

"Not yet, it doesn't look to be anywhere close to here." "Right." "But I've found the shelter." "Then let's start over there. We might find survivors." "A very tiny hope," Sharnid muttered, earning a glare from Nina. Led by Felli, the 17th platoon headed deeper into the city. "Hey, Goru." "Hm?" He observed his surroundings as he replied to the voice coming from above his shoulders. He had divided his platoon into three teams. The team with the psychokinesist had stayed behind to wait for orders. Gorneo and the other team had begun their investigation of the area. "If we set traps here, that can be explained as an accident" Shante suggested. Gorneo stopped walking. They were on a street lined with shops and empty of people. Debris littered the street. "It's almost impossible to ambush a Heaven's Blade successor." "About that, we'll never know if we don't try." Shante swung her legs before Gorneo's chest, but he paid no attention to them. "Saying we'll never know if we don't do it, shows you're still not mature enough." "Wu......" Gorneo's nose stirred. Something smelled rotten. There was the smell of blood mixed in it too. That didn't surprise him, since he had seen crowds of flies gathering in fast food shops, but blood...... He understood after looking at the black substance spread here and there on the street. Something horrible and tragic did happen in this city. Military Artists and psychokinesists had fought desperately against filth monsters and had failed. The filth monsters had entered through the air shield and spread out in the city to enjoy food other than pollutants.

But, even so...... "Why are there no corpses?" The residents must have hidden in a shelter during the attack, then their corpses should also be rotting there quietly...... "It's strange there aren't any Military Artists' corpses here." He could tell there were quite a number of Military Artists in the fight even though he didn't know how good they were. Traces of intense fighting remained everywhere, but not one single corpse...... not even a sliver of flesh was in sight. "As if someone's cleaned this place," Shante said in a low voice. In a city devoid of the living, just who...... "Oi, Gorneo." Shante's voice called him back to reality. "Hm?" "Is it all right to leave that guy because of it?" she returned to the original topic. "Of course not. I'll never let that guy go." He'd never forget the shock he had when he heard of the news from the letter. "That guy killed Gahard-san. The Military Artist Gahard-san." If that was the only thing, Gorneo might have swallowed his anger with a sigh. But, it wasn't like that. The letter had explained in detail the cause of the event. "That guy is an insult to Military Arts. I'll never let this go." Layfon participated in underground matches as a Heaven's Blade successor, and he planned to kill Gahard, who wanted to expose his foul deeds, through legal means. Gahard wasn't dead, but the loss of his arm had caused some unusual reaction in his Kei vein. For a Military Artist, this was the same as being crippled, never be able to use Military Arts again. "Her Majesty is too kind to only exile that guy from Grendan." Having committed the crime, Layfon had appeared as a Military Artist in Zuellni. Although nothing had happened so far, this didn't mean the same thing wouldn't happen again.

"I can't stop him." "Goru, I'll help out too." Gorneo shook his head. "Even though his heart's rotten, he's still a Heaven's Blade successor. I understand that. I can't let you face that kind of danger." "Moron!" Shante pounded her fist down on his head. There was a huge hole on the ceiling of the shelter, and beneath it, debris. On the edge of the debris was black blood, dried and hardened. "How terrible," Sharnid said, covering his mouth and nose with his hand. The smell of rot filled every corner of the shelter. Layfon and Nina were also covering their mouth and nose. Felli had refused to enter and was waiting outside. "Is anyone alive?" Nina asked. "No," Felli replied coldly through the flake. "Damn," she stomped the ground. "There really isn't a single corpse here," Sharnid frowned. "As if someone's cleaned this place," Layfon said. Even though the filth monsters had eaten everyone in the city, there must be some trace left of the people here. It was possible there were survivors since the air purification system was functioning normally, but Felli hadn't yet found a live response. Even if there was a response, it might have come from livestock. "Unless this city encountered the type that attacked Zuellni before?" Layfon shook his head. Sure, if there were that many larvae, they might not leave behind any corpses. But...... "There's suspicion on how the city's been destroyed. Almost all of the buildings started collapsing from the top. If it was a group of larvae, the buildings should have folded from the middle."

The filth monsters had descended from the sky and left via the sky. More than one. And the larvae weren't huge enough to flatten a building. "So someone's been cleaning the corpses here?" Nina asked. Even if there were survivors, it was hard to imagine their cleaning up all of the corpses......at least to bury all the corpses in Layfon's area. The team returned back to the surface. Their mission was to confirm whether there was danger around rather than finding survivors. "Gah, I can't stand this," Sharnid said. Layfon and Nina also breathed deeply the air of the surface. The smell of rot was also above ground, but it wasn't as intense as back in the shelter. "Just what's wrong with this city?" Sharnid complained. "Since there're no filth monsters, it isn't dangerous, right?" Zuellni would arrive here in one more day. Before it arrived, they had to confirm whether the place was safe. "There aren't any filth monsters, but if we leave this riddle, something worse might happen later," Nina said. Felli remained silent. "Anyway, we'll stop here for the day. The sun's about to go down. Let's meet up with the other team while there's still daylight." "The 5th platoon has given us instructions for rendezvous." "Ok. Tell them we're heading over......Let's go." They followed Felli's description. Layfon took up the rear and suddenly halted his steps. Something revolting and hateful seemed to shroud the city. Perhaps it was because of the smell of rot and the unusual silence, coupled with the descending night. The 5th platoon had chosen to meet up in the middle of the city where the Military Arts dormitory was located. "The machine still works." Nina entered the corridor and checked around.

The machine, though weak, was still working, producing its own electricity, and it was fortunate that the air-conditioning worked. The smell of rot had enveloped them from the very first moment when they entered the city. Felli had received a message from the 5th platoon. "Captain, Captain Luckens wants to talk to you about room allocation." "Right, I'll head over." Nina left, leaving Felli alone. Layfon and Sharnid were checking the vicinity to make sure it was safe. As Felli lifted her hands to feel the current of air-conditioning and wind, someone walked in through the door. "Ah......" "......Ah" Displeasure showed on Shante's face, and Felli narrowed her eyes to look at the other icily. It seemed Shante was checking the place was safe, just like Layfon and Sharnid. The moment when the two gazes met created sparks between them. She didn't know why she was hated, but Felli wasn't one to ignore the other's hostility. On the contrary, she struck back at the other's challenge. Felli had a number of flakes around her to defend herself, and with these, she had enough to handle Shante. A psychokinesist's power wasn't limited to the gathering and analyzing of information. It wouldn't be bad to use it against this petty girl. Shante's hand was on the Dite in her harness. Keeping that pose, she looked as if she was about to brush past Felli. "Hey!" she called when Felli neared her. "You, do you know that guy's true face?" This question made Felli stiffen. "What do you mean?" "......Serious? Or are you pretending? I've heard of what that first year guy is like." Although Felli planned to ignore Shante, she had failed to cover up some of her outrage.

"......" "Humph, you know of it but you're still using him. In that case, the Student President also knows already." "I don't understand what you're saying." "Using that despicable guy......To hide the truth at this stage, do you think we're so untrustworthy?" Invisible murderous intent flew to Felli's throat like a knife. Shante's red hair danced like strong flame. "What?" "......If you're covering up your tragic failure two years ago, I think you need to take it out on someone else." "What?" "He would be able to live peacefully as a student in General Studies if you guys weren't so weak. Isn't it because of your immaturity that we are facing the situation we're now in? Military Artists who can't guard their cities are useless. Look long and hard in the mirror and see how much strength you have before you say anything else." "What? You......You, damn you......" Shante trembled and snatched up her Dite, but a voice stopped her before she could say the keyword. "Stop right there." "Goru!? But!" "Don't start a fight here." "Muuuuuuu!!" she stuffed her Dite back into the harness and stomped hard on Gorneo's foot before disappearing out the door. Gorneo received the attack casually and apologized to Felli. "I'm sorry. My teammate's been troubling you." "......No," Felli answered after breathing in deeply. She pressed down on her outrage and looked at the stocky man before her. "But, that is also my doubt. Shante's only conveyed my feeling, that's all." "Are you from Grendan?" "Yes. I'm Gorneo Luckens. I'm the younger brother of Grenden's Heaven's Blade successor,

Savaris Luckens." "......I see. What I just said are my own feelings. They aren't my brother's opinions." "I understand. About that guy......they're just my own feelings too. I hope you understand." "......You don't look like you accept my take on things." "I can't accept it." "......How displeasing," she whispered. Only Nina made a simple greeting to the other team after room allocation. None of the members from the 5th platoon wanted to associate with the 17th platoon. The rooms for both teams were quite far apart. From inside the common room of the 17th platoon floated the aroma of food. "Ah, we made the right choice of having Layfon prepare food," Sharnid sat contentedly on the sofa, drinking warm tea. Layfon had made something from the edible ingredients found in the grocery shop in the city. "All of the vegetables are ruined except for the beans. Fortunately, the fish in the cultivation pond were still alive." The meal was simple, but it was better than eating the cold food they brought with them. Layfon relaxed. "Um......This way, we don't have a problem." "What do you mean?" Layfon asked, but Nina only nodded. "It takes at least one week to resupply Zuellni. During this time, classes will be suspended. I want to use this chance to strengthen our team." "Training?" Sharnid said, unwilling. "We've accumulated some prize money so we have a lot to spare. There's a good location in the produce area. I wanted to train there but I was concerned about food." "But there aren't any shops over there. Ah, sorry, I can't make food." "Me neither." Felli hadn't said anything, but Layfon understood, having seen her cooking. "So I planned to ask for a friend's help, but since Layfon can do the cooking, then there isn't a problem anymore," Nina looked at the tea in her cup.

Meishen surfaced in Layfon's mind. Her cooking was even better than his, but it wasn't possible for her to live together with the 17th platoon. She was too shy. If there was no helping it, he'd have to ask Naruki and Mifi to come too. But if he did that, Nina wouldn't give up that golden chance to persuade Naruki to join the team. No matter what Naruki might think, Layfon hoped Meishen and the girls wouldn't become entangled with the 17th platoon before Nina had made her decision. (I guess I'll have to cook.) In that case, he'd have to consider the nutrients in the food. As Leerin pointed out in her letters, it was a headache to think up a meal that was well balanced in nutrients. He pondered this as he packed up the dishes. Sharnid and Felli left the room. "Sorry for making you do all this," Nina apologized. "It's ok. I'm used to it." "Do you have time later?" "Do you want something?" "I want to have a chat." "Then let me make some tea." He made tea and sat back on the sofa. "I have a question about what just happened." "......Then Senpai......" "......Yeah, it seems to be a warning for me." "For me too, I suppose." Layfon and Sharnid were far away when Felli had her confrontation with Shante. Sharnid hadn't said much. He just shrugged. "Do you remember?" "I know about Savaris, but not much about his brother. The Luckens are a family famous for Military Arts back in Grendan."

"Really?" "And......" "......What?" "Nothing." If it was about the Luckens, then there must be another cause behind Gorneo's hostility. "Layfon?" "......Hm?" "This is hard for me to say, but I'm your captain and I also know of your past. I've decided to stand with you no matter what." "Captain......" "You did something unforgivable as a Military Artist. No matter what the reason is behind it, your deed is unforgivable." (You must constantly remind yourself.) Layfon recalled once again what Her Majesty had said. After his deeds were exposed, the Queen had beaten him up and had said this to him. Nina's words placed Layfon back in the past. "There're many who don't understand you, and many who understand but can't forgive you." Leerin was his only comrade. Even the orphans in the orphanage who used to view him as a hero had looked at him with hatred. His world was flipped upside down in a short period of time. "If others find out, your situation in Zuellni may become the same as Grendan's." Go look at the world. The Queen had said. But no matter where he was at, Layfon still recalled his past and remembered it. Karian had known. And Gorneo, the younger brother of Savaris Luckens. People still moved around even though cities were basically isolated and sealed off. Layfon's past seemed to patrol in the darkness, waiting for a chance to jump out of his shadow. "But I've decided to be your comrade. Since I've decided, no matter who becomes your enemy, I'll never be your enemy."

"Senpai......please give this up. If you do this, you'll be in danger even as a captain." He was happy that Leerin had remained by his side, but at the same time, it pained him. He could keep on living peacefully because he was in another city, but there were people back in Grendan who wanted to hurt Leerin because she stood by him. "Stop this nonsense," Nina laughed. "If I'm afraid of that, how can I be your captain?" Her smile pulled him back from the past. Leerin's smile was probably like that too. "What is it?" "Hm?" "If you decide something on your own, you'll tend to think towards something bad. It's the same with feelings and thinking style. It's the same with everything. It's because you want to shoulder everything yourself......How should I put in? Well, I'm not one to talk." Layfon recalled how he lectured Nina when she was in the hospital. "What is it?" "I'm thinking that it's great to have senpai here." "Wh......Why so sudden?" her face went pink. "I'm just expressing my honest feelings." He would tell her everything. Everything that happened in Grendan. After parting with Nina, Layfon hesitated a bit, then he went to a door. He breathed in deeply to disperse the pressure on his shoulders and knocked on the door. After a pause, a voice filled with dissatisfaction called out. "......Who is it?" "Um......It's Layfon." Felli opened the door and let him in. The room wasn't that big. Two single beds took up most of the space. Because of the limited number of rooms, the team members couldn't each have a room to themselves. It was just for one night anyway. Sharnid was against Nina's suggestion, but Felli had agreed solemnly. Felli should be in the same room as Nina, but it appeared those two weren't willing to spend

a long time together. "It's not good to eavesdrop," Felli said after closing the door. She understood why he had come to her. "Sorry," Layfon lowered his head. "But those two are the worst saying what they said in that situation." "Senpai as well......" "Fon Fon......" "Ah, um, I've given Felli trouble as well......" "Really, I don't feel as good," she mumbled. Layfon lifted his head. "Whose fault is it that we're in this situation? Those people don't understand at all. That's why I don't feel good." "Still angry?" "Of course." Nina had known of Felli's true strength in the previous fight with the filth monster in its aged phase. No one but Felli could support with psychokinesis over the distance that took one day to cover. From that time on, Nina had reduced her demands of Felli in training. Layfon wasn't sure why the captain was doing that. It didn't seem she had let Felli go because of Felli's lack of enthusiasm. Same as Layfon, Felli had also wanted to ask Nina the reason behind her unusual action. But what she did was continue to observe the captain and did all she could to avoid being alone with her. "......I'm concerned that she allows me to participate with the way I am," Felli sighed lightly. "Felli?" "Fon Fon, I don't think we have any other way." Lying on the bed, she looked smaller than before. The calmness she maintained was nowhere to be seen. What she gave off was an air of intense exhaustion.

"To a psychokinesist, using psychokinesis is as matter of fact as breathing in the air. I'm so tired of suppressing it." "Even so, you still hate it." "Of course." Layfon was put at ease by Felli's usual reaction. But that only lasted one moment...... "Fon Fon......Why aren't we normal?" He couldn't answer her. (You must constantly remind yourself.) The Queen's words surfaced in his mind once again. (Constantly remind yourself that we, as Military Artists and psychokinesists aren't normal. As humans, we must not allow ourselves to forget this.) Those words whipped him more painfully than his injuries. "We......" Felli mumbled and suddenly lifted her face. "Felli?" "Outside. A live response 200 meters south west of here. It definitely isn't livestock!" "!" Layfon responded swiftly. Internal Kei ran through his body as he picked up his harness and jumped out the window. The steel threads spread out as he headed for the direction Felli had indicated, running in the city illuminated by the pinprick stars. Running silently on steel threads thin as spider threads, Layfon arrived early at the destination. The thing hadn't run away, as if it was waiting for him. "What is this?" Dumbstruck, he looked at the shadow of a four-legged creature. A horn protruded from its head. Standing before Layfon was a golden goat.

[edit] Chapter 4: The darkness of gushing water Even if he wanted to forget what had happened on that day, he couldn't. To Layfon, it was a branching point of his fate, and to Leerin, it was the usual end of a day. The curtain of the stage fell on that day. It was a fine day, as if nothing unfortunate would happen during it. The tiles of the roof used for rainy days were spread out in the audience seats at the battle arena, bouncing back the glare of the sun. The shadow of Queen Alsheyra could be seen through the thin curtain on the stage, and before her stood eleven Heaven's Blade successors. The twelfth stood in the middle of the arena. "Wolfstein!" Loud cheering rose from the audience. The young Heaven's Blade successor waited in the arena, his Heaven's Blade already restored as he regulated his breathing with eyes closed. Leerin watched with the kids from the orphanage in the audience stand. The young girls put their hands together in anxiety, as if they were praying. The young boys stirred in their seats, their hands balled into fists. They were all calling "Nii-san" (brother). Leerin confirmed the younger kids were all right, then turned her attention to Layfon. Today's match was the deciding match as to whom the title of 'Heaven's Blade successor' would be bestowed upon. There were only twelve Heaven's Blade successors. The only time when a vacancy appeared was when a Heaven's Blade successor died and a match was conducted to decide on the next Heaven's Blade successor. The other way to become one of the prestigious twelve was when the Military Artist who topped the year's fight record was appointed for a match with a Heaven's Blade successor of his choice, and won in that match. The match for today fell into the latter category. The challenger hadn't yet shown himself. In a fight for a Heaven's Blade, the current Heaven's Blade successor was usually the one to appear first in the arena. Leerin couldn't see Layfon's face as he was facing her with his back, but she could see him waiting with eyes closed on the screen. That was enough to put a stir in Leerin's heart. She knew he was worried in the recent days. He was always smiling in front of everyone, but she caught the shadows flitting past his face. She knew he was worried, but she didn't ask him about it.

He was practicing as hard as usual and he was obviously avoiding being alone with her. She had finally found a chance to be alone with him yesterday night. She couldn't sleep, so she got up and went to the kitchen for some water, and as she passed through the corridor, she saw him out in the yard. She changed her route and headed for him. "Layfon." "You're still awake." Layfon wasn't surprised at all. He must have noticed her when she entered the corridor. "Yeah, I'm not sure why. Layfon too?" "A little." "Could you be worried about tomorrow's match?" "That's part of the reason. My opponent was trained by the Luckens, from which another Heaven's Blade successor was raised. He'll be harder to beat than other opponents." His voice was dry and irritated. She knew in the blink of an eye that that wasn't the reason behind his anxiety. "But you won't lose." "Of course not." As expected. Although he was indecisive about a lot of other things, he was full of confidence and arrogance when it came to Military Arts. Because of this reason, he had very few friends outside the orphanage. This end result was because of his being a Military Artist, a Heaven's Blade successor when he was outside the orphanage Layfon Wolfstein Alseif. Nobody knew the side of him when he was in the orphanage with his younger siblings. He picked up babies and paced around to keep them from crying. He stayed up all night to look after Leerin who had a high fever. He stopped going to school in order to earn money. So to comfort the angry Leerin, he flattered her like a dog to make her happy. Whether she was sad or happy, he was always by her side. No one. No one understood Layfon. But Leerin knew. She knew very well when it came to things associated with Layfon. So.

"It'll end quickly," Layfon smiled...... "Tomorrow's match will be boring." No one but Leerin would have noticed his heartbreaking back as he strode away. "The challenger, Gahard Baren!" As the announcer shouted out the name, the Layfon on the screen opened his eyes. It was an extremely icy expression, an expression of a Heaven's Blade successor that would never appear in the orphanage. The challenger appeared on the screen. He was in the same Military Arts school as the Luckens. The restored Dites that had changed into armors enveloped his arms and feet. The Luckens family was a family of Military Artists, excellent in the Arts of hand to hand combat. Gahard had been trained by that family. The rumor that there might be two Heaven's Blade successors from the Luckens school was a hot topic before the match. Strong and firm muscles showed on Gahard's sleeveless arms. The difference between Gahard's and Layfon's body builds was the difference between that of an adult and a child. "Can Nii-san win?" "Don't worry," Leerin patted a younger girl's cheek. "Layfon is invincible." She didn't care whether he could win or not. What she worried about was his expression she saw yesterday night. (Layfon. What are you thinking?) More like, what was he planning? But she never guessed his plan. She thought she knew everything about him, but she still didn't know what he had in mind. She knew he was obviously troubled and it was something he had to make a decision on. Leerin was angry and uneasy about herself for not understanding Layfon. "Begin!" the announcer called. Gahard readied his fight stance. Layfon raised his sword.

The match ended in the next second. Intense light enclosed the arena. The air vibrated and the ground echoed that vibration. The entire arena shook, and Leerin hugged the younger brothers and sisters as they gathered close. The keening of the arena ran through her head. Fear ate into her heart. Silence came soon enough. Feeling the pressuring silence in the air, Leerin lifted her head. She watched the screen. It showed nothing but rolling dust and sand. Layfon stood in the middle of the arena in the middle of a huge crater. He swung down his blade naturally, the end of his finishing move. Gahard had flown back to a corner of the arena along with sand and debris. "Oh......Ah......" His chilly screams echoed in the silence of the arena. He coughed up blood. His left hand trembled. Pointing at his right hand. "Aah......Ahhhhhhhhh......" Moaning with despair as he bled. Gahard's right hand was gone. More like his entire right arm was gone. Blood pooled around him. "Ah, Ahhhhhhhhh......Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh......" The screen cleared. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!" The screen showed the side of Layfon's face. Within that icy expression, his muscle twitched. Gahard had exposed Layfon the next day to the entire population of Grendan. The match became the best proof of Gahard's accusation. She remembered it all. When it came to anything with Layfon, she would recall that day. In that match, Layfon Wolfstein Alseif was turned back to Layfon Alseif. The day when she didn't understand Layfon. It wasn't that she hadn't wanted to ask why things turned out like that. But she couldn't blame anyone. Not Layfon, not father.

She couldn't consider things like "Just whose fault is it?" If she didn't look for the reason behind this incident, but rather for the person involved in it, she might have traced the cause back to the debris scattered on her clothes. That case must be something she couldn't easily face. The time of peace continued. No filth monsters had yet attacked Grendan. Nothing had changed much around Leerin. Savaris and Lintence's worry hadn't affected her. She continued to enjoy her normal school life with Synola. These were Leerin's current feelings. Protect. That was what Savaris had said. To protect her from what......? Although she wasn't comfortable with his answer, she knew that it must have nothing to do with her. Heaven's Blade successors would never protect a normal resident like Leerin this closely. But......It must have something to do with the city. She pondered this question, but she didn't have a clue. Noise that didn't match the scenery of dusk drifted to her. Leerin frowned. The noise came from the high metal fence that was fencing in a flat-topped building. It was a familiar noise of something heavy. As the sound of sparks scattering off contacted blades drifted into Leerin's ears, her stiff expression softened. She opened the door to the building and the sound pressed towards her. Inside the building, it looked much the same as other Dojos in Grendan. Males and females wearing protective gears practiced with training swords. As a normal person, Leerin couldn't see the unseen force that sometimes hit her. The wind inside the Dojo blew her hair around. She headed deeper into the Dojo to the audience stage. The person sitting in an audience seat nodded at her. An aging male whose short hair was streaked with white. Leerin nodded back and opened another door to head deeper into the Dojo. "Then......Next." The waiting room was narrow, but it was enough space to live. Leerin walked into the kitchen, checked the food in the freezer and thought of what to buy. She picked up a shopping bag and the key to the medicine box, then left through the backdoor. She bought what she needed in the shops nearby and returned to the kitchen to make dinner.

The noise in the Dojo stopped when the smell of food dispersed from the wok. As she set up the eating utensils, the people from the Dojo entered the kitchen in a racket. "Good work, father." "Aye," the person from the audience seat responded simply and sat down at the table. Derek Psyharden. Leerin's adopted father. "There seems to be more apprentices." "Yeah." "Looks good. Oh yes, did a letter come from the administration?" "Yes." "Really? Then let's look at it later." The sound of moving eating utensils spread out in the kitchen. Derek was usually quiet, but his silence felt strange today. His apprentices were being noisy as usual, sitting around the table as if it was a war. Father had resigned as the Head of the orphanage. He resigned and gave the position to someone else so that the orphanage, the place from where Layfon hailed, could avoid public attention. The people living near the orphanage knew Derek's personality, so they didn't have much of a response to Layfon's event, and they came to the Dojo as usual, but it wasn't the same with others. The current Head of the orphanage also hailed from the same orphanage. In reality, the real Head was still Derek, but he didn't show himself in the orphanage and had moved out to live in the Dojo. Leerin was given permission to live in the Dojo once a week to look after him. "......Are you not going over there?" "Hm?" "There shouldn't be a problem even if you show up in the orphanage." "......I can't." "People over there should have calmed down and thought through it all by now." "Perhaps......However, this is a problem of responsibility. I'm Layfon's comrade. To other people, I shouldn't appear in that place anymore." "If you've decided, then there's nothing more I can say."

"That's the way things are." The conversation ceased. They didn't speak till the end of dinner. "......Did anything strange happen recently?" Derek asked suddenly when she was washing the dishes. "Huh?" Leerin's hands stopped their motion and she turned around. "What do you mean by strange?" "Do you feel something awkward recently?" "Awkward? Is something wrong?" "Hm, it's difficult to explain. It could be caused by a human......or could be not......" "What......" She wanted to laugh, but she couldn't. (Could it be......) Was this what Savaris meant when he said she was targeted? But she wasn't sure whether this was linked to Layfon. "I have an impression of it. It feels like something totally different. How should I put it......Well......" he stood up, turned around to enter his room and came back out holding something. "Father," she looked at him, shocked. He was holding a Dite. "Leerin, stay behind me." "What?" "There's a murderous intent in the air......It's here." He pulled her behind him and restored his Dite, watching one of the walls in the room. The suffocating feeling only stayed for one moment...... The next moment, the wall had been destroyed.

"Ha!" Kei shot out from Derek's sword, bounding off the debris. The cold night wind blew in. Leerin saw a huge hole in the wall. "Who......?" Water gushed out from the water pipe. A figure appeared. Through the hole and the gaps in between the high fence, Leerin saw someone standing on the road outside the Dojo. That person drew close to them in a relaxed manner. "......" Derek resumed his fight stance. Light in the room illuminated that figure. "...... Huh?" "What......? Both Leerin and Derek were dumbstruck. This person didn't have a right arm. They had seen him before and they would never forget him. In Layfon's last match. The one who had turned Layfon from a hero into a criminal. "Why......" That person appeared before her......and in this situation. He hated, but he had no way of avenging himself. And he must still hate a certain person...... "Gahard Baren," Derek murmured.

A golden goat. Layfon restored his Dite. "Just what......is this thing?" It was a strange feeling. Numerous horns extended from its head to legs like the many branches of a tree, and the golden light emitting from it overwhelmed the darkness around it. It was about as tall as Layfon. This wasn't some livestock. Tension rushed up inside Layfon, gushing out, showing no sign of stopping. This was a warning Layfon knew from long-term battle experience. He readied his fight stance and cautiously kept his distance from it. The golden goat watched Layfon. (It doesn't look like a filth monster, but......) He didn't feel the hunger from it that a filth monster would have standing before a human. Was it temporarily full because it had already eaten from this city......but that wasn't the kind of feeling Layfon had. The golden goat didn't seem to want to fight. Still, Layfon was concerned about its eyes. Those green eyes continued to watch him. No murderous intent, but rather curiosity. Layfon's image reflected in clear green pupils that were as calm as the surface of a lake. He didn't like that feeling. Those pupils weren't those of a normal beast. It was like a human in the body of a beast......That made him uncomfortable. He tightly held his sword. "......You look different." A sudden low voice entered Layfon's ears. The voice shook the darkness they were in. Layfon looked around for the source of it. But there was nothing worth his attention around him. "Are you looking for the people in this territory? Then let me tell you." "......Are you speaking to me?" Layfon looked at the goat, but its mouth remained closed. The voice spoke again. "My body is rotten. It's useless. Driven by mad hatred, my body's turned into flame. I seek a new master. You who I hope for, obey my wish. Possess my soul and see my value. I'll turn the Dust of Ignasis into a sword, and burn your enemies into ashes."

"Were you the one who spoke? Who are you?" Unknown terror filled Layfon. Was this a trap? Could there be a psychokinesist controlling it? But he didn't sense any psychokinesist. If there was one around, he couldn't have escaped Felli's attention. So this beast was the only thing here......? (I should know what this is if I capture it.) He stepped forward. (......Eh?) He did step forward, but how come the distance between him and the goat had not shortened? Did the goat move? He confirmed again and the distance between them remained unchanged. "Why......" He looked down at his feet. (......How?) His feet hadn't moved. His entire body was frozen stiff. The goat watched him, its green pupils reflecting Layfon's image. (I can't move......I can't move? Me?) His Kei flow felt regular, running normally through his body and his sword. He didn't have the exhaustion he had had while fighting the filth monster a few days ago. He was in a good condition to fight again. But why couldn't he move? (Could I......Could I......!?) Fear dominated him. He felt his own reflection in the goat's eyes shaking. Impossible. He couldn't have seen that. This was nighttime. Even if its pupils reflected his image, even if his vision was strengthened through Kei, he couldn't have seen it. But he felt he really did see it. Somehow, the pressure from the goat had overwhelmed him. (It......It's swallowed me?) Could it be the goat's existence that had swallowed him? If not, then why couldn't he move? "......I must convey this in details," the goat said.

Layfon didn't see its mouth move, as if the voice came from heaven. This voice felt overwhelming. "Who......are you?" he managed. It was difficult to speak. He increased his Kei, hoping that could break him out of whatever that was interfering with his body. Kei spilled out onto the ground, and the small stones around him exploded. "Stop. You're fighting yourself." His consciousness clouded, but he didn't give up. He was beginning to forget why he had to defeat the goat, but Kei still filled his body, spilling out from him. He was resisting by instinct. His Kei flowed out for that simple goal. (Move......Move move move......) He repeated that word in his brain. What should he do if he couldn't move? No. Anything's fine. As long he can move......It didn't matter what happened next. But...... (Dangerous. This guy is extremely dangerous.) That was his feeling. It was all right if this danger was only before him, but if Nina and the others encountered it, who knew what would happen? For Layfon to become like this, Nina and the others had no way of countering this goat. (I must not let it get past me.) He must fight back. If he avoided the fight, what he would recall afterwards would be his failure, a failure that he didn't even attempt to overcome. He must not collapse inside himself. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" he roared. His internal Kei changed......External type burst Kei burst out of his body. With the sound of the ground tearing behind him, Layfon's feet finally moved. (Here!) He swung as the point of the sword traced a line on the ground. The Kei burst forth to cut through the night sky. Explosions. "Beautiful......"

The voice melted into the air. It didn't hit back. The goat had vanished. Layfon couldn't sense it anymore. "Layfon......Fon Fon!" Felli's flake arrived beside him. "Felli......Where is that thing?" A relieved sigh came through the flake. Just how long had he been like this, fixed on the spot? His concentration was so intense that he didn't hear Felli's voice. "I don't know. The response's disappeared." Confusion filled Felli's voice. "It's run away? No......" It had left. He had no idea know why it left. It wasn't hostile, meaning it didn't plan to fight from the beginning. "......How long have I been like this for?" "About a minute. The captain and the others are about to arrive." "One minute? Is that all?" It felt like much longer. He felt debilitated for having released too much Kei. His body felt heavy, and his fingers shook. "Just what was it......?" He could still feel the terror. His body shook despite his trying to suppress it. "Damn." The sword point quavered. Footsteps drifted to him. No matter what, he must stop his shaking before Nina and the others arrived. They continued their investigation the next day. Felli and the psychokinesist of the 5th platoon had investigated the city and found no traces of the goat from yesterday night. But,

they did find something else. "Who would have thought, it's like this......Ah," Nina sighed. Layfon and Nina faced a huge agricultural field. In a distant, the green vegetables seemed to be waiting for harvest, but as Layfon and the others drew close, they smelled the rot in the air. Before them were tea colored small hills covered in moisture. "Seems to be this one," Layfon said. The hills were about the size of a house. The smallest one was the same size as Layfon's room. They dotted the field in no specific pattern. The hills were piled up in a rough manner. Digging out a pit then refilling it. That was the feeling Layfon got. Still, a certain level of difficulty and endurance must have been exhibited in how the remaining pieces of the city were buried like this. "......This is painful," Nina said. Even Sharnid had nothing flippant to voice, watching silently these small hills as Layfon did. Just how long did it take to make so many graves? To search out for all the corpses, transport them, dig up the earth and at last bury them. A long time it must have been to finish that entire process in a city filled with the carnal smell of the dead. "......Hey, what're you doing!" Nina shouted. Looking around, Layfon saw the 5th platoon members digging at one of the small hills with spades that they had found somewhere. "We're digging it out for our investigation," Gorneo said stiffly. "What? Is there a need?" "......This might not be a graveyard. And if it is, then who made these graves?" "Well......" "It couldn't be the beast from yesterday night? That's ridiculous. Can a beast do such thing?" Shante laughed. "Besides, we're still not sure whether that goat thing is real or not. You were the ones who confirmed it, not us," Shante said from her sitting position above Gorneo's shoulders. "You......"

Layfon wanted to stop Nina from rushing over to beat up the 5th platoon, but Sharnid had already pulled her back. "Gorneo-san ah, is there a need to bring back a skull for a reward? We'll investigate somewhere else." Gorneo glared at him. "......Do whatever you like." "Good......Either way, Zuellni'll arrive here at sunset. I pray dinner isn't a dish with meat." Members of the 5th platoon frowned. "Well then, let's go," Sharnid said, leading Layfon and the rest away. Nina was harping on what just happened back then beside Sharnid. It was good to have Sharnid senpai around. Layfon would never have been able to defuse that situation so casually. Neither could Nina or Felli. If Sharnid hadn't been there, who knew what the quarrel might have turned out to be like? "Fon Fon......" "......Senpai. That's different from our promise," Layfon said. At Felli's voice, he had turned automatically to observe Nina and Sharnid's reaction. He didn't want people to know of this nickname of his. "They can't hear it," Felli said calmly. "More importantly, please crouch down a bit." "Ha?" "Just do it," she insisted. Layfon crouched down. "Lower." He was practically bending down on the floor, just like the pose he held in the sports hall. "What is it?" "......Your shoulders are a bit narrow." "No, I think I'm pretty average." "......That can't be helped." He didn't have the time to think of anything else.

"Eh?" Felli put her hands on his shoulders and added her weight to his shoulders and back. He felt something hard......knees? Something white appeared in his vision. "What......What're you doing?" "This can't be helped. I'm riding on your shoulders." "......I don't think there's anything that can't be helped about this." "Never mind. Let's go." He stood up, thinking whether he had done something wrong to make her do this to him. "Uh......Is this what it's like?" Felli sighed as if dissatisfied, but Layfon was increasing his pace to catch up with the other two. "Fon Fon, please don't shake." "That's not possible. You aren't a kid. It's hard for me to keep my balance." "Hmm?" "That hurts......Please don't pull at my hair." "Then walk with a stable gait." "The captain and Sharnid-senpai are a bit far from us now." "I can tell where they are." "Are you a kid? Really......No matter. Just hold on tight." "I know." Swallow. "Hm? What is it?" "Ah, nope, nothing......" "......Your face is red." "Is, is that so?" he stammered. (Da, Damn!......Careless......)

He could feel her thighs around his neck. Her skirt was right behind his head. It was made with a special material, but it was quite thin. The feeling of coldness seeping through his neck from Felli's pantyhose increased his heartbeat. Anyway, he must stay calm and not touch anyplace embarrassing. He gripped her legs tightly. "Ah......Looks like they've decided to go to the ground." He realized Nina and Sharnid had disappeared into the buildings below. "Then we're heading that way?" "Over there......Ah." Felli pointing out the direction had destroyed his balance. "Wo, Woah......" "Fon Fon, don't fall." "Even if you say so, I can't help it. Besides, it's already difficult to walk balanced. Why don't you get down and walk on your own?" "No, you're wrong. There's a very good reason behind this......" "It must be something shallow and twisted. Just leave it." "......" He tried to maintain his balance and kept on moving without thinking of anything else. She spoke after a pause. "......I'm sorry about yesterday." "Eh?" "For letting you face that strong an opponent yourself." "I don't see it that way." "No, I'm sorry. I'm ashamed of not keeping to our promise. My determination is so weak." "......But that can't be helped." "......Huh?" "Didn't you say so, that we're this type of creature? I think so too. We're humans, but we aren't human. I've said this to the captain, that Military Artists aren't human. We just possess human forms that can use Kei. It's natural for us to use Kei, as natural as breathing. It's

painful if we don't use it......That might be the reason for what happened to me in the opening ceremony. I've thought through this recently." From the time of his last match in Grendan to when he arrived at Zuellni, he had never once used his Kei. He thought he had found a new way of living. The living of a normal human, unassociated with Military Arts. "Was Fon Fon tolerating it too?" "I thought back then that I had totally tossed it away. I thought I could spend all my time working for my living and studying to pass exams." "But, it didn't work out." Yes, there were times when it gnawed at him. Times when the area around his waist where the Kei vein flowed experienced spurts of pain like small explosions, but those times didn't show on his face. In everyone's eyes in Grendan, Layfon was dangerous. If he used Kei, even Leerin and the kids in the orphanage would get hurt, so all he could do was tolerate the pain in a casual manner. All he could do. "......If I really seek a life outside Military Arts, I must first overcome this problem." The pain of a Kei vein followed one's entire life. It couldn't be removed through surgery. A Military Artist survived with his heart, brain and Kei vein. Lacking either one of these organs would lead to one's death. Military Artists were stronger than humanity, but were also weaker than normal humans. "......What that person said is right, but Felli's right too." From the perspective of a student of Zuellni, Felli's words were unquestionable. Layfon was dragged into this situation because Zuellni's Military Artists were too weak. This was an insult to them. But to the Grendan-born Gorneo, Layfon following his old way of living was intolerable. Gorneo probably didn't know what he should do about it. Felli was probably thinking the same. Riding on Layfon's shoulders, she fell silent and waited for him to continue. He spoke worriedly, "Her Majesty once said to me......" "I must constantly remind myself that we, as Military Artists and psychokinesists aren't normal. As humans, we must not allow ourselves to forget this." "Eh? What does that mean?"

"......What I did was wrong." "I suppose. That definitely isn't an excellent example of a Military Artist." "Then do you know why I don't have the Heaven's Blade successor title anymore?" "Eh? That would be......" Layfon seemed to be thinking of something. "......Because Heaven's Blade successors are special in Grendan, so they are models for the Military Artists in Grendan as a whole?" "That is incorrect." "Eh?" "Heaven's Blade successors aren't models. All they seek is to show their strength in battles with filth monsters. There aren't many in the twelve who have a noble heart. Of course, it's not like they'd commit a crime publicly." "Then why......" "But since they're Heaven's Blade successors, representing the best Military Artists, they naturally become the examples for Grendan's other Military Artists. The Layfon Alseif who broke this rule has no right to hold the Heaven's Blade successor title. They confiscated the Heaven's Blade and banished me. Duration is one year." Layfon repeated what Almonise had told him. "......They're already being soft on me for only exiling me." "But that isn't the true reason, is it?" Felli asked. "No. The problem lies with my actions during the match." So he relayed to her what he told Nina last night. About what he planned to do in the match with Gahard Baren, about what he did do and people's reaction to it. Felli remained silent. Only her breathing was conveyed to him. "......Frankly, if Her Majesty didn't take back the Heaven's Blade and exile me, a riot might have broken out in Grendan. If I hid myself afterwards and Her Majesty placed Heaven's Blade successors around the orphanage as an excuse of surveillance, there might've really been a riot." "......" "This is what I mean to constantly remind yourself. Military Artists possess human forms, but they aren't human. It isn't as simple as having an extra organ. They exist to protect the city from outside threats, but like heavy weapons, they can be double-edged and end up

injuring the city itself. Military Artists must be bound by good morals. Even though occasionally there are bad Military Artists, they're only an existence on the extreme end of the spectrum. They'll usually be eliminated by other Military Artists." "Heaven's Blade successors must be righteous. This principle doesn't exist in the form of the city's law. You must constantly remind yourself that such an extreme Military Artist is actually a Heaven's Blade successor. For someone as strong as a Heaven's Blade successor to do that, then other Military Artists would laugh at and ignore the mutual principle. What would happen if more than one Heaven's Blade successors did what you did......If I ignore this deed, then this city is finished. Not because of filth monsters, but because of people going on a rampage." Queen Alsheyra said this to him the next night. "Today's situation is a direct result of your naive cunning. Do you understand? Your young age won't get you forgiveness, but it is what led to today's situation. Military Artists are weak. Without Military Artists, people have no way of escaping the threat of filth monsters, and without people, Military Artists cannot maintain a society. The truth that we can't survive if we don't live together is the same for both humans and Military Artists. We must sustain this relationship." "Since I still don't feel I've done something wrong, there must be a problem in it," Layfon said. "......And so Gorneo targets you?" "Not only that. There must be a deeper reason. Gorneo Luckens, the younger brother of the Heaven's Blade successor Savaris Luckens, who is also trained in the Luckens' ways of hand to hand combat. I haven't seen this, but he might have trained in the same period as Gahard Baren. Gahard might have taught him the skill, since his brother has already given up in teaching Military Arts." "So he's avenging someone from the same school?" "I think so." "......Is that ok?" "I don't care if he targets me alone, but I'm worried about the safety of everyone in 17th platoon." If he attacked not just Layfon, but the entire 17th platoon...... He knew it was wrong. If that happened, he was prepared to fight the same way when he decided to kill Gahard Baren. "That wasn't what I meant," Felli struck his head.

"Eh?" "......Really, you really are stupid, aren't you?" "Eh? Eh?" "Although as a moron, you'll never understand it......we're about to reach the rendezvous point. Let me down." In the end, he didn't understand her at all. The smell of rot filled the air. "......Ok, bury it," Gorneo ordered and his team members put the dirt back in place. Beneath the small hills were corpses. Not a single corpse was whole. Pieces of bones, fragments of flesh. This wasn't even a burial. But someone had buried it all. "The problem is, just who did this......?" It must have been a maddening job to collect all the human pieces and bury them all, but it didn't look like whomever did this job had gone insane. Day was about to end. Zuellni would arrive by sunset. Although they wanted to find out the reason before it arrived......They would rest a little then investigate the city one more time. "......Hmm?" Gorneo realized his shoulders felt lighter. "Come to think of it, where's Shante?" The second captain was nowhere in sight. She seemed to have jumped off him the moment when they started digging. He asked his team members and no one knew where she had gone off to. "......She couldn't have." He had a bad feeling about this. After ordering the team to continue putting the hill back together, he ran out of the production area using Internal Kei.

[edit] Chapter 5: Dance in midnight

Layfon and his team ate the simple lunch they brought with them, then opened the side door into the Mechanical Department of the city. "The power's cut off," Nina said. The lift wouldn't work no matter how many times they pressed the lift button. "I guess we'll have to get down along the cables. In case anything happened, we'll confirm whether the switch is off or not. Felli stays here as reinforcements." "Roger." They put on their helmets and confirmed that Felli's flakes were working normally. They opened a hole on the bottom of the lift and moved downwards along the cables. Darkness surrounded them, but green vision appeared as Felli supported them with night vision. Feeling the touch of solid ground, Layfon retrieved the steel thread he used in place of a cable. Huge tubes surrounded them, and in between the tubes were crisscrossing corridors meant for human use. It looked exactly the same as Zuellni's Mechanical Department. Or not exactly the same. This city had more tubes than Zuellni. It was a more complicated maze. So dense that Layfon couldn't see through to the central area. He didn't smell any rot. What tickled his nose were the special smell of oil and gel and the weaker smell of metal and chemicals. "The air down here is terrible, and you guys have been working in this kind of place?" Sharnid frowned. "If we had more light, it would feel more spacious here." "But we can't use a flare here. It might catch fire." "Exactly. Felli, anything strange?" "Nothing so far." Nina nodded. "I see. The thing from yesterday night is hiding. This has to be where it is." "Do you believe us, captain?" Layfon said, surprised. Although Felli sensed the creature, Layfon was the one who confirmed it. The 5th platoon didn't seem to believe him. And even Layfon himself lacked the confidence to guarantee what he saw had been true. "Of course. What reason do I have to doubt what you two saw?" "......Yeah, you two aren't the type to lie," Sharnid agreed.

"And I have my suspicions." "Huh?" "Since this city still 'lives', then it shouldn't be strange that that thing exists, right?" "Ah......" Zuellni in its little girl form surfaced in Layfon's mind. "I think what you two encountered was this city's consciousness." "I see......" "We'll decide on what to do once we reach the center of the Mechanical Department. We'll split into two groups. Me and Sharnid, and you move alone. Is that all right?" Layfon nodded. "If you don't find anything, meet back here in one hour. Let's go." Layfon, alone, headed deeper into the maze. "...... Why?" This question hovered in Leerin's mind. It was hard to believe Gahard Baren had appeared here. "What..... did you do?" Derek said. "Is this Kei in your body? I heard that your Kei vein was destroyed......" Yes. Rumor had it that Gahard's Kei vein was destroyed in his match with Layfon, and he had lost his consciousness and fallen into a vegetative state. So why was he here? No Dite armor wrapped around his remaining arm. Gahard was wearing a worn out and thin hospital robe. They could see his stomach through the thin robe. It was once full of muscles, but they had now disappeared through a long period of time spent in the hospital. "You've given up your humanity," Derek said. Gahard's dominating eyes did not belong to a human.

"I don't know how you gave yourself up, but what did you come here for?" "......" Gahard hadn't opened his mouth. It was as if he was eating with his mouth closed, and noise sounded from his stomach. "......Uh." And that noise became louder and louder. "Close your eyes and cover your ears!" Gahard's entire body shook abruptly. "Kaaaaah!!" It drowned out Derek's voice. Glasses and eating utensils shattered around them. Their bodies shuddered, their eyes and ears enduring intense pain. The ground swayed. When the noise stopped, Leerin wondered whether her eardrum had burst. Then...... "Uuh." The moaning of father and the shaking of the ground proved to her that her eardrums were still intact. Leerin opened her eyes and saw Derek kneeling on the ground. "Father!" His clothes were torn, revealing the old yet still firm and strong body underneath. Blood seeped from his back. "Could that be Roar Kei? You shouldn't be able to use the ultimate move of the first Luckens," Deruk said and vomited blood. The Katana he used to support his weight broke under him. This wasn't any normal Katana. It was a restored Katana. The vibration earlier had destroyed its alloy structure, weakening it. "You......What did you do......" Derek toppled. "Father!" Derek showed no response. Blood pooled around him. Leerin's cheeks paled as if Derek's blood had also drained the blood from her face. "Ah, Aah......" she stood up and ran to Derek, completely forgetting Gahard. Losing Layfon and then the father who brought her up from when she was a child had stripped off Leerin's

sense of the present. "Father......" she shook him, his blood staining her hands. "No......That......Please don't leave......" she shook her head like a child, desperately shaking Derek. "Hurry, get up. Father......Everyone......We have to wake everyone," she cried, cried like she was a child. She was always the first to get up, and next was Layfon. They would call everyone after preparing breakfast. Derek was a Military Artist, but he always stayed in bed. It was difficult to wake him up. Yes, he was just asleep like he was in the past. Yes. "Father......" she called. She didn't hear the sound of Gahard above her. Her consciousness was rejecting it. Just when the noise reached its climax...... A beast landed beside her. Thick silver fur swayed. The beast stood in front of Gahard as if to protect Leerin. It had the body of a dog, but it wasn't a dog. Its abnormally long ears stretched backwards under long fur, and the toes at the tip of its limbs had not devolved into those of a dog. It supported its body like a human female caressing her five long fingers. Its lengthy tail wrapped around Leerin. Human-like pupils burned as they glowered at Gahard. Gahard's mouth opened. External type burst Kei, the ultimate move of the Luckens Roar Kei. His mouth opened to destroy the structures of particles. But what came out of that mouth was just the noise of the night. "......Speaking of which, you've also read father's secret book, haven't you?" Hearing that new voice, Gahard turned around. With the small back of his leaning against the broken metal fence, there Savaris stood. "Well, you couldn't have reached this stage if you weren't the way you are......but, isn't it a shame that you didn't realize this while you were still human? Or are you now satisfied because you're finally able to perform that move?" While speaking to Gahard, Savaris observed the fallen Derek. "To have suppressed the vibration of the Roar Kei with the threatening variation of Internal

Kei......Quite some work there. Perhaps I should say, as expected of Layfon's Master? No other person could have achieved this." Meaning Savaris had canceled the second Roar Kei attack. "But because of this, I've gained some valuable experience. Nobody's used this move on anything other than filth monsters, so this is what it's like when it hits a human. It's fortunate that Layfon isn't aware of the consequences of this move." "......Lay......fon............" Savaris smiled at Gahard's first word. "Oh, so you still remember? I was afraid you slept for so long that you had forgotten him. I knew you'd make a move after you woke up, but it's just a little different from my expectations. I didn't think you would be so energized since your body condition was so bad." "Where......is he? Lay......fon......" "Or maybe because you couldn't hang in there, so you managed a rebirth through stubbornness?" "Lay......" "What's torturing you? Your ambition? Dream? Evil means? Or is it everything? Desire? Outrage? I've already told you that age has nothing to do with it. A Heaven's Blade successor is born to be a Heaven's Blade successor. That's how our fates are. This has nothing to do with speed. You should now probably understand the result of your vanity." "Uh, Ah......Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" "Hahaha! Are you angry? Then come. Not Layfon, but I, shall be your opponent. If you win against me, then you can become a true Heaven's Blade successor." Savaris backed away from Gahard's sudden attack, and using that momentum, he leaped over the fence onto the street beyond. "Follow me. I've already prepared the battlefield." Savaris vanished in the next second. As if to follow him, Gahard also disappeared. Leaving Leerin alone to stare at the back of Derek. "Father......The blood, it won't stop......" Tears rolled down her cheeks, her hands and knees stained with blood.

And she looked at the beast. Someone was standing behind it. "......Ah." "It's all right, Lee-chan." "Synola-senpai......Why?" "We can save Derek. Don't shake him anymore. He's got a few broken ribs. It'll be troublesome if they damage any of his internal organs." "Senpai." "You've done your best. Now rest," Synola gestured at the beast and patted Leerin's head. Feeling her consciousness fading, Leerin fell into a slumber. Synola caught her as she fell towards the inert Derek, then she placed her on the back of the beast. "If only sleep could heal his wounds......but it's not that simple." Synola breathed out deeply and lifted her head. "Damn that Savaris. He was deliberately late. It might have been too late if not for Grendan." The beast Grendan leaned its head against Synola's arm. Wind rose around Synola. "Your Majesty......" Three figures knelt before her. "Take Derek to the hospital. I'll bring this child back to the dormitory. Lintence, is the battlefield prepared? You stay over there and keep watch. Just in case." "Yes." Two figures disappeared at her orders. "It's so exaggerated to just eliminate a harmful bug," Synola said and studied the damage around her. "I have to give out funding too, and also an explanation about Derek. The royal family has already forgiven everyone related to Layfon's case......but it's still hard on the child if the public doesn't agree." "Your Majesty......" the remaining person said. A woman with long dark hair who looked like Synola. "......It's about time to return to the palace."

"Yeah" she looked anything but wanting to return. "Your Majesty!" "But there shouldn't be a problem with the governing of this city even if I'm not around. It's like it doesn't......doesn't really need me." "......Please don't be willful. Perhaps there really won't be a problem when Your Majesty's not around, as there's the Parliament and I here to manage it. But this is an issue of responsibility." "If you need a symbol, then all you need is this child here. If it's about the public, then Kanaris, you're enough. Why don't you just become the real Queen?" "Stop joking. I can't command the Heaven's Blade successors. If that happened, we might have a second or a third Layfon." "That child didn't go on a rampage because of that." "Even so, look at Savaris. Doesn't that say there's a need for Your Majesty's pressure to manage them?" "Ha~~ Ah~~ ......Geez." She looked at Leerin as if running away from Kanaris, and sighed. "You're also a Heaven's Blade successor. Aren't you being too serious?" "I'm very tired because of a certain someone," Kanaris said. "Well, that's harsh." "Whatever it is, hurry up, toss away this alias and return," Kanaris frowned and left. "Really......" Synola made a face. "Even if you tell me to return......" She lifted Leerin. "My existence is meaningless if not all twelve Heaven's Blades are here." She suddenly recalled Savaris' words. "A Heaven's Blade is born to be a Heaven's Blade......Then Layfon isn't my Heaven's Blade? Perhaps......" she shook her head, disbelieving the ridiculous thought. "It's useless to consider what has been lost," Synola carried Leerin and left through the hole in the wall with Grendan.

Savaris leaped from the walls and roofs of different buildings to run in the moonlit night. Gahard followed him in much the same way. What exciting scenery. "If you were that good when you were still alive, I'd have taken care of you more," Savaris laughed mockingly and leaped to stand on a place that was higher than the tallest building in Grendan. In mid-air. Gahard similarly landed on air. "You can see it right? Come up," Savaris nodded in contentment. Gahard looked around him. "You're standing on Lintence-san's steel threads. They're as thin as spider threads, but they don't break easily, so don't worry. But if you lose balance, your weight will drag you down and you might be split in half on a steel thread, so your feet must always be filled with Kei. And don't think of escaping. If you do that, Lintence-san will gather all the steel threads and cut you into pieces. Aside from that, we've decided to hold your burial ceremony at the Luckens' family home," Savaris explained with a smile. "I think you understand me, don't you? I'll be happier if you could say my name. Either way, you're my junior in the same Military Arts school. Though I didn't look after you much, you have in turn looked after my brother. It's embarrassing, but I still want you to call me by my name." "......" "Have you recalled my name? What a shame. Looks like you've surrendered totally to the filth monster," Savaris said. He didn't look like he cared. Grendan had a fight with filth monsters about one month ago. A filth monster in its aged phase seized an opening created by the larvae attacking the city and entered the city's inner area. The Heaven's Blade successors had all sensed the invasion and subsequently chased after it, but this filth monster was a strange parasitic type. It could live off a human body by absorbing nutrients from its host. Grendan's psychokinesists had trouble finding its location. And that was when Savaris suggested a plan. After tracking the filth monster several times, they found that the filth monster tended to attack a new host when it was about to exhaust all of the nutrients of its current host. The time when the filth monster transferred to another host was the best timing for a psychokinesist to discover its location, and also, the host would move according to his

original personality, so that would create an opening to eliminate the filth monster. Savaris and a huge number of psychokinesists waited for the next moment when a victim would be attacked, and they prepared for the filth monster a host of their choice. Gahard. Although the filth monster almost escaped, Savaris' preventative measure worked, allowing Gahard to become the filth monster's new host. Affected by its host's hatred, the filth monster also developed hatred for the people associated with Layfon. That was what Derek had sensed. "You're serving the city's defense in your very last moment as a Military Artist. Is that your wish?" Savaris said as he inserted several cards into the armor on his arm. Dites in the form of cards. He had already inserted the cards into the armor on his legs. Savaris never knew whether that was Gahard's wish......Gahard's wish when he was in a vegetative state. He didn't need to know. "Military Artists who can't fight against filth monsters are worse than trash. Shouldn't you thank your senior for kindly preparing this last glorious mission for you?" Gahard howled. Savaris didn't know whether it was Gahard's outrage or the filth monster's howling. He ran on the thin steel thread to close in on Gahard, smiling as he did so. "Let me confront you a little bit seriously......Restoration." Light shot forth from his limbs to cover his entire body. The card Dites expanded into their original weight and form. An exquisite design gathered around the armor above his elbows and on his legs, giving off bright white light that melted into the air of the night. Savaris's Heaven's Blade had been restored to its original form. He lifted his arm and with the sound of the air being torn apart, his arm received Gahard's fist. "Not a bad sudden attack," he said, relaxed, as if he was just taking off his jacket. Gahard kicked out at him. He backed off a step. Gahard's next kick followed, he was performing consecutive kicks on the steel thread. "Hahaha. Not bad!" The air around Gahard spun. On occasions, blades of air assaulted Savaris from a direction different to Gahard's kick. As the number of kicks increased, so did the number of air

blades, but Savaris avoided them all with ease. "Hm, I'm happy. Who would have thought you could execute this move so perfectly? I really want my brother to take a look at this." His smile remained. "I wanted to fight seriously with someone from the same school. That was why I chose you. It's great that you haven't failed my expectations." Gahard continued his attacks in the same pattern as Savaris leaped around. The Heaven's Blade successor received a kick on the armor plate on his arm, which sent him flying. Gahard increased the speed of his next kick. Wrapped in the wind of his spin, it was a decisive attack that simultaneously released Kei along with Gahard's kick. Blades of air shot towards Savaris like rain. Facing the invisible attacks as he kept his flying pose, Savaris breathed in deeply. "AH HA!" And blew out his Kei that completely eliminated the air blades, leaving behind the wind of Gahard's spins. "This is one way of using Roar Kei," Savaris smiled as he landed on a steel thread. "And also, even if you don't execute the entire move, as long as you can bounce back the Kei, then......" The lower part of Savaris' body blurred. Gahard crossed his arms before him reflexively. A sound that felt low and heavy. Then Gahard's body floated. "Don't you know the "Fierce Wind Kei" style? It doesn't matter if we don't use the wind when our basics are grounded in the Luckens' style of Kei. Our moves are powerful as long as we move with the flow. The "Quick Wind" move is made with its flow along with the effect of additional Kei training, and that levels up the power of the move into "Fierce Wind Kei". You didn't do a bad job with it, but I already knew what it'd be like. As expected, it's not as satisfying to fight with a guy from the same school." About to deliver a kick, Savaris lowered his leg. The expression on Gahard's face made Savaris think "How could this be?" A human face emerged from the threatened beast that was Gahard. "Why such despair? Can Gahard's human consciousness still remain? Have you realized the distance between you and a Heaven's Blade successor......On that day, you failed to obtain

the Heaven's Blade title even though you got hold of Layfon's weakness. Have you finally understood that?" "I, I was......I was......" Gahard's lips trembled to weave the words. "Oh? you can still talk normally." "I just......couldn't allow it. That brat......a Heaven's Blade successor on par with the young Master......Became a Heaven's Blade successor at an age younger than the young Master......I couldn't tolerate." A light of humanity shone in his eyes. Had he escaped from the filth monster's control? "I decided......to defeat him. For that brat to become a Heaven's Blade successor......It must have been chance. I couldn't stand him......and......his dirty hands......" "Enough self-defense. How unsightly." Savaris cared nothing for the dying words of a man controlled by a filth monster. "Either way, the fact that you threatened Layfon won't change. You're also responsible for it. As a senior, shouldn't you have participated in the match calmly and pulled him down from his position rather than threatening him before the match?" Savaris' body swayed lightly, and in that second, internal Kei spilled out from his body, making the air vibrate. "You're only at a passing level in terms of keeping the principles of a Military Artist. At least die and leave a good memory for my little brother. No more of your unsightly protests." "Ugh, Ah, Ooh......" Pain showed through Gahard's icy words. The human existence disappeared again in his eyes. The pupils that showed control before changed back to a filth monster's. As if to match that alteration, Gahard's body changed. "Finally realizing that you can't win as a human, huh? But......" Gahard's body expanded. The tattered clothes tore apart, exposing the muscles in bunches. A black body. The expansion stopped after the body was three times its human size. Huge wings appeared on its back and thick scales covered it from head to toe. Fingers were replaced by three long claws. Long and sharp teeth showed through the mouth. A roar rent apart the night sky. Savaris watched coldly as the filth monster declared its presence in Grendan.

"You guys lost to us outside the air purification system. What can you do inside then?" The lazy smile had been wiped off Savaris' face. A sharp expression like that of a blade emerged to stare at the filth monster. The three claws swiped at Savaris. Savaris' body dispersed into the wind. It was an illusion. "Gahard Baren, this is my last mercy to you." That voice sounded from all around the filth monster. Everywhere were Savaris' images. Like an army of Savarises, each Savaris faced the enemy with a different pose. "Die to Luckens' most elegant move." Combined Internal and External Kei Variant Luckens' move Thousand Man Rush. Countless Savaris made their moves. They attacked at point-blank range. The filth monster had no way of resisting. Batter, hit, kick, attack, slash, shoot, destroy, twist, crush. Numerous attacks fell onto the filth monster without ceasing, pounding down that thick outer shell. The filth monster didn't have the time to think as it was assaulted in all directions. Its self-protection function worked automatically underneath the innumerable attacks to make changes to its body. Having lost its outer shell, the black body transformed. In that split second, the rain of fists ceased. It was Gahard's painful face. Voiceless, he looked at Savaris bitterly as if to convey something. "Scum," Savaris said against his junior's begging. His fist landed on Gahard's face and broke through the filth monster's body. "If I had known you'd be scared of this, I wouldn't have used you," he said coldly as the remaining Savarises assaulted the filth monster at the same time, completely tearing it into pieces. "All done......" he laughed, watching fragments of flesh fall through the gaps of and onto the steel threads. "Guess I gotta nail the coffin lid firmly. It'd be terrible if people see what's inside......But is a normal coffin big enough for it?"

He rested his chin on his palm and pondered. "Never mind." And gave up. "I'll just let father handle this." So that was what happened. Lintence watched the dismemberment of the filth monster's body. "It's finished," he confirmed. Everything was fine now. He retrieved the steel threads as if he hadn't seen Savaris still standing on one of the threads. Although Savaris seemed to be grumbling about something as he fell, Lintence didn't bother to listen. Savaris had no right to be a Heaven's Blade successor if he could die from that height. Speaking of which...... What Lintence thought about wasn't the filth monster's corpse, but the fight just then. The move that Savaris used Thousand Man Rush. Layfon stole that move from the Luckens and used it as his own. He didn't just remember parts of it. Even Lintence couldn't understand the structure of a move just by looking at it. "No one is better at understanding the skills of Kei than he." Besides Lintence's skill in steel threads, Layfon had turned almost all of the skills in the Dojos of Grendan into his own. He was able to digest those moves and use them just by observing them. The fact that Layfon could become familiar with those moves in a shockingly short period of time had overwhelmed even Lintence. "Is that guy a seed to transport those skills to the outside of Grendan? ......Was he born with that mission?" He gazed at the city as he thought of the only person whom he acknowledged as his apprentice. Nothing reflected back in the darkness of the night. Layfon headed deeper to the inside of the Mechanical Department illuminated with pale green light. He had spent an entire night at Zuellni's Mechanical Department, but the silence

here gave off a bad feeling. It was even quieter than the buildings after school hours. "Did anything happen?" "Felli......What's wrong? Answer me." Background noise entered Nina's voice. The same happened to Sharnid's voice, as if his voice was coming from a far distance...... Suddenly...... "Huh?" His vision turned black, and the background noises ceased. "Felli, What's happened? Felli!?" Even though he shouted into the transmitter, his voice only vanished into the bitter darkness. Layfon was left alone in the dark.

[edit] Chapter 6: Scarlet pride A bad feeling made him irritated and impatient. "......Uh." Someone was collapsed on the ground, underneath the trees by the entrance of the Mechanical Department. Gorneo went down to check on the person. She was the psychokinesist of the 17th platoon, named Felli, who had unashamedly drawn Layfon into the Military Arts course. He felt her forehead. She had only fainted. "Looks like she hasn't gone overboard." He worried when he saw Shante and this girl arguing. "Geez, she's not that little anymore!" As if a beast was living temporarily in her, sometimes Shante acted in a way unfitting for a Military Artist. This had given Gorneo a headache. Shante was an orphan, a point that made her similar to Layfon. Unfortunately, she had lived for a long time under the care of non-humans. Erupa, an enormous city-like forest, specialized in raising livestock. In its possession were many different kinds of animals, and

Erupa sold information to other cities on the best breeds of animals it had. Among this colossal number of animals in the city, some of them had escaped the eyes of the management and lived in hiding in the deeper parts of the forest. Although no one knew whether Shante's biological mother abandoned her in the forest, but when the Wild Animal Investigation Unit found Shante, the young girl was already hunting alongside her "other" mother, a beast. Her ability in Kei had allowed her to live together with these animals that hunted for food. The Military Artists in the Investigation Unit took Shante away from the forest, gave her a name, and educated her together with other humans. Yet, for someone who had been living with wild animals, she was lacking some decisive factor that would allow her to naturally fit in the human world. In the end, she was delivered to Zuellni like someone unwanted. Gorneo knew what the lacking factor was. Shante had been raised by wild animals. The concept of trading labor for food was nonexistent for her. In the five years since Gorneo had entered school, he had been looking after her. Only recently did he manage to turn her way of thinking back onto the right track, but that was only thanks to Shante's hunting instinct and her place in the platoon. Wild animals hunted in packs. A platoon was similar to a pack for her, keeping her entrenched in the way of animals. "Damn. It was my mistake to tell her about Layfon." He laid Felli down neatly and entered the Mechanical Department, jumping in through the hole in the floor of the lift. It wasn't easy to climb down the cable, but that was probably the same for Shante. Because of Gorneo, Shante had marked Layfon as the enemy. Although Gorneo had explained to her about Layfon's past, she still had been waiting for a chance to hunt down the enemy. The narrow space inside the Mechanical Department, a place where movements were made difficult, was the best hunting ground for her. She thought she could definitely defeat Layfon here. "Damn." What a naive way of thinking. Raised by wild animals, Shante's patterns of thought and action were different from other Military Artists, making her unpredictable. Gorneo taught her variations in Kei because it suited her, and she had proven her suitability, but...... "She can't defeat him at her level." He knew the level of a Heaven's Blade successor. He understood it more than anyone else, because since birth, he had been around the person who later became a Heaven's Blade successor. "Does she want to die?"

He prayed as he descended through the darkness. Layfon couldn't see anything after taking off the helmet, but he couldn't have seen anything with it since Felli's reinforcement was gone. "What's happened to Felli? I have to go back." He could find his way back even without his vision. He had already memorized the route he took, and it wouldn't be a problem if he were to check his route with the steel threads. Still, there was no guarantee that he would return to where Felli was. "Damn." Here was exposed the weakness of a small platoon. If they had seven people, one or two could have stayed back to guard Felli...... Now he felt the importance of the phrase "Only because of too few brilliant students". "Either way, I must hurry......" No point in regretting the past. He let Kei run through his body to increase the pace of his movements. Darkness hindered him. He couldn't see anything at all. Nina and Sharnid probably couldn't even move to another location under these circumstances. (If they're attacked by filth monsters......) What would happen? Was Felli trying to say that she had discovered a filth monster? A chill crept up his spine. He could handle a filth monster in the darkness, somehow, but not Nina and Sharnid. Impatience sped him up, but who knew what would happen if he moved too fast in neglect? Fighting against impatience, he backtracked. And he suddenly stopped. (Murderous intent......) A gaze sharp as a needle pricked him from his right. A murderous intent. As if it had marked its prey. A long time ago, a kid living near Layfon's orphanage brought along his nasty dog to scare the orphans. And now, an instinct that was crueler and more bestial than that dog had marked him. (From yesterday? No......) The goat from yesterday didn't have a murderous intention. Only its presence had strained Layfon. "They aren't......the same?"

He turned the steel threads into the form of a sword. If he moved carelessly, he'd die. (Can it see me?) It probably could, given how its murderous intent had marked out Layfon with uncanny accuracy in total darkness. (To be able to see in darkness, a psychokinesist? But......) If that were the case, it wouldn't be strange for the air to vibrate in the wake of the flakes' light movements. (Anyway, since I can't see......I'm at a disadvantage.) He failed to even see his sword. Layfon waited silently for the other party to make the first move. Anxiety could cause confusion, but that was just a waste of time. Right now, he was worried about Felli, but he had no choice but to eliminate the obstacle before him. The other party was also waiting for him to move. Either way, he must not let the enemy find out how he would react. His opponent had not moved an inch. Layfon could distract the enemy's concentration by releasing external Kei, but he would risk combusting the liquid-formed selenium in the corridors. This was pure selenium mined only once a year to provide for the entire city's electricity. If it exploded, the entire city might be blown apart. Layfon didn't think there was enough selenium here to achieve that level of destruction, but if an explosion occurred, the entire Mechanical Department would be plunged into a sea of flame. Layfon would die, and so would Nina and Sharnid. (If he's targeted me and chosen this place especially for our battlefield, then he's done well.) A calm analysis worked somewhere deep in his mind, as Layfon waited for the other party to move. (Speaking of which......) If it wasn't that goat......He tried to figure out his enemy's identity via the method of elimination. He found it surprising that there was another unknown existence here besides the goat. It moved. From where it remained hidden......No. It came from a tube Layfon couldn't see and using that tube as a foothold, it changed directions. Layfon's sword reached out in the direction of the murderous intention. The Sapphire Dite took an attack. Sparks flew off from contact.

Layfon confirmed the opponent's face in that split second. "In here!!" he called out, as red hair disappeared along with the fading light. "Gorneo's enemy is my enemy," Shante's voice echoed in the dark. "It's against school rules to bring a problem from other cities into the Academy city." "This is outside Zuellni! Stupid, stupid." "Whoa......" Layfon felt debilitated, facing such a childish rebuttal. Shante had not stopped her attacks. She jumped through the spaces in between the corridors. Layfon couldn't predict the direction of her attacks. (A Kei user that employs variation techniques. Has that made changes to her eyes too?) Gorneo must have taught her the Luckens skills, but Layfon knew there wasn't such a physical strengthening skill in the Luckens family. (Is this her special ability? Or is it the Kei technique special to the city she was born in?) No matter. He had no way of analyzing this technique in the dark, and being unable to analyze it meant he could not steal it. (This really isn't good. How laughable.) He blocked all of her attacks, and Layfon couldn't help but laugh inside. (But......) He didn't have the time to play with her. "......Can I confirm something with you?" he asked. "What?" Shante's movement stopped. Her voice sounded perplexed. "Felli's psychokinesis has stopped. Is it because of you?" "Yes," she confessed immediately. "You can't see anything in the dark, can you? Then that girl was my only interference." "......Did you kill her?" As those words came out of Layfon's mouth, his heart had gone completely numb, as if it was plunged into ice. The Kei inside his body surged in its amount, and a sound as of teeth grinding sounded from deep in his heart. "I don't really like her, but only you are Gorneo's enemy."

"......I see." Meaning she hadn't done Felli any harm. The ice around Layfon's heart melted, and the grinding sound slowed. Relieved, Layfon slowly pointed his sword in the direction of Shante. This gave her a huge shock. She had already increased the complexity of her moves. How could this guy have located her just by the sound of her movements in the wind? "In that case, I'll play with you until you're satisfied." "Don't get ahead of yourself!" Shante lunged straight at him with the red spear. Layfon flicked the spearhead away with his sword and changed its direction. "Damn you!" Shante adjusted her position and performed several consecutive thrusts. Layfon blocked every single thrust, backing off one step at a time. Red light exploded on the tip of the spear. This was a variation of Kei, if Layfon took it with his sword, he might get burnt. "This is madness. If you cause a fire here, we'll all die." "As if I care about what you say!" she shouted, continued to rain down her attacks on him. If that spear stabbed into one of the tubes......Putting as little Kei as possible on the tip of his sword, Layfon shook away her assaults. "Damn!" Shante kept on stabbing, knowing her attacks weren't effective. Layfon continued to back off, but he didn't just step anywhere, he was cautiously weighing his position before taking a step back. He hadn't lost his balance in the dark, but he was gradually losing his sense of location in the maze. "Shante! Stop!" A voice intruded. "Gorneo." "Stop. This isn't what I wanted!" Shante's attacks stopped and Layfon pulled back his sword. Through a Kei variation technique, fire appeared on Gorneo's palm, reflecting Shante's sweaty face.

"Isn't this guy an enemy? Didn't he wound Gorneo's important senior so he can't move anymore? Then why? Why can't I kill him?" A painful expression crossed Gorneo's face. "I don't want to kill him. This guy is a wall to me. I must overcome it. Only then can Gahard-san......" "I don't get it! Don't get it. Don't get it. Don't get it! Kill the enemies. Eliminate any interference! I hate the Gorneo who doesn't smile. Move aside!" Red light suffused her spear. "No!" Gorneo called. Feeling something strange, Layfon lifted his sword. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!' She threw the spear at Layfon. Kei turned flame enveloped the entire spear. If he avoided it, it would penetrate the tube behind him and set the selenium on fire...... (Strike it and turn it upward, then catch it!) He made a decision in that swift moment. The spear contacted with the blade and was bounced upward. As expected, the weapon's direction was changed. And...... Shante leaped up. Predicting Layfon's move, she had jumped onto the tube above to grab hold of the spear and thrust down with it. Catching the spear like that had also hurt her physically. At a loss of what to do, his body reacted reflexively and leaped aside. "No......" The spearhead pointed straight at the tube that Layfon was previously protecting. Shocked, he turned around and caught the smile on Shante's face. Inside the tube came the sound of something expanding. It seemed the selenium left in it was burning. Shante had planned to die along with Layfon...... In that split second, the fire spraying out from the crack of the tube surrounded her small body. "Shante!" Gorneo rushed to her side, pulled her out and held her, attempting to protect her with his body.

Layfon also moved. Without holding back, he sent Gorneo flying with a kick. The feeling of Gorneo's ribs cracking ran up Layfon's foot. He took a deep breath. Scarlet flame closed in on Layfon along with the rumble of the explosion. (I hope this works!) And he released the air inside him, praying. "Ah Ha!" External type burst Kei Roar Kei. A Luckens move. Although Savaris thought Layfon had not yet stolen this move, in reality, he had already analyzed all its details. Vibration strong enough to destroy the structure of particles shot out of Layfon's mouth, and it shattered the flame along with the tube and a lot more.... Several tubes and corridors were also destroyed.... As well as the outer wall of the Mechanical Department. The scenery of the city lay before Layfon. The sky assaulted his eyes, vision that he hadn't used for some time. Fresh air rushed in as the fierce and wild flame rushed out. The rumble of the explosion shook his eardrums. "Ah!" Heavy pressure struck his entire body. Because this was his first time using the Luckens' move, he hadn't managed to properly handle the remnants of the Roar Kei. The wind swept him into the air. But the changes caused by the explosion didn't stop here. The city was already weakened by the attack of the filth monsters. It had little strength to cushion the impact of the explosion. The sound of things collapsing, as of an earthquake occurring, moved the city. Nina frowned at the shaky ground and the rumbling noise. "What's going on?" "How should I know?" Sharnid also frowned. The shaking intensified, so much so that it was hard for Sharnid to keep his balance.

"We can't move like this." They couldn't see anything without Felli's support. In this situation, all they could do was hold on and try to remain standing. The ground buckled wildly underneath them. Nina felt the sweat on her body. Tension caused her blood pressure to rise, but the real reason behind the sweat was because of the rising temperature around her. "Did something just explode?" she said. "More filth monsters?" "......If that's the case, then we've no hope left." Nina's serious expression cut his joke short. She reached for her Dites to confirm they were still there. "......Sorry, I fainted," Felli's weak voice sounded in Nina's ears. "Felli, are you all right?" "Yeah, seems I was hit by someone, but I'm not hurt." Nina and Sharnid put their helmets on. With Felli's revived psychokinesis, everything was illuminated once more. Nothing had changed much around the two. "What just happened?" Nina asked. "It seems there was an explosion inside the Mechanical Department." "What?" "The selenium in the tubes was ignited. Please don't touch the walls of your corridor. The temperature inside is extremely high." "So that's why it's so hot here......" Sharnid said and moved away from the wall. "The outer wall of the Mechanical Department has collapsed and the fire has dispersed outside so it's all right, but the pollutants are flowing back in, so please hurry and leave." "Roger. Is Layfon ok?" "......" "Hello?" "Nothing from Layfon. It seems the flake was damaged in the explosion. I'm now searching for the original location of the explosion."

"Then...... Then...." I must save him...... Though that was what Nina wanted to say. "The rising temperature in the tubes might cause a bigger explosion later. Please evacuate." "To search for Layfon is our priority!" "I'm looking for him and I won't have time to support you. If you're just standing around getting in the way, then move back." In Felli's voice was not anxiety, but cool chill. Still, Nina sensed dismay from her. "I understand. We'll evacuate." Felli didn't reply. The shaking of the ground had stabilized a bit, but it still shook occasionally. Backtracking their trail, Nina and Sharnid safely reached the lift. All they needed now was to toss up the rope and switch on the machine to pull them up. "Felli, you can cut it." The vision on their helmets was cut off instantly, plunging the two back into darkness. The sounds of the rope being reeled in and the vibration underneath them enveloped the two. "That guy, please be ok," Sharnid said. "Are you worried?" he asked, but Nina hadn't reply. "Oi, I've thought of this before. That guy sticks in your mind, doesn't he? I don't think you need to hide that. Felli-chan might steal that guy over in this situation. Calm is what's needed right now, but it's all right to get a bit confused. Just look at Felli. As if she doesn't care, but she tries her best for that guy's sake. We know it, but we aren't embarrassed by her actions." Nina still hadn't replied. "Nina?" The light from the entrance spilled in to illuminate his surroundings. As for the gola gola sound of the machine......It was the sound of two machines working. "......Ah, am I a moron?" Nina was gone.

He had only fainted for a brief moment. Only the places that were hit felt somewhat strange, and he still couldn't move for now. He ran his Kei through his body and was satisfied to find the flow of Kei normal. "Right......" He attempted to sit up, but still felt some pain in his chest. The clothes on his front were torn with blood seeping through. That must have happened during the explosion. The temperature all around him was high, which caused him to sweat constantly. His face hurt in the dryness. "Right, what should I do next?" he looked around, and felt a bit dizzy. He was in a random space created inside the rubble of the collapsed ceiling, tubes and corridors. It was just high enough for him to stand in it. He wanted to contact Felli, but the flake and his helmet were not anywhere near him. They might have been destroyed in the explosion. He was still holding the Sapphire Dite. It was possible to open a hole in the debris then rush out before the rubble fell, and he could exit through the hole opened in the outer wall during the explosion, and return to the surface......Except he had lost his sense of direction when he fainted. If he rushed out now and got the direction wrong, things might turn ugly. "Gorneo Luckens! Are you still alive?" he shouted. "......Still alive?" a voice filled with annoyance came from the other side of the rubble. The wall of a corridor was in between the two of them. "I seem ok." "Ah, still alive." The voice sounded like an echo. "Have you got broken bones?" Layfon recalled kicking Gorneo back to help him escape the explosion, and he didn't hold back in that kick. "Yeah, I was struck by flying rubble." "Sorry." "Don't worry......Either way, that was to save me, wasn't it?" "......"

He really didn't know what to say with this kind of a result. "Speaking of which, I don't understand why you saved us." "......" "If we died, no one at Zuellni would know of your deeds in Grendan. Without someone born in Grendan, the Student President would have kept silent, and your comrades too." "Perhaps," Layfon nodded. "Then why? You killed Gahard-san. Why didn't you kill us too?" "......" "Have you forgotten Gahard Baren?" came the sharp reproof. Murderous intent and hostility filled the face looking at Layfon from between the crack in the corridor. "Don't tell me you've forgotten......" "How could I have forgotten." "I can't forget......and I don't want to forget, but I don't force myself to remember." "......What?" "......That's what he means to me. That's all," Layfon said, knowing this reply would antagonize Gorneo, but that was all he had to say. He thought it would have been great if he had managed to kill off that guy in the match, but if he did kill Gahard, he'd have broken the biggest principle of Military Artists and might have suffered even more severe punishment. Either way, the result......If he did kill off Gahard, he was only delaying the problem. "Dam you......" "Is Gahard Baren dead?" "What!" Gorneo swallowed a breath. It wasn't a murderous intention. Judging from his anger, Gahard might still be alive......or perhaps, Gorneo didn't really know. Anyway, when Layfon left Grendan, he hadn't heard of anything about Gahard waking from his unconscious state. A Military Artist whose Kei vein was destroyed had no chance of living. This action that led directly to another's death had always been a heavy burden to Layfon. But. "It's time to let go of him," he said. No matter when it was, his past would surprisingly become his own stumbling block. It wasn't possible for him to trace back to every single

cause. This had become his unavoidable reality. In that case, he had to go around it. Go around that stumbling block. Since he couldn't eliminate the sin of killing Gahard, then he'd have to live with it. In Grendan was Leerin, who always thought of and took care of him. In here, Nina, Felli, Sharnid and Harley......All of the members of the 17th platoon accepted him. In order to not let down the people who accepted him, he must not allow his past to shackle him. "If I killed you two, I'd have more enemies." For example, there was Shante, who viewed Gorneo's enemy as her own. Other Military Artists in Grendan who had connections with the Luckens might also look at Layfon as an enemy. Whether it be the 5th platoon or friends of Gorneo at Zuellni, it was possible they'd all turn hostile towards Layfon. This would then become a nasty cycle. Nothing would have been gained. "So I didn't kill you." "Hmph, even you know how to say wise words." "......but, I don't know what I'd have done if Felli was hurt." "......" "I'm narrow-minded. Same as when I was in Grendan, and same now......Frankly, anyone besides my comrades doesn't matter to me. The thing a Heaven's Blade successor must adhere to can't be compared with protecting comrades. I suppose this is my weakness as a human." To the extent that this intense way of thinking sometimes went on a rampage. That was what happened in the match in Grendan and his fight with the filth monster in its matured phase. Nina and Felli's words suppressed his way of thinking. "I won't make the same mistake here for the sake of these people. As long as they're here......They're the reason why I didn't kill you." "......Then, what about my feeling?" Gorneo said. "What about my anger? Despite what I said to Shante, I truly want to kill you. As a Military Artist......It doesn't matter to me what your deeds were in Grendan." Layfon remained silent as Gorneo poured out his heart. "Gahard-san is like my true older brother. Savaris Nii-san is a faraway existence to me. He doesn't even feel like family, so far away. He's the only Heaven's Blade successor in the family since the first generation. We're totally different. Everyone sees only him......and only

Gahard-san noticed me. Am I wrong to want to kill you for taking all these away from me?" "......You're not wrong. I won't tell you to give up your hatred. What I want to say is 'Do what you want.' You're free to view my past the way you want. I can't stop you." "......It seems you're the one who's right." There was pain in Gorneo's voice. "But what's right doesn't always work. You should know this too," Layfon said. In that trembling voice was anger. "I'll, I'll......" As if he was trying to stop himself from saying more. "Ah, Aah......AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" It was neither Layfon nor Gorneo. "Shante!" Gorneo shouted, moving away from Layfon's position. "What is it?" "......It seems your protection was a bit late," Gorneo replied. Shante must have been burnt in the explosion, but this keening was something else...... A more intense pain assaulted Layfon's chest as he thought back to the time of the explosion. His chest felt as if it was being eaten by flames. And he recalled it. "Could this be......" He rubbed off the blood on his chest to confirm his suspicion. The area around the wound was turning black. "......Pollutants." (Has the air purification system stopped working?) So the pain on his face was also because of the pollutants, and he had thought it was the high temperature that was causing it. The pollutants were trapped in the small space between the rubble. Layfon stripped off his protective suit, leaving only the fighting clothes underneath, and stuffed the protective suit through the crack to Gorneo. Entirely exposed to the polluted air, pain ran through his entire body. "Wrap her in this. That'll hold for a while."

"Do you think I'll accept your pity?" "You should know what a dead person's like. Treasure the comrade before you," Layfon said and pulled back his arm. (Well......There's no time to drag my feet.) He breathed in deeply, tightened his grip on the blade and let Kei run through his body. He had no intentions of dying yet. The blade changed into its steel thread mode. He spread out the threads through the rubbles and searched for the location of the hole in the outer wall. "Fon Fon......" "Felli, are you all right?" "Don't you think that should be my line?" Felli said sarcastically. Layfon had no answer for her. "Just what were you doing?" "If you ask what I'm......" "Why did you save them?" "......Do you have to make me mad? If anything happened to you, I'd never have forgiven them." "......Perhaps, I was too careless." But......Layfon considered Shante. She had targeted him because of Gorneo. Nina said this yesterday night after that discussion. "Yeah, Layfon. I've thought of it too. Military Artists might not be human. When Military Artists become more powerful, they might be just as you said, flesh with Kei that can only live with humans. But for us Military Artists to live normally as if we're one of them, to live with them without deliberately thinking of it, could this just be our instinctive reaction? Isn't it normal to not understand the other person, whether it be a Military Artist or a normal human? We're all the same here. We all hope to find someone who can understand us. Aren't we living in this world because of that someone? Because of those people? And for us to think of this, isn't that proof that we're human? Although our body structures are different, our ways of thinking are the same. Isn't it good that I can understand your crime? And then it's your turn to understand me. If you can connect with others like this, then you'll be ok." His silence was interpreted as acceptance.

Layfon released all his Kei. In this narrow space, he couldn't even extent his sword fully. It'd be all right if he could use Roar Kei, but he decided not to since the result of the previous move demonstrated his unfamiliarity with it. This meant his only option was to rely on his trusty sword technique. He waited for his body to adjust to its current best condition, then he raised the point of his sword. He poured Kei into the blade. More, and more. The blade trembled with "chin, chin" noise. He gathered the destructive force of External Kei around his blade, an amount of Kei greater than the amount he used when cutting through the scales of a filth monster. "It's time......" He'd slightly reduce the pressure binding the Kei together. He'd then release that Kei against the rubble around him and collapse the space he was in, leaving him with no place to retreat to. He turned around to face Gorneo's direction. He lifted the sword high and swung down. External burst type Kei Sendan. The released Kei shot out in a curve, cutting through the obstacles before him to reveal Gorneo, who was holding Shante in his arms. "Now!" Internal type Kei Whirl Kei. Half spinning, he leapt out of the rubble and past the outer wall. His arm moved to steady his body. "Ah!" The outside air was filled with much more pollutants than the tiny spaces in the rubble. Layfon's skin burnt and his eyeballs hurt as if dipped in flames. But he needn't open his eyes yet. He had extended his steel threads, one bunch to wrap around Gorneo when Gorneo leaped out, and another bunch to anchor them in the ground. But...... They were falling and their momentum was too much for them to stop. (No.) Layfon should have no trouble escaping, but Gorneo might get torn in half by the steel threads. Gorneo had already used up all of his strength to leap clear of the rubble. He had nothing left to stop his descent, and Layfon was having trouble controlling his movement

because of the pollutants eating at him. At this rate...... As if to deny Layfon's thoughts, a part of the city's multi-legs appeared in Gorneo's falling direction. "Turn around! Step over there!" Layfon shouted, but he didn't see Gorneo move. (Has he fainted?) Maybe. Gorneo did protect Shante in the explosion, and he had also received Layfon's hard kick. (Oh no.) Layfon couldn't stop their descent in midair. Despair filled him. A figure suddenly flew out from the hole that Layfon made, dispersing the dust and smoke. "Huh?" The figure flashed over Gorneo to stand perpendicularly on the city's leg. The impact of its landing banished the smoke around it to reveal golden hair. "Captain?" Nina smiled sourly as she received Gorneo and Shante to halt their downward rush. She had used up all of the strength in her knees to execute that feat. Layfon used the steel threads to wrap around the three of them, pulled them up and tossed them to the ground. A moment later, Layfon also returned to the ground. He wasn't seeing things. It was Nina. She was sitting, weakened, next to the unconscious Gorneo and Shante. "Guess we're all ok," she smiled, traces of tears on her reddened face. "Please......Don't do anything that reckless again," Layfon said and sat down heavily. The air purification system on the ground level was still working. The pain in his body gradually faded. The wound didn't look to be healing, but at least it didn't seem to have opened up. "Do you understand my feelings?" Nina said. "Huh?"

"Do you understand how I feel when you're doing such dangerous things? I must have felt the same the last time too. Definitely." "Ha, haha......" Spacing out for a little while, Layfon chuckled. For whatever reason. He didn't know, and when he realized his actions, he was laughing loudly. "What's so funny? Geez......" Nina said, and she also smiled. So the two continued to laugh. When Felli and Sharnid arrived, they had exhausted their strength from laughing too much and from sustaining the pain caused by the pollutants.

[edit] Epilogue When she opened her eyes, something felt strange. It was the ceiling of her room that she was used to seeing. Every room had the same wallpaper, but the stains on them couldn't be the same. The feeling of the blankets, the atmosphere around her. Yes, this was Leerin's room. But why was she here? That was the source of her unease. And...... "......Ah" "......What're you doing?" Something was covering her. For some reason, Leerin was wearing her pajamas, and Synola was trying to unbutton them. "Ah......Well, it isn't comfortable to sleep with a bra, is it?" "That's useless consideration." "Lee-chan's breasts are normal, but there isn't a need to wear this, right? Don't you feel uncomfortable?" "I said......this is useless consideration," Leerin sat up. There were only four buttons for these big pajamas, and Leerin's face heated up as two buttons were already unbuttoned to reveal her bra.

"Really......" she said, calming down after buttoning up her pajamas. (Why am I here?) She remembered. She went to father's place yesterday and was attacked by Gahard. But......Everything was messed up in her memory, except she did recall seeing Synola there. "Senpai......My father......is he?" She was afraid of confirming the worst situation from Synola's lips. "He's ok," Synola smiled. "Lee-chan's father is in the hospital. It's ok. It'll take some time, but he'll heal." "......What a relief." Losing strength, she lay back down on the bed. Her eyes burnt from relief. Her words didn't come out properly. Her throat shook as if it had cramps, and Leerin cried with her face in her hands. She thought she had lost him. She thought that, once again, she had lost an important person to her. Synola hugged her, and like that, Leerin fell back into sleep. Synola placed Leerin back on the bed once again and left the room. "......Was it wrong to exile that child?" Leerin didn't hear that at all. "But there wasn't any other way. I'm sorry." Listening to Leerin's breathing, Synola closed the door, praying she'd once again meet Leerin on the next weekend.

Two cities existed under the same sky. Zuellni and the unknown, ruined city. The ruined city was completely destroyed from the explosion. It sat beside Zuellni like a shadow. Golden light appeared on the edge of the ruined city. It hovered in the sky, caressing the darkness. Another form appeared in that light, a young girl, naked, with hair longer than she

was tall. The city's consciousness. The name was the same as the city's. No, that was originally the girl's name. This wasn't strange at all. Zuellni was here. Used to flying around in the Mechanical Department, Zuellni had now flown outside the city. She watched the sky with wide eyes. A new flash of light appeared below her, and she lowered her gaze to see a golden goat. Sadness spread across Zuellni's face. The goat shook its head quietly. What were they talking about......No humans could hear. And after that short encounter, the goat disappeared. Zuellni flew in a few circles, then headed back to the Mechanical Department, leaving behind the usual night of an Academy city. Prologue As the signal sounded, the still air vibrated as of an explosion hitting the air. Sharnid rushed out like rapids of a river, moving swiftly but cautiously. The gun in his hand made no sound. If he didn't make noise, then no one else would find out his location......That was Sharnid's current mission. He carried it out loyally. There was meaning in being true to a mission. The members of the other platoon were constantly on the lookout for Sharnid, especially the psychokinesist, who had sent out his flakes to fly back and forth in the field. Sharnid kept moving forward as he evaded detection. The tension inside him felt like something hard in his stomach, bursting to escape. The anxiety that he was suppressing ran through his entire nerves. If he made a noise here......This unnecessary thought bounced off every corner of his mind. Ignoring this thought for the future, he concentrated on the mission and smoothly arrived at his position. He maintained his cover, hiding from the opposing platoon's members and psychokinesist as he quietly increased the flow of his Kei to strengthen his vision. He could have located his enemies through the psychokinesist on his team, but his own intuition and feelings were the most reliable when accidents occurred. Relying on a psychokinesist meant making time for redundant communication, slowing everything down. Speed was extremely important in a fight between Military Artists. One must eliminate what could be eliminated.

In a split second, Sharnid poured Kei into his bullet, as if the Kei had been solidified. Inside the bullet compartments were anesthetic bullets. One of the bullets was covered with Kei. Once the trigger was pressed, the Kei covering that red bullet would transform it'd become flame-like, expand, explode into flames, and the Kei bullet would shoot forth. Sharnid would feel all that in one swift moment. Now all he was doing was waiting for that moment to come, as the fight in the middle of the field began. He saw the golden flowing hair that was his comrade - Dalshena Che Matelna. She wielded a huge gun as she moved, moved like a wild river, like an arrow leaving its bow. A golden river roaring wild. That was all Sharnid could compare her with as he watched her curly hair draw numerous whirls about her. She ran forward, leading her teammates and drowning her enemies along the way. Sharnid and one other person existed to keep that river overflowing Dinn. Sharnid's mission was to cut through the obstacles attempting to stop the flow of that current, Dalshena, and Dinn's goal was to extend the path that Sharnid made. He pulled the trigger. Having confirmed the psychokinesist's information with his own eyes, Sharnid fired the Kei bullet at the enemies that were suddenly cutting in to attack Dalshena. One of the three enemies fell. Dinn finished off the other two. He was as close to them as if he were their shadow. After covering for Dalshena, Sharnid stood up to change his position. The psychokinesist in his team informed him of approaching enemies. Even without that information, Sharnid would have to move since he had exposed his position. This already had reduced his chance of making a hit next. Before he changed position, he glanced at Dalshena, who was dashing forward. She'd enter a fight with the defending members of the enemy team soon. That was when she could demonstrate her true potential. Sharnid must not slack off before she reached her destination. His mission was to lead her to the place where her potential could shine. He must move swiftly. Sharnid watched her back. (We must win today.) Following her gaze to the enemy's flag, Sharnid quickly moved, propelled by a natural feeling to hurry up. It had been one year since then.

[edit] Chapter 1: Her idea "There's no way I'll do it, got that?" Naruki pulled him up while Layfon was taking a nap on the library lawn in the morning. Students were in holiday mode while Zuellni mined selenium. The Student President said the mining would take one week to finish at its earliest. Mechanical students dug up the selenium using heavy machines. Volunteers and students from other areas undertook supporting roles, resulting in a lack of senior year teachers, so the academy had temporarily closed. Layfon had just returned from his shift at the Mechanical Department and was planning to nap a little on the library lawn before the library opened. Yesterday, Meishen and her friends had suggested a schedule for him during Zuellni's break. He had wanted to return to the dormitory and sleep, then change clothes and come over, but......that seemed too troublesome, so he had laid down on the lawn with his backpack as his pillow. When he came to, Naruki already had him in her grip and was pulling him up. "Eh? Eh?" he looked around, not sure what was happening. Why was Naruki so angry? Meishen and Mifi stood behind her with confused expressions. It seemed even they didn't know the reason behind Naruki's actions. "Um......What's wrong?" "It was Layton, right? What you said to the captain." "Ha?" This was getting more confusing. "I don't know what you said......But I don't agree with it." "......I'm sorry. I don't understand what you're saying." "......Wasn't it Layton?" she let go of his collar. "Just what is it?" The usually calm Naruki was worked up about something. "The captain. Your captain came to me yesterday night at the office." "......Ah, Aah.' "So it really was you!?"

"No, I didn't say anything. No. Maybe I did say......ah, wait, wait. I said it because the captain wanted my advice. She noticed you before that," Layfon said hastily and prevented Naruki from grabbing his collar again. "Why?" "How should I know?" Naruki groaned with an "urg." Layfon finally felt fully awake. "Uh......I've no idea what just happened," Mifi raised her hand. "What's going on?" Meishen asked. "......I was scouted by Layton's captain," Naruki replied bitterly. "......Eh!" the two girls said, shocked. To put it simply, Nina had finally taken action. It looked like she was planning to add a new team member before the 17th platoon's camp. The team was in a crisis in the last investigation mission due to a lack of members. Nina had already said earlier that she was searching for more members. Layfon didn't know which part of Naruki had attracted Nina's attention, but since Nina had asked him about her, she'd probably talk it over with Naruki herself in the future. "This is troublesome," Naruki said as she read the newspaper in the library's study room. "I don't plan to become a platoon member." "Yeah, I think so too, but......" Nina probably won't give up. The weakness of the 17th platoon was glaringly obvious. It only had just enough members to become a platoon. The maximum number of fighting members was seven, the minimum four. They could manage if the team was on the offensive in a match. As long as the captain, Nina, remained standing, then the team wouldn't have lost. Layfon and Sharnid just needed to do better when the enemies were focusing on Nina. But when the team was on the defensive, the difference in numbers became critical. One person would have to stay back to guard the flag, leaving only three people to move freely. It'd be good for the team if their number increased by even just one person. However, students who were good enough to become platoon members had already been netted by other platoons. Even if there were some left, no senior students were willing to join a team made up of juniors. Hence, Nina had changed her targets to year 1 and 2 students. And Naruki was chosen......

"I'm already with the City Police. I'm sorry, Layton, but I don't have time to serve in a platoon too." "Yeah I know." There must be a way to resolve this......But things weren't that simple. Either way, Nina was the type to put her thoughts in action. Her enthusiasm was amazing. It seemed impossible to stop her once she'd made a decision. "What's so bad about it? Join," Mifi said, already tired of this topic. "Don't say that as if this has nothing to do with you." "Huh Why? Layton's joined a platoon and he works at the Mechanical Department. Isn't that captain also working like Layton? I don't think you can't do it." "It would be OK if this were just about whether I could do it or not, but I don't want to do things halfheartedly. I'm not as competent as Layton, and I don't have that kind of strength." Layfon smiled bitterly at that comparison. Though he didn't think he was that competent, he couldn't deny his true strength. Possessing excelling skills in Military Arts, he was given the title Heaven's Blade successor back at Grendan. Now that he had given up on Military Arts in Zuellni, yet still entered the Military Arts course, he could only respond to Naruki's comparison with a "never mind." He hadn't given up on finding a path besides Military Arts. Zuellni's situation had forced him to delay his search. That was all. "No matter what, Layton, please convey my intentions to your captain." "......I'll try," he said, suppressing his thoughts. In the end, this conversation distracted him from concentrating on the next period. After eating Meishen's lunch, they chatted about trivial matters. The four of them parted ways when it was time to leave. Layfon said bye to the three girls and headed for the training complex. The temperature wasn't as cold at night anymore. During the day, Layfon would sweat a bit in his uniform. It seemed the city had entered someplace hot. Zuellni had stopped for the Selenium mine. The temperature might get even higher when the city resumed its journey. Layfon lifted his head to look at the sun, then entered the training complex. The complex was originally very spacious. It was now divided into numerous rooms. These rooms were built with soundproof materials that nevertheless shook with the impact of training. Layfon entered the training room for the 17th platoon. The other training rooms were noisy as if a war were going on, but in here, it was very quiet.

Very peaceful. "Morning." The sound of doh, doh, doh rebounded in the room. It was natural for Nina to get here even earlier than Layfon. She was hitting numerous hard spheres off the wall with her iron whips. "Morning," Nina replied as she hit back all the balls that rebounded from the wall. "I saw Naruki." "......Ah," she replied, distracted. A ball crashed on the wall behind her. The ball was hit with the Kei of a Military Artist. It didn't slow down, but rebounded off the wall to attack Nina. Nina avoided it and once again struck it with her iron whip. "I got blamed," Layfon said as he restored his Dite. The green blade shone under the light. He checked his body condition by letting the internal Kei run through his body. Nina struck the balls at Layfon. All of them. Layfon hit them all back with his sword. "I didn't think she'd hate it to that level," she said in surprise, as she hit back the balls. They struck the balls at each other while continuing the conversation. "Why did you have to meet her at the office?" "I said before that I noticed her, right? Besides, the limit's almost here." "Limit?" "The Military Arts Competition......the fight between cities. We still haven't received notices?" "Oh, I see." Although the Academy City Alliance set down and managed the rules for the fights between Academy Cities, humans didn't get to decide on when a Competition was to be held. The City's consciousness made that decision. Until the day of the fight, no one was able to predict just when it would happen. "The referee from the Alliance hasn't yet showed up, but there are many cases of cities holding competitions without a referee. I think it's about time." "Why?" "Because of the selenium mines. If we lost after the competition, we couldn't even resupply,

so isn't this the best time to have a match?" "I see. That's true. If we're to fight, it would be best to do so in our best condition." "Exactly. For cities to meet each other, they must move from their territories. That means resupplying is necessary." Having listened to her, Layfon now truly felt the harsh reality of the Military Arts Competition. If they lost in this Competition, Zuellni would have lost its one and only selenium mine. What awaited it was a slow death. In that case, Layfon would face his second move. Though he could start fresh by moving out of Zuellni, he couldn't ignore the Competition. Because he had met Nina here, as well as Felli, Meishen, the members of 17th platoon and everyone in his classes. He'd have lost the time he could have spent with these people in Zuellni. After he left Grendan, he hadn't had the opportunity to meet with the children at the orphanage, and he could only communicate with Leerin through letters. He couldn't let his meeting with everyone in Zuellni end like that. "Even with a new person, our team still has a gap in strength. Let's just leave the question of whether our strength can catch up or not. It's too late to start training for our own particular positions in the match." The conversation returned to Naruki. Nina missed the ball again. The ball rebounded off the wall and flew underneath her armpit in a direction that Layfon's sword couldn't reach. "Hey!" The ball flew straight for Sharnid's face. He had just opened the door to the room. "Uh-oh!" he just managed to dodge it. The ball bounced off the wall in the corridor. "This game again? You two are enthusiastic," he said, grabbed hold of the ball jumping back and forth in the narrow corridor and brought it back into the room. "Come join us." "Then Felli-chan would join too, and we'll see the scene of hell like last time." "If I lose, I'll treat you to dinner. How about that?" Surprised at Nina's unusual provocation, Sharnid joined in. "Pretty good." He restored two of the three Dites from his weapon harness. They were guns made in black alloys and they looked quite heavy. One glance showed they were made for close combat. Although Sharnid was a sniper, he had had training in close quarter gun combat. His

participation in the game made the bouncing of the balls more intense. The rules were simple. One would get a black mark against him for failing to hit back a ball or hitting back a ball with a large margin of error in terms of direction. The person accumulating the most number of points in the time limit lost. The time limit was the time till training hour ended. It wasn't as simple as hitting back a ball. Because everyone included feints in their actions, this made the timing of the hit difficult. Felli entered as Sharnid was starting to warm up. She wasn't willing to join in, but in the end accepted Nina's proposal. "The one who will lose is probably captain or senpai," she said lightly and restored her Dite. Flakes in the shape of flower petals scattered in the air in response to her power of psychokinesis. The flakes were like a part of Felli's body, and their uses weren't limited to just sensing. Some used the flakes to attack and some used them to defend. Hitting back the hard balls wasn't a problem to Felli at all. "Hey now, is it OK to say that?" "Yes. I can't lose to you two." As Sharnid and Nina conversed, they gave each person five hard balls. "Ready?" Nina said, and the twenty hard balls went into a rampage, drawing out the picture of a hellish scene. Sharnid called it a game, but it was a very proper and formal type of training. Layfon was the one to suggest this type of training. Nina had then brought in a large number of hard balls. Training with the balls scattered on the floor helped to increase the basis of internal Kei. As for today, hitting the balls back and forth trained reflexes and also increased coordination. When that reached a certain level, one could even use Kei to hit a ball and cancel the Kei of someone else. This way, one could also increase one's basic skill in external Kei. There were many different types of skills in the use of internal and external Kei, but if one managed to master the basics, then one could better adapt them. Compared to spending a large amount of time learning a new skill in Kei, it was better to increase the level of the basics first...... that was Layfon's suggestion, and Nina found it plausible. When training ended, it was already sunset. "Next time, I'll......" Nina said with regret as she stared at the menu in the restaurant. Layfon got zero, Felli three points, Sharnid twelve points and Nina thirteen points...... Nina lost by just one point.

"......I'll pay half. How does that sound?" Layfon asked. "No need," she replied. Nina's family was rich, but she didn't get any financial support here because she came to Zuellni against her parents' wishes. Layfon wasn't sure how she paid for her school fees, but all her living expenses were paid by the money she earned at the Mechanical Department. "Layfon, it's forbidden to sympathize with the loser," Sharnid said smugly and patted Layfon's shoulder. His attitude and wordings declared him a victor. "Damn, just a little bit more......" "That little point determined the win and loss. This world is cruel." "That's the truth. Ah, I want that," Harley said, looking at his menu. He was sitting next to Nina. "......Hang on, I didn't say I'll treat you." "Huh? Is that so?" "Of course. If you're not satisfied, then fight me." "No way. I can't win against a Military Artist." "Then you can't." "Tsk, never mind," Nina's childhood friend, the 17th platoon's Dite Mechanic, moved his gaze to Layfon indifferently. "Layfon, I've finished the simple version of what we talked about before. Can you drop by tomorrow? I want to run a final check." "Ah, sure." "Ah, What was it? Is it that ridiculous thing from before?" "The Adamantium Dite. This time I made the simpler version. It's lighter than before." "That means Layfon'll gradually turn vicious." "That's right." "No, saying vicious......" "Vicious, don't you agree? Normally speaking, it's impossible to imagine a person fighting a filth monster alone." "Perhaps, but......"

"Thanks to you, we've done something out of the ordinary." Layfon was troubled by them, as Sharnid and Harley started chatting about it. "But we won't make that reckless move a second time," Nina said firmly to him. Everyone had placed their orders. The dishes were spread out before them. "Speaking of which, did Layfon come up with the training with the balls?" "No, it was......the Director." (Derek) Sudden footsteps sounded near their table, interrupting the conversation. "......Oh?" "......Uh?" Sharnid lifted his head. The closing footsteps ceased. "Yo, Dinn." "......You seem in high spirits," the man at the front of the group said. He was bald, small and lanky. He wasn't that thin, one could tell just by looking at him. He had a very sharp looking gaze. A badge with the number 10 was pinned on his uniform. The badge of a platoon. Sharnid had called him Dinn. (Uh, seems to be......) Nina searched her mind for the name of this platoon member. Dinn Dee. The captain of platoon 10. The male students behind him all bore the same badge. They must be his teammates. "I suppose. Did you see my active performance?" "I've confirmed through the video. As usual, your first shot was brilliant, but not the second one." "What harsh advice." "......The concentration of my team is much better since you left." "Hahaha, that's good. How's Shena?"

"......Sharnid," Dinn placed his hand on the table. Sharnid's expression changed slightly. "You're not our comrade anymore. Don't act so close." "Oh, I'm sorry," Sharnid's words easily defused the anger in Dinn's words. Layfon noticed how Dinn wasn't too pleased with that. "My next opponent is your 17th platoon. Sharnid, I'll show you that you don't have a place in platoon ten." "Good luck," Sharnid waved. Dinn and his teammates left quickly. The back of Dinn's bald head had turned red from anger. "......He's still the same octopus as always," Sharnid said to Dinn's back. "Bu." At Sharnid's words, Harley couldn't help but spill the drink in his mouth. "Sharnid was in team ten last year," Felli told Layfon on the way back to the dormitories. Their dormitories lay in the same direction, so unless something special came up, the two of them usually went back together. "Sharnid and Dinn, and the vice-captain, Dalshena. They were all in first year. When they worked together, their team had the number 1 assault power. The 10th platoon exceeded the first platoon in its excellence." "But senpai left the team." Layfon didn't have to hear the answer from Felli. If Sharnid hadn't left the 10th platoon, then his existence in the 17th platoon would not be possible. "Yeah. He left in the middle of a platoon match." "Why?" "I'm not sure, but the performance record of team 10 has gone downhill from then. Even now, it only ranks somewhere in the middle." This was neither the problem of the three team members being unable to join hands nor that of the team losing one member. This was the collapse of a team combination, a fatal strike at the trust between team members. That was the main reason that caused the slip in the performance record of the 10th platoon. In the end, the relationship between Sharnid and Dinn was like fire and water. "I'm certain something's happened between the three of them. I don't know what, but if it's better not to know about it, then I'd rather remain in the dark." "True," Layfon agreed.

They didn't know what had happened, but Layfon felt that Sharnid would tell them if the time to tell came. Although Sharnid was always flippant with an attitude of ignorance, he was able to make wise judgments in critical moments. It wasn't something that words could convey. Layfon knew just by looking at Sharnid's performance in the platoon match. Senpai cut off his presence through his Kei, moved to the position where he was needed and fired the fatal shot at the right timing. A person's true self was revealed while he fought. The perfect sniper was Sharnid's true face. That was a part of him that no one was able to feel in his usual daily life. "Really?" It seemed Felli didn't agree with Layfon's opinion. "He's got the skill, but his personality is beyond help." "Not at all. I can rest assured with senpai here." "......As I said before." "Sen......Felli's psychokinesis feels different," Layfon made a hasty change in his address of Felli when she glared at him. "What type of feeling is it?" "As if my senses have been opened." "Of course, I'm a psychokinesist." The mission of a psychokinesist was to gather information in the match and convey that information to their teammates. Another duty was to facilitate communication between team members. "A psychokinesist is their teammates' eyes and ears, but I didn't mean that......What's wrong?" "Ah, no. Nothing." Felli seemed to have changed recently. She still hadn't been participating in training enthusiastically, but the atmosphere she exuded that caused people to dislike her wasn't as strong as before. If it had been the Felli before, she wouldn't have said a word about the bet in the training room. As a psychokinesist, she'd never have spoken confidently about her own ability before Nina and Sharnid. However, she still hated her own ability, and that was the present Felli.

Even so, Felli had changed. (Why?) Felli had shown her weaker side a few days ago in the destroyed city. She was unable to give up being a psychokinesist, unable to calm down without using her abilities. This implied that she had no way of discontinuing being a psychokinesist. She looked depressed because of it. Layfon didn't know how to help Felli either. He also was experiencing the same problem as her. He couldn't give up his identity as a Military Artist, not because of Karian's discovery of his past, but because he couldn't calm himself down when he didn't use Kei. He didn't know what to do about it. Since he also faced the same problem, he could only accompany Felli and chat with her. "What is it?" Felli glared at him, dissatisfied with his silence. "No. Really, nothing." He wanted to know just exactly how she had changed, but he didn't voice it. Perhaps Felli would talk about it when the time came. Layfon decided to end the day like that since he didn't have work tonight. He planned to lock the door of his room and nap a while in the bath, but the security guard came over while he was locking the door, telling him there was a phone call for him. He had no choice but to leave his dormitory once more. The call was from Formed Garen, the Head of City Police, Naruki's boss. "I'm sorry about this," Formed said in greeting, wearing a pretty sly expression. The location was the outskirts of Zuellni. The City Police were all wearing heavy armor. They had fenced off the shops. Formed was holding something that looked like an explosive type weapon. The other Military Artists were all waiting for something with tense expressions. "This weapon is for suppression purposes," he lifted the cylinder shaped weapon with a bitter smile. "I'm not good at using this. I hope we can avoid a fight if possible." "What's it today?" Layfon said. The tension around Formed was extremely high. This smelt unusual. "It seems there are a huge number of fake students here." "Fake students?"

"People who came with fake student documentations and pretended to be students of Zuellni." "There are such people......" Layfon's eyes widened, hearing this for the first time. "Sometimes we do have people who want to learn but can't afford the fees, but our student IDs are renewed every year. The library has a record of all incoming and exiting students. They keep the record for about a year or so." "Ha......" Layfon didn't know about it at all. "Try imagining." "Can't." "Just cause you don't feel like imagining. It takes lots of money to produce fake identities. Isn't it a waste to just pretend to be a student?" "Then for what?" "Anything that's outside the purpose of gaining knowledge, such as illegal drugs, buying and selling illegal wines, stealing intelligence......things like that." "I see." "This time it's about illegal wines. Have you heard of 'DG'?" "The drug used to accelerate the production of Kei?" The discovery that the product of fermenting a certain genetically modified fruit could cause an unusual reaction to a Kei vein was made before Layfon's birth. It was once commonplace among many cities because its use could increase the power of Kei in Military Artists and psychokinesists exponentially. "If it didn't have side effects, it would be something that all Military Artists would dream of having." Yes, this wine had its side effects. The unusual flow of Kei vein was abnormal. It increased chances of developing malignant tumors by 80%, causing numerous Military Artists and psychokinesists to become useless. As such, each city had set down laws banning the production and importation of the wine according to its judgment. This wasn't a result of a meeting between cities, but it came about because of fear. Even so, not all cities had set down such measures, hence the method of production wasn't lost. There were Military Artists who didn't have the confidence to face their current level of strength. There were those people who wished for such a drug, not willing to face failure in battle. There were also people who sold such illegal drugs at a high price.

"......they want to import it into the Academy City and store it up?" "That depends on the timing. Perhaps they think this small and insignificant city has need of it? Maybe our Student President has already sent people over to buy the stuff," Formed said with a cold smile. A joke that wasn't funny at all. Layfon confirmed the shop again. The message on the sign showed the shop sold water guns, a fairly popular sport in many cities. "Are they hiding in there?" "Yeah, we've confirmed the presence of ten fake students. I'm not sure......if there are any military artists." "There are." "As I thought......Can you tell?" Layfon's hand naturally reached out to his weapon harness. He wasn't surprised at Formed's information. "Yeah......and they're provoking me." Those people weren't even hiding their presence. The Kei they were releasing covered the entire shop. The Kei opposite the opened door swept through Layfon in intense waves. Layfon canceled out their Kei with his own. "The movements of Military Artists on our side are slow, so I called you over with that suspicion. And you were right where I wanted, which was great." Even though Formed and his team couldn't see the Kei with their eyes, they could still feel it in the atmosphere. Seeing how relieved Formed was, Layfon once more focused his attention on the shop. They were veterans, Military Artists whose power was way beyond the group of thieves Layfon had encountered previously. Surrounded on all sides, these guys exhibited the attitude "just come if you dare." This insolence......provoked Layfon's Kei and aroused his fighting spirit. "Leader......We've surrounded the building," Naruki said. "Good, then......" "......They're coming," Layfon interrupted. "Huh?" A sudden explosion......behind the speechless Naruki.

"Uwah!" Formed fell, blown by the waves of Kei. The door was blown off its hinges to fly towards them. Naruki moved swiftly to defend Formed, whereas Layfon...... "Don't get carried away," he restored the Dite he had pulled out of his weapon harness. The sword cut through the door in the middle. On the other side was...... "!" Layfon blocked the attacker's strike with his sword. The owner of the assaulting Kei laughed in the air. A one-sided sword...... katana. The material was also steel alloy. Derek flashed through Layfon's mind......and quickly disappeared. The face beneath the attacker's nose was covered by a mask. Red hair bounced in the air as if it was firing up the darkness of the night. Male, a young man......He looked to be about the same age as Layfon. "Don't think you can escape!" "Damn, go in! Go in!" came Formed's shout from behind. Layfon chased after the young man. The attacker sped on the roads and jumped from rooftop to rooftop without any unnecessary movements. He was extremely fast. "Heh." If Layfon kept on chasing, this might take quite a while. He gathered the Kei at the soles of his feet. Internal Kei variation Whirl Kei. The next moment he was right behind his target, swinging down with his sword. He aimed for the shoulder of the weapon arm. He'd smash the bone so the guy couldn't use his weapon anymore and surrender. That was his intention at least. "Wha!?" His target had dodged the attack. The young man stood at someplace higher than Layfon's current location. He seemed to have timed Layfon's attack. (Damn.)

If this guy escaped......but the price of using Whirl Kei had left Layfon with the only choice of moving in a straight line now. This guy would have escaped while Layfon tried to stop his headlong rush. "That was pretty dangerous." A feeling of something expanding came from above Layfon's head. Layfon turned in midair to face his attacker. The young man readied his pose, also in midair, his body surrounded by Kei. As his foot landed on the wall of a building, he suddenly disappeared. At the same time, Layfon was attacked on all sides. Internal type Kei variation Fleeting Shadows. "What!" Shocked, he swung at his right. The crisp sound of metal clashing against metal rang out, and the heavy impact ran up Layfon's arm. As Layfon hadn't yet stopped his headlong rush, the impact of that strike sent him flying backward. "As expected, you can read my moves." The eyes of the young man sparkled with joy. Layfon blocked the consecutive attacks with his sword. The young man was attempting to stop him from braking his headlong rush. As Layfon moved, his weapon clashed numerous times with the young man's. Each strike from his attacker was heavier than the previous strike. As they exchanged blows, Layfon was prevented from changing his direction. "Ha!" "!" The young man's strike went from low to high and Layfon reacted by leaping up. As his flying momentum reached its peak, he finally managed to slow himself down. He confirmed his location in the air. He was still in the outskirts of the city, moving along Zuellni's outer area. This was the practicum area of the Construction course. Nobody was around at night. One could say it didn't matter if you destroyed the buildings here. (Good.) He increased the density of Kei running through his body, and swung downward at the young man following him from below. External Kei Whirl Kei.

Kei in the form of a twisting whirl embedded with Kei bullets spun towards the young man. The young man raised his katana in the direction of the air flow and struck down every single Kei bullet. In the sound of successive explosions, Layfon charged his opponent. "Too naive!" The young man received Layfon's strike. The two types of Kei joined together, then rebounded off each other in all directions. Sparks flew off the Dites and lit up the young man's face. The left side of his face that wasn't masked was carved with a tattoo. "Wolfstein......is only of such a level?" Words that were like the rumbling of thunder to Layfon. At the same time, Layfon felt something wrong with his sword. "Ha!" Internal type Kei Fleeting shadow. As the young man leaped up for high speed movement, he scattered the Kei gathered at that one single point against Layfon's Kei. Layfon confirmed the sword in his own right hand. The flow of Kei had turned clumsy. He watched more closely and saw a number of small dents in the blade. External type Kei Rot. His sword had been damaged. When he realized something was wrong with his weapon, he had released his Kei to resist his opponent's move, but it was already too late. (At this rate......already......) He couldn't fully release the strength of his Kei at this rate. "Is this your full power? ......that can't be. This was already in the past, but the strength of a Heaven's Blade successor can't be this hopeless." This guy wasn't lost in the trap. "......Are you a Military Artist from Grendan?" he watched his opponent. The young man took down his mask. "I'm Haia Salinvan Laia~"

A tattoo covered his entire left face. The same tattoo also covered his left arm. "......The Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang." Because of the tattoo, his face looked even more vicious than it was. "Yes. I'm the leader of the third generation." A provoking smile showed on the right side of his face. Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang. It was a mercenary organization made up of Military Artists born in Grendan. They rode their own roaming bus, moving between cities and were hired to fight filth monsters or participate in intercity wars. Sometimes, they would train a city's Military Artists. On the contrary, Heaven's Blade successors only existed in a certain city. Their power wasn't allowed to be leaked to the outside world. Hence, the most famous group of people outside Grendan was the Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang. "I never expected you to be involved in the illegal drug trade." "That doesn't matter~ I only used them to get in here. I've no intention of helping them." "Then why......?" Layfon said as he increased the density of his Kei, readying for the next attack. "You shouldn't have to ask that question. Only one reason explains my actions besides business purposes the Haikizoku." "Haikizoku......?" Layfon frowned. He hadn't heard of that term before. Haia also frowned. "What? You don't know? Ah......Has it been that long since you were a Heaven's Blade successor? Oh? No way? Could it be a secret?" What a vexing guy, Layfon thought. Having flowed for so long, the density of Haia's Kei showed no signs of decline. (Speaking of which......) The problem was Layfon's sword. His flow of Kei was pretty rough. Who knew whether the sword could block the next attack? "Never mind, whatever. Either way, I'm only interested in you and your skill. Your master is my master's, the 2nd generation leader, brother? Then you and I are like brothers in terms of receiving the same skill from the same tribe." "That is my first time hearing it." Yes, Layfon's first. But, in that case, he now understood why Haia could execute the move Fleeting shadow and also use a katana. The skill of Layfon's adopted father was different

from others. It emphasized more on the way one cut and sliced. Because of that, a katana was chosen as the weapon, and the material was of steel alloy. The blade needed more delicate adjustments compared to weapons used for chopping. The material for the Dite reflected the skill of its maker. "I'm interested in why you aren't using a katana......but never mind." In one swift moment, Haia resumed his attack. Layfon leaped up to avoid it. "Since you aren't using your full strength, I don't plan to fight you seriously." Haia's attacks intensified. (That's not too seriously......!) Layfon concentrated on avoiding Haia's attacks as he didn't want to receive them on his sword. He was impressed by Haia's movements. He had fought numerous Military Artists before becoming a Heaven's Blade successor, and none of them had Haia's strength. Who would have thought that such a guy existed outside Grendan? But digging into the core, Haia was also from Grendan. Even so, that did not make him less impressive. Layfon was acknowledged by everyone as a genius, but he didn't think he was the strongest in the world. There were people within Heaven's Blade successors who had more experience than Layfon, who were harder to beat. Layfon didn't think he could win against Queen Alsheyra. "Hey, hey. What is it? Show me some spirit." But Layfon still felt that he belonged to a special group. In Grendan, a huge distance existed between Heaven's Blade successors and other Military Artists. "Could it be that Heaven's Blade successors are only of this level?" Haia said, gradually speeding up his movements. Layfon swung down his sword at him. Both blades filled with Kei, the green sword clashed against the steel katana. The air around them shook. Metal moaning ran in that air. The green sword cracked and broke apart. Opposite the debris giving off a green light, Haia smiled happily. But Layfon hadn't finished. "Haaaaaa!" Internal type Kei, roar Kei, a threatening skill. The air shook along the wake of the huge noise, and the scattered debris flew at Haia. "Woah!" Haia bent backward to evade the debris. Seizing this opening, Layfon gathered his

Kei in his limbs. He kicked at Haia's chest and pounded into his opponent's stomach with his fist. Haia managed to block that with his arm. Layfon's Kei sent him flying away to crash into a building still in its construction stage. Layfon varied his Kei. External type Kei, Nine Bullets. Layfon shot out the Kei bullets formed in between his fingers. Kei as tiny as needles chased after Haia to pierce through the building, causing huge explosions. "Did I get him?" No...... He sensed two more presences within the dancing dust. It seemed Haia's companions had arrived. (Are they coming......) Layfon readied his fighting stance, but the presences......were fast disappearing. (Should I......chase after them?) Still, Layfon was at a disadvantage for having lost his Dite. He decided to give up chasing them as their presences retreated into the far distance. "......Just what're they planning?" Haikizoku. The term arose a feeling of dislike in Layfon.

[edit] Chapter 2: Different nights "Ah......" Having spaced out for a while on the sofa, Leerin looked out the window. "It's already night." She hadn't realized that at all. The sun had sunk down completely. Darkness swallowed the buildings. Light gradually lit up the street lamps and their surrounding buildings. Leerin felt strange, looking down at the city from such a high place. "So slow," Leerin's adopted father said beside her. He didn't look like he once had broken numerous bones and was admitted into the hospital.

Now, he rested with his usual stiff and expressionless face, eyes closed. Grendan possessed excellent medical skills, but Derek's atypical rate of recovery granted to a Military Artist contributed greatly to his speedy rehabilitation. "Is the injury really OK?" "Yes." Even so, Leerin was still worried. At the time during Gahard's attacks, she thought her adopted father had died. The wounds he had sustained would have brought him death if not for the Heaven's Blade successor Savaris' timely arrival. Although Derek had received the newest medical treatment available, Leerin still felt doubtful about his speedy recovery. "I'm all healed, thanks to the royal family," her adopted father......Derek said, opening his eyes. The fact that Derek could receive the newest and most expensive treatment was all thanks to the royal family. Gahard was possessed by a special filth monster, so Derek's injuries were treated as war-related injuries. However, both Leerin and Derek thought it wasn't just as simple as that. The insurance for war injuries wouldn't be enough to cover the treatment fees. A special organization other than the royal family had paid for the extra. (And also......) Leerin once again confirmed her location. She was in a high-class room covered by a carpet with exquisite patterns. The sofa she was sitting on, whether it was the seat itself or the back, was made splendidly. It was a costly piece of furniture. Truthfully, the material of the seat was too good, and she felt uncomfortable sitting on it. She had overdone herself choosing the highest-class clothes from all the clothes in her possession, but it still wasn't enough to match the expensive surroundings she was in. Derek, on the other hand, wasn't worried about that at all. As a Military Artist, wearing the formal Military Artist suit or training clothes was enough. Still, he had chosen the bestlooking clothes he had. That was only natural. She looked out the window again. Only one place in Grendan was high enough to allow a view of the entire city the palace in the middle of Grendan, and this was where Leerin and Derek were. (Formalities aren't needed if this is just for the usual insurance.) As she thought of that, she felt pain in her stomach. It wasn't time for dinner yet, but tension made her stomach call out. After leaving the hospital, Derek had sent out a request for an audience with the Queen so

he could thank her personally. This was the appointed day for the meeting. Leerin was suspicious of why she was brought along with Derek, but she saw her name on the reply invitation brought in by the other girl. (Why am I here?) Leerin had been used as bait at that time. It was all done to eliminate the filth monster, so it couldn't be helped. Leerin couldn't imagine what it was like to be protected desperately by Military Artists while she herself lived her daily life as usual. Both Derek and Layfon were Military Artists. Although Derek had picked up Leerin and took care of her, she still couldn't accept the thought of living safely while people around her fought to protect her. ......If possible, she wished she'd know before danger arrived. The incident with Gahard Baren had complicated Leerin's thinking, but she had not yet tidied up her train of thoughts enough to turn them into words. As she pondered, the door opened and a maid came to lead them to another room. "Sorry for the wait. Her Majesty's finally finished her work." "That is perfectly fine," Derek said. (Finally......) The tension in Leerin intensified. Her stomach cramped. She wasn't good in critical moments. Speaking of which, Layfon was the same. He was indifferent in his fights with filth monsters and with powerful Military Artists in Grendan, but in the day before the Heaven's Blade successor ceremony and during the time when he had to apologize to the scary looking Heaven's Blade successor, he wore a troubled expression. (Do I have......the same expression now?) Leerin wanted to confirm in a mirror. If possible, she wanted to wash her face with cold water in a bathroom, but if she did that, her makeup would've been destroyed. Besides, the maid leading them showed no signs of stopping. (Uu......) While Leerin muttered to herself, the maid came to a stop. "I've brought them," she said to the guards. The Military Artists pulled open the huge double door. The maid walked in front, followed by Derek and Leerin. This room was bigger than the one they were in before. In the middle of the room was a large sofa, and deeper into the room was a stage. A figure hid behind the curtains shadowing the stage.

Alsheyra Almonise The Queen of Grendan. Leerin and Derek knelt down before the sofa and bowed deeply. "Thank you for your Majesty's kindness......" Derek began his thank you speech. Leerin was too tense to lift her head. She knelt there, rooted in the spot. Normally, one wouldn't even have a chance to get so close to this person behind the curtains. Curiosity won against tension. Leerin lifted her head. She couldn't make out the Queen's face clearly because of the curtains, but that figure felt familiar. "You don't have to worry. This level of compensation is nothing compared to what you've done for Grendan for so many years. It really makes me feel awkward." The bell-like sound of the Queen numbed Leerin's body. "I'm sorry for......" "This is the truth. You were active when you were on duty. The sword you nurtured was also active under my command." She meant Layfon. Leerin considered the Queen's words as she waited for her reply. (How does Her Majesty view Layfon......?) If Alsheyra forgave Layfon, it would be equivalent to opening Layfon's path back to Grendan...... Leerin concentrated, listening without missing one single word. "His present situation is due to his immaturity and his ignorance of the world. It has nothing to do with you." "No, Your Majesty. His immaturity and his ignorance of the city that Your Majesty rules over were all because of me. He's carrying the burden of the consequence of my one-sided education in Military Arts. I should be the one to carry his punishment." "I see......Well then, please sit down." "Yes." "This isn't the public room where I receive people. It's a much more private room. You can relax. I've chased out the annoying servant." (Huh......?) That last words, the way she joked......Leerin seemed to have heard them somewhere before. But she couldn't think of whom.

(Is it just my imagination?) The maid appeared again and laid out two cups of tea. "Do you know how he is doing?" "Huh?" Leerin never thought the Queen would ask her a question. "Is Layfon doing all right? Or have you two not been exchanging letters?" "Ah, yes. ......Ah, no, we have!" Laughter sounded from behind the curtain. "Sure, it's not that persuasive to speak behind a curtain, but please don't be so tense." "I, I see......" "Then, is he well?" "Yes. Um......He's in a city called Zuellni......" "An academy city......even though he received the Heaven's Blade at that age. I think it must have been hard for him to graduate because of his uselessness, don't you agree? But he passed the entrance test. Were you the one teaching him?" "Yes." "You study in a senior school, right? It seems you're excellent." "No, not at all." And under Almonise's guidance, Leerin began to speak more normally. She talked about all sorts of things when she taught Layfon how to do his homework, the days close to his departure from Grendan, and the time when she first received his letter...... In the conversation, Leerin realized she had been showing something of herself. She was chatting happily to the other after getting rid of her tension. Perhaps she was getting above herself. Talking so closely to this person before her just didn't cut it. "Layfon......Can he not return?" "Leerin." "Ah......!"

After aggravating Derek, she realized she had talked too much. "P, please excuse me......" "Don't worry. To Layfon, this place is his birthplace. To you, he's always your most important person. Isn't that right?" "......Yes." "......Perhaps he'll return. If the timing's right, then it's not impossible." "Then......" "But, whether he'll come back when the time comes......That I can't decide for him." Leerin's eyebrows dipped at her firm conclusion. ".........Your martial arts school is from a traveling tribe outside, isn't it?" Almonise turned the topic to Derek. "Yes......" Derek spaced out a little, not expecting the topic to suddenly shift to him. "Most of the Military Artists who followed the first generation Salinvan to travel outside were Psyharden's students. If Psyharden himself wasn't in his old age, he'd probably have gone with them." "I've heard of that too." "Your senior has also joined as the trainer of the mercenary gang right?" "Yes. Ryuhou Gadge, a man much stronger than I. Originally, he should have been the one to inherit the name of Psyharden." "He's already dead." Very sudden. So sudden that Derek failed to comprehend its meaning momentarily. When he finally digested that piece of information, his eyes widened. "......That can't be." "Ryuhou Salinvan Gadge, the man who was the second generation Head is already dead. It's a real shame, but that is the truth." The curtain was pulled up a little, and Almonise's arm appeared, holding a metal box. "This is for you."

Derek stood up and shakily knelt down to receive the box. He opened it on the spot. Inside were wrapped a small metal cylinder and a Dite. "......This is Ryuhou's Dite. My master gifted him with it......however, it can't be......" "It appeared the field medics were unable to completely remove the pollutants in his body after his fight with several filth monsters." Inside the cylinder was Ryuhou's hair. When a person who died outside the city could not be buried, his hair was taken back to the city. "......Ryuhou, did he have any children?" Derek looked at Alsheyra, his face stiff and his shoulders trembling. "The third generation Head is Ryuhou's apprentice. Just 18 years of age. He's good material." "I see," he closed his eyes, looking as if he hadn't been shaken by the news just then. "Can I take care of Ryuhou's funeral?" "Yes.........The Salinvan mercenary gang has spread the glory of Grendan to the outside world. Their work on it is considerable. Besides, the martial arts of their leader is precious to Grendan. We definitely can't lose it. Derek Psyharden, don't worry about the dojo and any other trivial matters. All you need is to focus on teaching your students." "I understand." "......Leerin Marfes." "Yes." "The tribe of Psyharden has a tendency to extend its branches to the outside. This isn't done through blood relations, but through passing down the spirit of the martial arts. That is what is inside Layfon. Even when he had the Heaven's Blade, he refused to use the katana. I hope you can be suitably prepared about that." Leerin didn't respond. The meeting finished like that. Derek left the room with the box containing Ryuhou's hair. Leerin followed behind him. In the split second when the door was in the midst of closing behind her, she said lightly but firmly, "No." To Leerin, the present was exhausting.

She was like a spoiled kid. A kid who cried and shouted because she didn't like the present situation.........if she was a little child, she'd be allowed to do so. But Leerin wasn't of that age anymore. Fifteen, and she would be sixteen this year. She'd have reached the age that allowed her to work. She was about to reach the age in which she had to personally do something to change the situations that she didn't like. But what could she do? She thought of this as she walked alone in Grendan under the dark sky. She had parted with Derek and was on the way back to the dormitory. Leaving the boisterous street, she turned into a quieter street of the residential area. Under the light of the street lamp, irresistible loneliness enveloped Leerin. No, this wasn't loneliness. She reached an intersection. On her left, the path led to the school, and her right led back to the dormitory. Where would she end up if she kept going straight? The days of walking to the left or to the right were normal to the sixteen year old Leerin. To keeping walking straight.........if she kept walking...... Was there one? Was there a road that would bring her to Layfon? Impossible. Rationalism told her so. Before her was only the mansion of some unknown person. Lying ahead of her was also a medium sized street with not too busy shops that managed to stay viable. There were clothes and accessory shops and also cafes and bakeries. If she kept on walking, it'd only be normal the normal days of Leerin Marfes "without Layfon". This wasn't loneliness. She was lost. "Ah." Someone had patted her shoulder. She turned around and saw Synola. "Senpai?" "What is it? Spacing out here?" "Ah, no........." she lifted her head, failing to prevent the words from tumbling out. "Nothing." "............" She planned to return to the dormitory. In order to not cause Synola any worries, she pretended nothing was wrong and planned to leave like that, but her feet refused to move.

"N~............" "Wa" Suddenly, Synola put her hand on Leerin's head and caressed her hair. "Wh, what're you doing?" "I'm hungry, let's go eat something." "Huh?" "Why?" before she could say more, Leerin's hand was taken up and she was pulled in another direction. The place she was taken to had little to do with filling one's stomach, a bar......... "Senpai......I'm not of age yet." "That's fine. They've got juice, and the food's not bad." From somewhere unknown shone dim green light that failed to illuminate the faces of customers in the bar. Only through the normal light of the bar where the drinks were kept could Leerin see clearly the figure of the bar owner. "But........." "It's alright, it's alright. Hey, owner. Get me something to eat." "............This is a bar." "Right, right." "We don't have that kind of thing. Geez......" the owner sighed, holding a wine glass. "This guy used to study in the same research institution as me." "Huh?" "He really likes wine, so he left." "I'm sorry." "What's so bad about that? It's most important to live a life you like." During their conversation, the owner had finished cooking chicken fried rice.

"Uh~ That's too usual. You could have wrapped it in egg." "Shut up, you spoiled lady. Drink up. Drink up," he placed two glasses in front them. "Ah, I........." "I know. This is just a cocktail." Sitting before Leerin was a glass of green liquid. (For some reason, I don't think this is healthy.) If she said that, the owner would get angry. But......the green drink suited the atmosphere of the bar. Under the bright light, the ice inside the glass shone like gems. Gu~~~~~~ "Uu." Her stomach was calling. "Ah ha ha ha ha ha!" "Please don't laugh." "Never mind. Let's eat." Under Synola's laughter and the owner's persuasion, Leerin took a spoon, her face red, and she started eating the chicken fried rice along with the cocktail. This was a world of green diamonds. Unable to see the customers' faces clearly, Leerin felt as if she was underwater. She viewed everything with silence. That was the world it was like. Underneath the clear light, the owner gazed around, or it could be that the customers were looking at the owner. What an unbelievable world. This was the feeling she got, as if she was walking in a tunnel underneath an artificial lake. (Ah, how unrealistic.) As if her words leaped into the water, a sound of water floated to her ears. (I feel so at peace.) The anxiety within her melted in the water. Having finished the rice, she drained the remainder of the cocktail. The ice in the glass had already melted. The owner offered her another glass, but she refused. If she kept on drinking, she would not be able to stay in this

watery world. For some reason, that was how she felt about it. "Well well, she's asleep." After drinking three glasses of cocktail, Synola noticed Leerin had fallen asleep. "Speaking of which, don't bring in someone who isn't an adult yet," the owner said. "I wonder who wanted to forget his troubles by getting drunk," Synola ordered her fourth wine. "Anyone with worries can come here. Isn't it human to want to forget reality at this moment?" "But nothing is resolved by drinking." "I need a spare." "Huh, I guessed so already. Besides, it must be you bullying the other? You're like that, pretending to be a kid when you find someone you like." "What's so bad with it? It's enjoyable to observe a girl in love." "What a strange hobby." Synola smiled bitterly at that conclusion. After parting from Layfon and the others at the restaurant, Sharnid headed alone to a noisier part of the area. He didn't plan anything special. He was just going to show himself in familiar shops and chat with people to spend his night. The long night was a source of Sharnid's worries. He had thought numerous times of how great it'd be if he could just jump into bed and sleep when he felt the night was too long. There wasn't a need to take insomnia tablets and set up a date with a girl. He just needed to spend his time somehow. No, he wasn't deliberately trying to use up time. He just wanted to stay here. At least that was how he thought of it. Sharnid left the shop and saw someone making a musical performance on the street. He backed away from the crowd surrounding the performer, and hid himself in the shadow of the door of a closed shop. Closing his eyes, he listened without putting too much heart in it. He didn't want to stand out too much right now. He was well known for showing his face in

the inter-platoon matches. At school, he always had girls chasing after him. At this time, he might have wanted them to catch him too, but nobody came to chat with him because he didn't want them to find him. He had naturally hidden his presence. On the street were the musical performer and the crowd, people who sold their handmade crafts, lovers who picked their favorite pieces. The half-decent tune accompanied the stiff singing amplified by the microphone. The singing was even softer than the music. No matter which side it was, people were everywhere around Sharnid. Standing in the midst of all that, Sharnid had closed his eyes as he felt the passing of time. He listened carefully and waited quietly for the moment to come. Today, that moment came particularly earlier than usual. At that sound pouring through his ears, Sharnid opened his eyes. Light leaped into darkness. The light around the shops stabbed his eyes. Among the stream of people, the figure that Sharnid was watching had disappeared from the shop without his noticing. Sharnid waited, and a golden light flashed past him. Long and curly hair, as if ready to attack at any minute, shook according to her gait. Her chin was like a polished dagger. Lips clamped, she only gazed ahead of her. Always ahead. She walked past Sharnid. Their gazes didn't overlap. Would she have stopped if he had called out? Perhaps. Shena had kept on walking ahead. Just what was she doing? Sure, there had to be an answer to this, but he was anxious in finding out the answer. Feeling like laughing at his indecisiveness, Sharnid left the shadow of the door to follow her. She exited the busy street without hesitation. Her pace didn't slow. It seemed she had already made up her mind to leave this place. (Hm?) Looking at her fearless back, a question floated up in Sharnid's mind, unbidden. (Could she be......) Tension surfaced in him. Cautiously he kept his Kei inside him and followed her at a distance. They arrived at the outer area of Zuellni near the practicum area of the Construction course. He remembered there were some shops around here when he first enrolled in the Academy City. Few people would come to this place, but it was well-known because of its suitability as a hide-and-seek location. However, when Sharnid had taken notice of this place, the shops were already closing down. In the end, its one-year level of popularity was sustained by what was in vogue in the Academy City.

An explosion pulled him out of his memory. She stopped in her tracks and got ready to fight. The sound of the explosion was from a far distance. Sharnid hid himself in the shadow of a building, keeping his Kei at the ready. A horrifying presence flashed above his head. (Layfon, is it?) That presence felt familiar. In one split second, Sharnid saw Layfon pursuing someone unfamiliar to him. The two figures left his view of vision quickly. It seemed Shena wasn't worried about Layfon and the guy he was chasing. She kept moving towards the direction of the sound. Sharnid used internal type Kei to strengthen his muscles and he leaped onto a rooftop after her. As he expected, her destination was around the shops. The water guns put on display were blown away as Military Artists of the City Police rushed in. Sharnid strengthened his vision and confirmed the situation through the dim moonlight. The City Police surrounded one Military Artist, who got past the police enclosure with ease. Sharnid saw Layfon chase after that guy, but he didn't move over to help. He watched the Military Artist that had gotten away. A female. About the same age as Layfon. (......Wrong person.) That wasn't something that she must not see. Relieved, tension left his stomach. When he had recovered himself, he felt a presence at his back. "Why are you here?" It was her. Something hard touched his back. To think the person he had been chasing had doubled back to come behind him. So unsightly of him......He couldn't help but mock himself. "Taking nighttime strolls is my hobby. Like you, I saw something interesting today. Don't you think it's quite an exciting night tonight?" "I don't think so. It's just a noisy and uncomfortable night." Incredible killing intent poured out behind him. He raised his arms above his shoulders. "Don't move. Even with the safety lock on, you won't last at this distance." Sharnid turned around regardless. He wasn't pierced through. She held a lance made of white alloy, her eyes holding Sharnid's in dissatisfaction.

"Why are you here?" she asked again. "Didn't I say taking a night time stroll is my hobby, Shena?" "Don't call me by my name." Shena......Dalshena looked discontent. Dalshena Che Matelna, the Vice Captain of the 10th platoon, who used to be Sharnid's comrade. ".........Have you noticed, Sharnid?" "Noticed what?" Only the two of them were on the rooftop of the pub. He made light of the question that no one else but only the two of them would understand. "......" "What're you saying? I was just strolling alone and ended up here. That's all. Isn't it the same with you?" he said. "......Yeah." "Right. Well, we ran into each other because of the ruckus." With doubt in her expression, she put away the lance. "Then......Seems like the chaos over there's finished. Time for me to go," Sharnid said, having glanced at the shop. "Sharnid." He stopped in his steps. "Why did you leave us?" Why? Just why? He had also asked himself that question numerous times. He had made Dinn and Shena very angry, bringing them huge trouble. "Don't you know?" he said. "I'm asking because I don't know!" "Really......?" "......Um." Looking at her trying to suppress her anger, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Why......Didn't we swear? We decided to guard Zuellni together. Have you forgotten?" she reproved him. "I didn't." "Then......" "I'm keeping the oath in my own way." "Is the 17th platoon the answer?" "Probably." "Do you think you can better keep that oath by staying with the 17th platoon than with us?" "I'm not sure about that, but......" "But......What?" "Shena, sometimes when you want everything, you lose everything. If you keep speaking like that, you'll end up like me." "What are you saying?" Sharnid didn't reply. He headed in the direction back to his dormitory. Shena didn't chase after him. Was she thinking of the meaning behind Sharnid's words, or had she already tossed it away and continued on her path...... Just keep moving forward. That phrase was the most suitable for Dalshena. Throw away all burdens and keep moving forward towards the roads ahead. Dalshena Che Matelna was the most suited to this phrase. "Ah......Geez." He was so laughable to hope for her to look back at him. He didn't have the confidence to sleep well tonight. The rumble of an explosion woke Nina from her sleep. "What's happening?" While strengthening her ears to listen to any sounds, she dressed herself in the sports

uniform with lightning speed. She grabbed the weapon harness sitting by her bedside and left her room. Outside the dormitory, waves of Kei assaulted her. "It should be from that direction......" she started running. The Kei from a certain direction felt similar. (Layfon? Is he fighting?) As she ran, she pulled out the Dites and restored them. She had no idea what was happening right now. Why was there a fight around here? All she understood was that Layfon was fighting. This was enough of a reason to propel Nina forward. However, this level of Kei......Thanks to Layfon's training, Nina managed to feel it. The Kei she felt just then was more intense than the Kei that Layfon used in the inter-platoon matches. His opponent's Kei was the same. A type of Kei that was stronger than any platoon members. No, even stronger than that. The fact that Layfon was fighting alone with that type of an opponent worried her. "Why can't that guy......" the rest of the words never got out of her mouth. "!" The sudden presence stopped Nina in her tracks. She leaped to her left. The path she was on just a moment ago exploded. External type Kei. Nina climbed to her feet. She checked her surroundings but didn't find her attacker. "Who is it!?" she shouted. The sound of something slicing through air answered her. Nina avoided that attack too. As the ground exploded again, Nina saw the gathered Kei. (An arrow?) An arrow that was shot with Kei? It seemed the weapon was a bow, which meant the enemy wasn't anywhere close. "This is bad." She had deduced the enemy's location from the direction the shot came from, but she had yet to see the enemy himself. Speaking of which, Nina's Kei was not enough to counterattack at this distance. If she ran in to get closer, her enemy would probably retreat to maintain a desired distance, but if Nina was willing to spend some time on this, she could probably find a way to......

But if she did that, then Layfon would have to fight alone. She must hurry and get to Layfon's side. (In that case......) She had decided. A light nod of the head, and she ran for Layfon's direction. The arrow came. "Ha!" Her iron whip blocked the arrow. An instantaneous explosion sent Nina flying. She rolled back to her feet and immediately ran through the dust cloud. Internal type variation of Kei Kongoukei. Layfon had taught her this defensive Kei technique. She hadn't completely mastered it yet, but it was enough to cancel the impact of the Kei in the arrow. "I don't have time to play with you!" she roared at her enemy and kept on running Another arrow shot at her. She flicked it down. Another explosion, another cancellation and she continued moving forward, repeating the same process. After the third arrow, the precision of the enemy archer started to decline. One of the arrows hit the ground behind Nina before exploding. The archer needed some time to prepare before shooting more accurately. The arrow that had failed to hit Nina only managed to break the ground's hard surface into tiny pieces. The Kei of the arrows that were crashing against Nina's back suddenly disappeared. "What!" She had a bad feeling about this. The archer had stopped shooting. Nina kept on running while increasing her speed. When she reached her destination, everywhere was quiet. The ground of the destination was torn apart, evidence of an intense fight. Sparks scattered across the ground. Layfon's back faced her. He didn't look injured, but he was just standing there. Looking at the inert Layfon, Nina's bad feeling didn't go away. She saw a Dite lying among the debris on the ground. Layfon's Dite in its restored form. Only the handle was left. It didn't seem to have held the steel threads form. Besides, a huge crack ran down the handle. "Layfon......"

".........Huh? Senpai?" Layfon turned around, looking shocked. Nina was surprised that he didn't notice her when she was standing so close to him. "Why are you here?" "That should be my line. Just what happened?" she asked, trying to make it sound casual. "Ah, uh......well......how should I put it? Um......" he stammered with a troubled expression. (Ah.........As I thought.) He tried to explain but ended up saying nothing. As she watched him, she also felt something strange about him. Layfon had a strange habit of standing in the disadvantaged side. He was like that when attacked by the larvae. He was like that when he fought the matured filth monster alone. He was probably like that too when he was in the ruined city's Mechanical Department a few days ago. He was always getting injured, choosing to get injured, by himself when he fought. That was hard for her to imagine. But...... (Have you noticed it?) Whether Layfon noticed it or not.........Nina could not make a conclusion.

[edit] Chapter 3: Envisioning and Reality Early morning the next day, Layfon went to the alchemy building for the new Dite that Harley had made for him. "That kind of damage is so......exaggerated," Harley said with wide eyes at Layfon's Dite. He was spreading jam on a piece of bread. "Beautifully broken into pieces." Layfon's sword was in its restored form. The level of damage made it unable to turn back into its hand held Dite. On Harley's table was the handle of Layfon's Dite. The broken parts were like brittle stones, so fragile that a touch of a finger was enough to send the remaining pieces scattering down. "It's not possible to repair this. It'll be faster if I just make a new one." "Ok. Thanks."

"Got it. I should have it done quickly with the data left from last time. I'll take care of the admin procedures too." "Sorry about that." "No problem. I'm responsible for maintenance in the 17th platoon. Besides, I have some admin registration things to do for the Dites too......Geez, that Kirik's totally useless in this area, so I have to do everything," Harley shrugged and suddenly clapped his hands together. "Can we do the adjustments for that now?" "Can we? Kirik-san's not here." "No problem, no problem. I'm doing the final adjustments anyway. Besides, we don't know when he'll show up," he said as he went into the research room and took out a Dite from one of the drawers. Layfon took the Dite and felt its heavy weight in his hand. It seemed to be extremely dense, perhaps three times denser than a normal Dite. "While removing the took out the cartridge slots, we were able to make it much more dense that it previously was. However, the loss of separation means the Dite has now lost several of its combinations. Also, that has created a weakness. You can use different types of Kei, so it might be a bit troublesome. As for the shape, the Dite's recorded different appearances. Theoretically, you should be able change the Dite according to different uses." "But it might not work as well in reality." "Yeah? Um......" Layfon spoke the key word and restored the Dite. Only one setting was made. "We originally wanted to make two settings. The advantage of an Adamantium Dite with its combined alloys is its variety in shapes and quality, but we didn't have time to make that setting when manufacturing the simple version. When the final product came out, it wasn't possible to turn it back." "It's all right, since I still have the Sapphire Dite." He didn't have to use the steel threads in platoon matches, so it didn't matter that the Adamantium Dite didn't have that setting. Also, Harley and his colleagues were researching on another model to be used against filth monsters. Layfon had no need to ask them to add the steel threads setting in at all. "Give it a try." Under Harley's urging, Layfon allowed his Kei to pour into the Adamantium Dite. The Dite

turned slightly hot in his hand and its shape changed in a split second. "......Huh?" The new shape made Layfon widen his eyes. "It's......a katana." "Yes," Harley said, cocking his head. "Kirik made it that way." "......Could you change it?" "Impossible," came an impatient voice from behind Layfon. Layfon had already sensed the newcomer before the voice reached him and before Harley noticed. He turned around. "It's because this shape suits you more," the handsome man sitting in the wheelchair said, glaring at Layfon in irritation. "Kirik, how rare to see you here so early," Harley said. "I came to see him so that this thing could be used to its fullest potential," he pushed his wheelchair through the mess in the room. "According to classification, both a sword and katana are the same, but a huge difference exists between their usage. A sword is used to slash then cut, and a katana is used to cut then let its enemy fall apart. Both are used to cut, but the movement of the wielder differs. Your movement is first to cut, which causes the object to fall apart. The model before was made like that of a katana, but the blade was still a sword's. This time it's different. We made it so it could cut perfectly," he said while watching the Adamantium Dite. "I've included my family's secret data on many famous katana in this Dite. Usually, you won't see a second Dite with power as high as the first, but this is close enough. It's the best tool to help you become the strongest. Are you still unsatisfied with this?" "I didn't mean that......" "Then why?" Layfon couldn't answer him. "You stand at a level that all Military Artists want to reach, but you're not willing to use your full strength. Even I get irritated at that." Noise came from Kirik's wheelchair. Layfon looked at him and realized the noise originated from Kirik's tightening grip on the handles of the wheelchair. He noticed something else. Although there wasn't much, Kei existed in Kiriku's body. The flow was clumsy and slow in a muddy color. His flow of Kei was unusual, but it didn't look fatal. It might have something to do with his legs. Because of his legs, the Kei flow became less smooth, or perhaps it was the other way around, that the unusual flow of Kei had disabled his legs.........Layfon didn't

want to ask about it. Kirik himself probably wouldn't answer anyway, but......he could tell that Kirik regretted it a lot. "You probably don't have to use your full strength in this place, but why are you like that too when you fight filth monsters? Are you saying they aren't opponents worth your time?" Layfon was in a life and death situation when he fought the matured filth monster. He didn't plan to not use everything he had. But...... "......Why do you refuse to use a katana?" "Refuse........." "Yes, you ARE refusing." Kiriku said, as if he would jump up at Layfon's weak protest. "You choose to fight with a sword, but your true self has the impression of a katana. Doesn't that mean you're refusing the katana? What else can explain it?" "Although I'm interested in why you aren't using a katana......" Haia, the leader of Salinvan Mercenary Gang, raised under Layfon's adopted father's brother in the same martial arts school as Layfon, had said that last night. His fighting power matched that of a mercenary leader who had had lots of experience accumulated from countless battles. A katana. He used a katana that was the same as the one Derek Psyharden used. His movements were the same, using Fleeting Shadow to attack with high speed, a move that Derek took pride in. Although Layfon wasn't willing, his memories of Grendan surfaced one by one. His true self fought with a katana. His weapon was originally a katana. He trained with a wooden katana. It was the beginning of Layfon as a Military Artist. "What is it?" Looking around in confusion to confirm his location, he ran across Nina. It was the road to the Military Arts training complex. He was heading over there after leaving Harley's research lab. "Ah, ah......no, nothing," surprised at the close distance between them. He took a step back, but Nina didn't. "Are you not feeling well because of yesterday? Or do you have a fever?" she pulled him over with a worried expression and felt his forehead with her hand. "It's ok. It's really ok," Layfon said, feeling the coolness from Nina's hand and took another step back. "Um, doesn't feel like you have a fever. Then what were you thinking?"

"No, nothing much......" "Really. Don't you find it strange that I was this close to you but you didn't notice?" "Huh......Not really." It seemed like today was the day when his opinions wouldn't be accepted. No, if he were to think closely, were his words even believable? (......nope.) It was a bit sad. Well, Nina had been able to tell truth from lies from very little. "Then what're you worrying about today?" They ended up having lunch together in the training room of the 17th platoon. They had bought bento at a convenience store and had some drinks from the locker room of the training complex. "No, nothing." "Don't say that." "No, really......" "I don't believe you." "As I said......" "Spill it honestly." She totally ignored his protests. Looking troubled, Layfon dug into his lunch. As long as his mouth was full, it was all right to not answer even if he heard her question. On the other hand, Nina had a good education, so she hated chatting while eating. Yesterday she had a terrible expression when Sharnid and Harley were talking and eating at the same time. "......Leave lunch for a while. I will make you speak the truth," she said in a low voice as he continued to eat. (Please God, send someone now. Anyone.) He could only pray. But that "anyone" could only be Felli, Sharnid or Harley. Felli and Sharnid were always late. He couldn't imagine them heading over straight after lunch. Harley was the last one left, but he'd probably be late too as he was making Layfon a new Dite. (.........No other way.) If that was the way it was, he had no choice but to spill the beans. This time, Nina was very

forceful. He understood her that much from accumulated experience. In order to reach her goal, she would do everything she could for it. "Why do you want to know so much?" He asked after swallowing. "What? Isn't it natural........." For some reason, she said so after shifting her position so there was some distance between them. "Because you're my subordinate." A predictable answer. In the face of such an answer, Layfon couldn't find any reasons to resist her. (......Eh?) But she looked strange today. Having said what she wanted, Nina turned her face to a side as if she had sealed her mouth. ".........Did you steal that bento?" "Of course not, stupid." She was mad. They continued to eat like that with their backs facing each other. She'd probably ask him again when they finished eating. Thinking of that, he planned to chew slowly, but the food wasn't enough for a young man in his growing stage. He ended up finishing the bento quickly. Nina was almost finished with her lunch. (Oh no......) He dragged out the time to finish his juice as much as possible, praying for someone to open the door to the training room. When Nina was about to speak, the door opened. "You're already here? Good." "Formed? And......" Behind Formed Garen was Naruki, who walked in with an annoyed expression. "You two look to be in a good mood. May I?" "Uh, no problem," Nina nodded.

"Got anything?" "I don't want to waste time either. I'll cut to the chase," Formed said and looked at Naruki. Naruki still wore the expression of someone who wasn't satisfied with something. "Ah~ Before that, I want to say I'll accept the captain's request." "Really?" That request must be Nina's previous request to the City Police to allow Naruki to enter the 17th platoon. "Huh? Really?" Nina said. Nina's reaction was slower. Surprised, Layfon looked at Formed and Naruki for confirmation. Nina didn't look convinced either. On top of that, Naruki's expression showed that it wasn't her idea in the first place. "But there's a condition." "As expected." "I'm not accepting all your conditions. I'm sorry, but she won't officially enter the platoon. Besides, she herself doesn't want to." ".........Although it's true that we need her, but if she doesn't want to, she'll only lower the team's fighting strength," Nina said frankly. Talking about wanting to, Nina was number one in the entire team. "Yeah, I understand. But if you listen to my request, I'm sure she'll feel better about it. Besides, you can dismiss her if she doesn't have what it takes, and we can pretend we haven't had this conversation. What do you think?" "Leader!" "Isn't that natural? Listen, infiltration is part of a police officer's work. If it isn't done properly, it'll be life-threatening. Perhaps this kind of dangerous work won't be needed in an Academy City, but if you plan to work in the police force after leaving this city, this is a very good training opportunity. If you're to infiltrate an organization, then you must first know your purpose. Be more spirited. If you can't do this, then you fail." Naruki lowered her head. She was like a big sister in front of Meishen and Mifi, but now she was being rebuked like a little kid. Layfon found that unexpected. "......Well, back to the topic," Formed said to Nina. "What is it?"

"Ah, first, it's about yesterday. Layfon, thanks for your help." "But he escaped......" Layfon lowered his head. "That can't be helped. Besides, we already reached our original purpose. We caught the fake students and suppressed the circulation of their goods." Formed went on to explain yesterday's operation to Nina. "Illegal drugs......Does that mean what you came here for has something to do with that?" Nina said, suddenly very serious. Formed nodded. "Yes." "This is ridiculous. How would a platoon member have anything to do......" "Can't imagine? Even if it's to do with the current situation Zuellni is in?" "Urgh......" "If we lose the mine we're using right now, Zuellni's finished. This year's Military Arts Competition is decisive. Many students in the platoons love this school deeply. If they feel the heavy burden of Zuellni's fate, then it wouldn't be strange for them to be associated with this, right?" Layfon understood Formed's words. Illegal drugs......The drugs that increased the flow of Kei were perfect for this kind of use. "......This is just speculation." Nina didn't agree with him. "Yes, it's just my speculation. Perhaps Military Arts students with bad marks want it. Perhaps, some fools exist, thinking the side-effects of the drug won't appear on them. Regardless, this is all speculation, but I'm willing to bet on it since the possibility of it happening is so high." ".........Do you have any clues of platoon members participating in illegal drug dealing?" "......We've obtained a firm clue while checking the paths of imports. Goods that come in by roaming buses cannot possibly escape our investigation, but that's only limited to legal trade goods. Checks are more lax on private things in small numbers. Fake student IDs can get past a human eye, but not a computer. The illegal drug dealing can only be made through a real student's address. Mail is sent to real students, then the fake IDs are taken to where the fake students gather. We've been checking all personal mails and mailing records for a year, and we've been double checking everything. The six people who are on the records the most......" he sighed and paused. "I've already said too much. I can't do anything else if you decide not to accept us. Naruki entering the 17th platoon is to help with the investigation. I hope you can keep quiet about it and cooperate with us."

"I accept." "Are you sure? Do you need to consider it......" "No need. Since you have clues, we'll help out." "What would you do if they take illegal drugs because they want to protect this city?" Formed tossed out the doubt to Nina's answer. "If they do it out of protecting the city, what would you do? It's illegal, but it's a choice made to resolve the crisis. What if they do it because there is no other way? Zuellni is at its end. They plan to sacrifice themselves to save the city. What would you do?" Why was Formed pushing Nina? He'd have probably asked Layfon the same questions. Layfon didn't understand why. He spaced out a bit, and came to some understanding. Formed was eliminating later problems by raising them now. Layfon didn't know what he himself would do. He looked at Nina. How would she answer? "......To sacrifice oneself in order to save something. It sounds good but it's just being selfish. It's just facing difficulties and choosing the easy way out. I'm determined to protect everything in this city. I don't want to sacrifice anyone. I'll protect everything, including myself." No matter when it was, she could always say something this strong to pierce Layfon. "......I've never heard such willful words," Formed shook his head, at ease. "But I've never heard something that reassuring. Well, I'm leaving it all to you." "Roger." Nina and Formed shook hands. "OK, they are......" "......Six people. I said so. Five of them are......" He wrote the names with his finger. Nina's face stiffened. "No......" "Their mail all came from the same city, but they themselves aren't from that city. It's the home city of the sixth person. About this sixth person's name..." Layfon vaguely remembered the name. Probably a platoon member. That was it.

Nina should have understood the truth when she heard the name. Then why...... He thought for a moment and finally recalled which platoon this person belonged to. Layfon's expression now matched Nina's. The tenth platoon. "Dinn Dee." The face of a bald young man surfaced in Layfon's mind. The sound breathing during sleep hovered in his ears. In a way, it was the same as an interrogation. "Geez......" Sighing and tired, Gorneo was on the way back to his dormitory. The time was after platoon training and dinner. Naturally, Shante sat on his shoulders. She was fast asleep, her chin leaning on his head. Gorneo worried about whether she might fall off. Having spent a lot of her strength in training, she just ate afterward and slept. Although he had been with her since he started first year here, she was still like a beast and a kid. "Really......" he sighed again and entered the dormitory. He walked past his room. Shante's room was next to his. He pressed the doorbell and passed Shante to her roommate, who was from Shante's home city. Gorneo returned to his room. He felt the unusual atmosphere the moment he opened the door. He opened the door slowly but didn't switch on the light. He brought out the card-shaped Dite from his coat pocket, and inserted it into his wristband so he could restore it at any time. "Who is it?" He asked, increasing his internal Kei in readiness for a fight. "......Well, you pass. I was hoping you'd have noticed before you opened the door," a voice came from inside the room. "I said, who are you?" The light was switched on. Carefully, Gorneo walked deeper into the room and saw a young man sitting on the sofa. The small table before the man was littered with fast food wrappers. He was drinking juice and reading a magazine. A strange tattoo decorated the left side of his face. "This is my room," Gorneo said.

The young man's attitude wasn't hostile, but it wasn't enough of a reason for Gorneo to relax. He watched the young man stand up...... Haia. "And the female hiding in the kitchen. Come out," he said. "......Ah." "Come out," Haia said, and a young woman walked out of the kitchen's shadow. Golden hair framing a slender body, she was about the same age as Haia. A pair of big glasses sat on the small bridge of her nose. She held a huge bow. It shrank back into a small Dite after she canceled the restoration. "Myunfa, your Kei isn't up to standard," Haia said to the young woman. "......Sorry." "If you can't hide your presence, you'll have trouble as an archer, so I've been giving you more practice like trailing a target and such." "Uh, uh, uh, I can't do that kind of thing," she shook her head. "We just need to find a guy you like. You could follow him and observe him for a whole day, as well as train yourself. Isn't that like shooting two birds with one stone?" "That......That kind of thing......" She shook her head fiercely with her face all red. Haia laughed. "......Just who are you people? Are you here just for this show?" "Yeah~ Would we be happier if we came just for this show? But we'll have to get serious now. My name is Haia Salinvan Laia." Anyone from Grendan would have noticed Haia's second name. Gorneo's alertness increased. "From the Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang?" "I'm the third Head. This is Myunfa, my first Military Arts student." "P, pleased to meet you." "Um......" Gorneo returned the nicety and swung his gaze back to Haia. "......What's the Guidance Mercenary Gang doing in an Academy City? Has the Student President hired you?"

"That side too~ Speaking of which, isn't that better? Yeah, I'm regretting a little. Never mind, I'll leave that for later." Haia's more relaxed tone was confusing for Gorneo. "I didn't come here for business. I hope you can cooperate with me. Since Wolfstein Alseif doesn't know anything about it, I've come to seek your help." "Cooperation? Or is there something else......?" "What I want is your help in intelligence. The people living in the city know it best. Of course. Well then, about the information......I'll let you in if you have something useful. How does that sound? Since you're the second son of the Luckens family, I thought it wouldn't be strange if you knew of it. Actually, it is part of the Mercenary Gang's secret history." "......Could it be......" "Oh, you do know." "Could it be real......? Haikizoku," Gorneo watched Haia in disbelief. The time Gorneo heard of this term was when his older brother became a Heaven's Blade successor. He heard of it in a conversation between his grandfather and his older brother. "It's a crazy power nurtured from a destroyed city......" That was what his grandfather said. The Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang left the city in order to search for this power. "I thought it was just a legend......" "If it really was a legend, then the first generation Head didn't have to work so hard." "So it does exist?" "What a deep doubt. But it isn't in Zuellni, it's in the ruined city next to here. We've searched that city already, but didn't find anything, so we came over here." "In that city......" Gorneo fell into his memories. "......Now that you mention it, I think the psychokinesist of the 17th platoon said she found something." "Oh?" At that time, the psychokinesist of the 5th platoon didn't find anything, but Layfon's 17th platoon might have. But if that really was the Haikizoku...... "The twisted Electronic Fairy of a dead city......I never thought it was real." "Can't help it if it is real, but even I only half believe it. I want to find one and have a look,

but I can't find it." "Well.........Leader," Myunfa raised her hand. "What is it?" "Um......It's the 17th platoon, isn't it? Its psychokinesist, right? How about we ask for her help? Fermaus only knows the general direction, but he can't come here......" "That's a good suggestion. Well then, Gorneo, who is that psychokinesist?" "Felli Loss, the younger sister of the Student President." "The Student President......meaning the leader of this city, right?" "Yes." "Then this is simple, isn't it?" Haia laughed, and after that, he obtained various kinds of information on Zuellni from Gorneo. On that day, they continued training in the fundamentals as usual after introducing Naruki to the other three team members. Other than that, Nina announced the cancellation of the training camp that they had planned for tomorrow and the day after. Naruki tripped and fell numerous times in the balance training with the balls scattered on the floor. Under Layfon's advice, she finally managed to walk faster than a normal pace around the room after two hours of training. Afterward, they had combat training on the balls between members divided into two teams. Naruki somehow managed to control her movements after falling countless times. When Nina ended training, Naruki was covered in sweat, unable to move on the floor. "Are you all right?" Everyone had gone to the shower room. Only Layfon came to deliver an energy juice to her. ".........Do you do this everyday?" "Today's training is more relaxing already." They didn't even do the ball-hitting training. In fact, today's training wasn't intense, but it wasn't useless. Training in the fundamentals was extremely important, especially now they had a match coming soon. Rather than memorizing new moves, it was more practical to get the fundamentals right. "This is hard," Naruki said as she drank. She wiped her mouth. This level of difficulty made

her feel down. Her reason here was to observe the 10th platoon and obtain evidence of their use of the illegal wine. "Now I fully understand why Layton is so strong. I'm totally exhausted, but you haven't sweated one single drop." "But you're not trying to become a platoon member, right?" "......Yeah, but I'm a Military Artist. I'm in the City Police, but I haven't given up the mission of a Military Artist. Besides, sometimes I might have to handle a violent case. Physical strength is still necessary," she regulated her breathing and sighed deeply. "It's meaningful to come here. I can become stronger. If it's a reason for Military Artists, the reason is enough for me to be here. I understand being weak is a sad thing for a Military Artist. But I can't fully accept this. I'm not really sure how to express myself clearly." "......I know." Although he wasn't too clear on this, he knew. "I'm the same as you, becoming strong without explicitly wanting to, though I had a reason to become strong, so I've been struggling for that. But since I arrived here, I've lost my reason to keep trying, and this period of time is troublesome." He wanted to be stronger so he could earn money and feed the children in the orphanage. His wish went out of control without his knowing, wanting to feed all the orphans in Grendan.........Although it turned out that way, it was still the simple reason that sustained him. "But isn't Layton still here?" "Um, yeah." "Layton's here because of certain reasons. You're here, doing your best. Aren't you struggling more compared to when you first started?" "True. That thing in Grendan's already sorted out." ".........I'm not sure, but you feel strange today," she cocked her head to look at him. "Is something wrong?" "Um, not really." "That's not an answer free of worry, Layton." "Yeah, well, it's OK." "You're worried. What is it? Can you tell me about it?"

"It's not really something to be worried about, but it's just a feeling I can't turn around......? It's like that. I haven't yet sorted it out." A heaviness came from his weapon harness hanging around his waist. Two Dites hung from it. One was Harley's newly adjusted Sapphire Dite, the other was Kirik's Shim Adamantium Dite - a shape known as the Katana. ".........The way you said it, isn't it just a worry?" "Yeah?" "If that isn't something you're worrying about, then there's nothing we'd call 'worry.'" "Um" Perhaps it was a worry for him, but how should he resolve it......considering it like that made it feel like something else. He was unwilling to handle a katana. If possible, he didn't want to give in. Kirik said this would make him the strongest. Becoming the strongest was critical to a Military Artist. It was the power needed to protect the city. Of course it was natural. If you didn't become strong, you couldn't protect anything. He fully understood that. He also knew that strength alone couldn't protect anything. He could imagine Kirik's agitation and frustration, a Military Artist with a damaged body who couldn't do anything. But Layfon couldn't fully comprehend that because his body was in a good condition. In Kirik's eyes, Layfon was probably just an existence for him to let out his frustration on. That in itself was troubling for Layfon, but it might not be that, it was Kirik's sincerest wish, the remnants of Kirik's wish to become strong to guide Layfon onto the correct path of a Military Artist. And on the path that Kirik's made for him was the road sign of the Shim Adamantium Dite. Kirik asked "Why don't you walk the correct path?" There was an answer to this question. Yes, there was an answer to it. Why didn't he walk that path? But who would accept that answer if he said it? Or maybe someone would accept it. Kirik had asked that question because he accepted it. "So, Layfon........." He didn't want to hear it. "Sorry for making you wait," Harley's vibrant voice filled the training room. Earlier, he had greeted Naruki, handed back Layfon's two Dites and returned to his lab. Now he was back.

"What is it?" "What's what? Now that we have a new member, isn't it natural for me to show myself more?" Harley gestured. He was holding a textbook on weapon maintenance. "Naruki's weapon needs to be prepared." "Ah......No, I can use this......" Harley looked at the Dite in Naruki's hand and shook his head. "That's for the City Police. A City Police weapon isn't suitable for a platoon match." "Ah, but........." "It's fine, it's fine. I can make whatever you want. Come." Eyes sparkling, he grabbed Naruki's hand and dragged her to the research lab. "What do you want it to be like? A shortstick type? In that case, Nina's type might be more advantageous. Ah, come to think of it, what's this around your waist? A rope? Hmma capture and detainment skill, is it? How interesting." Like a tsunami, Harley's questions seemingly cut down all opposition from Naruki and she was pulled outside. She looked at Layfon pleadingly, but he replied with a "take good care of yourself" expression. "Well......" Naruki was gone, leaving Layfon alone in the room, but even without her, he couldn't ignore the case that Formed had left for them. "Then I'll have to do this," he said and used Kei to eliminate his presence. She knew when Naruki was introduced to the team. "Looks like someone's kidnapped him." After a shower, Felli walked alone out of the training complex. She didn't get to walk with Layfon today. Since it was useless to wait for him, she decided to leave. She had thought of why Layfon had left......but she knew by just looking at him. He was always in combat with his true feelings. Even without him saying anything, she could tell by his expression that he was hiding something. To tell the truth, she wasn't that interested. Wasn't interested, because she didn't want to get involved......And she got frustrated.

Originally she planned to search with the flakes, but she gave up. She had confidence that Nina and Naruki could not detect her flakes, but not with Layfon. She wasn't sure whether she might be found out under normal circumstances, but if Layfon was in battle condition, he would definitely discover her flakes. Layfon's senses were incredible, as if he could sense everything around him. What would happen if he found Felli's flakes...... It'd have been good if he just prepared for battle...... Leaving the training complex with these thoughts in mind, she headed for the tram station. Not that many people were here since the training complex was built in an isolated area. Many Military Artists preferred to run back home, not allowing their bodies to cool down after training. Nina and Sharnid were the same. Layfon tended to take the tram when he was with Felli, but if he were alone, he'd probably have run back like all the others. Psychokinesists of other platoons tended not to ride the tram either. Although they couldn't use Kei to strengthen their bodies, a lot of them preferred to train their physical side to combat the effects of tension on their bodies during a platoon match. Although the tram didn't go all the way to Felli's place, she still decided to ride it. She was probably the only person who rode the tram on a daily basis. Many students moved to other areas for work, study and entertainment. Hence, Felli felt something wrong when she saw someone at the station. The figure sitting on the only chair under the roof stood out vividly with his red hair. Felli didn't recognize him. It wasn't a problem to wear casual clothes outside class time, but it was unusual to change into casual clothes and come back here. A Dite hung from his waist. That was against the school rule. Very few students were given special permission to carry a Dite in their private time, and even so, that was restricted to certain times and locations. Whether this rule was taken seriously was another question, but a student wouldn't be carrying a Dite so blatantly like this guy. The feeling wasn't very strong, but the atmosphere was definitely not the same. It was better not to get any closer to him before the tram arrived. No, she'd let him board it first, and she'd wait for the next tram. Either way, a tram was always empty at this hour. She didn't want to ride in a sealed off tram with him. It felt unnatural to just stand here, so she decided to just turn around and head back to the training complex. All the while, a thought floated in her mind that this was a good reason for her to check on Layfon. "Are you Felli Loss?" Somehow, he was standing behind her without her noticing. "!"

Felli jumped forward and turned around, snatching the Dite from her weapon harness. Restoration. A staff with petal-like scales appeared in her hand. "Hey, hey, wait up. I didn't do anything." The young man raised his hands to show he wasn't hostile. His Dite remained in his weapon harness. Even so, Felli scattered the flakes and kept her distance from him. She had instinctively taken this measure. He was a young man with a strange tattoo on his left face, Haia Salinvan Laia. "We can't talk when you're so far away." "I can hear over here. You should be able to hear me too." Haia wasn't surprised at Felli's voice in his ear. One of the flakes hovered before him. "This flake contains psychokinetic explosives. It can cause an explosion and I'm not kidding," she didn't think one explosive could match this Military Artist's speed, so when she put some distance between them, she had scattered a few psychokinetic explosives around. "You do think ahead. If not now, I'd really want you to join me." "I refuse." "So quick!" "Well, what is it?" "Whoa......Looks like you're the difficult type." "I don't want to be the type you like." A tram had come to a stop on the track behind Haia. Someone exited after the door opened. "Felli!" Karian called. "Ah, finally here," Haia put out his chest and went to Karian. A girl with glasses that Felli didn't know walked beside him. "I was troubled that you left first." "Because I didn't think the talk would end so quickly. Speaking of which, your sister is troublesome, like a cat with a temper."

"Can't judge a person by his looks," Karian concluded. ".........Just, who are these people?" While demanding an explanation, Felli decided to refuse what Karian was going to say next. It must be something that she wasn't willing to do. Having hidden his presence through Kei, Layfon sat on the roof above the entrance to the training complex, letting the hours pass. (Well, what do I do.........) The 10th platoon seemed to still be in training. Layfon could see their faces if he opened the door, but he'd be discovered, so he strained his ears, hoping to catch Dinn's voice. If Dinn left the room, Layfon would tail him. He couldn't think of a better way. What Formed wanted was the location of where Dinn hid the illegal drugs, or some convincing evidence of his taking them. (Just how I do look for that kind of thing?) Go into Dinn's room? But thievery probably wouldn't constitute evidence. (It would been easy if all I needed was to go into his room.) Although he couldn't open a door lock with a needle like a professional thief, it wouldn't be difficult for him to hide his presence through Kei and use his sword to cut open the lock. Then he'd search for evidence.......... But, if he couldn't find anything, Dinn'd be more watchful. If only Naruki was here... but that didn't seem possible for today. Well then, he'd do some observation work. (Um--) Could he do this? Doubt surfaced. It wasn't hard to use Kei for a prolonged period. He could keep this up for an entire day while tailing someone, but what he was worried about was whether this was effective at all. Although Dinn hadn't yet done anything, he probably wouldn't do anything that Layfon expected. Layfon silently planned his possible moves. No matter what, he couldn't go in and expose the truth like the police. While Layfon was thinking of other ways, Dinn emerged from the building. (I can only take this way then.)

Same as before, Dinn was with his team members. There were seven people altogether, the full number of people in the 10th platoon. The last person looked to be the psychokinesist. Layfon could tell by the way he walked. People who trained with weapons had a special way of moving. It wasn't strange for a student to shave his head, but to even pull out the roots, now that was unusual. Slightly behind Dinn, walking adjacent to him was a beautiful girl that Layfon hadn't seen before. (Is she the vice captain?) That must be Dalshena Che Matelna. Rather than describing her as a beautiful adult woman, it was more appropriate to say she had the air of a beautifully crafted statue. The two of them led on, with the five others following behind. Layfon was about to jump down from the roof but he suddenly stopped. He saw someone trailing the platoon. (Captain?) It was Nina. She didn't say anything after training, and had headed straight for a shower. He didn't think she'd take any action today, but.........She was masking her presence with internal Kei. It wasn't as well done as Layfon's, and it couldn't be compared to Sharnid's, whose presence just simply melted into the air, but she did manage to eliminate her presence. (At this rate, she'll be exposed.) From his experience with her in the past, he knew it was useless stopping her now, and if he went up to her to talk her out of it, he'd end up exposing both of them before Dinn. (I'll keep it the way it is then.) Having confirmed some distance between them, Layfon jumped down from the roof. What should he do......? Dinn and his team didn't head for the tram. It seemed they were planning to walk back to town. Nina trailed Dinn and Layfon followed behind. Layfon found this situation delicate, and he didn't plan to destroy this balance. Either way, he judged this situation to be disadvantageous. (If Naruki were here......) But Harley had Naruki. Assuming the fact that Harley didn't know anything, he wouldn't let

Naruki go so easily. Wondering whether he was doing something that would put his audience into a speechless stupor, Layfon continued to move after the group. It seemed Dinn and his team were making casual conversation while walking: who had been rejected by whom, who had a new girlfriend, laughter mixed in with the chat. This was normal. It even happened in the 17th platoon sometimes, and the 10th platoon didn't seem to intend to do anything different soon. The one who acted the bad character like Nina was Dinn. Layfon found that unexpectedly surprising. He thought the Vice Captain Dalshena would have played that role. The atmosphere she exuded was similar to Nina's, and they were both refined in a way. Beautiful and elegant......... that type of a feeling. To the team members' jokes, she'd reply with a firm attitude. For some reason, this atmosphere felt similar to Sharnid. Dinn Dee. Dalshena Che Matelna. Sharnid Elipton. That was the combination in the 10th platoon that held the strength to threaten the 1st platoon. Layfon recalled Nina's horrible expression when she heard Dinn's name from Formed. Why was she surprised and agitated? Maybe Sharnid......that might be the answer. No matter what had happened, the truth that Sharnid had left the 10th platoon would never change. But what had happened between the deep trust of those three people? Layfon didn't know. What would Sharnid do if he knew about the illegal drug dealing? That guy who was flippant all day long if he knew...... (Ah, I see......) That was probably what Nina was worried about. The 10th platoon finally showed signs of dispersing. First it was one person, then the next parted with the team, probably because their dormitories lay in different locations. Finally, Dalshena also left, leaving Dinn alone. Nina didn't hesitate and continued to trail Dinn. Layfon followed behind them. Formed said Dinn must be the main culprit. His home city was Kelnes, the city specializing in medical herbs. It was one of the few cities to date that hadn't banned the production of illegal wine. Dinn was the only person who would know the ways to import the drug. Layfon thought Dinn would head back to his dormitory......As Dinn walked on his own, something else moved. It was Nina. "Dinn Dee."

She suddenly removed her disguise and called out, causing Layfon to panic. He was too late to stop her. Dinn turned around and Layfon managed to maintain his Kei around himself to conceal his presence. "Nina Antalk? What does the 17th platoon want with me?" Dinn's attitude wasn't friendly. It was close to hatred. "I have to talk to you." "I don't want to talk to you though. Don't think what you have to say has any value." "It's very important," she said, as he planned to turn away from her. "Don't take illegal drugs again." "......What did you say?" he stopped in his tracks and watched her. "The City Police are watching you. They're looking for evidence. You can still make it if you stop now." "Don't speak as if you're everything. You don't even have proof and you've already decided I'm in the wrong?" "It'll be too late if proof is found," she said with anxiety. Dinn's expression remained cool and cold. Under these circumstances, to be branded as a criminal, wouldn't he be angry? But not Dinn. Was this enough to show that he really was involved in illegal drug trade? No, compared to that...... Why was Nina doing this? She had made him put up his guard. No.........Things weren't like that at all. (Looking at this, as if......) She was trying to make Dinn come to his senses. "......Stop. What are you saying?" "You're damaging your body. Why are you still taking such dangerous things? If it continues, doesn't that mean you won't be able to protect anything?" "This is for the sake of protecting the city. To win against the 1st platoon. To win a match and get the highest accumulated score. This is significant for authority. If I have neither authority nor reputation when the Military Arts Competition begins, my plan will be useless.

That can't happen. That won't win anything. I'm using my way to protect this city. You should understand. We're both strategists in our teams. For the sake of the next Competition, don't you think so too?" "Of course I've thought of it. I did, but I thought I'll support the plan that will truly win the Military Arts Competition." "Only the result in battles can support a plan. A plan without that is not believable. You're naive." "No, it's not. Calm and observant insight is needed to find a possible strategy. What we're looking for now are those two things. You can only increase your own power through continuous training. Only through continuous diligence and effort can you have enough confidence to give commands. How can you prove you're right by escaping reality through illegal drugs?" "You're the one who shattered my dreams. Your way is truly low!" Dinn shouted. Nina held her breath. "You took away Sharnid with despicable means, and now you're acting all kind and wonderful." "No, I didn't......take him away......" "What can your words do now? If you want to give the police this information, then fine. I'm doing everything to realize my dreams. Only I can protect this city. Tell Sharnid that I'll fulfill that oath even without him." Dinn turned around. Nina didn't prevent him from leaving. Layfon had no way of following him, so he stayed where he was and quietly watched Nina's back.

[edit] Chapter 4: Outside the Wheel I can't be forgiven like this...... "Wow, this is the new Dite......" Layfon sighed. This sigh was aimed at Naruki and her friends, who had come to the library to meet him and to finish their homework. Hanging on Naruki's weapon harness was her usual police baton and Harley's newly made Dite. "Yeah, I was surprised too. It's only been a night since I joined the platoon. It feels as if something serious has happened."

No. In fact, Layfon had only made this time to meet one person. The other two girls were waiting for Layfon just as usual. "Yeah, something did happen," Naruki said with a sour expression. She stared at Layfon as if hoping to find out some news. While they went through their homework, she always tried to find a chance to be alone with Layfon. It seemed she hadn't mentioned the real reason behind her joining the platoon to Meishen and Mifi. But that wasn't Layfon's problem. Naruki herself was trying to find the timing to speak with him. Even so, Layfon was worried...... (I can't tell her the Captain's exposed the plan.) Yesterday's conversation between Nina and Dinn meant little to the two of them, but it was bad news for Naruki, particularly because she worked for the City Police. Layfon had found out that no one from the City Police had infiltrated the platoons to investigate this case other than Naruki. No one else was tracking Dinn. (What should I do......) Compared to his more relaxed past, Layfon was plagued by worries these days. He cared nothing for how other people viewed him back in Grendan. Of course, he took care not to let anyone know of what he was doing, especially Leerin and his adopted father. Besides that, Layfon hadn't done anything that would draw attention to himself. (Why can't I act like I did before?) In the end, Layfon's time in the library was spent feeling pressure and agitation. Still, no matter what, he hoped for the time here to drag on as long as possible. He sincerely wished for the afternoon to stay away. Platoon training was in the afternoon, and he would have to head for the Military Arts Training Complex with Naruki. She'd know of what happened yesterday night. No matter how hard Layfon prayed, time passed as it did, fair and equal to anyone. The time in the library ended as Layfon finished his homework with loose concentration. The last hour of lunch also ended, drawing close to the platoon training time. Naruki first announced the hour to part. Ah, I'm finished...... "And? How did yesterday go?" Naruki asked the instant that she had parted with Meishen and Mifi. In the face of Naruki's impatience, Layfon realized that he had no way out of this. (Huh, it can't be helped.) "Um......Nothing much happened yesterday."

He wasn't good at lying. That was his decision. "Really.........I guess it's not easy to catch him red-handed." (Sorry.) Layfon smiled forcefully as he apologized in his head. "Well, this will take time. Getting impatient right now will only be our defeat. Anyway, we just have to do our best." Do our best. It seemed Naruki had a pressing wish to resolve this case. "Naruki, what if......what if that person truly wants to protect this city, so he turned towards illegal means, what would you do?" "Huh?" "What if he truly wants to protect this city knowing his true strength is not enough......so he uses those illegal drugs. What would you do?" Layfon didn't find Dinn's method despicable. Nina called the want to protect everything in the city selfishness. Nina's ideal was very beautiful, but it wasn't realistic. In an everyday peaceful atmosphere, one would forget the fact that Zuellni was in a dire situation. Nina's determination that supported her wish in this dire time was particularly dazzling. But Layfon knew that kind of thinking wasn't enough. Although the illegal drugs were deplorable, Layfon didn't think Dinn was wrong. Dinn's method was cleverly covered by the excuse of the Military Arts Competition. Like the inevitability of a city's death, it was natural that the people who took part in such a fight were not perfect. "I've already considered it," Naruki replied, avoiding Layfon's gaze. "He can be called a hero with Zuellni's current situation. Even though his method is illegal, I think no one would directly criticize him. But the truth remains that this is a crime. It's a crime within the Academy City Zuellni. It's forbidden. It's also horrible to his own body. The use of those illegal drugs can speed up the deterioration of the Kei vein." "Do you know?" Naruki asked Layfon, keeping her back to him. "It's not meaningless to sacrifice one's body to protect the city. This act is tragically beautiful, but I can't accept it. Which one is more important? The city or the people......If it was me, I'd choose the people. We have other Academy Cities beside Zuellni, so I'll definitely capture him and stop him. If a day comes when something must be sacrificed, if Meishen and Mifi would be sacrificed, I'll save them. So I'll also save Dinn." The last line was probably Naruki's real feelings. She would never stand still if Meishen and Mifi needed help. Naruki's thinking was what Layfon lacked. He cared less for other people. He just wanted to protect everyone back at that time.

"Nakki's thinking doesn't fall short of the captain's." "Nah. I still want to become a Chief. I feel strongly against any illegal acts. To say it more clearly, I neither sympathize nor agree with Dinn's thinking. Bad is bad. I don't believe I'm entirely just. The law isn't perfect, but if we don't abide by it, then human society cannot work properly. So we must not ignore the law. If we want to ignore the law, then it's better if we find someplace to live with no one else around. Am I too cold?" "Not at all, you're right." Dinn had said that it was necessary in order to protect the city. Nina had said that the want to protect everything was selfish. Naruki's thinking was different from theirs. She was indifferent to the fate of the city. If Zuellni was destroyed, the people just needed to move to other cities. Naruki had questioned whether the city or the people was more important. Humans were more important, Layfon felt the same as her. Thinking back on how he acted in the past, it wouldn't be inaccurate to say that he was Naruki's comrade. But still, he didn't want to see the Electronic Fairy die. The point that people could move to other cities was troublesome to Layfon. In terms of materials, Layfon didn't have enough money. As a Military Artist, he could move around cities like the Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang, acting like a mercenary, but that wasn't what Layfon wanted to do. Money was still needed to let him move to other cities, whether it was an Academy City or a normal City. This problem was embarrassing, a problem that couldn't even be compared to that of anyone else's around him, but it was very realistic for Layfon. Hence, he didn't want this current reality to vanish. However, his existence in Zuellni couldn't guarantee a victory in the Military Arts Competition. (Ah, I see......) He admitted it, finding it strange. As those words surfaced in his mind, he felt that his own problem and his position in this case were too different from others. Whether the problem had anything to do with the City or the people, the fact was that power could solve everything. If Nina and Naruki left this problem to Layfon, then perhaps, everything could be solved. (Um......That might not work?) It probably wouldn't work with people like Nina around. She wouldn't let him shoulder everything. As he thought on it, he found himself nearing the Training Complex, the Training Complex with Nina in it......... (Ah......) A bad premonition flashed through his mind as each step took him closer to confirmation.

 "I'm sorry. I contacted Dinn yesterday." Nina really didn't fail his expectations. He wasn't sure whether it was good or bad. Like yesterday, she had come earlier than anyone else. Felli and Sharnid had yet to show themselves. Naruki stood stiffly next to Layfon. The trembling of her lips spread out to her entire body. "Wh, wh, wh, wh, wh......" she failed to get a word out as she watched Layfon. Layfon did say just a moment before that "Nothing had happened." "Sorry. I lied," he said honestly, lowering his head. Nina didn't wait for Naruki to recover her composure. "I understand your feelings about having your mission interfered with. Even so, I did what I did according to my principles." "Uh, wait a minute. Yesterday, that person admitted he was using illegal drugs. Isn't that proof?" "I didn't tape it. You don't have it either. Besides, I didn't see him taking drugs. That kind of proof isn't convincing enough. Dinn knew that was the case, so he said what he said." "......" Nina herself denied her own defense. "......Then just what did you want to do?" Naruki said, after finally calming herself down. Outrage filled her eyes. "You said you did that according to your principles? Do you know what those principles mean? Isn't that the same as providing the criminal with information to help him evade capture?" "Probably." "You're helping the criminal by leaking our information to him......" "I know, but I must do that. I had a reason to contact him." "A reason......" "You mean Sharnid-senpai?" Layfon cut in. Nina nodded. "I entered the 14th platoon in first year. It wasn't that strong a platoon. The captain was pretty good, and the relationship between team members wasn't bad. We trusted each other, and we had different abilities to confront different situations, but we didn't make it in the last Military Arts Competition......"

The 14th platoon......was the team that made Zuellni lose in the last Military Arts Competition. Past memories surfaced in Nina's mind. "In a match last year, we fought the 10th platoon, including Dinn Dee, Dalshena Che Matelna and Sharnid Elipton. They were all one year older than me, in third year. All members in the 10th platoon were in the 6th year. They took in three third year students, a pretty bold act. Anyone would have thought the 10th platoon weak, but in fact, they were very strong. Dalshena's stormy attack, Dinn's variations and Sharnid's accurate sniping. That combination covered up each person's weakness. Their attack was overwhelmingly strong. I really admired them. The higher-ups found their custom-made fighting suits arrogant, but to us, it was like the dazzling flag of a new era." The result was obvious. Sharnid's exit in the second half of the platoon match broke their tri-combo and the 10th platoon was disbanded. "Dinn's anger was intense. He even declared a duel with Sharnid. Sharnid accepted it but he didn't resist in the duel. He was beaten up. The judge stopped the duel because of the severity of Sharnid's injuries, so severe that it might have resulted in long-lasting effects. It's fortunate that he recovered," Nina sighed, as if she was putting down something heavy in her. Layfon and Naruki kept silent and waited for her to continue. "I went to find Sharnid after the match. I wanted to form my own team. I could never become strong by staying with the 14th platoon. My desire was deep, very deep......Because I met her." "Her" must be Zuellni. "I talked to Sharnid that I needed him to form a team. It was difficult at first, but he agreed in the end. I also talked to Harley. When I applied to form a new platoon, the newly elected Student President, Karian-senpai, introduced me to Felli." The 17th platoon had begun operating like that. Layfon's appearance in second year had enabled the team to become truly active. "......I took Sharnid from the 10th platoon." "It wasn't really......" "Although reality wasn't like that, it wasn't allowed in the relationship between those three. I don't know what happened between them, but things wouldn't have turned out like that if Sharnid was just a normal student studying Military Arts." True. It was very irritating to see a rival walk into one's sight. Although Sharnid had left the team, Dinn couldn't ignore him in a fight. He couldn't ignore him. It wouldn't have mattered if the 17th platoon was so weak that it wasn't worth mentioning.

The time for the match against the 10th platoon was nearing. When that time came, Dinn's feelings would be in disorder. On the other hand, if the 17th platoon was too weak, then Dinn might be able to disregard his feelings towards Sharnid. But that wasn't possible now. (Yes, because I'm here.) The 17th platoon was now much more powerful than Nina had anticipated, so powerful that no one would turn his eyes from them. All because Layfon was here. All team members were powerful, like Nina, Sharnid and Felli, but the team originally lacked a frontline attacker. Nina had trouble finding a Military Artist in Zuellni to fill that number in the 17th platoon. But everything changed when Layfon entered the Academy. A Heaven's Blade successor from Grendan was someone who fought filth monsters alone. Layfon's power wasn't a power that a normal student should have, and his participation in Zuellni brought an intense change to the 17th platoon. Nina could now concentrate on her original work of making and implementing strategies; Sharnid could fulfill his potential according to the situation; and even Felli, who was originally indifferent, had become more serious. The entire team had become stronger because of Layfon's appearance. This turning point was worth celebrating for Karian who planned with all he could to have Layfon enter the platoon, and Nina who strove to protect the City. But it was different for Dinn Dee. Dinn couldn't accept this reality. He couldn't allow the fact that Sharnid had betrayed him and entered a team that had become strong. Dinn's outrage came from a betrayal of trust. He could not tolerate it. In the end, Naruki left for the City Police office right after coming to the Training Complex. She was probably going to report this to Formed and ask for further instruction. Entering the platoon and serving as a fake member had probably caused some ripples in Naruki's thinking. What did Nina think of this? "It can't be helped now that the situation's become like this," Nina replied like a balloon without air. Her expression hadn't changed during the training hour. She stood balanced on one of the metallic balls spread across the floor, looking as if her heart was somewhere else. "Hey hey. How come the usual energy's flown out the window?" Sharnid said, having finally arrived. "You, you're so loud," Nina grumbled, her face red. Sharnid shrugged.

"Oh yes, I ran into Felli-chan earlier. She said she's not coming," he said, stood on one of the balls and rolled his way to Nina. "......What?" "Uh......well, and I wanted to tell you not to force yourself." Layfon's heart jumped. "......What do you mean?" Nina asked. "Dinn and Layfon's friend entering the platoon. I guess the City Police's caught that guy's tail, right?" "......You already knew?" Nina said in surprise. Sharnid's smile turned slightly bitter. "Aren't I the one who knows them the best? I knew just by looking at their performance once. Kei can't possibly increase that much in such a short period of time?" he looked at Layfon for confirmation. Layfon nodded in embarrassment. "Then, are we gonna arrest him?" Sharnid asked as if he was asking about tomorrow's weather. "You don't find that a problem?" "No problem. Isn't this the consequence of his actions? It'd be very painful to lose Zuellni, since we all have feelings for it, but I think it's another matter to damage one's own body." Sharnid's thinking was the same as Nina's. "Then wouldn't this be a better outcome than losing body and heart?" "Probably, but......" "The problem is........." Sharnid wasn't concerned with Nina's anxiety. His attitude was stronger than before and he had frankly expressed his opinion. He continued. "We cannot allow a scandal to come from the Military Arts course right now. Because of losing the last Military Arts Competition, the seniors are already being looked at with contempt. The juniors can just move to other cities and graduate there, but the seniors are different. They're about to graduate. Losing Zuellni might mean losing their right to their qualifications. If a scandal comes out, then even the Military Arts Leader might be fired. Aren't we at a strange time right now? We can use this......I think it's quite a good idea." Layfon's eyes widened at Sharnid, who gave his opinion with the attitude of a politician. "What? Sometimes I use my brain too."

The corner of his lips pulled up mockingly, as if Sharnid had realized that he wasn't acting like himself. "What do you think, captain?" "Well, I can't make a judgment," Nina shook her head. "Same here. If I had known this earlier, then I only needed to talk to one person, Kariansama." Layfon heard what Sharnid said, but explaining this to Karian would mean sealing Dinn's fate. "......Is this really all right?" Nina had the same thought as Layfon. This would eventually get the top people of the City involved. The end result might be a cold-hearted one. After all, Karian became a Student President in order to protect the city. If he were to choose between people or city, he'd definitely choose the city. "Can't be helped about that, since that guy's in such a situation," Sharnid said. Sharnid, Layfon and Nina headed for the Student Council, the training mood having dissipated. The female student led them into an empty conference room rather than the Student President's office. Karian appeared not long after. "Sorry for making you wait. Is there something you want with me?" "Speaking of that......" Karian listened quietly to Nina's narration. The scandal of using illegal drugs didn't shake him. "Then what do you want me to do?" he asked with a smile. No one could tell what he was thinking. "I don't think you'd want anything to happen in this special time," Sharnid answered. "If possible, we want this case to be managed in secret." "Secret. Ah, I see you haven't had a talk with the Chief of Police. You'll have to talk to him either way......In truth, this kind of event must not happen in this hour. If it is leaked out, this problem won't just be a news item. The seniors would be in great trouble and Vance might lose his position. And if we don't do anything about this, our right to enter the Military Arts Competition would be questioned. If the Academy union got wind of this, they might withdraw part of or even their entire financial support......Even if we somehow manage the financial crisis, we'd also lose the contact we need to sell our research data, and that is one big source of income."

Karian had analyzed all the possibilities......and as one possibility led to a worse possibility, Karian's expression turned more and more serious. "So what do we do next? That's the question, isn't it?" He looked at Nina for confirmation. At Nina's nod, Karian smiled. "In that case, good. I'll talk to the Chief of Police and get him to stop the investigation for now." "But that won't......" "Not only that of course. You'll have to act. Let me rephrase this, your action is the most important." "......What do we do?" "What else is there besides the platoon match? You against the 10th platoon. You must win this match." "Of course we'll do our best in the match." "Of course, but don't you have someone who isn't like that?" All three people turned their gazes to Layfon. ".........You're not telling us to kill him?" Nina's expression changed. Layfon recalled that this was his way of doing things in Grendan. Yes, that was how he viewed it and so he was neither angry nor confused, and for some reason, he was surprised at himself for calmly analyzing this possibility. "Student President, that's......" "No, no. You'd face a huge problem if you did that. People have died in matches in Zuellni, but things couldn't be solved easily if the whole team died," Karian shook his hand in denial. "Then......" "We just need something that stops them from maintaining a proper team. It could be an arm or even a leg......and I don't mean every team member has to be hurt like that. As long as the core of the 10th platoon sustains injuries that make them unable to fight in this year or for half a year, the 10th platoon loses its fighting power. In that case, I could use the authority of a Student President to disband the team." "Does that mean wounding Dinn or Shena?" Sharnid said. Zuellni's level of medical treatment could help heal a broken bone in one week, which meant a broken bone wouldn't be enough to effect the collapse of the 10th platoon. In that

case, the 17th platoon needed to destroy the nervous system, as that would need a longer treatment period. But that was difficult. A Military Artist's nervous system was connected to the flow of his Kei vein...... meaning the nervous system was extremely close to that of the Kei's path. The path of the Kei vein flowed naturally to protect the nerves. It wasn't that easy to just destroy them. "Are you saying we have to hit the head and paralyze the other person for the rest of his life? Isn't that overboard?" Sharnid said angrily. A hit to the head was extremely serious to a normal person. It was the same to a Military Artist who had his physical body strengthened through Kei. Intense shock received on the head from the outside could cause death, and even if that person didn't die, he would suffer serious side effects. Zuellni's medical treatment was not enough to treat that kind of an injury. "It'd be troublesome if we fail to do that. If it really doesn't work, all we can do is add a few crimes on their heads and exile them......but things like being exiled are large enough punishments to cause a scandal. Besides, we don't know whether Dinn would abide by the Student Council's decision." "It probably won't work. It's Dinn's style to reach his end with any means once he's made his decision. He's probably working underground and gathering people who think like him......Things like that." "Yes. In fact, he might become the next Student President. He's clear-headed and acts on his decisions. He might make a good leader, though his intense sense of mission could cause problems. The Vice Captain Dalshena is elegant and popular. If she becomes an adviser......Perhaps the combination of her being the Student President and Dinn holding the real power could be a very good match. It's a shame that it's impossible." "Aah......That would really suit them," Sharnid agreed. "I think it'd be even better if that combination included you." "Joining the Student Council is too much for me." "Really? You can do what they can't. Don't you think that's very important to them?" "Not at all," Sharnid tossed down his comment and turned around as if the topic wasn't worth discussing anymore. "Never mind. It's meaningless to talk about that now. Coming back to the topic, the problem is Layfon-kun. Can you do it or not...... That's the question. Can you?" "........." "Can you injure him so he needs more than half a year of medical treatment?" Karian asked.

"......Layfon," said Nina. Layfon couldn't answer them. Should he say he can or that he can't......He could achieve both answers. "Layfon, if you can't do it, then just say you can't," Nina said, as if she was entreating him to give such an answer. Although Layfon made a decision to come here himself, he had become confused in the face of Karian's calm analysis. Clearly, Layfon showed unwillingness for this outcome. He could only answer like this. "Sure." But the answer came from someone else. The answer that came from the direction of the door caused Layfon to stand up and snatch out his Dite. He had heard that voice before. "Eavesdropping is a bad hobby," Karian said to stop Layfon short. "Oh, excuse me, but I can't help it. This topic is interesting. Besides, I've something to say to someone in here," the person who voiced the answer for Layfon strode into the conference room. "Haia......" It really was him but his presence wasn't the only surprising factor. "Felli.........senpai?" A girl Layfon didn't know stood beside Haia, and standing next to that girl was Felli with a troubled look in her eyes. "Wh......Who are you people?" Nina said with her guard up. Haia and the other girl didn't look like they were students. "I'm Haia Salinvan Laia, the leader of the Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang...... I think that's enough introduction. What do you think?" "What did you say?" It seemed Nina hadn't heard of the Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang. She glanced at Layfon with a doubtful expression, showing that she knew Haia had something to do with Grendan. "Why do you think he can do it?" Karian asked after a sigh. "The Psyharden technique can do it. Don't you know? The highly difficult skill in External

Type Burst Kei. It's also a common technique used in different schools under different names." "That......I do know," Nina nodded, hiding her surprise at Haia's sudden appearance. "But that's a move to wound all inner organs. If we use that......" "Yes. Well, that move is pretty interesting if it's used against the head." "He'll die," Karian frowned. "Ah, Kei is a move that affects a large area, so normal defensive mechanisms never work. At least, Zuellni shouldn't have any such mechanisms to defend against Wolfstein using that move." "What do you want to say?" Karian urged. "Wolfstein and I.........I mean the previous Wolfstein. We have both inherited the Psyharden technique. It's impossible that Wolfstein can't use a move that I know. Besides, he's a Heaven's Blade successor. He can live till now because he was a Heaven's Blade successor. He managed to survive and defeat filth monsters because he continuously created and altered the Psyharden technique. His technique is one that he has honed through many battles against other Military Artists." Haia watched Layfon. Layfon......was unable to take that gaze head-on. The weight of the Dite in his weapon harness felt heavier. "You're the apprentice of my Master's older brother (older brother in the school, not blood related). He's inherited the name of Psyharden in Grendan. It's impossible that you can't use that move. You can, can't you? Using Houshintotsu." "What kind of a move is this Houshintotsu?" Karian asked on behalf of everyone else in the room besides Layfon. "It's simply a move that turns Kei into needles and hits the Kei vein with them. That way, the effect of the needles spreads out to the entire body, including the nervous system. It's similar to the needles that the doctors use on Military Artists. This isn't medical treatment but Houshintotsu that was created through Military Arts." (Speaking of the unnecessary.) Layfon thought. He could no longer say that he couldn't do it. If he said that, then the move would have become a move that Derek taught him in secret. And that would bring huge shame on the Psyharden School. A person who carried the name of the school bore the meaning that he would teach the next generation the Military Arts without keeping anything back himself. Layfon wouldn't let Derek carry such shame even though he no longer was in Grendan. "But......" Haia said, as if wanting to say more.

(Stop.) Such a thought yelled in Layfon's head, but he failed to give voice to it. "But I don't know whether you can execute Houshintotsu perfectly using a sword. Psyharden's technique is made for the Katana. You can't execute that move with a sword. Might be better for you to try using Whirl Kei moves." "So......It can be solved with a Katana?" Karian asked. Layfon didn't reply. All he was doing was to suppress the anger rising inside him. (It's the same with him and the same with him......) This guy and that guy, they were all trampling over the deepest part of Layfon, whether it was Kiriku or Haia. Checking the atmosphere around him, Layfon decided to swallow his words. But......Was he just going to let...... "Excuse me......" Nina raised her hand slowly. "Although it's not suitable for me to raise this, but can you give us some time?" "No problem. What do you think, Sharnid?" "......Sure." "Since you want more time, then I'll wait, but I wish you'd give me an answer before the match. I'll talk to the City Police, but that won't last long." "I know." Nina's angry countenance surfaced in Layfon's mind, but right now, his head was too full to take in that kind of a worry. "Ah, Layfon-kun, please stay behind for a sec," Karian said. "What is it?" "I've something to talk to you about. Please just stay behind for a few minutes." "What?" Nina asked. "It could be something very important. You know I wouldn't talk to Layfon about something irrelevant in this situation," Karian said to Nina, who regarded the Student President with caution. "It's all right. Please go ahead, Captain," Layfon said. "......OK," Nina left the conference room, looking back every step she took to the exit. Layfon still felt her gaze the moment she closed the door.

"......So, what's the situation?" Layfon faced the people left in the room with his back to the door. Never mind......Karian and Felli. The people Layfon took notice of the most were Haia and the girl beside him. "Ah, um......Nice to meet you. I'm Myunfa Rufa," Myunfa greeted him. "Are you from the Mercenary Gang?" "Yes......" Myunfa said. She fled back to Haia's side after having introduced herself. She exuded an air like Meishen, but Layfon wiped away that thought. "Student President, Haia is suspected of helping transport the illegal drugs." "Didn't we already take care of that, Wolfstein? Right, why did you call me by my name?" Haia smiled beside Karian. "I'm not a Heaven's Blade successor any more," Layfon glared at him. "I know, so sometimes you act like you were back at home, right? You're just a normal person here, and you're a student too. Shouldn't you be more mindful of the manner you address your senior, Layfon?" Sparks flew off from above their heads in an instant. Layfon had already snatched out and restored his Sapphire Dite. Haia also had his Dite ready. ".........I won't hold back this time." "Just as I wanted. I want to see whether those weak moves of yours can work against me without using a Katana." Both Layfon and Haia held their weapons ready, about to leap at each other. "Stop there!" Karian said. "Haia-san, I'll have to go back to what you did before if you go overboard with a student here." "That'd be troublesome." "Layfon too, take back your sword. Your attitude's too lax even though you've been provoked." "........." Wordlessly, Layfon retreated a step back as Haia did so. Both of them slid their weapons back into the weapon harnesses. "Just as you said, Haia, the Mercenary Gang had nothing to do with the illegal drug

dealings. This'll be announced as such publicly. At the same time, you must provide us with any information related to the illegal drugs. Is that all right?" "I guess so, but I think the secret transportation of drugs will probably stop." "Why?" "Because the Mercenary Gang will destroy them. Since the contract's finished, it'll be too foolish of us to allow any secret police to expose those illegal sellers and let them get hold of any evidence against us," Haia said simply. His casual attitude in a reply full of blood and murderous intent made Karian swallow. "Well then, what do you want with me?" Layfon asked Karian, not at all surprised at Haia's reply. Layfon just wanted to get his business done and leave this room. "It's I who want to talk to you." ".........I know." Layfon knew that Haia's presence meant he must have business dealing with Karian. Besides, Felli had mentioned how she would assist Karian even though she hated him. This must also have something to do with Haia's goal. As he thought of this, Layfon felt new anger rising in his chest. "I want to hear from you about it, since you're the only one who witnessed it. Either way, I want to hear it from you." "Witnessed?" Layfon watched Haia cautiously, not sure what he meant. "What do you mean?" "You saw it right? That amazing creature that's beyond common sense, appearing in that ruined city? It's very dangerous for that thing to be there, so I'm here to make a trade. As payment, we'll protect this city from filth monsters. Let's do a fair and square trade." Sitting inside the cake shop, Naruki was feeling terrible. Mifi was there too, staring at her friend with wide eyes. "What's wrong?" Meishen said. Mifi and Naruki had been sitting at the table till it was time to close the shop. The cake in front of them was from the shop owner's goodwill. Mifi and Naruki had helped clean the kitchen as gratitude and then sat back at the table to eat the cake. "It's nothing much, really," Naruki said listlessly.

"Can't see anything wrong from her at all," Mifi shrugged. "Did you fight with Formed?" Meishen, who had her hair tied behind her, was moving around as she helped clean and tidy up the shop. Mifi watched her and continued, "Or did you fight with Layfon? You can't do that for Mei's sake." "That......isn't it," Naruki raised her voice. "Then what is it?" "Something to do with work. This has got nothing to do with Mi." "Ah, you're so cold." "It's not a problem of being cold and not cold?" "How about telling us your troubles?" "Uh......" "Never mind. I'm joking." "If it's you........." Naruki shot her a tired glare. Mifi laughed, finding Naruki's expression funny. "Well, it was a joke, but right now, you look the same as Layton when he first entered the Academy." "As for that........." "If you've something you want to do, then do it. This is your childhood friend's advice." Mifi, Meishen and Naruki grew up together in the Traffic City Joeldem, so Mifi knew Naruki's personality. The way Mifi phrased her advice made it hard for Naruki to refuse. "Really......Thanks." "So? What is it?" Curiosity burst from Mifi's face. Naruki looked at her with suspicion. She sighed and opened her mouth. "Actually........." She didn't speak in details, but she did say that she entered the platoon for some specific reason. She told Mifi that it would be problematic if she let her know what that reason was. Mifi didn't mind. The journalist-aspired student was able to judge what should and what shouldn't be reported. If she reported this, even Naruki had to bear the responsibility. Mifi would never do anything to betray her friend.

"But I just received the order to stop the investigation." "Why?" "How am I supposed to know? But the higher-ups have given that order. Since the Chief of Police gave that order, we can't do much about it." "Meaning this is something to do with politics." "Exactly. I hate this." "Um............" Mifi stuffed cake into her mouth. Since Naruki had to investigate by joining a platoon, then this case must be related to the platoons. "So the one who wants the investigation stopped is either the Military Arts Commander or the Student President?" "What?" "The Military Arts Commander has the authority to appoint the Chief of Police, and to dismiss him too. The Student President is the other person who can get the Chief of Police to do this and that. When it comes to politics, it has to be one of those two." "Right........." "Perhaps those two think that it'll bring huge trouble if they were to publicly announce this case. I don't know the Student President and the Military Arts Commander, and I don't quite understand how they work. Do you feel the same?" "Yeah......About that........." "It's ok if you can't say it," Mifi concluded, stopping Naruki from saying more. "What happens next is no longer part of your duty. Normal criminal charges can't solve a political problem." "That's why I'm angry," Naruki said with a bitter expression. "So what do you plan to do?" ".........Plan to do?" "Isn't this obvious. The platoon." "Just pretend nothing's happened. Isn't that matter of fact?" Naruki only entered the platoon to assist in the investigation. Since the investigation was stopped, it was meaningless for her to stay in the platoon. But Mifi thought differently.

"Humph......Really? Just like that?" "What do you mean?" "Though you can't investigate, can't you still observe? The Student President won't let this go if the situation turns extremely serious. If that happens, how would this person be handled? Isn't that something you should watch out for? Whether you sit and watch with us from a distance or observe from somewhere close......... You don't really need me to point that out, do you?" "Right.........So that's a way too........." Immersed in her thoughts, Naruki quickly stood up. "Sorry, I've got to go. You head off first." Naruki left the shop. "Mi........." Meishen had heard the conversation. She was standing beside their table, holding a mop. "Were you encouraging her?" "Um? Yeah, probably. It felt different though." "Huh?" "Because Layton's team doesn't have enough people, and they're worrying about that? Nakki needs to be on her feet." "Mi......" Mifi smiled at her. Meishen had spaced out. "How about it? Since I've helped Layton, why don't you treat me to another cake?" "Don't go overboard," Meishen blushed and threw the handle of the mop at Mifi. Yes, this was pretty difficult.

[edit] Chapter 5: The vow on that day The day of the match had arrived. Zuellni had finished its resupply. The Student President said they'd spend the next two to three days tidying things up, then continue moving. Although they couldn't see the War Field, the enthusiasm of the audience had reached the room. Layfon found it unbelievable that he would see the day where Naruki was frowning in the waiting room for a platoon match.

"Are you all right?" "Seems I have some problems," Naruki made some noise, exhausted. She let out a heavy breath, her hand covering her face. Layfon understood that feeling. A feeling of being unable to control her consciousness. Although she had returned to the platoon in order to observe, she still needed to adapt to some areas. The atmosphere on Layfon's side was also heavy. Today, he had to defeat Dinn and Dalshena. He knew he didn't have to kill them. He just had to inflict injuries on them that would make them lie in the hospital for more than half a year. And to do that, he had to use a Katana. Psyharden techniques had to be executed with a Katana. To make it clear, a sword could also be used, and for Layfon who excelled at Military Arts, he might be able to do it with a sword. But a sword wouldn't allow him to reach the same level as a Katana. It might mean inflicting more severe wounds than intended, wounds that might never heal. Pressure weighed down on Layfon. Having been taught the skill of a Katana, handling a sword was not within his field. (This isn't my first day using a weapon outside my field. But......) It was the same when he took on the title of the Heaven's Blade successor. The Heaven's Blade he received had the form of a sword, and that was how Layfon fought. However...... (I still have to use a Katana in the present.) As a human, he was embarrassing. And not just that...... "Layfon........." It was Nina's voice. Her face didn't wear that dominating expression that she always donned in platoon matches. In other words, even Nina couldn't approach today's fight with her usual self. "Are you all right?" The question he asked Naruki before was now directed at him. Layfon could only smile bitterly. The student acting as communicator headed over to them to relay a command. Without a word, Nina followed that student. Sharnid patted Layfon's shoulder and followed Nina's example. Next came Naruki. Layfon slowly sat up and kept a distance from them. Felli walked over to him. "Fon Fon." A soft, everyday greeting. The usual Layfon would have worried about Nina and the others hearing this name of his, but he felt nothing today. For some reason, he didn't worry about it at all. He didn't know exactly why he was like this today. Fighting with a Katana, the conversation he had with Sharnid yesterday, Nina's determination, and Haia's goal......All

sorts of things flew through his head, leaving no room to agonize over Felli's greeting. But Layfon answered as usual. "What is it?" Felli cocked her head. Layfon couldn't tell the meaning behind her expressionless face. "What is Haia's goal?" she asked. "He probably wants to hunt down that thing, but......" What did he intend to do once he caught the thing? Neither Layfon nor Felli knew. That thing was the goat that Layfon met in the ruined city. It said something curious to him and then disappeared. Layfon suspected the goat was the one who buried all the dead in the city. Nina speculated the goat was the city's consciousness, the Electronic Fairy. Her speculation was spot on. Haikizoku. Haia called it by that name. Having gone insane, the Electronic Fairy underwent a change, freed itself from the city and went on a rampage. Haia said he had to do something about it, so he wished for Karian's help. Layfon didn't know why Haia infiltrated Zuellni just to obtain the Haikizoku. He was suspicious of Haia's promise to repay their help by protecting Zuellni from filth monsters for a year. Zuellni had nothing to lose, and that deal was just too good to be true. Layfon had too many things to think about. He had no room to speculate on Haia's goal. "I don't know," was his only answer. Felli appeared displeased at his reply. She deliberately walked up to Layfon and kicked him. "What was that for?" "I was careless," she left. "Just what's with her......" Well, since it was Felli's kick, it didn't hurt that much, but he had no idea what he did to make her mad. No time for that now. Light flooded his entire vision. The match was about to begin. Layfon's hand moved automatically to the weapon harness hanging around his waist. The Sapphire Dite and the Shim Adamantium Dite......Sword or Katana. Layfon's hand stopped, hovering and hesitating.

 The female voice of the commentator cut through the war field. This time the 10th platoon was on the offensive while Layfon and his team defended their flag. The 17th platoon had the disadvantage of being a small team......Mifi had said that before. The biggest reason behind it was that the 10th platoon was also best at attacking, just like the 17th platoon. The siren rang to signal the start of the match. The audience fell silent, holding their breath as a collective whole as the 10th platoon took action. Dalshena rushed straight for the enemy team with her lance, ignoring the attacks from the psychokinesist. She strove forward with the innocent belief of winning against many enemies all by herself. Dalshena's image showed on the huge screen opposite the audience stand. Dense golden curls danced with the wind. Dalshena wore a fighting suit that had seen many battles. The color of white outlined the edge of a red top that stretched down like a dress behind her. The image of it advancing in a half flying style was like Dalshena riding and controlling a powerful beast. But there was a reason behind Dalshena's lone attack. A figure followed behind her like her shadow. Dinn. He held a number of ropes in his hand. They looked like Layfon's steel threads, but they were thicker and fewer in number. A sharp hammer adorned the ends of each rope. Dinn controlled those ropes as he moved to carve a path before Dalshena. Any enemy that came close would have to deal with those ropes first. Behind Dinn were four other team members, and the six of them moved together to cover for Dalshena's attacks. The 10th platoon was best at this type of formation. (Did you see!?) Dinn thought as he and his team moved through the war field. He still hadn't seen anyone from the 17th platoon. They probably planned to hold a decisive fight at their own camp. Dinn laughed at such a cowardly strategy. (We can do it even without you!) Dinn wasn't the type to overestimate his own ability. His growth in the four years he spent in Zuellni wasn't much. When his body growth was at its peak, his skill in Military Arts hadn't seen much improvement. This fact plagued Dinn the most. For him to catch up with Dalshena's speed and wield the ropes at the same time, he needed the illegal drugs. Both Dalshena and Sharnid excelled in abilities that differed from Dinn. While knowing those two from year 1 to 3, both Dalshena and Sharnid had grown exponentially. Dinn couldn't have been able to flank those two if not for his invention of this weapon. He called himself fortunate to have met those two. But Sharnid betrayed him. (Did you see that!?) Inside Dinn, he screamed painfully. The three of them formed the best formation, but Sharnid had to destroy it, declaring the formation meaningless.

"Shena! We'll get past them like this," Dinn called. Dalshena didn't reply, instead, she increased her speed. She penetrated any obstacles ahead. The light of Kei encircling her lance pierced through the war field like a beast's fang. Once they went past the trees, they'd see the camp of the 17th platoon. And a change happened right then. At the time when they were about to clear the trees, the ground exploded. Dinn's ropes and the psychokinesist's flakes failed to detect the traps since they weren't set in the direct path of the 10th platoon. "No harm done. Keep going!" Dinn called to ease Dalshena's worry. But the aim of the explosion wasn't to stop the 10th platoon. The explosion resulted in a smoke screen that covered half of the war field. The psychokinesis-supported camera failed to pierce through that smoke screen. The screen for the audience stand showed nothing but smoke, proof that the smoke screen covered a huge area. "It's coming. Watch out." The targets were the team members at the back of the formation. Dinn had read the meaning behind the smoke screen and the direction of the attack. But to lower the visibility of the 10th platoon and the audience was...... The psychokinesist conveyed to the 10th platoon the movements of the 17th platoon. Nina Antalk the Captain, Layfon Alseif, the new member and the psychokinesist Felli all stood before the flag. Only Sharnid had gone missing from the start of the match. It seemed he was masking his presence through Kei and hiding in areas that the psychokinesist could not detect. For snipers to attack from a distance, leaking their position was the same as having their plan read like an open book, so they underwent a lot of Kei training. Sharnid did well in that area. No, Dinn should say that no Military Artist in Zuellni was as excellent a sniper as Sharnid. "Careful. Don't get sniped," Dinn advised, thinking of which person in his team would become the target of Sharnid's first bullet. Best not be Dinn himself and Dalshena. He stepped back and used the other team members as his shield. Failure was imminent if he fell here, so other members didn't object to Dinn's move. Dalshena was responsible for attacking, and if she fell, the attacking power of the team would fall drastically, but she didn't mind Dinn's move either. She continued to rush forward as if she was receiving an attack. A gap appeared between her and Dinn. It was too late by the time the psychokinesist reported the movement of the 17th platoon. An attack came from the front right hand corner of the 10th platoon, as if to tear apart the team. It was Layfon.

As the smoke screen spread out, Layfon's Whirl Kei separated Dalshena from Dinn. "Go!" Dinn roared at Dalshena. He thought Layfon was here to suppress him and the rest of the 10th platoon, leaving the other members of the 17th platoon to finish off Dalshena. That was Nina's plan, a strategy that took advantage of Layfon's excellent abilities. If Dalshena fell, it'd be a five versus three situation. Very disadvantageous for the 10th platoon. But Dinn was confident in Dalshena's attack power. Nina Antalk was good at defense, but she was nothing before Dalshena's lance. The new member of the 17th platoon was there to make up for the numbers, and as for Sharnid? Dalshena would have no problem repelling his bullets......At that time, Dinn found the other flow of Kei, his timing a bit slower than others because Layfon had blocked his path. "Sharnid!" Dalshena's surprise and outrage drifted to Dinn's ear. Layfon headed to an audio-visual room of the Military Arts Training Complex on the day before the match. Sharnid had called him over to watch something. The Training Complex contained a number of audio-visual rooms because if the equipment was placed in the training rooms, the platoons might end up destroying them during training. Room 2 was locked. Layfon didn't see any key around. "Oi, sorry for that." Layfon never thought of analyzing his opponents so he had never entered an audio-visual room before. White tiles covered the floor of the audio-visual room. In the room were chairs and a large screen. The purpose of this room was to show the records of previous matches so the team watching the records could use them to plan their strategies. Sharnid had put together two chairs like a bed and lay on it to watch the screen. The screen showed a match of the 10th platoon. Dalshena's valiant attack was enlarged. Nina's DV skill didn't do much as the shaking in the screen intensified. Either way, normal DV skill was unable to capture the high-speed movement of a Military Artist. Layfon tried his best not to look at the screen. It was because if he didn't watch it, he would keep his guard up. He wanted to have a fair and square fight with her tomorrow. Normally, he wouldn't deliberately opt for a fair fight, but tomorrow was different. This was why he had chosen to sit opposite Sharnid rather than opposite the screen. Layfon didn't know everything. All he knew was that Sharnid used to be very good friends with Dinn and Dalshena. "Shena's not part of it." "Huh?"

"The illegal drugs......" "You sure?" Layfon didn't know whether Dalshena was part of it, but Dinn, the captain, was using illegal drugs. It was natural to think that all members of the 10th platoon had taken them. "So you think she doesn't know?" In this case, Layfon wouldn't have to fight against Dalshena, and that fact put him at ease. Sharnid shook his head. "I think she knows. She understands the current Dinn more than I. She couldn't have been oblivious to Dinn's change. Really......" He bit his tongue and rapped his toes with a knuckle. "What a good person. To have fairness as her motto but at the same time lying about being a knight. She works with a double standard when her comrade breaks that motto. She wants to investigate but can't make a decision. Of course she fails to find anything. What an unsightly coward." Sharnid's voice was extremely cold. Layfon took care not to annoy him. "Listen here. We knew each other since year 1. We weren't in the same class, but we were in the same team in Military Arts class for one on one fight training. We've been partners since then. Having the same goal, like idiots. The captain of the 10th platoon took notice of us at that time. He was a good person. We thought of fighting for that person. We thought of that in our youth......... That person was very sad when Zuellni lost in the last Military Arts Competition. He cried for being unable to do something for the place he liked the most. Seeing him like that, we swore to protect Zuellni with our hands," Sharnid sighed. To protect Zuellni. It was the same oath as Nina's. Sharnid was different from Nina in that he stood in the field of the Military Arts Competition as a member of a platoon. Other than that, there wasn't any difference between the two. "But then our relationship was already cracking at the time when we swore together." Surprised, Layfon kept quiet. What was Sharnid about to say? "It was pretty simple. Dinn was the captain. Shena's feelings for Dinn, my feelings for Shena......It was a romance of a mouse waving its tail. Dinn was the captain. Shena swore because of Dinn, and I swore because of Shena. I already understood our relationships at that time. Even so, I still thought I had a chance. I hid my feelings and suppressed them. I swore to cover them and I lied to myself. I entered the platoon in 3rd year and participated in the matches. We did pretty well. We fought for our own goal, and because of that, we succeeded. But I'm a sniper. I observed the field from a distance. I thought from an objective viewpoint and realized this relationship would eventually collapse. Someone wouldn't keep at it. It might be all right for Dinn, but it was different with me and Shena." So Sharnid must have been the first one who couldn't keep at it? That must be what

happened. ".........This is the result of that guy's weakness, and also the thing that I destroyed by leaving halfway. We should have broken that relationship in a clearer way. It was my failure to break that relationship." Could......Sharnid have joined Nina's team to make up for that failure? "Layfon," Sharnid said. "Have you decided?" "......Yes." On that day, Layfon conveyed his thoughts to the Student President. ".........Can you leave Shena to me?" Sharnid asked. Layfon nodded to that request without resistance. "Sharnid~" she called, wondering what he was planning. Sharnid had appeared before her, in a position that a sniper should never be in. He held two guns instead of a sniper rifle. "Do you plan to receive my attack with such a toy!" Blood rushed to Dalshena's face. What she couldn't tolerate the most was Sharnid's fighting suit. A custom-made suit , the same type as Dalshena and Dinn's. It was designed for the three of them at the time when Sharnid and Dalshena joined the 10th platoon. Sharnid laughed. "Whether it's a toy or not, is up to your body." He readied his fighting stance and attacked. Kei ran from his hands to the Dites and shot forth with the bullets. The bullets flew towards Dalshena with a speed that exceeded that of an External Type Kei. Dalshena changed her route and jumped to avoid them. A variation of External Kei Hairoushou. A sound like an explosion shot from Dalshena's back. She used the momentum of that explosion to rush at Sharnid. Sharnid retreated as the ground shattered and the smoke danced apart. "Ku!" Surrounded by smoke, Dalshena looked awkward. The ground of the war field should not be like this under normal humidity. There were more dust and sand than smoke.

"Did you change the quality of the soil!?" she called, unable to see anything clearly. Nina had previously buried bags of dry sand in the field to delay Dalshena's attack and blur the visibility. The flow of External Kei filled Dalshena's surroundings, keeping the sand from falling. Sand and dust covered a large part of the war field. "Damn." She had lost Sharnid in the dust and sand. She couldn't sense his presence. Sakkei. Sharnid was masking his presence and was looking for an opportunity for a surprise attack. "Where are you!?" She narrowed her eyes. It was difficult to open them because of the sand in the air. She kept still and raised the lance. She moved. "Over there!" Her lance swiped like that. "Tsk." On her right, Sharnid jumped back with his guns crossed before him. He failed to maintain Sakkei in the split second when he shot the Kei bullet. "As I thought, it's not easy." "Don't underestimate me." Dalshena's lance stabbed towards him. Sharnid bent down and stepped inside her range, blocking her lance with his right gun as he pointed forward with his left. Dalshena twisted around as he pulled the trigger. The bullet brushed past her clothes. She retreated. But Sharnid followed close to her as if his right hand was attached to the lance. The clash of Kei from the lance and the gun gave off a huge amount of green sparks. If Sharnid wanted to aim with his left gun, Dalshena would use her bare left hand to change the direction of his gun. The two of them attacked and defended in a fight that weaved them together. "Sharnid, why?" Dalshena asked because they were stuck together. Of course, this would loosen her concentration on her opponent. "Because you're an idiot." "What?" "You knew but you did nothing. Does that make you an idiot?"

Dalshena's expression changed. She probably thought of Dinn and the use of illegal drugs. "Then this plan is........." Dust and sand covered the war field.........This setup was overboard just for a strategy planned against the 10th platoon. It was probably made to hide what was happening from the audience. "Exactly," Sharnid signaled with his eyes. "Why didn't you stop him?" he asked. "And you have the right to say that!?" External Kei shot from Dalshena's entire body, preventing Sharnid from getting closer. "Why do you think it turned out like this? Sharnid, it's all because of your betrayal!" "The oath? Does our oath have that much value? Shena, did you make that oath because it came from your heart?" "........." She couldn't answer. "You should understand. Our oath was not genuine. It was an excuse made through our feelings." "Shut up!" She attacked and stabbed with all her strength. Sharnid was forced to take evasive action, his body very close to the ground. He climbed up and immediately readied himself. But Dalshena ignored him and kept moving. Her attack was a feint. Her real aim was to meet up with Dinn. "I won't let you." Sharnid pulled the trigger, aiming for Dalshena's leg. His sniper rifle would have done well at this distance but what he held now were guns that were designed for physical attack. Black alloy for close combat. The conductibility of Kei was reduced so Sharnid couldn't shoot as accurately as when he was using a Dite made of lighter alloy. The bullet exploded beneath Dalshena's feet. It didn't hit her but it did stop her. "I won't let you go." Sharnid sped up to block her, once again entering a close range fight. "Do you really think this is all right, Sharnid?" "There's no right or wrong. Didn't he choose his own ending?" Sharnid called, leaping over the lance and returning an attack.

"Dinn really thinks of the city. Perhaps I did feel something for him at the beginning, but we now fight for the city." "I know." He knew. Dinn was serious, like an idiot. He didn't protect this city just because of his feeling for a certain someone. "Then why are you stopping me?" "His method is wrong." Yes, because of that, Dinn was gradually twisted. There really wasn't such a thought to protect the city because of the city, and to protect the city of the people living in it. Dinn only used it as his own beliefs and forced himself harder because of it. He became twisted because of that. "Why do you think it's wrong? How can you say it's wrong to increase his own power for the sake of that thought?" Dalshena called bitterly. Sharnid's face twisted. Dinn can't be wrong......Her words were like that of a religious zealot, and they shook Sharnid's position. Sharnid hesitated and stopped his movement. Dalshena swung her lance at him. He would have fainted from the impact of that attack if he didn't manage to defend with his guns. Sliding away from the ground, he continued to shoot at her. ".........If he's not wrong, then why didn't you say something about the use of illegal drugs?" he said, managing to stand up. "Why didn't you use the drugs?" Dalshena's expression changed again. "......Shut up." "Why didn't you tell me about them? If you don't feel guilty, then why do you keep silent?" "Shut up!" Her lance pierced the ground. Right now, she could have defeated Sharnid and joined up with Dinn, but she suddenly stabbed the ground with the lance. Sharnid didn't understand her actions, but the atmosphere shut him up. (That's good.) He couldn't do anything to prevent her from meeting up with Dinn. He can only leave her to Layfon. All these thoughts flashed past him behind his expressionless face. No. It can't turn out like that. It must not turn out like that. This is an ending Dinn must accept. It's got nothing to do with Dalshena. Dinn would have wanted it that way too. Dinn probably didn't realize that he had unconsciously prevented Dalshena from

participating in the illegal affairs. "He didn't tell you because he feels guilty. That must be it?" ".........I said, shut up," Dalshena said quietly, tightening her grip on the lance. The surface of the lance cracked apart, revealing the blade of a sword. "Hey, hey......" And she snatched it out before Sharnid had a good look at it. A thinner blade exuding elegance appeared in her hand. "You think you're the only one hiding your real strength?" she raised the sword and charged. "Your mission is to silence the enemy psychokinesist." She recalled Nina's words before the match. It'd be troublesome if the 10th platoon found out their plan. The 17th platoon confused the enemies' vision with the screen of dust and sand, cutting off the psychokinesist from the battle and destroying the enemy team's communication network, completely isolating them one by one. The sand and dust were gathered to cover the audience's eyes, but it also did well to confuse the 10th platoon. Naruki ran after Layfon. (So fast!) A distance quickly pulled open between Layfon and her. Tension spread out like a growing seed. Her movement didn't flow as well as usual, but it had reached at least about 80% of her usual self. Except it wasn't enough to match Layfon's speed. (What amazing speed......) In this split second, she felt the burning agony of the difference of strength between them. Layfon was very strong......exceeding any student here. She knew from the matches he had participated in till now and also from the work he did with the City Police. She knew, but what she knew was totally turned over by what she saw now. Her previous understanding was just an innocent feeling of a first year Military Arts student. In another way, Naruki might have been cheated till now. (Damn.) She wasn't as confident with External Type Kei, but internal Kei was different. She had always thought that it wasn't that difficult to fight with platoon members. She increased her speed.

The members of the 10th platoon did not attack, as expected. Nina was confident in the effectiveness of Layfon's suppression of the 10th platoon, but Naruki held her suspicions. She didn't stop to help Layfon even though she felt uneasy about him fighting so many people alone. No matter how powerful he was, he was still alone. Nina's conclusion was clear-cut. She seemed to know more of Layfon's real strength than Naruki. The Layfon with Naruki and the Layfon with Nina and her team......Who was the real Layfon? That was the question hovering in Naruki's mind. He was probably Layfon on both sides. Anyone would seem different in different situations. It wasn't manipulation, but rather the expression of oneself according to what suited the situation best. Naruki had the same experience when she was with Meishen and Mifi, and when she was working with the City Police. But looking at the other side of someone she knew was new and surprising. (She probably can't trust him at this level.) Naruki thought of Meishen. Meishen wasn't a Military Artist. She didn't have to consider trusting her comrade's ability during a fight. Meishen was gentle and kind. She cried when Naruki returned at the time of filth monsters assaulting Zuellni. But it should be all right since this was a platoon match. Nobody's life was threatened. However, if the same lifethreatening situation occurred and Layfon had to face danger alone, could Meishen be all right like now? (I think not.) Would that difference happen......Naruki didn't know now. She hoped the difference wouldn't be too great. The importance was that Naruki's childhood friend was interested in someone in Zuellni for the first time, and that someone was of the opposite gender. This was probably what first love was like. Naruki wanted it to be all smooth between Meishen and Layfon......But Meishen wasn't the only person interested in him. (Geez......) She hadn't the time to think of it now. Having run over half of the war field, the camp of the 10th platoon entered her vision. No dust and sand covered this area. The sound of the audience suddenly rose, and the excited voice of the commentator drifted into Naruki's ear. Everyone's gaze gathered on the dust-stained Naruki. "Uh, Uh!" Naruki raised her gaze. She was looking for the enemy psychokinesist. The 10th platoon did make changes to their site, but because it wasn't entirely necessary, the changes were only minimal. Having spotted the psychokinesist behind the screen of soil, Naruki rushed over to him. A psychokinesist's observation of enemy movement was keener than a Military Artist, so he was able to stay behind and feed updated information to his team members who fought at high speed. The psychokinesist of the 10th platoon quickly noticed Naruki was near, but his fighting ability was about the same as an average normal person. The problem now was

what sort of defense had the psychokinesist made in the time when he noticed Naruki was around? "You have a few flakes ahead of you. Please watch out," Felli's voice came lightly to Naruki. Naruki changed tact and ran in a zigzag fashion. The air exploded behind her and on her sides. Flashes beamed everywhere. Rumbles filled her eardrums and purple lightning flashed before her. A psychokinetic storm. This was about the only attack mode of a psychokinesist. The flakes followed Naruki, matching her speed and exploding accordingly. Naruki's eardrums and balance still worked. She had stuffed her ears and she ran through the gaps in between explosions, eyes half closed. She opened her eyes, confirmed the location of the psychokinesist and threw over the Dite in her hand. It was something that Harley made a rope. It wasn't a real rope. It was a chain made of black alloy. The small chains chained together and made them look like a rope. It landed on the psychokinesist and wrapped itself around him. Naruki went over and struck him once. The psychokinesist fainted. "Wa........." The audience cheered. Naruki breathed a sign of relief and looked back on the dust filled field. (Layfon, what're you planning?) Layfon had yet to hold a Dite. Grains of sand hit his skin as he moved. Despite the lowered visibility due to the sand in his eyes, he managed to block the four enemy team members. Dinn was giving orders from behind his teammates and with delicate timing, assaulted Layfon with the rope in his hand. The rope waited for Layfon until he had avoided the attacks of the four enemies. It felt as if a psychokinesist had set a trap. But Layfon remained unhurt. He observed the flow of Kei with his eyelids half closed. One glance told him the unusual flow of Kei was caused by the use of the illegal drugs. What was strange was Dinn's lack of control. He was controlling his External and Internal Kei, but he failed to stop the excess Kei from spilling out of his body. This was proof of his inability to control his Kei vein as he wanted. Zuellni's level hadn't gone so low as to pick that level of Military Artist for a platoon. (He's already wounded.) Layfon thought so. Dinn must be tired, a consequence of using the drugs. This was the same as when Nina fainted from exhausting her internal Kei. Dinn could still use his Kei since his reaction wasn't as serious as Nina's, but unusual symptoms existed and they would eventually turn into something very serious.

(If it's not stopped......) Layfon thought and counter-attacked. He changed the rhythm of following the defense against the 10th platoon's continuous advance. Dinn and his four team members also changed their rhythm accordingly, and their formation collapsed. Layfon seized that chance. He struck down all four enemy members in that one moment. "What?" Dinn looked at his fallen subordinates. "Just who are you?" Dinn didn't know what Layfon did, but simultaneously striking down all four people wasn't something that a normal student in Military Arts could do. This fact made Dinn understand how unusually powerful Layfon was. "Your end is here," Layfon burst out what Sharnid had said. He didn't plan to threaten Dinn, but he couldn't think of any other suitable words. He pulled out his Dite, let his Kei run into it and restored it. The Shim Adamantium Dite. "I don't have any other choice." This thought helped him forgive himself for holding a Katana. He found himself very unsightly, but he was the one who made this choice. He didn't choose to face this situation so to agree to become Nina's strength. It was the same as when he was in Grendan. It wasn't for the sake of this ending that he abused the position of a Heaven's Blade successor. Since he had made such a choice, all that remained was the question of how to resolve it. Layfon chose to stay with the 17th platoon. But in the 17th platoon were Sharnid, Felli and Harley, and now it also had Naruki. Things associated with them were all entangled. This time, it had to do with Sharnid. In this case, Layfon couldn't give himself an answer to the solemn question he raised. He could only answer with a Katana even though it felt like he was betraying himself a second time. The first betrayal was when he wielded the Heaven's Blade and did not choose the form of a Katana. That was the equivalent of rejecting the Psyharden skills that Derek had taught him when he was small. Once he became a Heaven's Blade successor, he decided to do anything to earn money. The him back then could not use the skill taught by his adopted father because that would taint his name. And now, Layfon had broken the vow he made. Pain swam in his chest. His arm felt the weight of the Katana. The setting on the Katana revealed Harley's exceptional skill. Not only that. The feeling of being exiled was gone. Calmness descended on Layfon. This was matter of fact. The feeling he had at present was the basics of Psyharden's skill. Everything had come back to him. He was calm. Layfon frowned to prevent himself from sinking in that nostalgic and natural feeling. He knew that feeling would leave him quickly.

"Here I go," Layfon said. "Ugh, Oooooh!" Dinn roared in response. The rope attacked as Layfon started running. The rope went through Layfon as if he were not there. That was Layfon's afterimage. He had increased his speed in the second when the rope was about to hit him. This was a variation of internal type Kei Fleeting shadow. His control of speed caused his opponent to misjudge distance. The afterimages helped to intensify that confusion. The illegal drugs had increased Dinn's Kei, but Dinn lacked the skill to use his extra Kei. While the rope struck out, Layfon had slipped past the weapon to stand right in front of Dinn. (And I'm affecting this consequence. What a bad feeling.) External type variation Houshintotsu. Layfon's Katana swung down. The Kei enveloping the blade trembled as if to cut through water. It poured onto Dinn. The Kei jumped in a route that differed from the Katana's, and it formed needles to stab Dinn's body. "Gah......Ah........." Dinn moaned and knelt down. The rope fell onto the ground. Layfon understood Dinn's feelings as he had gone through the same experience when Derek taught him that move. The pain wasn't intense but what he felt was the exhaustion of having all of his strength being sucked away. Layfon had blocked the flow of Kei in Dinn's limbs. As long as Dinn was like this for a few minutes, his Kei wouldn't flow well for half a year. Now Layfon just needed to keep Dinn in this situation for a few more minutes. He looked around to see the sand and dust still covering half of the field. The flow of Kei in the air prevented the sand from settling. Sharnid and Naruki seemed to have finished their respective battle. The sand would probably settle down by the time Layfon released his Kei. "Ugh, Uuuuu." "I hope you don't force yourself," Layfon said to Dinn, who was trying to stand up. "If you force yourself too much, you'll damage your Kei vein." The effect of the illegal drugs still stayed with Dinn's Kei vein. Forcing Kei to work in this situation was like pouring water continuously into a waterway that was dammed. In the end, both dam and waterway would be destroyed. Dinn forced himself to move a little. His face was all red. "You won't understand the feeling of wanting to do something even though your own ability isn't enough. You won't

understand that feeling." Layfon frowned. "......Even my life wasn't all smooth sailing. I'm here because I failed." "......" "Being strong can't solve everything. I fail because I can't solve everything. You haven't solved your problem either, and you chose the worst choice. In that case, this ending is the least objectionable." "......Who made this decision?" "Eh?" "Who decided my ending? Sharnid? Nina Antalk? The Student President? I won't let anyone decide my ending. I'm not that weak......" Feeling disturbance in the air, Layfon raised his Katana. The air flow was stirring. Was Dinn pouring new strength into his Kei vein? No......Kei was spilling from his Kei vein, but it shouldn't be enough to speed up the flow of the air. As if a whirl appeared in the air...... Layfon remembered something about this unpleasant pressure. "I'm doing this for the city. You, who doesn't understand the natural mission of a Military Artist......" He continued to murmur as Kei flowed to his limbs. "How can you stop me!" he shouted. At Dinn's shout, Layfon felt the Kei needles in Dinn's body shatter. "Could it be..." Standing behind Dinn was a golden goat.

[edit] Chapter 6: The insane guardian I planned to refuse them, so how did it turn out like this? Felli asked herself this question again and again. She met Haia at the time when she left the Training Complex. Karian had showed up as well. She had planned to refuse Karian's request but her brother had talked her into helping Haia. Why? Felli would have looked terrible if she was asked that question, especially if

Layfon asked it. But whether any more changes would come to her face is another matter. However, Layfon didn't ask her. The relationship between Layfon and Haia was tentative, ready to explode any moment. Layfon looked like he had something to say but he couldn't say it. He probably didn't have the time to worry about Felli. Perhaps he couldn't do anything about it. Yeah, but she was still a little bit angry. What was Layfon worried about? She could tell just by looking at the way he fought, holding the Katana. His problem probably had nothing to do with Sharnid's entanglement with the 10th platoon. It had everything to do with the fact that he had to resolve this matter through his holding a Katana. Just what does he think about the Katana? Layfon was a complicated person. His personality seemed simple and naive, but he himself carried a complicated past. In his past as a Heaven's Blade successor he had many different problems. Was she asking for too much, hoping him to notice her more? But, she still wanted him to look at her. Only him. She wanted him to understand her as herself, not as a psychokinesist, and she wanted to understand him at the same time. Her brother, Karian, had no interest in her other than her ability in psychokinesis. (Yes, because it's related to Layfon......) So she agreed to help Haia. It wasn't because Haia was also from Grendan. "That thing will bring misfortune to the strong." Haia had explained to her about the thing she discovered, the thing that Layfon met with in the ruined city, clarifying for her what a Haikizoku was. He was clearly hiding something else, but Felli wasn't interested in what he didn't say. To her, "the strong" meant Layfon. No, anyone who knew Layfon would think like that, so she hoped for Haia to suppress the Haikizoku. If Haia planned to take it with him to Grendan, then take it, even though his decision didn't hold any consideration towards Zuellni. Felli didn't care about Karian's calculations either. All Felli needed to do was contact Haia when she sensed the Haikizoku. She didn't know where she'd find it, but the Haikizoku was sensitive to the atmosphere of a fight. Haia said something about a racket during the platoon match. But who would have thought............ The match had ended. Nina didn't move an inch. Naruki had disabled the enemy psychokinesist and Layfon had defeated the enemy captain. Sharnid and Dalshena were still fighting in a half stuck situation, but since Dinn had fallen, it was meaningless to continue the fight. The normal fight had already ended. The illegal drug scandal surrounding the 10th platoon would fade with Dinn's departure, and the 10th platoon would be disbanded. "Can it be........." Confusion shrouded Felli when the flakes conveyed to her an impossible reaction around

Dinn. Confused, she reflexively sent out a signal to the flake beside Haia. She didn't do it consciously. At the time when the psychokinesist was filtering a vast amount of information, she'd act reflexively without her knowledge. For her to have done that, Layfon would......While thinking of that, she felt the reaction closing in on Layfon. It felt as if that reaction had fused with Dinn. In that split second, sparks flew in Felli's head. After managing the information at extreme high speed, Felli made this conclusion. Haia really didn't say everything. "To bring misfortune to the strong" wasn't the entirety of the phrase. And by "strong", he didn't mean Military Arts skill...... It was one's will of concentration. The will. Wasn't that a person's strongest thing? In that case, Layfon didn't have it. He could maintain absolute calm before filth monsters, but in today's match, he hadn't shown a clear direction in his action. It felt as if he didn't know why he was fighting today. Haia had said the Haikizoku would bring misfortune to Layfon Felli didn't know in what form yet or it was more accurate to say Haia himself also didn't know whether the Haikizoku would bring misfortune to Layfon or not? Could it be...... That Haia was using this match as an experiment? Haia infiltrated Zuellni through the illegal drug organization. Of course he knew Military Artists were taking advantage of the illegal trade. He might have known that Dinn was the one taking illegal drugs. Since this city belonged to the Academy City Alliance, people would do all they could to cover up the scandal. The City would need the strength of a Military Artist who had also taken drugs in order to cover up the scandal. Since Haia already knew Layfon was in Zuellni, it was possible that he did this deliberately to make Layfon enter the fray. To force Layfon to answer Karian's question, Haia had deliberately mentioned the Psyharden technique. "You deceived us," Felli burst out, her words sent to Haia through her flakes. Haia laughed. "I didn't plan to. I just created a situation for it to make itself known," he dragged out his words. "Well then, as promised, I've got to go." Felli sensed numerous reactions in the war field as Haia finished his words. He never thought it'd appear at this moment. Someday, he'd have to confront this mysterious existence. That was the feeling Layfon had when he understood Haia's goal, but the Haikizoku had come just too quickly. It had done something to Dinn. ".........What're you planning?" Layfon stepped back from Dinn when the Houshintotsu was shattered. A huge amount of

power surrounded Dinn and as Layfon had thought, this didn't come from the use of drugs.........Drugs could not increase the strength of a Kei vein like this. Obviously, it was the Haikizoku. Usually, a phenomenon of this sort would have paralyzed its owner, but Dinn's face became livelier than before. The goat didn't answer Layfon. Its indifferent attitude felt the same as last time's, but the feeling was somewhat different. Strange. (Haikizoku......That's your name.) Layfon recalled what Haia had called it, but he himself didn't know this name. Haia said he'd take it back to Grendan. His promise to guard Zuellni as repayment meant the Haikizoku had enough value to make Haia make this trade. Layfon didn't understand it. "Just what're you planning?" he asked again. "........." "!" The goat remained silent. The one who moved was Dinn. The rope flew from the ground to strike Layfon. Layfon reacted despite the surprise attack. He'd have been in danger had Dinn attacked him by moving his fingers and wrist. That was how he made his moves before. But it was different this time. The Kei running through the rope controlled the weapon like muscles making complex moves. It was the same as Layfon's steel thread technique. That was why Layfon managed to react in time. Chills ran down his spine. Dinn's move obviously exceeded all the moves he had made before. There was no reason behind it. Dinn couldn't have been hiding his true strength else he didn't have to use illegal drugs. "Layfon.........What's going on?" It was Naruki. At her voice, Layfon changed his direction as he avoided the rope, and headed for Naruki. "!" The rope brushed past his face and tore through his skin. Disregarding the injury, he swept Naruki up with one arm, blocked the rope with the Katana and retreated. "Wh, What are you......" The suddenness of everything broke Naruki's composure, but she held her breath when she noticed the blood on his face. "I'm not sure either......" ".........What's that thing?" Naruki noticed the goat too. At least this denied Felli's worry about the thing being an

illusion. (As I thought, it's the Haikizoku.) What Haia said, the twisted Electronic Fairy of the city. (So it's done something to Dinn.) That goat must have done it. Huge horns extended from the goat's head. With eyes that looked like a human's, it stood behind Dinn. (Is it controlling Dinn?) Layfon put Naruki down. He defended against the rope as he observed Dinn and the goat. The huge amount of Kei spilling out from Dinn ran on the ground. Dinn was full of energy but no feelings showed in his eyes. His eyes were like the goat's. Obviously, the goat was manipulating him. (Then.........) Layfon decided to chop through the goat. The pressure on him back in the ruined city when he met the goat there wasn't with him today. He should be able to do it. Why? Was it because of the Katana? He planned to neither save Dinn nor kill him. (Here I go.) As he was about to move "That's my prey~" The voice with words that dragged stopped Layfon's movement. Layfon sensed a presence at the time when the voice sounded. That person must have used Sakkei to mask his presence and move close to Layfon under the cover of sand and dust. "Haia!" "The Haikizoku is ours. That's our promise~" Numerous chains flew out as Dinn escaped into the sky. Haia leaped out of the cloud of sand and forced Dinn back to the ground. The chains bound Dinn tightly the moment he landed. The goat remained the same. "What's going on?" Layfon watched Haia and the people around him. Men he had not seen before held the chains that bound Dinn. They must be members of the Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang, Haia's subordinates. When did they infiltrate the war field......

No, they didn't have to infiltrate the field. Karian must have given them permission to use the dormitories. It wasn't difficult for experienced Military Artists to head over to the war field from the dormitories. "What's going on? We're just capturing the Haikizoku." "But isn't the Haikizoku that thing over there?" Layfon looked at the goat. The goat didn't move in the face of Haia and his subordinates. "Even I can't capture that thing. No, even you, a Heaven's Blade successor can't do it either. Our dear Queen is the same." "What do you mean?" "But it's different with the host. Once we capture the host, the Haikizoku can only wait and let us take it. It's the same when the Haikizoku couldn't do anything to the filth monsters that attacked the city." "......What's he saying?" Naruki asked. Layfon didn't know how to answer. Haia didn't look at her. He continued, "It's fortunate that the Haikizoku came to the Academy City. In here are people with ideals but never enough strength to make them come true. They've the Haikizoku but they don't know how to use it. In truth, the Haikizoku'd never have come to us." "What are you going to do with him at Grendan?" "This is unrelated to Layfon-kun. You can't even return to Grendan," he laughed smugly. Instead of blood rushing to his face like the time when he saw Haia in the conference room, Layfon kept his cool and waited for Haia to continue. This must be the feeling given to him by the Katana, but Layfon didn't know what to do. "Never mind, I'll give you a hint. Why do you think Grendan's always in the danger zone? The answer is the same as that thing there." "Why......?" Grendan was always in the danger zone. Layfon already knew that fact. It was a natural fact to him who was born in Grendan. The existence of Heaven's Blade successors came from the need to survive in such an unusual place. That was natural. Layfon didn't find it strange before he arrived at Zuellni. (The reason behind Grendan's survival there?) He had never thought of it. "Well then, we're taking it," Haia ended the conversation himself. Layfon didn't move.

Haia had said to Karian that he'd capture the Haikizoku and transport it back to Grendan. It was unclear whether Karian knew how Haia was planning to do that. So he planned to transport Dinn along with the Haikizoku. Did he obtain Karian's permission beforehand......... Layfon had no idea. If he had known, he could use this reason to counterattack and prevent Haia from taking Dinn. A presence came up behind the inert Layfon. "Wait a minute," Nina called. "You can't take Dinn Dee." "I won't listen to you. You're just a student." "You guys......What will you do to Dinn after taking him to Grendan?" "Say more," Haia smiled mockingly. "Dinn did do something wrong, but it won't change the truth that we're classmates. I won't allow handing his fate over to you." Looking at the Dinn bound by chains, Nina didn't think Haia and the Mercenary Gang would take care of him through normal means. She raised her iron whips. "Let go of Dinn Dee." ".........An immature girl with all talk. What a headache." Haia was about the same age as Layfon and Nina, but his attitude sounded like an old uncle's. "What if I don't let him go? Wanna fight? Fight with the real Military Artists here? We've 43 people in the dorm. Do you want to make an enemy of the Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang?" The organization had fought numerous times with filth monsters and other Military Artists. Their number was way smaller than the population in Zuellni, but the difference in their skill was huge. What was more important was that the Military Artists in Zuellni weren't mentally prepared. A sudden attack would quickly put them at a disadvantage. This was the same for any Military Artist. And the students in the Military Arts course here lacked real fighting experience. They had no means of resisting the experienced elders. Haia and his Gang just needed to leave Zuellni in the chaos. They had their own roaming bus and could leave anytime. Self-confidence in being unbeatable showed on Haia's face. "Don't get ahead of yourself," Layfon said, putting the Dite back into the weapon harness. "Did you say something? Former Heaven's Blade successor." Layfon kept silent. Nina was beside him. Since Nina had declared her position, he had also made his decision.

"I'll be your opponent, against all 43 members of the Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang. That number should be enough to test my skill," he said, having chosen the words that suited a Heaven Blade's successor. He didn't feel that relaxed in reality. Besides, fighting all 43 people would put him in a difficult fight. "Allow me to see the weak skill nurtured outside Grendan." Haia was still relaxed, but the people around him were different. They didn't utter a word, yet the entire atmosphere had changed. "Layton........." Naruki swallowed. Nina's body had turned stiff. Hostility flooded at them. (We've made them angry.) This way, Layfon had reduced the possibility of getting Nina and Naruki involved. (I'll reduce that possibility more......) He pulled out a Dite. Not the Shim Adamantium Dite but the Sapphire Dite. The Dite that Haia had broken into pieces two days ago. It had returned to its exact form before it broke. Its feeling in his hand hadn't changed, but it felt just a tiny bit different as he was previously holding a Katana. It seemed as if his own arm had twisted. Necessary though. This was the other reason that turned him back to the Heaven's Blade successor. The smiled disappeared from Haia's face as expected. "You're very good at making light of others~" Haia said, provoked by Layfon facing him with a sword. At his young age, Haia was already the leader of the Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang. His situation was kind of similar to Layfon's when Layfon became a Heaven's Blade successor at age 10. Standing in a position that didn't match his age, of course he had to fight against this insult and show his true strength. Otherwise his outrage wouldn't settle down. This was the arrogance of someone standing on a high place. He couldn't put Layfon's insult aside. Layfon predicted Haia's reaction because he was once in the same situation. When he fought against the three senpai in the Military Arts course, he retained a bad habit from Grendan. That habit was still here. He thought Haia was the same, and he had guessed right. "Fine. If I defeat you here, maybe I'll get the Heaven's Blade when I return to Grendan." Haia pulled out his Dite and restored it into its Katana form. "Stop it, Layton," Naruki groaned. "The Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang is an organization made of strong Military Artists. Stop it, you're too reckless." She thought

Layfon would die. Ignoring Naruki, Layfon stepped closer and closer to Haia. The tip of the Sapphire Dite touched the ground as if he was writing on the dirt. "Come." Haia raised his Katana to above his shoulder. "Layton......" Nina grabbed Naruki's wrist and stopped her from stopping him. "Leave it to Layfon." "What did you say!?" Naruki's face had gone red with outrage. "If it's Layfon, he'll be OK," Nina said. "Layfon might be very strong, but he's up against the entire Mercenary Gang. How could he win?" Naruki hadn't seen the strength of the Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang, but this organization had drifted between cities, gathering the best fighters from numerous battles. It wasn't something that a student Military Artist could fight against. "It's OK. Believe in Layfon." Layfon was Grendan's Heaven's Blade successor.........Naruki probably wouldn't understand even if Nina told her that title. The name "Heaven's Blade successor" was rarely heard outside of Grendan. Any city would give a title to its best Military Artist. Heaven's Blade successor was just one of those titles. Compared to that title, the name of Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang made Naruki more worried. All Nina could do was stop Naruki from interfering, and wait for the result. (But......) This probably wouldn't stop the fight. Layfon was only buying them time. He had delicately provoked Haia and stopped the Gang's members from taking Dinn. Nina's current mission was to think of a way to save Dinn during this time. (What should I do?) The Gang's concentration was on Haia and Layfon, but their concentration on guarding Dinn hadn't slipped. Dinn couldn't move and the chains around him showed no signs of loosening.

The golden beast stood behind Dinn. (That's the Haikizoku.) The creature that Layfon witnessed in the ruined city, a creature of mystery. Haia and his organization appeared because of it. What did they plan to do after taking it back to Grendan.........Nina didn't know. They just needed to capture it and take it away, which was fine with Nina but for Dinn. "Felli," she said softly to the flake. "What?" "Did you contact the Student President?" "I'll try." Karian was the one who made the deal with Haia. "Got it." "I understand the situation," Karian's voice came through the flake. "Did you predict the outcome?" "He was unusually reluctant to provide information on the Haikizoku. He didn't reveal how he was going to capture it." (How arrogant.) Anger shot through Nina. She didn't make a noise. She must not attract the Gang's attention. "I finally understand what they're planning," Karian said. "To cause a racket in an Academy City. It appears the Haikizoku has the value to make the Academy City Alliance an enemy of the Mercenary Gang. But I've also reserved a move. I said they could take it but I did not permit them taking Dinn." "Then what do we do?" This was the most immediate issue. "The problem is Dinn. If we can peel away the Haikizoku from him, then everything's perfectly solved." "But to do that, we must first understand why it chose Dinn......" "I know why," Felli's light voice cut on.

"So what's going on?" "Haia said it himself - In here are people with ideals but never enough strength to make them come true." Haia said that when he was capturing Dinn. "The core of a Haikizoku is something to do with the mind, right? Because it's a mad Electron Fairy of a city, it must have wanted to protect the city." "So it takes over Dinn......In order to protect the city?" But then, why did it choose this timing to pick Dinn? Why Dinn? "That might be because of Dinn being pushed to his limit? When defeated by Layfon, Dinn revealed his sense of mission to protect the city. He had the mission but his feeling for it could have intensified at that moment," Karian said in response to Felli's opinion. "The Electronic Fairy of a city destroyed by filth monsters......I can understand how it might feel the same as Dinn." "But isn't it impossible to take the Haikizoku away from Dinn right now?" Nina didn't think she lost to Dinn in terms of her sense of mission. But the fact of Dinn losing had connected him with the Haikizoku, and Nina had no way of putting herself in between them. "In that case, we can only destroy his heart," Karian said coldly. "Since it's his stubborn heart of protecting the city that caused the Haikizoku to choose him, then we just need to remove his sense of conviction. In other words, make him let go of his mission." "But how......" "Can you leave it to me?" a new voice cut in. "Sharnid?" Sharnid and Dalshena were closing on Nina's location, being very cautious not to attract the Mercenary Gang's attention. Sharnid's voice came through the flake. "Have you a way?" "You never know if we don't try." Sharnid shrugged. He was wounded. Dust covered Dalshena's clothes but she didn't look injured. It seemed she had won the battle. She looked at Dinn. Dinn remained conscious but he hadn't done anything to resist the chains. Looking at the side of Dalshena's face, Nina felt a shock in her chest. Eyes like a mirror, exuding unbelievable light. Dinn was staring at the ground. Pain filled Dalshena's face.

"Can you do it?" What they had to do was to completely root out Dinn's purpose. This was the same as taking away his life for someone who looked at his mission as important as his own life. For these two people who truly knew Dinn, could they do it? "We have to try, right?" Sharnid's bitter smile showed a bottomless hole. Nina was also looking at Dalshena. "I'll do it," Dalshena replied curtly. Layfon and Haia watched each other, their bodies still. Ten steps separated them. Internal Kei could have helped them close that distance in an instant, but the two of them were still as statues. One move would decide the outcome of the battle. Layfon planned it that way and Haia responded the same. If the present Layfon were dragged into a long fight, even if Layfon's skill was worse than Haia's, Layfon wouldn't have received too much damage. Haia was unable to accept that and responded by going with Layfon's decision. The air seemed to have frozen between the two. This feeling of pressure was essential to Layfon, both to buy time and to scare the members of the Mercenary Gang around him. Usual, high-speed fights between Military Artists were very intense. On the other hand, this fight allowed the observers to breathe. Layfon must buy some time for Nina and the others to find a way to save Dinn. And by entering this state, Haia had done exactly what he wanted. (Next......) Is to win. The morale of the Mercenary Gang would rise if Layfon lost, and Dinn would be taken away. Besides, Layfon wanted to win. To win against a certain someone. This feeling had never once appeared to him when he fought countless matches as a Heaven's Blade successor. He just wanted to win, simply win against his opponent. (Is this hatred?) Layfon calmly analysed his own feeling. Haia had a bad character. He had thorns wrapped in his words. ".........Why did you hide your Katana?" Haia said as if he didn't care.

A battle without words. The tip of Layfon's sword hung loosely down. He changed his fighting stance as he read the Kei flow of Haia's attack by looking at the change in his opponent's muscles. Haia changed his own attack path in response to the change that Layfon made. This cycle continued. And Haia asked a question as they read each other's attack path. The fact that Layfon could use the Psyharden technique without a hitch made him a thorn in Haia's eyes. Haia felt bitter at how Layfon could execute a move that he himself found difficult. That experience made him provoke Layfon with the name of Psyharden. "The Katana is your true strength. Why did you give it up?" "It's a repayment." Layfon recalled the time when the technician asked him what form he wanted the Heaven's Blade to take. The technician had asked him "why?" too. Layfon had kept his silence during that time, but it was different this time. "I've already betrayed them but I still don't want to lose anything. Do you find it strange?" What Layfon planned to do back then was the same as betrayal in the eyes of his adopted father. Even Layfon, raised by such an adopted father, thought what he was about to do was dirty. But without any way out, he still chose to enter the underground matches. It wasn't a problem of good versus evil. There was the difference between Layfon and his adapted father, so he thought he had betrayed him. "You're a naive-thinking moron." Haia cared nothing for Layfon's words. "How can you not use your best technique in a battle? You only said that because you look down on your opponent." Layfon didn't think so. He shook his head. "I'm doing this out of my own decision. This is what conviction is like." Dinn raised his head. He was resolved to protect the city, but because of his lack of power, he took the illegal drug. He was the same as Haia on a certain level. But Dinn didn't allow Dalshena to touch the drugs even though the 10th platoon would have become more powerful. He was at an impasse. Still, he had made his decision, and it was a decision made naturally in his consciousness. "People who fight without a purpose will never understand," Layfon said. "......Yeah right," Haia replied and didn't say anything else. Layfon tossed away other thoughts to concentrate on the sword. The two of them imagined

the battle in the air that seemed to have frozen. Once they moved, that was the time when the outcome would be decided in one split second. Layfon remained with the disadvantage, but he couldn't allow Haia to see the possibility of a victory. If he failed in that, he'd have trouble suppressing the Mercenary Gang's morale. The members of the Mercenary Gang had drifted in other cities, but most of them were born in Grendan. They understood the meaning behind the title of Heaven's Blade successor. It was natural for Layfon to win. If Haia won instead, then the advantage would be on Haia's team. In truth, Haia wasn't an easy opponent. It was possible for Haia to become a Heaven's Blade successor. And who knew what the outcome would be when Layfon was using a sword? He cautiously calculated all kinds of attacks and their results. Haia continued to change the responses of his Kei. (Not that easy to find an opening.) The chance appeared before him as the thought flashed past his mind. Two presences, rushing to Dinn. It was just one swift moment but Haia's gaze did flit over to Dinn's side. As if to cut through the stir of the Mercenary Gang, Layfon moved out. Haia also moved, almost at the same time. In terms of timing, this speed could make up for Haia's miss. But...... When the two of them were close enough to feel each other's breath, they swung with their weapons. Haia's Katana swung down. Layfon's sword swung up. Sparks flashed as the two rushed past each other and exchanged their previous positions. Layfon lowered his sword slowly. Blood spurted from the cut on his right cheek. Looking at his expression, the Mercenary Gang members kept completely still, whereas Haia groaned. "Damn......" Layfon's sword was faster than Haia's Katana. The upward slash of the sword had changed the path of Haia's Katana, and the Katana shattered the moment when the two weapons clashed. External type Kei Rot. Haia had used this move when he fought Layfon for the first time. The shattered pieces of the Katana had scattered everywhere, and one piece had brushed past Layfon's cheek. Layfon's sword had destroyed the Katana to strike Haia. Haia had then toppled. "Damn......" He was still conscious. The safety setting on Layfon's sword was unlocked. He didn't really slash Haia, even so, he had broken several ribs and injured his opponent's internal organs. Haia vomited blood and fainted. Layfon kept the rest of the Mercenary Gang members at

bay with his aura. Sharnid watched Dalshena's back. Her only purpose was to convey a message to Dinn. He thought Dinn's method was wrong. The captain recruited him into the 10th platoon to make his mission come true. He had inherited her feelings, Dalshena, who cried because she couldn't do anything to protect her beloved city. Sharnid didn't know when Dinn had added this burden of protecting Zuellni onto his own shoulders. Did Dalshena know? .........No. She probably didn't. She didn't even know how Dinn really felt. Just when did this start? At the time when Sharnid was still in the 10th platoon? Or after he left? Dinn was very reserved and traditional. Perhaps he took on Dalshena's thinking as his own without being conscious of it. He took it on to the extent that he'd allowed the Haikizoku to possess him. But the time had come for someone to stop him. Now that he had deviated from his path, someone must bring him back. Moving at high speed, Sharnid suddenly sensed something cold at his back. "Shena!" he called and leaped to a side. The spot he was in before exploded from Kei. The weapon was an arrow formed with Kei. Myunfa had shot that arrow but Sharnid didn't know of it. Long distance attack. Where did it come from? He searched with his gaze. Dalshena had ignored the attack and kept running. Sharnid restored his Dite. Sniper rifle of Lithium alloy. Same as the past, Sharnid and Dinn were to eliminate anyone who sought to obstruct Dalshena's path. He had grasped hold of the shooter's location after two more attacks. Information came now from Felli's flake. Internal Kei increased his vision, and he saw Myunfa preparing for her third shot. Myunfa didn't see him. He stopped moving. The next target was......... "Shena!" he pulled the trigger as he shouted. Myunfa let loose her arrow at the same time. "Ku......" He heard a moaning voice. He stood up without confirming the result. He and Dinn had been protecting Dalshena till now. If Sharnid failed, then Dinn would take over. The reverse was true as well. But only Sharnid was guarding Dalshena's back at present. ".........Right." He wouldn't make it. He'd put his own body onto the path of the shot. Sharnid was happy to

get to guard Dalshena's back. He and Dinn used to eliminate anything unrelated to the flag, clearing the path for Dalshena. That was when Sharnid had confused his actions with love, confusing it with the oath. Both Sharnid and Dinn regarded Dalshena as the most important person to them. Sharnid couldn't even force out a laugh in the face of Dalshena, who was powerless against Dinn's unusual actions. What would she do if she had evidence of Dinn's illegal dealing? .........She had been investigating and Sharnid found it laughable in how he tracked her every night because he was worried about her. Even though he no longer was part of the 10th platoon. But this was exactly why......Same as Dinn refusing to let Dalshena touch the illegal drug, Sharnid's mission was to prevent her from suffering any more harm. "I have to make it!" He shouted, running slower than he wished he could. And someone suddenly appeared before him. "Nina!" Nina stood directly in the path of the arrow, blocking it from Dalshena. The Kei arrow hit Nina's chest and exploded. Sharnid swallowed......And let out a breath. Internal type Kei Kongoukei. The dust screen cleared to reveal Nina. (That's right.) Felli reported the defeat of Myunfa. Sharnid sat down on the ground and watched Dalshena's back, all strength leaving him. His work was done. (I belong to a new place now.) The 17th platoon...... was where Sharnid belonged. No matter what, he had chosen this new place himself. (It's not the same as before anymore.) The presence of the goat overwhelmed Dalshena. The way it stood with its huge horns and the long hair covering its body paralyzed her. It exuded an exotic sense of dignity. Dalshena would have knelt down before it if not for Dinn. Dinn had become like this because of the goat. Dalshena stared at the Electronic Fairy as she half-knelt in front of Dinn. "Dinn," she called. His pair of eyes, smooth as mirror, showed no sign of comprehension. Dalshena swallowed. The Kei spilling from Dinn made her want to vomit. Something else was different. Illegal drugs? No, it wasn't.

"Dinn," she called again. He lifted his head to look at her, the only area of his body that he could move. His eyes remained emotionless, except he had reacted to her voice. Her voice. "Dinn........." She must convey this message. To save Dinn, and to end everything. "Dinn.........We're finished." Dinn didn't react to her words. His dry pupils reflected her image. "We don't need to continue fighting anymore. There are people here stronger than us. There are people here who think the same as us. Leave it to them. We're not breaking our oath." Memories surfaced in Dalshena's mind: the time when the three of them first met, the time when they stayed awake through the entire night to come up with strategies, the time when they entered the 10th platoon, the time when they won their first platoon match and had a fashion show. What happy times they were. She thought those times would continue forever...... "You've done enough. It's all right now." Dinn's lips trembled. Tears rolled in his eyes. "Dinn......" she called again. "I loved you." The three of them fought for the city. The oath of that day had sealed Dalshena's feelings. The current Dinn's feelings, focused on the already graduated senpai, had broken that day's oath. Dalshena had stubbornly buried her feelings in the deepest corner of her heart when Sharnid left the platoon, and now, they were released. "I loved you. And, goodbye," she said with trembling lips. Tears fell from Dinn's eyes. The goat behind Dinn disappeared.

[edit] Epilogue Leerin and Derek came to the cemetery on Sunday, a week since their meeting with Almonise. They came to put the possession of the deceased in the grave.

Ryuhou Gadge. Emotionless, Leerin read the name engraved on the gravestone. She didn't know this person. But it didn't mean the heart of that someone who didn't know the deceased would not stir. Leerin's heart stirred as she thought back to his life and the words of Queen Almonise: "Almost all those people who inherit the Psyharden technique are fated to leave the city." Almonise said Layfon was the same. Leerin wanted to deny her words. However, the grave Derek's brother from the same Military Arts lineage whom had died fighting on foreign soil, of Ryuhou Gash rejected that thought. Leerin waited for Derek to finish his long prayer then left the cemetery with him. They walked without speaking, Derek being the solemn and silent type. "Leerin." His sudden voice surprised her. He turned around to look at her, holding in his hand a wooden box wrapped in a piece of cloth. He had been holding it all the time before they entered the cemetery. Leerin had thought that it belonged to Ryuhou Gash. Derek offered her the box. "Can you give this to Layfon for me?" "Huh?" The box weighed in Leerin's hand. It felt like a Dite. She wasn't a Military Artist so she wasn't in possession of a Dite, but she could tell it felt like one through her numerous contacts with Derek and Layfon. Both of them were Military Artists. "I prepared this for Layfon. It's proof of his inheriting all Psyharden's skills," Derek said with a faraway gaze. "He was still very young when I finished teaching him everything. I could have given this to him back then, but I wanted to wait till he had grown older. In the end, I lost the chance to give it to him," he laughed mockingly. Leerin thought it was because Layfon was exiled from Grendan, but she overturned that reaction. Derek could have given it to him when Layfon became a Heaven's Blade successor, but he didn't. (Because Layfon held a sword.) Leerin only realized this fact now, but she was able to realize it after spending a long period of time with Derek. "He refuses to inherit Psyharden's techniques. I thought he'd have grown a little after becoming a Heaven's Blade successor......It appeared I was wrong. He refused to inherit because he thought he had betrayed me, and he needed to pay for his wrongdoing."

About the underground matches and what happened afterward......Derek just met the person related to Layfon's past a few days ago, and meeting that person again had filled his heart with Layfon. "He's sober and dull. I don't think he'll use the techniques I taught him even now. He needs forgiveness. He needs to forgive himself." "Father......" "You still contact him, don't you? Then you know where he is. Give it to him. Mail it or deliver it to him personally. It's all fine." ".........Huh?" She could use these means to meet Layfon. Her face showed cheerfulness at this thought but she then shook her head. "I still have school." It'd take at least half a year to reach Zuellni and return back to Grendan. If the location of Zuellni had changed, then the journey might take up to one to two years. She couldn't take a break from school for so long. Besides, it took money to leave Grendan. "I can't use Layfon's money like that." Derek put his hand on her head. "......Father?" "Both you and Layfon are like me. Too reserved. Don't sacrifice yourself because of that." "But........." "Even I wanted to leave the city with Ryuhou." His words silenced her. "But my personality prevented me from leaving. At that time, my master was heavily injured from his fight with filth monsters, so someone had to inherit the name, and the candidates were Ryuhou and I. For a mature Military Artist to leave at that time would be willful. Ryuhou did it, but I couldn't." He had suppressed his wish to do what he thought was right. Layfon was the same as Derek in this way, and Leerin too. "I don't think I made the wrong choice back then. It's the highest honor for any Military Arts school to nurture talented people like Layfon. But even so......" Derek paused and caressed Leerin's head. "If I had left behind my reservations and sense of responsibility, followed my desire and left the city.........My wish to do that is still with me. I don't want you to have any regrets." "Father......"

"Don't worry about the expenses. If you want to go, then go. It's not good for you to exhaust your heart waiting for him. To give up going and then confirm that you should have decided otherwise." He touched the surface of the wooden box in Leerin's hand and left her like that. He didn't ask her to follow. He was giving her time to think on her own. "Layfon........." Perhaps she might see him. But......Was it really her wish to leave this city and see him.........Spaced out, she stood, unable to find an answer to her own question. The weight of the box pulled her into further confusion. The rest of the Mercenary Gang had disappeared when the dust and sand had cleared. The golden goat......The Haikizoku had also vanished. The Mercenary Gang had taken Haia and left the field. Nina and her team members had watched their silent departure without stopping them. What they were concerned with was what to do after this match. (Well, it's useless to think of that.........) To go against the Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang.........The Haikizoku caused this by entering the city by chance. It would take a long time to resolve this problem. (How come it seems more problems are piling up one after another?) Nina felt exhausted but she believed the problems could be solved. She could only hang onto that belief, praying that her path towards saving Zuellni wasn't the self-destructive path of Dinn's. She could only hope like that. With the clearing of the dust and sand, the audience finally saw what happened in the field. No longer bound, Dinn had fallen on the ground. His image showed on the large screen. Anyone could tell the 17th platoon had won. The siren signaling the end of the match rang along with the shouting of the commentator. Dissatisfaction, however, was mixed in with the cheering of the crowd. "Layfon!" A small and delicate figure stood beside Layfon, who was putting his Dite back into the weapon harness. Long silvery hair danced behind Felli. "Are you all right?"

Blood covered half of Layfon's face. Felli was administering treatment. "I'm fine," he said and pushed her hand away, but she forcefully dabbed at his wound with a disinfected cotton ball. Having no way out, he let her treat his wound. (Really.........) Pain invaded Nina's chest as she looked upon that scene. She brushed grains of sand off her stiff hair and lifted her head to look at the sky. (More problems are piling up.) Whether it was inside or outside, it was the same with Nina's heart. She ignored the pain inside her and tightened her fist. Prologue The sound of the whiteboard markers hitting the whiteboard pulled Leerin back to reality. She was now in the classroom. The teacher was using the marker as he explained the content written on the whiteboard. Flustered, Leerin quickly jotted down the information in her notebook. Recently, she felt an illusory weight on her back. That weight belonged to that wooden box that her adopted father wanted her to give to Layfon. Within that box was a Dite representing the fact that Derek had taught him every Psyharden technique. This Dite should already be in Layfon's hands, but Derek didn't get to hand it to his apprentice due to the circumstances. "Mail it or deliver it to him personally. It's all fine." Derek had said. It had been a month since he made that request. Leerin had written a letter during that month. A letter about her happily studying, something like that. (All rubbish.) The content of the letter involved some truth and also something about hoping for such a future, but Layfon probably wouldn't realize. (Because he's really slow.) A light sigh that the teacher and other students in the room would fail to detect escaped from Leerin's lips. She bit the top of her pen. One month had passed without her making any decision. The box was still in her room. (Mail it? Or go there myself?)

That was how she felt now. But she had to take leave from school if she was to go to Grendan. From Grendan to Zuellni....... Half a year ago, Layfon took one month to get to Zuellni, but what about now? Both cities were moving. Somebody said that the speed of a roaming bus was slower than normal, which meant it was possible for the journey to take three months. If she went to Zuellni and came back to Grendan, she would have to repeat a year before she could move up one grade. Wasting an entire year would be a problem for Leerin, and she couldn't neglect the extra financial burden of repeating her study. And also, to use the money Layfon earned from the underground matches... Derek had said in simple terms that he still wanted to leave the city. Leerin had noticed the reason behind the change in Layfon. Either way, she had been living with him for a long time. The cause was the shortage of food before Layfon became a Heaven's Blade successor. An unknown disease had spread throughout Grendan's farms, cutting down food production. Every city fed itself. It was impossible to transport food from another city, so a city that couldn't feed itself could only die. Because of that, it was difficult to react to such a situation. One could even say it was impossible to react. A lot of people died from starvation during the time of the disease. Grendan had implemented a system to apportion food to the population. Military Artists were prioritized as they had the duty to protect the city, creating an imbalance in the distribution of food. As a result, riots had appeared in several areas. Derek had already retired from the front lines, so he wasn't given much food. As for the children at the orphanage? Not enough. Even so, they managed to survive in that half a year. Things had returned to normal when Layfon became the Heaven's Blade successor. But the price of food increased drastically when the food distribution system was abolished. The events back then did plant something in Layfon's heart. He had received more food than other children, being a Military Artist. (His personality. He probably couldn't stand it.) That was why she was so concerned with anything related to him...... (Aah, I can't decide.) She knew she wanted to see him. She very much wanted to see him. (But......) To waste a year? (And I'll be using Layfon's money too.) But.........

(What will Layfon think if I do this?) That was the one thing she was really concerned with.

Chapter 1: The path of thinking Standing beside Layfon, Naruki had said something bizarre in the training room. "Let me join the platoon." Nina looked at Naruki, shocked numb by her request. She was holding a dirty cloth and a Dite. Pretty bubbles adorned the cloth. On the floor beside her were a bucket and another Dite. Liquid effective in preventing slippage churned in the bucket. Layfon had left the school building after class with Meishen, Mifi and Naruki. When he realized only Naruki was left beside him, he was shocked to find out he had already arrived outside the Training Complex. And then Naruki had urged him to enter the Complex. What came next was her request. "And what is that for?" Nina wiped her hand with a clean piece of cloth and stood up to face Naruki. Layfon stepped back to look at the two of them. The 17th platoon had participated in another match after the match with the 10th platoon, but Naruki didn't attend. Naruki hadn't come to the Training Complex after the match with the 10th platoon. It wasn't because she was being arrogant or that she was worried about something, and Layfon and everyone found that fairly normal. She only entered the platoon to investigate the 10th platoon's drug dealing. She had failed to find anything, and later on, the Student President had ordered the City Police to stop the investigation. Even so, Naruki participated in the match against the 10th platoon to witness the happenings. Everyone, including Naruki herself, thought she had no reason to stay in the platoon anymore. Layfon had thought that she was putting all her effort in the City Police. She was striving hard to become the Chief of Police. He thought that, but......... "Of course, that's if senpai thinks I can be of use." "Yeah, I understand that part. But why?" "Um......I understand my immaturity......" she mumbled and glanced at Layfon. "Hmm......" Nina caught that glance. Layfon knew Naruki and Nina were concerned with his past, but he felt that Naruki wasn't as concerned before participating in the platoon match. He noticed Nina had caught that glance.

"Is that so?......Well then, how about we try a test?" "Huh?" Layfon widened his eyes. He hadn't been listening. "You did a test too when you first joined. This is about the same." "But........." Nina nodded, noticing what Layfon wanted to say. "Yes, I'm the one who wants her to join. But I also tested you when you joined. I'll hold back somewhat this time too." Now that Nina had brought back the time when he first joined, Layfon didn't know what expression to make. "I don't think there's a need to confirm your strength, but there's something else I want to confirm. What do you say?" "I understand," Naruki nodded with a strange expression. Looking happy, Nina took out her Dite and restored it. "........." With tension on her face, Naruki took out the two Dites from her weapon harness and restored them. They were a baton and a rope. The baton was the same as a police baton, except it didn't have the police symbol. That Dite was made by Harley. Naruki wrapped the rope around her left wrist and using her left hand, took something out of her pocket and tossed it to Layfon. It was the badge of the 17th platoon, meaning she'd accept it if she passed the test. "How about I give you some time to take some advice from Layfon?" "I don't need it." "Really......Well then, let's begin," Nina declared with an "I won't lose" kind of air. Naruki placed the baton in front of herself, as if to hide her left hand. On the contrary, Nina's iron whip in her left hand was out, and the other iron whip hung loosely in her right hand. The two faced each other in mirror reflection, as if one was right-handed and the other was left-handed. In fact, both were right handed. Naruki's stance was somewhat unique. The hand with the rope was placed behind her back as if asking her opponent to guess what she had hidden behind her. Nina's victory was unshakable to Layfon. Nina's training leaned more on the skill of martial arts than on strength itself, as she had to practice wielding an iron whip with one hand. The

flow of strength and its use was the essence of martial arts. Naruki's martial arts weren't too bad, but that was judged on the level of a first year. As for Naruki's advantage, Layfon had to count on the light weight of her body. Though she was tall, Naruki excelled at agility. The symbol of light weight was Shante from the 5th platoon, but Naruki gave off a different sense. A graceful and light body weight to wield the unique weapon of a rope. But she had an overwhelming disadvantage in this test since she wasn't good at External Burst type Kei. How would she overcome this problem.........? She made her move as Layfon thought of that question. "......!" Naruki breathed out to disperse the heat of Internal Kei and charged straight at Nina. The baton struck. No unnecessary movement there. Nina's left iron whip blocked the baton, and Naruki stepped forward with the momentum of her charge. Nina's right hand whip lashed down. Something happened. Keeping her body slightly bent forward, Naruki rushed out and threw herself into the air. The rope shot out from her left hand. Nina's right iron whip tore apart the air. Noticing Naruki's movement, she leaped to flip her body in the air. And in that one moment, her left iron whip interfered with the rope. The claw on the tip of the rope clutched the iron whip. (It worked.........) Layfon widened his eyes. Naruki's strategy had worked......She probably didn't think it would work. The chance result came about when Nina attempted to right herself in the air. As Nina's body flipped, the rope trailing the claw followed her movement to wrap itself about her body. Nina landed like a silkworm wrapped in silk. Her right hand remained free but Naruki had sealed her basic movement. Surprise appeared on Naruki's face. Nina smiled bitterly at her own mistake. "But this isn't the end," Nina said and raised the right iron whip. Naruki took hold of the rope with her right hand and readied her stance. Nina breathed in deeply and increased the amount of her internal Kei to raise the strength in her arm. She probably planned to pull the rope. Naruki resisted by increasing her Internal Kei too. Now it came down to deciding the winner with Kei. As expected, Nina had the advantage. Her speed of Kei generation was quicker because of what Layfon had taught her. Naruki's feet began to slip. The balance of strength began to topple. "You're doing something interesting." Layfon explained the circumstances to Sharnid and Felli. Felli was there, standing before the door when the two began their match. Sharnid arrived later.

"Oh? ......They're all serious." "How redundant," Felli said expressionlessly. "She'd still be part of the platoon if she didn't return the badge," Sharnid said just as the outcome showed itself. "Ah......" Twisting her body, Nina had pulled Naruki over to her. The rope loosened. Nina's free left hand let go of the iron whip and gave the rope a pull. Naruki's body flew into the air. (Quite meaningful to add Karen Kei there.) Nina's iron whip pressed lightly on Naruki, who was on the floor. "You passed," Nina said. "Thanks," Naruki stood up and lowered her head. "We're counting on you from now on," Nina smiled and nodded. The usual air of domination was void from her smile. Layfon thought her concentration wasn't as sharp since the match with the 10th platoon. Her mistake in the fight with Naruki showed the same thing. Sometimes......Just a second, but it appeared her thoughts were on something else during training. Nina had felt something from Dinn's ending, an ending born out of the desire to protect the city. Was it all right for Layfon to leave this alone? In the past month, he had acted as if he didn't notice her preoccupation, trying his best to prevent her from being hurt. "Good. We'll start today's training, but before that......" Nina began, having confirmed all members had arrived. Harley didn't show up. He was at the research lab as usual. "The camp has been canceled. But I still want us to go before the next match comes up." All teaching was temporarily suspended during the time when Zuellni was resupplying. Nina had wanted the team to go on a training camp at that time, but she had to cancel it because of the illegal drug investigation. "But we've classes now. Can we?" "I advocate for both academics and Military Arts. I really want to attend class if possible, but we're facing the 1st platoon in the next match. The atmosphere of each match is also getting tenser. I just want us to do what we can for now." "Well, I welcome the idea since I can be publicly truant." Nina smiled bitterly at Sharnid's reply and looked at Layfon and the others.

"If the Captain's decided, then I've no problem with it," he said. "I think there's a way to resolve the problem with missing class," Naruki said. Nina accepted their answers and at last turned her gaze to Felli. "What do you think?" ".........Whatever you say." As expected, Felli's answer was weak. "Then I'll announce the details of the schedule tomorrow. For today's training, we'll analyze tactics in the audio-visual room. We'll look at all the matches of the 1st platoon in recent years." Everyone moved towards the audio-visual room. Only the "try as hard as possible not to know any information about the opponents" Layfon stayed in the training room. "Camp......I wonder what it'll be like," he murmured to himself. "Have you told them?" Layfon turned around at Nina's sudden question. They were cleaning at the Mechanical Department. Layfon and Nina were in the same team. Since the resupply, Zuellni had been moving towards the tropics, so the inside of the Mechanical Department was hotter than before. Both Layfon and Nina had taken off the top of the working clothes and wrapped it around their waists. "Eh?" Layfon wiped sweat off his face with the towel hanging around his neck. Nina was also sticky with sweat. The sweat stuck the clothes to her skin and outlined her body. Layfon didn't know where to look so he only concentrated on her face. She was also wiping her face with her towel. "To Naruki and the others. You haven't told them yet?" As if she hadn't noticed his awkwardness, she started mopping the floor again. He followed suit. "Ah, yes............" Meishen and her friends knew of the term Heaven's Blade successor before the match last month. He didn't know where they heard of that term, but he knew they knew it had

something to do with himself. It seemed they still didn't know much of his past. Was this a good or bad thing? .........He couldn't decide. Heaven's Blade successors and his past in Grendan weren't things he could tell anyone about in a peaceful manner. What would Meishen and her friends do if they found out.........Either way, he doubted it'd be a good reaction. But he wasn't sure whether it was right to not tell them anything because he didn't know how they'd react. He had told everyone in the 17th platoon about his past. Leaving Naruki out would be the same as isolating her, but Meishen and Mifi would find out if he told Naruki. "What do you think, Captain?" "Hard to answer," she frowned and stopped mopping. "The problem is we don't know how they'll react. I can't tell since I haven't been with them for long. Layfon, what do you think of them? Do you think they're the type to keep their distance from you once they heard of it?" "Well........." He hoped not. That was just his wish. Perhaps they'd keep their distance. In that case...... (What should I do?) He had no choice. "Layfon......" "Yes?" Nina had begun mopping the floor while he was spacing out. He quickly followed suit. "......About that time, sorry about that." "Eh?" He took his gaze off the floor to look at her. With her back facing him, she continued, "Despicable......About the time I said that." "Ah, yes." He remembered. Nina learned of his past at the end of the match against the 16th platoon. It was the team's first victory. She knew of his being a Heaven's Blade successor and why he was stripped of his title, as well as his participation in the underground matches. She had asked why he did those things, and he had answered honestly. For money.........She had declared him "despicable." "I still think what you did was despicable, but you have your reasons to stand firm. To say you're despicable one-sidedly is in itself despicable." "It wasn't like that."

"No, it was like that," she shook her head. "I said this before. I can't understand the pain of starvation. Someone who knows nothing and can't imagine what it's like, I don't think she should say it before someone who does know what it's like." "It probably wasn't like that." "No, it was like that," Nina shook her head again. "I think sometimes a third party can more accurately analyze the situation," he said. "But......" "At least I think of the Captain's words that way." "Layfon........." "Captain isn't wrong," he nodded at Nina who had turned around to face him.

Sitting in the sofa with her chin in her palm, Synola stared at the letter on the desk with annoyance. "What is it?" the female waiting by her side asked. She was a tall beauty and her appearance was similar to Synola's. Kanaris Aerifos Rivin. One of the twelve Heaven's Blade successors that people boasted about in Grendan, waited for Synola's answer. Currently, the two of them were in the palace situated in the middle of the Lance Shelled City, Grendan. They were in a room located in the residential area for royalty. Synola Aleisla the senior research student was a fake identity. Her real name was Alsheyra Almonise. She possessed the power of the Queen and stood at the top of the twelve Heaven's Blade successors. Her power exceeded those of the other Heaven's Blade successors. Synola's pupils stared at the words in the letter. Soft lips clamped together, she stayed silent. "Do you think it's a good plan to bring the Haikizoku from Zuellni to here?" Kanaris asked solemnly. The letter was sent by Haia Salinvan Laia from Zuellni. The Heaven's Blade successor Synola had exiled from Grendan now lived in that city. Haia had succeeded his master as the third leader of the Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang. The content of the letter explained the event with the Haikizoku.

"I believe no one outside Grendan can fully control the power of a Haikizoku," Kanaris said. Confidence in Grendan's Military Artists showed through her light voice. "........." Synola remained silent. She started fingering her hair. "Your Majesty........." Synola's lips parted under Kanaris' urging. "So......" "Perhaps, something like 'so annoying,' you weren't planning to say it were you?" "......That's bad. You can't say that ahead of me." "This isn't the problem of bad or not." Kanaris coldly watched the pouting Synola. "Under the situation of not having gathered all 12 Heaven's Blades, we should manage what we can manage." They had hosted numerous Military Arts matches since stripping Layfon of his title. Some participants were powerful enough to fight filth monsters, but none of them had the strength to become a Heaven's Blade successor. Hence, the Heaven's Blade title remained without an owner. "When Layfon held the Heaven's Blade, I thought, yes, it's finally here. Guess that wasn't the case." "Your Majesty, no one knows when that day will come. We have had all twelve Heaven's Blades in the past, but that day hasn't come again." "What about Haia? Can he not be one?" "Your Majesty, please answer my question first." "But it really is annoying." She curled her lips again. Kanaris didn't get mad at her. "We Heaven's Blade successors can give up our lives for you." "............Layfon probably wouldn't say things like that." "That's why he had to give up the Heaven's Blade." "Would have been good if that were the case."

Losing to Kanaris' imposing manner, Synola listened. "If your Majesty can't make a decision, how about we make a choice? As said in the letter, using the students of the Academy City would make Layfon our enemy. In that case, the Mercenary Gang won't hold against him. We can leave Lintence out as he's too involved with him, but if it's someone else......" ".........You're saying you'll use a Heaven's Blade successor without my permission, Kanaris?" Leaning against the back of the sofa, Synola watched Kanaris. "N, no......something like that." She smiled at Kanaris. The Heaven's Blade was panting as if she was short of air. Synola continued with a soft voice. "I did give you the authority while I was away. You did your job well, and that's worth my gratitude............But only I can decide how to use the Heaven's Blades." "I'm......really sorry." "Seems you understand," she smiled and straightened her back to look outside. Kanaris sat down beside her, more like fell down beside her. She glanced at the trembling woman, took the bag from the table and stood up. "I have to go to the research lab." "Your, Your Majesty, please wait......" Kanaris tried again. Synola smiled bitterly. "Well, I'll take some time to consider it," she said and left the room. Outside the room was a corridor that connected to the facilities outside the palace. No guards could be seen. This arrangement was made especially for Synola's privacy. The lights in the corridor were weak, as if they weren't used often. Because of the bad location in relation to the position of the sun, the sunlight piercing through the windows was weak too. A figure appeared at the end of the dim corridor. "What is it?" Synola asked. The figure moved to where the window was. The shadow shrouding him retreated. It was Savaris. "Your Majesty is in a good mood......Ah, what a busy day today." Synola sighed against the greeting. "............Not that good. I didn't get to use my brain today, so I don't feel good."

"Thanks for the hard work," he laughed. She glared at him, and his laughter stopped short. "Is the letter the reason behind your bad mood?" Her eyes narrowed. Was Savaris the only piece of hers that had infiltrated the palace? She watched his smiling face with displeasure. "......Has the Luckens family got ahead of themselves? Or is this the case with all Heaven's Blades? If so, I've got to tighten them up." "Not at all! There isn't anything impure in our loyal hearts," he retreated a few steps. She watched him coldly. "I found out about the thing at Zuellni by pure chance. It's because my younger brother's there......" She listened silently to his explanation. Younger brother......Gorneo was studying Military Arts course at Zuellni. He was in a platoon there. "I knew of this from Gorneo's letter. I'm guessing the Mercenary Gang had sent Your Majesty a letter about it too. I was waiting here to convey the news in case Your Majesty didn't hear of it." "You could have told Kanaris." "It seems that she hates me. Besides, I made a vow to only be loyal to Your Majesty. Not to Kanaris, nor the city named Grendan." His voice turned light. "So what you plan from now on?" ".........You understand when I said I don't feel good?" "Haha, Kanaris must have been difficult." She glared at him once more. "Uh oh.........If possible, why don't you use me?" "For what?" "My brother's there. He can help us better than anyone else. And under the possible situation of a fight with Layfon, anyone else would cause huge damage to Zuellni," he laughed. He was making a joke. Watching him with her icy gaze, Synola tossed out the question as if the idea just popped into her head. "Are you saying you want to kill Layfon?" "Why?" The smile remained on Savaris' face, but it was definite that the temperature of his

expression had dropped a few degrees. "The bait we used before, the one Layfon crippled, certainly he was from the Luckens' school, wasn't he? Surely you hold a grudge." "That was only Gahard's immaturity." The frosty reply meant she had stepped on a landmine. "Then......What is it?" "Your Majesty.........I don't hate Layfon. I'm just very concerned with the Haikizoku," he said frankly. "Your Majesty has always guided us. Heaven's Blades only need to concentrate on getting stronger." "Well, I at least hope all of you have some common sense." "Of course." "Humph......Well, I'll consider it," she said and started walking. "Have a good day." "I will," she waved her hand without turning back.

Chapter 2: The event of that day It didn't take long to decide the schedule of the camp. Nina had applied for the camp as study camp. The camp would be treated as part of school, so they didn't have to apply for a holiday. "Wait a minute.........Three days two nights. Does this include the weekend? So boring." "Don't plan to go?" "Since we get to be truant openly, we should apply for normal weekdays. Besides, it's not good for the body to not rest." Nina's cold gaze rejected Sharnid's suggestion. Though said she could have told them the agenda tomorrow, she was still cleaning at night with Layfon at the Mechanical Department. Layfon wondered how she managed to squeeze out the time for tonight's job. She had been busy running around to various places until training started. The current Nina had regained some of the dominating air she had before. She had probably forgotten the event surrounding the 10th platoon because of the camp.

Nina had told her team about the schedule of the camp in the training room. The camp would begin three days from now, and it would be three days and two nights over the weekend. The location was the production area of a certain dormitory. "Excuse me......" Naruki raised her hand. "That place doesn't have any shops. What do we do about food?" "We'll bring the ingredients over. Layfon knows how to cook, so he'll do the cooking." "He can?" "Yeah, well........." Layfon smiled, troubled. Meishen was the one who cooked his lunches. "Yeah, but I won't be able to put much consideration into cooking a nutritious meal." "It's all right as long as it's delicious," Sharnid patted his back. Naruki thought for a moment and raised her hand again. "What?" "Layfon has to train too. Isn't it better to find someone else to do the cooking?" "Yes, that was my original plan, but the person I had in mind is already booked that day......" A shadow shrouded Nina's face. "If it's OK, can I ask for a friend to help?" "Is it all right?" "I think so. Layfon knows how the cooking tastes too." "Is it Mei?" he asked. "Of course. I don't know anyone else. Not satisfied?" "No, not at all. Is it really all right?" Meishen was really shy. She was used to being with him, but not with others. And at the camp, it wasn't possible for Naruki and Layfon to stay with her all the time. "I'll think of a way about that. Is it ok, Captain?" "Yeah. Counting on you." Nina explained a few more details about the meet-up time and so on, and they started their usual training.

 After listening to Naruki's suggestion, Meishen leaned on the chair with a faraway look. The girls were in the kitchen inside the dormitory. The kitchen was shared, but not everyone had to share a bathroom. Living quarters spread out across the dormitory, and here was the kitchen. Meishen confirmed once again with Naruki. She was preparing for dinner. "Just......what did you say?" "Oh, I mentioned it yesterday. Platoon camp. I recommended you to do the cooking for us. You've decided, haven't you?" "Wait, wait a minute......" Naruki peeled the vegetables with a matter-of-fact expression. Hands clutching her apron, Meishen watched Naruki. "Me.........?" "Who else? I can't ask Mi." Mifi wasn't in the kitchen. She was busy writing up drafts in her room. "But........." "The Captain's already told the teacher, so you won't be marked absent." "Au........." Meishen's reason to reject the offer was blocked. "Why not? It's not easy to get such an opportunity," Naruki cocked her head. "But......so sudden......" "Sudden......It's not just you and Layton." "Of, of course." Just the two of them.........She felt her cheeks heating up. "Well, it is possible for just the two of you to be alone. Layton seems to know how to cook too. And with his personality, he'll probably offer to help. Everyone else can't do it......" Naruki said and popped a piece of lettuce in her mouth. She chewed. "Uh......Wu........." "You don't have to be so excited. Didn't you two go somewhere before?"

"That was, well, we didn't spend the entire day together." "You won't be together that long. There is training after all." Meishen calmed down at that. "But, is it OK? Won't I be in the way?" "You won't. We won't have to worry about cooking if you take care of it." "I see......" she began to know where she stood. Cooking. Just as usual. It'd be good if she could help out with that. Just that. Nothing else special would happen. Even if it happened, she wouldn't be prepared for it. "I just need to cook, right?" "Didn't I say that from the very beginning?" Naruki nodded. "So......naive!" A voice suddenly intervened. "Mi......You'll complicate things." "Agh, so mean! Why am I getting this treatment? I'm protesting." "All right, here. Be more honest." "I'm a kid!? I won't have it......Not like that," Mifi called, putting a vegetable in her mouth. "How can you leave it like that? Isn't this a good chance?" "Chance......What?" "About the Heaven's Blade." The feeling was like a knot in Meishen's heart. The letter she received earlier had left a puzzle. The letter was for Layfon, sent by a female named Leerin. The term "Heaven's Blade" was in the letter. It seemed Layfon was called the Heaven's Blade successor back at Grendan. Every city gave its elite Military Artists titles. Back in Meishen's home city, Joeldem, entering the Knights of the Crossroad organization was proof of being acknowledged as an excellent Military Artist. Everyone aimed to enter that organization. Heaven's Blade successor probably held the same meaning. She wasn't surprised to find out that Layfon had such a title because she believed he was very strong. But then why did he leave Grendan? She had asked him once but she failed. She was afraid that question would break the relationship between them. It didn't. But for the sake of not failing again, she wouldn't put that question to him again. "Forget it." Naruki frowned. "Everyone has something he doesn't want to tell? Layton would have said it if it's something

that doesn't really matter." "That makes sense. But......Isn't it easier to hang out with him if you know his secret?" "Um......" Naruki responded to Mifi's words. "I knew it. You were thinking of something after that match, weren't you, Nakki? It's got something to do with Layfon?" "No. Wouldn't I have lost the trust between us if I kept something from you guys?" "You'll say it if you can?" "Look, why doesn't this work with Layton?" "Isn't that natural? The basis of the relationship between me and you and the relationship between me and Layton is different." "What would be different?" "I know you'd cry from wetting your bed." "What!" Naruki blushed. "I, I didn't cry! And that just happened once........." "You did, though you were trying not to. The tears just fell from your eyes. Aaah, I can still recall it now. The Nakki of that time......" "Shut up!" Naruki bent over Mifi, locking her neck in the crook of her arm. Meishen just moaned and didn't do anything. Mifi beat the floor with her arm. "No! That wasn't what I wanted to say. I mean, we knew each other since we were little. We can trust each other even if we hide a thing or two, but it's different with Layton. We don't understand him. We don't know anything about him before he came to Zuellni, that's why we want to know. Why we are concerned." "Um......" Naruki loosened her hold. Mifi took the chance to escape. "Anyway, what I wanted to say was if we want to understand Layton, we can't not understand the Layton of Grendan. That's all! I'm hungry!" she quickly left the kitchen. "......Geez, she just says whatever suits her," Naruki glared in the direction where Mifi had gone, off to her own room. Naruki's face was still red. "Mei, don't worry about it." "......Yeah." But Mifi was right. Layton had only been in Zuellni for half a year. He had in him the

Layton who grew up in Grendan. That was why Meishen was bothered. She was jealous of Leerin because Leerin knew of the Layfon in Grendan. (But......am I too spoiled?) This unease had always been circling inside her, unable to leave. It might explain why the taste of dinner didn't go well. Naruki and Mifi noticed that the taste wasn't as good as usual, but they didn't comment. (Is this trust? Or pity?) For some reason, Meishen was more confused.

Someone pinched her face and brought her back to reality. "What're you doing?" Synola lay flat on her stomach on top of the table. "A report......is what." They were in the library. The computer terminal on the table showed a number of technical books on its monitor. Leerin was reading them for her report. "Really......?" "What?" "No......You were staring pretty blankly. Do you know when I got here?" "Huh?" The students weren't allowed to take books outside the library, so the library provided many areas for self-study. A number of huge tables sat side by side in the area Leerin was in. Many students came here to study after class. In fact, there were many students around Leerin right now. Yes, it was a large table. Synola had her chin in her palm. She had pushed aside the terminals and stationary of other students. The students around them were all watching them. "Hey! ......What're you doing?" Leerin quickly lowered her voice. "Aah......I waited a long time. Me? Though I was about to lose to shame......" Synola's face was red.

"Please hurry and get off!" Unable to stand the atmosphere of you're-an-interference, Leerin escaped from the library to return the computer. "Ah, you're so mean. Wait up," Synola called and chased after her. "I'm worried because you were spacing out." "Then worry in a way that is appropriate!" she protested with a red face. "Aah, don't praise me." ".........Tell me just how did I praise you?" "Ehh, don't be so boring. I'll treat you to a meal," Synola insisted as she followed her. "I refuse. Senpai, you always take me to someplace expensive. I feel like I'm in danger." She was used to a life of thriftiness. She couldn't understand Synola's perspective in the use of money. "Ah, then it's ok if it's some cheaper place? Good. There's this place I want to go." "Uh? Wait......" Ignoring what Leerin had to say, Synola took her hand and dragged her away. Synola took Leerin to a park close to the bus station. "This?" She could feel the heat through the paper bag. Many small shops stood before the bus station at the school, ranging from convenience stores to grocery stores. A student who lived alone would be very grateful for this shopping street. In one of the shops here.........The two of them held something that they bought from one of the shops. "Yes. I wanted to try this," Synola took out the food from the bag with a happy expression. Sugar stuck to the surface of the fried bread. "......How should I put this. Senpai is really rich." She hasn't had fried bread.........Shocked at that fact, Leerin also started eating. The softness and sweetness of the bread dispersed in her mouth. It didn't taste like the bread was fried in oil used for a long time, and the bread hadn't been over-fried either.

"Mm, yum. This is great." Synola finished one swiftly and took out another piece of bread. Finding herself getting hungry after having one, Leerin also took out another bread to eat. Synola kept repeating "yum, yum" beside her as they finished eating the bread. "Mm, haven't enough," Synola said softly, licking the sugar on her hands. "No. We ate too much." Synola had ordered twice the amount as Leerin. She finished all that in the time it took Leerin to just finish her own bag of bread. Leerin sighed, looking at Synola's body. "Then how can you keep so fit?" "With an adequate amount of exercise." That was all she said. Leerin groaned and caressed her stomach. "Isn't it about time to tell me of your worries?" Synola sipped from the cup of hot tea she bought and looked at her. "Huh?" "Your worry is still there, right? How is it?" "I didn't........." "Or was there progress? Did it give you new worries?" "No. I......" she denied desperately, but Synola continued. "Well, you were like someone climbing up from a dark chasm before, and now you have this confused, reddened face that suddenly sinks in shadows. Like a flea." "Ah........." she didn't realize this was what Synola felt about her.........Thinking of how she appeared in others' eyes made her feel embarrassed. "So what're you worrying about? Let me solve it for you." "No, uh........." Though she denied it, Leerin changed the topic. ".........There's someone I want to see."

The day of camp had arrived. They alighted from the tram and walked through a field of fruit trees. A light breeze carried the aroma of the field to them. The horizon widened when they reached the end of the field. "Wow......" Layfon called out at the vast plain before them. He was carrying a bag stuffed with his clothes and some other luggage. He held bulging bags with his two hands. The bags contained the food that he and Meishen and the others bought at the shops. Naruki was loaded down too. "So huge......" Meishen was speechless. Opposite the field of fruit trees that they just went past was the lake they saw when Layfon and the three girls went for lunch. They were in an agricultural area. Sunlight reflected off a huge greenhouse. Nina had explained that this was a period of no-planting, so there wasn't any produce here. It was all right even if the team caused huge damage during training. A lone house stood in the middle of the plain. That was their dormitory. The dormitory became bigger as the team stepped closer on the path. They only saw how huge the dormitory actually was when they got close. "We're here." Nina was waiting for them at the dormitory. She took the bags of food ingredients from Layfon. She thanked Meishen for coming to cook, and Meishen replied in a very small voice. Following behind Meishen, Layfon lifted his head to study the building. "So big." Nina also lifted her gaze. "Aah. The students doing agriculture use this building when they work outside, so it can fit around 20 people." "Amazing." "This area provides food for Zuellni, so it's pretty huge. You can find this facility in other producing areas too.........Here." Nina led them to the kitchen and put the ingredients in the fridge. She told them their room locations, and they dispersed to put down their luggage. "We've spent today getting here and putting everything in place. Be prepared for training tomorrow," Nina said and took Naruki and Meishen to their rooms. Left alone, Layfon went for his room to put down his luggage. He pulled aside the window screen and saw that it was almost dusk. "We're at the edge of the city."

Standing on the second level, he could see the city's outskirts. The dormitory he was in now and the dormitory of the first years...... The different scenery he looked at now gave him the feeling of being in another city. In another city......That kind of lament came to him. The thought of studying at an Academy City was nonexistent to him when he was still a Heaven's Blade successor in Grendan. There was a reason behind his naive desire. No, the Layfon in Grendan thought his way of doing things was correct. What Nina said was reasonable. Wasn't there another way? Probably. If he had picked another way, Leerin wouldn't be in so much trouble now. Regret and loneliness plagued him. Leerin, is she still full of energy? His room at the dormitory being too big might explain his feeling of loneliness. A room big enough to fit three beds. The dormitory was usually for students of the Agricultural course who needed to work very late and had to stay outside. And now only Layfon was using this room. When he was in the orphanage, he had always dreamed of having a room to himself. He was in a large room at the orphanage, but he slept there with everyone else. The current room back at Layfon's usual dormitory was for two people. He did not have a roommate. The feelings of being alone in there and being alone in here shouldn't be different. It only felt different because the size of this room was similar to the room back in the orphanage. "Aaaah......" He shook his head and swallowed the nostalgia. He knew well the feeling of loneliness of being unable to return to that place so long ago. What would happen if a Heaven's Blade went on a rampage......He was the one who answered that question for the public. How could he return to Grendan with that past? Sharnid and Felli arrived while Layfon mulled over that thought. He was also called over. The training on that day was simple. Since there wasn't a training room, they did training outside, much the same as they did training in the war field. Training ended when darkness came. Sparse light from the building acted as the only source of light after the sun had set. The team spent some time after training in the large living room. Nina and Sharnid played a paper game in the Military Arts course that was designed to nurture a mind in terms of tactics. Meishen and Naruki chatted in a corner, Felli read a book she had brought with her. Layfon sat beside Nina and Sharnid, and watched them play the game. The game was played on two boards with pieces lined up on either side of the boards. Each player was to move his own pieces in accordance to the movement of his opponent. The boards were positioned in a way so the opponent couldn't see the pieces. It was a game of command. "I got flakes around B6." "A shame, got nothing there."

"What? Damn......Finished." "My turn. Flakes around E3." "......There's a guard at E2." "Ah, I'm sniping him......so." Nina and Sharnid tossed the dice that had 6 faces, and spoke the result. "Good. Let's swap." "So naive. One more sniping." "Wh............Damn." Nina tossed the dice again, and removed her own piece with a painful expression. "Uh......Finished." "It's my turn now. Then......" The two moved their pieces in front of Layfon, using psychokinetic flakes to find the position of other pieces and attack them. Sharnid kept winning the game, all the way to victory. "Geez......" "That's why, I said not just platoons with a normal structure can make the best of movements, didn't I? With 2-3 psychokinesists, the remaining sniper can move around freely." Staring at the board and pondering on her next move, Nina fiddled with the dice as Sharnid talked. "You're so noisy. Be quiet." "Decide on a better structure next time." "No, I'm using the same structure." "Then you can only rely on the luck of the dice." Knowing Nina wouldn't take his suggestion, he sighed and placed his pieces with the same structure as before. Nina didn't win the following three games either. "Just a bit more......"

"Let's stop here," Sharnid put down his piece and put up his arms. "Um......I guess. It's already that hour. Getting ready for the bath?" "Ah, there is a bath?" Naruki asked. "Ah, a very big bath......Oh no, forgot to let the hot water run," Nina looked at the clock. "Sorry, let's just take a shower. I'll put in the hot water tomorrow." The bath was for both male and female. The girls went on ahead on Nina's direction, as Layfon and Sharnid watched them leave. "Oh......There's a big bath, really?......" Sharnid said to himself. Layfon pretended he didn't hear him. Layfon opened his eyes at the tiny noise reaching his ears. He had slept enough. He slipped off the bed to pull open the blinds on the window. The morning air was a bit cold. He stretched his arms, went to wash his face and automatically headed for the source of the noise. A figure was in the kitchen where a wonderful breakfast had already been prepared. "Meishen, you're early." "Wa...... Layton?" Meishen turned around in surprise. She was holding the wok. "Sorry, I haven't finished making breakfast." "It's ok. Let me help." "Huh? But......" "I woke up without knowing," he said and started washing the vegetables. "That's a lot." "Ah, yeah...... I want to prepare for dinner too." She had prepared two pans of food. "Ah, I'll handle the vegetables. You can work on something else," he said and peeled off the skin of the vegetables. "......But the other dishes will get cold if I finish them first." "Ah, true." He had bought the ingredients with Meishen, so he had a general idea on what dishes she'd make. They stood side by side, peeling green vegetables. "Layton......You're good at this," she said with wide eyes.

"I've been helping since I was little. I have confidence in my food-preparing speed." "I see." He memorized the shape of the bean with his finger, then quickly sliced it out with the knife without having to look at it. The color of Meishen's face changed at that, and Layfon noticed her change of color. "What is it?" "Huh? No, nothing," she shook her head with a smile, knowing the change in her face. Voicing an "Ah!"......Layfon guessed the reason. (Perhaps......) "But I'm not good at considering what dishes to make. I didn't think of balancing the nutrients. I just made dishes, and that always made her angry." "......Is that so?" "Uh, I made Leerin angry." "Huh?" "Ah, Leerin is my childhood friend......" And like that, Layfon told her about Leerin, how he cooked with her and what laughable moments he was involved in. He took care of explaining it so that she wouldn't mistake him as a good cook and think it was redundant to make him lunches. Meishen listened to him with a smile. But he didn't notice how her expression hadn't changed when he finished talking. And during this time outside the kitchen... "......I can't hear," Felli said as she peered into the kitchen with her body pressed against the wall. It seemed Layfon and Meishen were chatting. A good relationship. Felli couldn't hear anything as the kitchen was big. But she could see Meishen smiling. "Just a bit more." She wanted to get closer, but that would mean stepping into the kitchen and being discovered by Layfon. And if she stepped even closer, Meishen would see her. "I have to use psychokinesis." As she considered this with a half serious attitude, footsteps neared her. Felli jumped back from the wall immediately and composed her face as if she had just arrived.

It was Nina. "Good morning." "Ah, morning," Nina greeted her. Her gaze flashed towards the kitchen. "Are they making breakfast?" Her nose twitched. Steam rose from the two pans. The smell of food drifted over to the girls. In one pan were the vegetables Meishen had peeled and cut into small pieces. The other pan contained soup. On the other side was Layfon, busy peeling a huge amount of vegetables. "Do they need help......" Nina scratched her head. "Ye......Yeah." Good to use "help" as an excuse to check the inside of the kitchen. But...... "Not good. I'm not good at this at all," Nina smiled bitterly. She was the same as Felli. "Captain......Have you cooked before?" Felli asked. "Yes, but......I was forced to cook. My mother believes the kitchen is a woman's fortress, so she always made me help out and do simple things......I did them, but not very well. I thought it was more meaningful to spend time practicing with dad, so I always escaped from the kitchen." Felli was different. She grew up in a family unrelated to Military Arts. Every generation made its living off buying and selling information on cities. Karian came to the Academy City for two reasons, to know more of other cities, and to also memorize how information flowed between cities. That was Felli's family. A family that hired many, many servants. Of course, specialized people were hired to be responsible for meals. A kitchen was a place where Felli would be given sweets. She had never touched a kitchen knife before coming to Zuellni. And she didn't have any interest in cooking after coming to Zuellni, so her cooking skill hadn't improved either. Felli and Nina stood motionless at the door when Naruki finally arrived. "Morning......What're you doing?" "Ah......" Nina mumbled. Naruki looked inside the kitchen, called out that she'd help, and stepped inside. "Does she know how to cook?" "Probably."

Naruki joined in the peeling of vegetables. "She does." "Yeah." The voices of those two, mixed with complicated feelings, spread out in the corridor. Someone laughed behind them and they turned around to see Sharnid, a towel hanging down his neck. "Ah, you seem to be doing something interesting." "Shut up," Nina curled her lips. Felli glared at him. "Humph......I'll tell you the greatest tool just for you two." "Huh?" "......What?" They watched him with suspicion and anticipation. Sharnid took out a small tool from somewhere. "This is a peeler. An easy tool to use for peeling the skin of vegetables." "What......!?" "Just move the blade back and forth on the surface of vegetables, then you can easily peel off the skin." "What a convenient tool," Nina sighed honestly. Felli's expression remained unchanged, but she stared at the tool as if she wanted to eat it. The small blade was set securely between two pieces of thin metal plates. It seemed the tool really could easily peel off the skin by moving it along the vegetables. "Here. Just use this and peel all you want." Felli reached out without thinking......and caught Nina's hand. Both of them took hold of the peeler at the same time. "......Can you let go?" Felli said calmly. "No, just leave this to me." Nina held tightly to the peeler. "Is it all right for the Captain not to think of today's training?" "Why don't you think of your individual training for today? I can't do much for psychokinesis training."

"You don't have to worry. I've always been doing that." "I did my preparation already." Tension rose quietly between the two of them, revolving around the peeler. And...... "......What're you doing?" Layfon stood at the door of the kitchen. An opening. "Ah!" Nina snatched the peeler from Felli's hold. "Ah, you guys seem busy, so I came to help." "Oh, we already finished," Layfon smiled. Felli saw Nina tremble slightly. Looking at her, Felli stood as if frozen. "Breakfast's almost done. Please help finish the rest," he said and went back to his room. The sound of oil cooking in the pan and the smell of soup drifted from the kitchen. Training started after breakfast. The team didn't do much training in the first day of the three day, two night camp. They probably couldn't do much tomorrow either, so today was important. Nina called everyone over after they all did some warm-up exercises. "Today's training will be a match." Nina held two flags. "Hold on, wait a minute," Sharnid raised his hand. "What?" "We don't have enough people for a match?" "If that's all, it's simple. Layfon." "Yes?" "You stay here alone." "Yeah......" "Wait a minute," Naruki said. "Is this really ok?" She knew from the match with the 10th platoon of how strong Layfon was, but it wasn't

possible for Layfon to win 1 against 4. "Well, you'll know," Nina said meaningfully. She tossed a flag to Layfon. Sharnid didn't say anything more and began his preparation. Only Naruki took out her Dite to confirm its weight with displeasure. Layfon was to defend his flag and waited at the location Nina had indicated. He pierced the ground with the flag. Nina had talked to Layfon before he made a move. He seemed surprised but he nodded. Then came the call for Naruki and Sharnid. "How do we attack?" Nina asked Naruki. "One person? Two people to stop him from moving while the remaining person aims for the flag?" "Let's do that then. I'll head for the flag. Naruki acts as bait and Sharnid, you stop Layfon. Felli will be my support." Meishen waited at a distance with a gun in her hand. Nina nodded at her, and she raised the gun and pulled the trigger with trepidation. The hollow noise dispersed to announce the beginning of the match. "Ten steps to your left, please move forward in the path of a big curve." Naruki ran as such, following Felli's instruction from the transmitter. Nina ran beside her. Layfon was closer to Naruki's right. "If he attacks me then you head straight for the flag. Same for the reverse. If he attacks Sharnid then we'll both move for the flag," Nina said. "Roger." Nina pulled open the distance between her and Naruki as Naruki increased her speed. Layfon stood leisurely before the flag with no defensive mechanisms in front of him. He hadn't restored his Dite. Naruki could clearly see him and he saw her clearly too. But this was a one against four match. He was at a disadvantage. When Naruki and her team had run halfway to the flag, Layfon made his move. No. He disappeared. Because she was running and enveloped in the wind created by her own movement, Naruki couldn't detect the direction of the natural wind around her. All she saw was the dust made by Layfon's feet.

"Coming. 0400," Felli said. "Behind?" Naruki slid to a stop. "There's not enough Kei in your legs," Layfon's voice sounded from her side, then he was in front of her. The next moment he was behind her. (What speed!) Naruki swung with the baton as she slid on the ground. The baton hit air. Layfon was gone. As the thought flashed past Naruki, she felt something on her stomach. Her gaze turned down and saw Layfon there with his shoulder against her stomach, and he threw her up and away. As Naruki stared numbly at the sky, Layfon chased after Nina. In no time at all, he had reached her and also tossed her into the sky. The sound of a sniper rifle firing reached Naruki's ear. Then a small explosion in the air. By no means could she have immediately realized it was caused by a Kei bullet aimed at the flag struck down by external Kei. As Naruki realized that fact, Sharnid had also been tossed skyward. Layfon walked casually back to the flag. Felli didn't put up any resistance. "We lost......" Naruki watched Layfon's back with disbelief. "How do we attack next?" Nina said as if she was enjoying it. Naruki still had an unbelievable feeling in her. (That's.........Layfon?) Layfon was once again on the defensive side. The Layfon with Naruki and her friends, chatting on the way to class, always had this unreliable feel with him. Where now was the Layfon she knew? No, Naruki knew he was strong as a Military Artist. She could tell during the platoon matches when she was in the audience seat and when she was participating in the match. She knew he never stepped back from the famous organization of Military Artists, the Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang. He even won against the Mercenary Gang's leader. He was strong. Very, very strong. But Naruki's feelings were different when she fought Layfon. Different from the time when she and Layfon were paired up in Military Arts course training class. Layfon had moved with consideration of her strength.

And now it was totally different. She lost by an overwhelming margin. Even so, he defeated her by holding back. First, he didn't use his Dite. Not just that either. He didn't hit her with his bare hands. He just tossed her up. Everyone on the team's strengths were too far away from his. Nina and the rest of her team devised their strategy in detail once again. Anger rushed up in Naruki. She wasn't thinking of giving up, but she didn't like Layfon's arrogant attitude. "Then let's begin," Nina said and nodded. Looking at her, Naruki smiled. Meishen made a huge number of sandwiches and cookies for lunch. Everyone ate till their stomachs burst, as they replenished the amount of sugar they lost in training. They drank sports drinks and then continued training. The formation remained the same. Layfon was on the defensive side, and Nina's team repeatedly changed their strategies. They didn't once win against him. Nina stopped the match when the sky was painted red. Everyone started their own individual training. Layfon finally restored his Dite and began dancing with it on his own. Nina did the same. Felli let loose all of the flakes, sending them off to faraway places. Sharnid prepared a number of solid balls made of soil. He threw each of them and shot them down in succession. Naruki couldn't move at the moment. She drank from the sports drink that Meishen had brought to her and laid on the ground, breathing deeply. When she could finally sit up, she slowly drank and watched Layfon. As if penetrating the deepening red dusk with a pen, Layfon repeatedly swung the Sapphire Dite. Internal Kei filled his body. He should have been causing a lot of wind with his movements, but his surroundings were surprisingly quiet. Naruki had watched Nina's individual training alongside Layfon. She thought Nina's pose was very beautiful as she swung the Kei-filled iron whips like a ghost. The current Nina didn't have the air she had before. She was even more beautiful, stretching the definition of sports, but she shone less compared to Layfon. With Layfon, it felt as if something had finished. Naruki wasn't sure what it was. Every time the sword cut out a green flash in the dusk, she felt a strike in her chest. Loneliness, solemnity and the feeling of a wish in those sword strokes. All of those feelings made her hesitate. She turned around and saw that Meishen had gone. She must have gone to prepare dinner. (What a shame.) She sighed, attracted to Layfon's figure. If Meishen was here, she'd probably cry. For some reason, each of Layfon's movement exuded something painfully beautiful. They made her contemplate what kind of a past he had. The Layfon who usually appeared weak and

unreliable. (Ah, yes......) She understood. This was probably the Layfon that Meishen liked. She didn't know whether Meishen realized it the time when she first entered the Academy City, but she had felt it. Naruki's superior, Formed, had said this. "That person has had a life that doesn't match with his age. It would be good if you observe him and understand that kind of depth." That was the reason why Naruki chose to stay with the 17th platoon. Just what had Formed seen? That curiosity intensified during the match with the 10th platoon. Was that depth what Naruki was seeing now? Probably. She couldn't really express it any better. She stood and began her own training. If she kept relaxing, she'd only become a burden. She could not tolerate this point on the pride of her identity as a Military Artist. She struck the air with her baton. Nina announced the end of training when dusk gave way to true darkness. The aroma of food filled the kitchen. Meishen had prepared the meal in the morning. It wasn't the simple vegetable soup that she made for them for breakfast. "Amazing," Sharnid groaned. His appetite grew with the aroma of meat and vegetable. The meat had been marinated for a long period of time. "......I, I made a lot. So......" "Oh, thanks very much. I'll eat lots," Sharnid sat down, and everyone else followed suit. Layfon and Naruki helped put out the dishes. "Ah, sorry. We'll......" Nina said. "Don't worry. Leave this to us," Layfon said. Meishen had also made salad and chicken. The helpers sat down at the desk after lining up the dishes of food. The food was true to Meishen's skill. The team ate without speaking, enjoying the meal. Nina was worried that the delicious taste and empty stomachs might cause terrible side effects, but seeing how everyone dug into the food without complaint, she relaxed and happily watched them eat. After dinner, Layfon watched Nina and Sharnid play their game. Naruki went over to him and said. "Layton, do you have a second?" She then walked out of the room. Meishen was outside too.

Layfon thought the time had finally come. Neither Nina nor Sharnid noticed. They were concentrating on the game, and Felli was reading her book in a corner. He stood up and went after Naruki. Nina's gaze shifted to look at Layfon's back. "What will come will come. Either way, it's difficult to keep your secret in the team. Since it'll come out anyway, it should come from you, not anyone else. You're the one to make the decision in the end." Nina had said that in the Mechanical Department, but that didn't lessen Layfon's worry. "Well, there has to be a way," Sharnid said as he played with the dice. "Naruki plans to join the police force, so she's got a strong sense of morality. That is worrying." "Even someone as stubborn as you accepted him, so it should be all right." "I'm not stubborn." "The only one who truly doesn't understand you is yourself, is it?" Sharnid smiled as Felli left the room stealthily. She must have gone after Layfon. "Aren't you going?" He asked Nina as if he had eyes on his back. "No," she gave a curt reply and continued to look at the board. Sharnid's smile was bitter as he rolled the dice. Layfon left the building. The half moon and the stars gave off the only light besides the light in the building. He could have used internal Kei to strengthen his night vision, but he only followed Naruki and Meishen, submerging himself in darkness. As if feeling unease at walking in the dark, Meishen held Naruki's hand. They kept walking like that on uneven ground, under the lights of the sky. If they went any further, they might encounter danger. But Layfon didn't say that. Probably nothing would happen with him and Naruki here. He stole a glance back and saw that the light from the dormitory was within sight. That eased his heart. In the end, the three of them reached the edge of that place. The line of trees cut through the field as if dividing it from another field. Meishen stopped before the wall of trees, and Naruki stopped too. Layfon did the same. Meishen turned around. He couldn't see her expression in the dark. Naruki broke the silence. "If Mi were here, the formation would complete......but that can't be helped. Layton, we want to know more about you," she said in the straightforward way of a Military Artist.

"Yeah," he nodded in the dark. Silence once again enshrouded them. ".........I hope you can understand this curiosity of ours. We've had a good relationship with you for half a year. We aren't worried of leaving our home city. The relationship between us three girls is very good, so we were shocked when Layton came among us. We don't want our relationship with you to remain as it is. We want you to join our group. Therefore, there are things we want to know." Meishen trembled and swallowed. "......What is a Heaven's Blade successor?" As expected, Naruki was the one to voice the question. She then explained how she knew of that term, of how Leerin's letter was wrongly delivered to Meishen's mailbox, and how Meishen had read the letter. Layfon was shocked. That was the letter that Nina had handed him. At that time, he hadn't known why Nina had the letter. She said she had picked it up in the changing room in the Training Complex. The doubt of why she had that letter had always been with him. "......I'm sorry," Meishen apologized with a trembling voice. A tear rolled in her eye. "It doesn't matter." Even if he had felt anything, he didn't plan to scold her. "A Heaven's Blade successor......" Releasing the breath that had at some point accumulated inside him, he explained everything. There were twelve Heaven's Blades, twelve Dites in Grendan that only twelve people could gain. Those people were called Heaven's Blade successors, and Layfon was one of them. He was the twelfth Heaven's Blade successor, called Layfon Wolfstein Alseif. But he was neither happy nor boastful of receiving that title. He only concentrated on making money with the skill that he had, and that was all he cared about. Money was needed for survival. The Layfon back then was like a gear leaving its path to spin in the air. The crisis of the food shortage had passed, but as long as one had money, one could buy as much food as one wanted. He was still small during the most difficult time. He understood the basics of an economy, that food was scarce, but his adopted father, Derek, did live a poor life. Layfon blindly followed his own desire in his actions. He believed it was correct to break the principles of Military Arts. He didn't feel repulsed at participating in underground matches. He felt something from Naruki when he mentioned underground matches. For someone working in the City Police with a strong sense of morality, she'd probably find this unbelievable.

"......And then?" Meishen asked as if squeezing her voice out. "I was exposed, stripped of my title and exiled from the city. It was Her Majesty's mercy to give me time before the punishment and not to confiscate all my possessions. Because of that, I could leave some money for the orphanage." Yes......Derek managed the orphanage with the principle of being poor. The orphanage lacked money because of all sorts of problems. Layfon could solve it. His way was correct. While he was a Heaven's Blade successor, he donated money to other orphanages too, so he didn't have much money left when he was exiled. "......That's why you're here?" "Yes," he nodded after calming down. He was extremely tense when coming to here, but he had calmed down after explaining his past. (Let it go as it goes.) He didn't deny his feelings. Meishen and Naruki were the ones to decide what to do after listening to his past. He couldn't do anything. He knew his past actions were wrong, but he didn't think his way of thinking was wrong. Perhaps the power of Military Artists, Layfon's ability, was necessary to protect the city. But Layfon couldn't accept the fact that he could not protect the people around him. Naruki had said before that for a choice between the city and the people, she'd choose the people. Layfon probably had the same thinking as she. Because of that, he could not become a Heaven's Blade successor. "But the real problem isn't my participating in the underground matches." The match with Gahard Baren was the real reason behind Layfon's exile. "All Heaven's Blades are monsters whose Kei far exceeds that of any other Military Artists. If that monster betrayed the principle of Military Arts and felt nothing for it......Nobody must know of that. Heaven's Blades can easily overwhelm the Military Artists that other Military Artists can't win against. Nobody must know of that." The problem was Layfon trampling Gahard with Kei that far exceeded what was normal. "I......am a monster," he called himself. "So it's right to fear me." Naruki held her breath. Meishen trembled, wrapping her arms around herself. Had they received his message? He couldn't tell with Meishen but Naruki should have gotten it. She had gone through training with him and she had seen his fight with Haia. Though they only showed one part of Layfon's true strength. Layfon had said what he had to say. Now he waited for their response. He couldn't see their expressions in the dark. Were they shocked? Scared? Crying......

"......I," Meishen said. "I......" Her trembling voice stopped. "I......" Rumbling...... "Huh?" The ground suddenly shook. Moonlight lit up Meishen's face as she took a step forward. Tears filled her eyes. Her expression turned stiff at the change of the environment. A bad feeling hit Layfon. He rushed out to grab hold of her wrist. "Nakki!" he called. The ground vanished underneath them and gravity pulled them down. (We're falling.) Naruki reacted quickly. She snatched out her Dite and restored it, tossing up the rope that Harley made. Layfon heard the sound of it wrapping around something. "Layton!" Naruki reached out her hand to him. With one arm wrapped around Meishen, he stretched out his other arm......and couldn't reach. His fingers brushed past Naruki's, and he fell into darkness with Meishen.

Chapter 3: Darkness. And then... Plunged into the depths of the earth, Layfon's left hand reached out for his weapon harness, took out his Dite and restored it. The sound of rumbling shook his eardrums. He extended his Kei to the blade. The weak moonlight reflected off the soil falling down on them and sustained his vision. It'd have been great if he could use the steel threads, but they would be trapped in the rain of soil. "Tsk!" At the moment the flash of green light burst forth from his blade, the situation left Layfon speechless. He swung the blade with Meishen in his arm. Huge slabs of soil fell down above them. Even though the soil was soft, that size and mass was enough to kill anyone underneath it. Kei shot out from the tip of the blade to destroy the soil slabs. But that wasn't just it. Layfon detected the sound of soil striking metal. That must be it. That was the metal fence used to support and protect the city. Since it was falling for such a long time, it seemed even the ground of the organic field had collapsed. The falling soil blocked Layfon's sight and hid within it a large number of killing weapons.

Tension ran calmly through him. He adjusted his position to better use the sword. (If it's only me......) If it was just him, he could manage this situation, but he was currently holding Meishen. His movements were hugely limited. They included his sword swings, his speed and Kei. Meishen, as a non-Military Artist, probably couldn't stand the situation. "......" Meishen held tightly to him. He continued swinging the sword to strike down the huge slabs descending on them. While he regretted that he could not use his right hand, soil and metal fence closed in on them. Soil particles hit their skin, and the veins weaving around the ground of the organic field struck their backs. He swung in the direction of the low echo he heard. The blade shattered the two metal fences, throwing off sparks at the contact. Layfon used that faint light of sparks to confirm their situation. He twisted to stand on one of the passing fences, using it to extend his area of movement and decidedly swing his sword. (I might ruin it again.) He was using the sword with his movements restricted. His cutting paths were absolutely horrible. He could only use external type Kei and shatter the obstacles with brute force, which wasn't very good on the sword blade. (Please last.) Praying like that, he continued to cut through the things falling on them. And like that, he concentrated on the crisis above them. As moonlight left them, Layfon used the sparks caused by his strike and the sound of falling obstacles to defend themselves. His tension was reaching its limit. He calculated the distance between them and the ground through the echo of metal striking the bottom. But something unexpected happened. "Ah." "Wuah!" Just a bit more.... As he thought of this, the ground beneath them shook. Other things that had fallen past Layfon had piled on top of one another to make a hill. The metal fence he was standing on crashed against a metal fence buried in the hill. He pushed against his foothold and flew sideways. "Aaaaaaa." To fall and then to rise, Meishen became more confused. Originally, she suppressed herself and hadn't made a noise, but now she struggled in Layfon's arm.

"Uh." Pain cut a path between his eye and ear. Probably just some debris. He suppressed the impatience and anxiety rushing up him as he bore that hot pain. Finally, his feet touched the ground, and he used both hands to carry Meishen, running away from the hill to avoid the falling obstacles. A rumble shook the ground, heading for Layfon from behind him. He jumped and touched the ground. That presence behind him was gone. He didn't sense anything falling on top of them. The sound of the city's moving multi-legs overwhelmed the sound of debris falling. Layfon kept moving forward without thinking. When he stopped, he put Meishen down. "Ah...... Ah, Ah...... Huh?" "It's all right. It's all right now." He couldn't make out her face in the dark. The sudden descent had prevented her from saying anything. He covered her with his jacket and patted her trembling shoulder. He waited for her to calm down, then he stood up. "I'll just go and check the situation." "Ah.........!" she took his hand. "......... Uh, so...... sorry." As if the darkness had wiped away her voice, she let go of his hand. (Aa, I see......) She must have felt very scared since she couldn't see anything. Layfon abandoned the idea of checking his surroundings and sat down beside her. "It's ok. Please go." "It's alright to wait a bit. We can go together afterward." It'd be good if she was confused as usual. That would be proof of her recovery. "Speaking of which......... That really was surprising." Layfon lifted his head and couldn't see anything. He had never thought such a place existed. He thought only the Mechanical Department and its exit would be beneath the city. The truth stared at him when he thought deeper about the issue. How could the underside of the city just be covering up the Mechanical Department? It must envelop a larger area than that. (This place is close to the city's edge. There must be other mechanisms around to control the

city's multi-legs.) He glanced around. It was still dark everywhere. The sound of rumblings pressed around them. His guess of other mechanisms being close by was correct. He had moved around during the descent, so it wouldn't be surprising if he had moved slightly away from the mechanisms. "........." A weak touch on his shoulder. The sound of clothes brushing against clothes. It was Meishen's shoulder. "Be patient a bit more. They'll definitely find us." "Yes......" He took her hand. "Uh, uh.........Say something," she said. "Eh?" "About Grendan." "Ah......I was in a place as dark as this a long, long time ago. It was outside the city, in a nest of filth monsters. I wasn't a Heaven's Blade successor yet, still quite a kid. I had undergone training without using my vision, so I wasn't worried in the fight. I just fought like I was in a dream." Layfon and other people fought the larvae in the nest that the psychokinesists had found. "The feeling during the fight was good, since I didn't have to think. I just needed to move according to my memories, but it was different after the fight." The underground nest was made for the newly born larvae. Unable to sustain the intense fight, the exit had collapsed, sealing the Military Artists in there, including Layfon. "I knew we'd be rescued because we had the flakes of the psychokinesists with us, but I felt uneasy in the dark. So I understand your feelings." "Sorry......" "Why are you apologizing?" "Because...... You were going to find the exit." "They'll find it quickly. There's someone who is better at this than I am."

"Yes, so......" "So, I was scared back then." "Huh?" "I exhausted all my strength during the fight, but after everything had ended......" He had nothing else to do. And he hated that feeling. The feeling of waiting for someone to do something. "Layton......Layton!" "......Uh? What?" "......... uh." He understood when Meishen turned her head and he heard her hair brushing against the uniform he had covered her with. (As I thought.........) The feeling of spacing out didn't sit well with him because it led his thinking into the negative. In this place where light failed to reach, the smell of metal and the surrounding environment had stolen away their body warmth. The coldness of the place took away their strength. The same as the situation before. The feeling was similar to the cruel time when the orphanage was poor and they couldn't do anything about it. He felt he had to do something, but deeper thought revealed his impotence. "Layton...... Are you ok? Aren't you cold?" "Thanks. I'm all right," he replied shortly and wrapped his knees with his arms. "What do you mean it's all right!" A heated voice cut through the coldness. Felli. "Great. You found us." The sudden violent voice scared Meishen, and she tightened her hold on Layfon. He gave a relieved and exhausted smile. "Huh?" It was Meishen's voice, shocked. She took her hand away from his shoulder as if to confirm something. "Of course." Anger shot through Felli's light reply. Layfon shrugged. "The Captain and the others are coming. You stay there and don't move." 'Wait for sometime,' Felli had said. In her words were impatience and anxiety.

"Layton......? But it was already too late. Meishen confirmed that sticky feeling on her hand. "Lay......ton." She called his name repeatedly, her voice filled with tension and edginess. Layfon heard the sound of blood leaking rapidly in the gap in his heart. His consciousness felt far away. "Layton!" Darkness swallowed him. Leerin woke up and looked at her watch. She sat up on the bed, doubtful of the time her watch showed and then realized she hadn't changed into her pajamas. The window blinds remained closed from before she went to school. She opened it and saw the night street. The sun hadn't risen yet. As she spaced out, she remembered what happened yesterday. She was eating fried bread with Synola in the park and had told her about her feelings. The reason behind the chat was to seek advice and to organize and objectively examine herself. She began to get flustered as bit by bit, she realized she already knew what she wanted from the very beginning. "There's someone I want to see." She had said that without reserve. That was what she wanted. Her worry came from her uncertainty of how he would think of her when he saw her. But no matter how much you worry, you won't know the answer. Only the current Layfon in Zuellni can answer you. You gain nothing by worrying. That was what Synola had told her. "It is impossible to find what isn't in your heart," Synola said as she rolled up the bag of fried bread. The constant smile on her face had disappeared. Staring at the park, her eyes were surprisingly serious, but it was clear she wasn't looking at anything in particular. "You'll only be wasting your effort seeking for that thing," she continued. Leerin thought Synola had become someone else. She wasn't the strange senpai that Leerin had known. She had become a beautiful creature of something different. "It's simple to give up what you can't have. Humans can even give up their lives easily. Humans have the habit of abandoning things. What is before you can, in one split second, become a beautiful memory. It's also simple to live by loving your memory. Leerin, it's all right if you want to do that." Her words were cold and harsh. "But we can give up anytime.

You hate getting hurt, but that feeling of dislike and hate can happen anywhere. Even if one wishes not to die, one might die on the day of his wish. Even so, it's easy for anyone to give up. Why do you think so?" Leerin had a bad feeling as she listened. She felt that she didn't want to hear more. But Synola showed no signs of stopping. "Leerin, you just don't want to get hurt. That's all." "!" She wanted to deny it, but nothing came to her. She couldn't even shout. Swallowing back the words that weren't words, Leerin exhaled. "It's not wrong to be afraid of getting hurt. But it's true that what can't be hurt might not be beautiful. No matter how beautiful a thing is, it began at its birth as a dirty stone. Nothing will happen if that stone isn't cut. No one knew what it would become before it was cut. But I believe it'll become something much more beautiful than when it was still dirty." Having said that, Synola left the park, leaving Leerin rooted on the spot. Leerin had then returned to the dormitory and went to bed without changing. Perhaps what she had needed then was sleep. Synola's words had given a direction to the thought in her heart. Leerin was surprised the next day that she had slept from dusk till dawn, as if she could only sleep to accept that change. She slept a lot but did not feel tired from waking. Her body was surprisingly light. "Let's go," she said to herself and closed the blinds. She took off her clothes in the dark and went for a shower. She washed away all that stuck to her and refreshed herself once more. When he came to, he was on a hospital bed, looking at a nurse's face. The nurse quickly called the doctor over to check on him. "The person who came into the hospital the most this year is you," the senior doctor said with a weary face. "I suppose." Layfon's gaze turned to the drip connected to his arm. The main injuries were on his forehead, right shoulder and back. He sustained many other smaller wounds, but those three wounds were the main reason behind his blood loss and loss of consciousness. "The biggest problem is the back. The debris had cut into a part of your spine. You have to go through an operation, but......" he paused. "Will there be any side effects?"

"No. Even if the operation failed, we could restore your spine with the restoration operation. As long as your brain and Kei vein aren't damaged, pretty much your entire body can heal if we transport you to a hospital with good equipment before death. That's the level modern medicine is capable of. It'd be easier to just get you a new spine," the doctor said frankly. "Then......? "If we change your spine, you'll need time to recover. Taking out the debris needs less recovery time...... but you can't participate in the next platoon match." "Aaah...... I see." "Aren't you shocked?" "This is the second time." The 17th platoon had lost their match before when Nina had fainted and they lost by default. "But I feel bad because it's my fault." "That wasn't your fault. It was just the situation." The situation......It was caused by the wearing out of the part under the city, causing the ground to collapse......That kind of thing. A detailed investigation was still being carried out, but that would probably be the conclusion. The doctor and all senior students of the construction course were told of the investigation. "Just take a good rest now. A patient's job is to recover," the doctor hung the stethoscope back on his neck and left the room. Nina came in, brushing past the doctor's shoulder. "Are you all right?" Appropriate to the situation of entering a hospital, Nina held a bunch of flowers. "Sorry, I can't participate in the next match." "Stupid, don't worry about that," she put the flowers aside and sat on the chair closest to the bed. It had been three days from the night when Nina knew of the date for the camp to when Layfon fell and lost his consciousness. Felli had quickly found him and Meishen, and the team had rescued them. "Didn't you say that before? Now it's real." "I see."

But the purpose of the camp was to prepare for the match with the 1st platoon. It felt like the 17th platoon had finally revived, and this thing happened on the worst timing. "We haven't given up the match." "Huh?" "The training you gave us won't be wasted. I've become stronger. I think it's a shame if we forfeit the match. I've talked with the others, they all say we can't forfeit now." "Is that so, that's good." "So I say, you just concentrate on recovering." Layfon nodded at her encouragement. "Mei...... Is Meishen all right?" He felt cramps from the muscles wrapped in bandages, and in his head surfaced Meishen. He couldn't quite move his head when the doctor was checking up on him. "She's all right. Didn't get hurt much, just a scratch." "...... That's great," he said, truly relieved. "I'm sorry. That was my fault," Nina lowered her head. "Not at all. It wasn't senpai's fault." "But......" "Nobody could have predicted it," he joked. "Well...... I guess." Unable to accept that fact, she glanced at the flowers. Layfon's gaze followed hers for a short moment, then returned to Nina. A question rose in him as she continued to look at the flowers. "What is it?" he asked. "Huh? What?" "Uh...... Just a feeling." "Nothing. You're mistaken." "If so, that's good." "What a strange guy," Nina smiled. Looking at her smile, he couldn't help but feel that she

was worried about something. "Speaking of that, what about you?" "Huh?" "Your face tells me you're thinking of something." "No.... Nothing." "Don't lie. You're hiding something." She moved herself to the end of the bed and bent close to his face. Layfon had his arm attached to a drip so he couldn't evade her. "I'm not hiding anything. Really." "Really?" "Really." Her face tensed up as it came closer to Layfon's. Her air weakened for a split second. It was just a split second but Layfon was sure of it. She saw him notice her change of expression, and she turned her gaze from him as if she didn't care. "You're too close," she said. "Huh? Is that my fault?" "Yes. That confusing face of yours." Nina didn't move away. "......But." "But......? What?" Layfon asked. "I feel a little bit lonely." "Lonely?" "Uh......Can you just pretend you didn't hear my last sentence?" "Of course not." She turned her face to him again. Under her imposing gaze, Layfon said "I lose." "To think that I can't do anything even though I'm here......" he said.

"Stupid," she mumbled. "It's not what you can do but what you do......Isn't it a given in your situation?" Her gaze fled from him again. She blushed. Felli arrived a short time after Nina had left. "Stupid? You are." "Wa, is that what you say the moment you step through the door?" "It's not a problem." She was obviously angry. Even so, she looked at Nina's flower vase and compared it to the flowers in her hand, then she placed the flowers in the flask in the washroom. "If you had lost more blood, you'd have died." "Sorry." Felli glared at him. Layfon felt himself becoming small before her. "Since it was you, couldn't you have done better?" "That was my limit. I had to protect another person so I couldn't use my full strength. It was difficult to handle the remnants of Kei." "So that's why you sustained severe injuries?" "I'm far from being good." "That's all?" "Huh?" "......Nothing. Do you know what's happening with the next match?" "Ah, the Captain just came over and told me." "Yes? The Captain...... truanted and came over?" Layfon looked for the clock hanging on the wall. The time showed it was sunset. Nina didn't check her watch when she visited so she didn't know the time. It did feel that the time she visited was during class hours. "Ah, true." "...... Your relationship's getting better."

"Ehh?" "That the captain would actually truant...... I don't think she knew you'd regain consciousness at this time. I only heard of it after school. I was really worried." "Ah...... Perhaps." "Layfon, you do whatever she says...... What a good relationship." "...... Are you mad, Felli-senpai?" "........." she glared at him. "Felli," he said quickly. "I'm not mad. I'm just calmly analyzing the situation." "Ha, haha........." "You told them about Grendan," she suddenly changed the topic. "Huh? Ah. Yes," he nodded anxiously. "What's the point of letting them know?" "Rather than point......I didn't feel I could keep it a secret anymore.........." "Then, since you can't keep it a secret, you'll tell everyone about your past?" "Well......" Probably not. Karian wouldn't want anyone to know of Layfon's past either. "You......think too little about yourself." "Huh?" "Meishen Trinden, Naruki Gelni, Mifi Rotten......Naruki Gerini's all right, but the other two are just normal people. They cannot objectively understand the abilities of Military Artists. They know they can't do anything if a Military Artist attacked them. Is it all right to so easily tell them your past?" "........." "Didn't you think of the possibility that something happened?" "I did." If Meishen, Mifi and Naruki left him.........Of course he thought of that. The worst situation was a repeat of his experience in Grendan. He hadn't thought of anything else except for that

situation, and if that situation arose, Layfon'd have to leave Zuellni no matter how much Karian needed him. "If I asked them not to ask about my past, I'm sure they'd keep their word." "Then you should have done that." "But I didn't think I should leave things like that. They wanted to know more about me. They weren't planning something bad, so........." "You want to be trusted?" "Probably." "About that, it might be a problem coming from me who knows of your past......Geez, so you wouldn't be trusted if you didn't tell them?" "Huh?" "I'm using an analogy. You know why I came to the Academy City, don't you, Fon Fon?" "Yes." Felli was born a genius in psychokinesis. Everyone had high expectations of her. But doubt flowered in her of her predestined role to become a psychokinesist, so she came to Zuellni in search of another path. However, what awaited her in Zuellni was a city that had been defeated in past Military Arts Competitions, with students who didn't have good marks in Military Arts. Karian, as Student President of the city, knew of Felli's ability. And that was another unfortunate thing. "But Fon Fon didn't know why I thought so. Weren't you suspicious of me? And if I didn't tell you, then you wouldn't have trusted me?" "N......Not at all." "But perhaps I lied?" "Huh?" "Perhaps I lied because I wanted you to ease off your suspicion against my brother." That was possible since Layfon's strength was worth the lie. But. "You're lying," he said curtly. "Why?" "Because Felli's face is stiffer than usual."

"Huh?" she touched her face in a fluster, and that act alone had exposed her lie. Layfon didn't think by copying Leerin's method, it actually worked. Noticing how he looked relieved, Felli glared at him. "Fon Fon......" "Sorry," he lowered his head. "As you said, perhaps it was better if I didn't say anything and remained alone. But I already told them......Although I might have kept it a secret if they didn't know." In truth, the girls connected the term Heaven's Blade successor with Layfon when they heard of it. "Even so, I can't keep hiding it." "You really are an idiot." "Am I?" "Yes," she decided. For some reason, the atmosphere between them had turned into the best. Probably because they had returned to the feeling they used to have. "......... Do you want to know about my past, Layfon?" "Yeah. I think there're many things about Felli that I don't know, but I don't know which part it is that I'm not aware of, so it's difficult......" "I hate talking from the time of my birth." "Same here." "You still want to listen?" "Yes, it's you telling me." Layfon finally felt at ease as the atmosphere turned back to normal between them. At the same time, Sharnid stood at the entrance of a certain building in the area where Layfon was. Ambulances stood at that entrance, and there were other vehicles used to transport cargoes. They were all vehicles that anyone hardly saw in Zuellni. They stood out on the ground where usually trams trended. Sharnid was leaning against one of the pillars supporting the ceiling. He looked casually at the red and white vehicles to kill some time. The person he was waiting for finally appeared. "Um," the person frowned.

"Yo," Sharnid raised his hand happily. "What is it?" "Is Dinn fine?" "......He's still unconscious." "Oh." It was Dalshena, a beauty with rich golden curls. Her sharp gaze pierced Sharnid. "Aren't you going to see him?" "I did already. Well, I don't think I'll be forgiven." "Then...... Why are you here?" She remembered what happened a few days ago. "I see...... I heard someone from your team was hurt in that incident." "We aren't as keen now." News of the accident had quickly spread throughout the city. That might be due to the person who was injured in the incident. It looked like Dalshena really had no idea who was injured. "The 10th platoon is disbanded. It's got nothing to do with me now." The coldness in her words wasn't aimed at Sharnid. "We deserved it. Your team just happened to take the role of executioner." She knew a long time ago of Dinn's dealings in the illegal drug trade. She had a strong sense of justice, yet she failed to do anything to stop him. Her confusion disappeared along with Dinn's leaving, but she remained listless as before. "Our trump card got injured." "That first year student?" "Exactly." "How unfortunate." "Yes." The conversation went on smoothly, but Dalshena was looking at the scenery behind Sharnid, and Sharnid was looking at the ambulance. They treated each other as part of the scenery and continued the conversation.

"So you came to visit? Though I don't think so." "I can visit tomorrow, now that we're immersed in the beautiful scenery around us." "You need something from me? If it's a date, I refuse. But it's probably useless to tell you this. You never know when to give up." "Haha, not bad. I'm about to break the three digit count." "Don't count. So you really need something from me?" "Yes." Displeasure showed on her face. "Don't tell me you want me to replace the injured first year?" "I don't think that's bad. And not as replacement, but as a new member. We're still short of people." "I refuse." His expression stayed the same despite the quick rejection. "'Military Artist as Military Artist. So you work hard to protect the existence of this city'," he quoted. That stopped her from leaving. "That came from a certain magazine? What a good saying. Who said such a thing?" "You." "What?" she said. "You don't remember? Well, it's been a while, so you probably don't remember it." "Um......" "Remember it now?" Layfon's classmate, Mifi, once did an interview with the 17th platoon. She also went to see the 10th platoon on the day of the interview. What Sharnid quoted was what Dalshena said for Mifi's magazine. "Aaah, I did. So what?" "Aren't you trying hard for Zuellin's sake?"

".........I can do that even without entering a platoon." "Do you already know what you can do by not entering a platoon?" "Well......I'm still not mature enough." It was the time of the last Military Arts Competition when Sharnid and Dalshena were in second year. They hadn't entered a platoon back then, and they fought as soldiers of the lower ranks, then came Zuellni's defeat. "Perhaps, but are you satisfied to fight against those immature guys?" "You're provoking me with pride and a mission, but I don't plan to do what you're thinking. The important thing is that I can't fight with you anymore. The relationship of us three is broken. That's a truth we can't deny." "I know that." When Sharnid was still with the 10th platoon, people called him, Dalshena and Dinn the strongest of Zuellni. This was shattered when Sharnid left, and the ranking of the 10th platoon plummeted. In order to boost the strength of the 10th platoon and make it as good as it was before, Dinn plunged his hand into the illegal drug trade and ended up getting his team disbanded. "But I didn't call out to you because I want us to work as before. We can't be like before now that Dinn's not with us. I don't anticipate that kind of thing," he said honestly. "The person we need now is someone called Dalshena Che Matelna. You're not replacing Layfon. Of course, we need an attacker because Layfon can't enter the next match, but that's not only it. We need to increase our strength for the next Military Arts Competition. That's why we need you, Shena." He pushed himself off the pillar and looked at her. "If Dinn's here, and I'm not there.........What'd Shena look like without us? That, I think, would not be bad to see." "........." "Well, if you think otherwise, come to the Training Complex," he didn't wait for her reply and brushed past her to leave the hospital. "Wait......" He stopped. "......Why did you go to the 17th platoon, no, accept Nina Antalk's invitation?" ".........Though I broke our relationship, there's something important to me."

"What?" "It's useless to stand around and grumble......Isn't that it?" "You always never speak clearly of what's important." "Haha," he laughed and resumed walking. He didn't stop this time. "Ah, still full of spirit?" A cheerful greeting. "I'm still a patient like usual," he greeted casually. Observing as a side party, Myunfa felt herself getting smaller. "Really? Though all I heard was the recovery of basic functions. Several of your ribs and internal organs were injured, right? It's not strange for a Military Artist to recover quickly from that." The person handed the bunch of flowers to the female student behind him. He glanced at the student preparing the vase, and went to stand near the bed, smiling. "Well, I've always been sick since I was little. I get sick once my strength drops," the red haired person deliberately coughed on the bed. "I see. That's been hard on you." "Exactly, because of that, the doctor won't dismiss me from the hospital." That didn't feel like something that a patient lying on a hospital bed should say, but the visitor didn't point that out. The visitor's name was Karian Loss, and the person on the bed was Haia Salinvan Laia. Karian was the Student President who made all the important decisions in Zuellni. He came to visit the leader of the Mercenary Gang. "I'm very grateful for the Student President to visit me. So please take your time." "Thanks for your invitation, but I didn't plan to. There're many problems I still have to manage." "Ha, as expected of the Student President. You're so busy." "Yes, like discovering that part of the foundations of Zuellni had weakened, and how our most important trump card is injured. Problems are piling up." The smile in Karian's eyes disappeared. On the contrary, Haia's fearless smile deepened. "Let me make it clear that I didn't do anything." "I believe you. We've been partners, so it'd be good if there's friendship and trust between us."

"Friendship is very important." "True." Laughter sounded between them. Their words conveyed warmth yet their expressions showed anything but trust. Myunfa trembled in that icy atmosphere. "As proof of our friendship, I've some information for you." "Oh, then I thank you.........but is this a parting gift? Your subordinates at the dormitory seem to be making some sort of preparations." "How could they? I'm injured and in the hospital. They can't leave." "True. Sorry for that. Your subordinates admire you very much. Then?" "The Haikizoku. It's not good to leave it alone for so long." "Oh, why?" "No matter how powerful it is, it's gone through time of destruction. If it hasn't got something to support it, it'll continue to spread a presence of destruction. That's the kind of thing it is. You should listen to me." Karian frowned. Could this have something to do with the incident a few days ago? "I see. Seems we can't just leave it." "You can't do anything but hand it to us." "......Does that mean Grendan's Queen knows how to take care of it?" "How would I know something that detailed? I wasn't born in Grendan. I haven't even seen the Queen's face." "Um......Speaking of which, you have quite a thought for a Heaven's Blade successor." "I spoke too much." "Oh ha, how much information have you got?" Karian smiled. Haia returned his smile. "I like people with good memories." "Same here." "Geez......We match well," Haia laughed and told him another piece of information. Karian's expression went stiff as Haia watched him cheerfully.

 The recent atmosphere felt strange. Was this just her own feelings? Nina watched the people at the Mechanical Department. She was cleaning the designated area on her own. She didn't have someone to talk to because Layfon was in the hospital. Nobody was fast enough to match the cleaning speed of Nina and Layfon, so no one would clean with her. Usually, the other people cleaning here were normal people. It was rare for Military Artists to take up this job. "Fu........." she breathed out and glanced up. The maze of corridors surrounded the center of the Mechanical Department. "Was it my imagination?" In recent days, she heard some other noise besides the noises from the workings of mechanisms. People were investigating the Mechanical Department because of the collapse of the ground. Was this the cause of that noise? Nina didn't have the confidence in her own feelings. Unable to calm down, irritation rose in her. She felt as if the noise was overtaking her being. If she could talk to someone, she'd feel more relieved, but......... No one was around her. Layfon was in the hospital. Before Layfon arrived, Nina used to clean on her own for the sake of efficiency. Even if there were people around, they were those who ran around for errands. They seemed...... busy? "Nina!" A senior student called. Nina turned. "Could it be......" "Could it be exactly. Counting on ya," the senior student with a beard said and left running. Zuellni had run off again. It was normal for the workers to be busy, but today was different. "Right, so that's why they're......" Why hadn't she realized? Nina put down the broom to find Zuellni. (As I thought, is it because of Layfon?) At that time, Nina and the others were waiting at the camp for Layfon and the girls to return. The night had deepened. There weren't many dangerous things in the production area. Felli

had left camp to follow the girls and Layfon. Nina wasn't too worried because it was highly unlikely for them to get lost in the dark. One possible danger could be animals that had escaped from the ranch and turned wild, but they didn't have those animals here in Zuellni. Besides, it should be all right with Layfon and Naruki there. Who would have thought that a huge hole would appear in the ground? The intense shaking of the ground hit the camp where Nina was. She thought Zuellni had stumbled across another filth monster's nest. But then she heard the truth from Felli, a truth more shocking than a filth monster attack. She felt as if her blood had been sucked dry, and her feet couldn't help but shake. She had never experienced something as horrible as this, and something this unusual had happened to Layfon. (Are you not going to stop messing up that guy's life?) Layfon came to Zuellni to start a new life. (Yes......) He wanted to live like a normal person. He gave up the benefits that a Military Artist would receive, and planned to live a normal life. That was what he wanted. Of course, a Military Artist wouldn't just accept his benefits. He had to stand in the front line when the city faced a crisis. He had to fight filth monsters and fight in the Military Arts Competition to win a selenium mine for Zuellni. He had to bet on his life and fight for the city. And that was what made a Military Artist a Military Artist. Layfon wasn't escaping from danger. In fact, he chose to fight alone when he met such a situation. (Am I the one who stopped him from living a new life......?) It was unfortunate that Karian knew of Layfon's past, and Nina had underestimated the impact of Karian's knowledge. Layfon worked hard because he was asked to. He had sustained damage to his body because of that. He had said that he'd fight with them. But that couldn't hide his outstanding strength. Of course, he played a huge role in deciding how the 17th platoon worked in a match. (What was I thinking back then......?) Nina and Sharnid went out to help once they heard from Felli. Seeing the blood-covered Layfon, she wondered whether her own heart had stopped beating. After recovering from the shock...... (What was I thinking......?) She was thinking of the next match. The doctor had said that Layfon couldn't participate. The only front line attacker had retired. That wasn't the only truth. The 17th platoon had lost its entire function.

(That's not it.) There were many other ways to fight. Sharnid had volunteered to find someone to replace Layfon, but there were ways even if they couldn't find another person. Nina and Sharnid could give Naruki reinforcements when the team was on the offensive side. They might not even need to make any changes if the team played the defensive role. Nina couldn't guarantee victory, but she felt that the team wasn't doing too bad for now. (That's right. But why.........) At that time, she felt everything had ended. The torch in her hand illuminated a bloody Layfon. His eyes were closed. She did feel that everything had ended, including her thoughts and hope. She once said to him to "do something". A strong and determined declaration that was in fact weak and soft. "How useless I am." The situation became her relying on him. She had accepted the fact that his strength as a Military Artist far exceeded hers. At the beginning, she had wanted to learn from him and make herself stronger......... "Damn........." The shock of seeing Layfon covered in blood still remained in her. She couldn't look him in the eyes when she visited because that image was with her. "I can't be like that......" Probably because she had been thinking while walking, when she looked around, she didn't know where she was. Probably somewhere close to the center of the Mechanical Department. A place like a small hill, surrounded by metal plates. What was inside? The Electronic Fairy. But what was the Electronic Fairy doing in there? Nobody knew what made a city move. What Military Artists and the workers came into contact with were the tubes, corridors and wires that stretched out from the center. How did Zuellni turn the mine into liquid form, how did the city detect the filth monsters..... There were many, many things that people didn't know. "Geez...... Where is this place?" As if to keep her spirit up, she called and looked around. "Zuellni!" Too many things blocking her sight. She didn't know where she was. Nina raised her voice again. Her voice echoed within various noises. When her voice faded, a ball of light flew to her through the gaps between tubes. The form of a small girl occupied the middle of that light. The city's Electronic Fairy half flew and

half staggered into Nina's arms. Zuellni weighted nothing. "You aren't being good," Nina scolded. Zuellni made a happy expression that made her want to forgive her. "What're you doing for today?" Nina asked and patted Zuellni's hair. Zuellni had her head on Nina's shoulder, but she suddenly flew from Nina's arms to sit on her shoulders. She hugged Nina's head and put her chin on her head. Zuellni pulled Nina's hair. "Uh? Over there?" she turned to look at the direction Zuellni was indicating. "There's nothing there?" she gazed in Zuellni's direction and only saw tubes and corridors. "What is it that makes you so happy?" Zuellni didn't respond. "Zuellni?" The tiny Electronic Fairy kept staring in that direction. "........." The Zuellni now reminded Nina of an anxiety she once felt. She couldn't tell whether it was unease, tension or excitement. She watched Zuellni's direction in silence.

Chapter 4: Hold hands while blindfolded It had been a week since Layfon regained consciousness. Most of his injuries had been healed, but the doctor hadn't yet given him permission to leave the hospital. Naruki arrived while Layfon didn't know how to pass his time. "Yo...... How are you?" she said. "I can't stand the boredom," he said weakly. Naruki smiled in relief at his voice. She had also sustained injuries, but they were less severe. She had already recovered. "Still haven't had the operation yet?" Most of Layfon's external wounds had recovered, but the spinal injury had been left

untouched. Caution was required to take out the debris embedded deep inside the spinal cord. The medical team in charge of the operation was having a preparatory meeting over it. Next would come the operation, and Layfon would be discharged if the operation was successful. "I hope it comes quickly." He couldn't stand the boredom and the numerous medical checks on him. It felt like he had become an experimental object. "This is better than undergoing a failed operation. Have more patience." "...... Mei, is she still blaming herself?" "Aaah......" Naruki lowered her head. "She really doesn't have to do that......" Naruki said that Meishen was blaming herself over the incident and had locked herself in her room. She hadn't even come to the hospital for a visit. "At least she's going to school now." "Sorry, it was my fault." "I told you before that it wasn't your fault. We chose that place. You were just following us." "But it turned out like this because I was hiding something......" "Layton......" Her gestured stopped him from saying more. "Even we have a few things we don't want others to know. We aren't like Layton because our reasons for hiding them are different, but there is bound to be a few secrets. I don't think we have to blame ourselves because of it." "Naruki......" "I'm happy. The fact that you can tell us about such a heavy past, isn't that proof of the trust between us?" "Uh......" "That's enough. But I hope you can wait for Mei. She's confused because you got injured. Can you give her some time?" "Of course." "Thanks."

After exchanging an awkward smile, they changed the topic to the 17th platoon. "Dalshena-senpai joined as your substitute." "Really?" "Aaah, Sharnid-senpai invited her." Layfon thought it was difficult to invite Dalshena, taking into consideration the previous incident with the 10th platoon. Naruki thought so too. "I'm bothered but it's a sensitive topic. Since the Captain has agreed to it, I can't say much about it." "If you had a better relationship with Sharnid-senpai, then it would be easier." "Well...... That's not easy." "Huh?" "Anyway, what should be done should be done. It'd be good if you could be discharged soon, otherwise it would be meaningless for me to enter the platoon." "......Naruki, what do you think of what I did?" "Other people's opinions don't matter to Layton, do they?" "Uh...... well." "I'm joking...... You're right. My sense of morality feels that what Layton did was wrong. It was wrong, but I don't hate you because of it. What's important is that it was in the past. It's not totally cut off from the present Layton, but I can't say much about it since I wasn't involved." "Sorry. I asked something strange." "It's ok. We were the ones who asked you about it, and I hadn't told you my thoughts on it yet." "Yeah." "Layton...... What you did was a crime, but you were already punished for it. I don't think it's something you can tell anyone easily, so don't worry too much about it. But you're letting go of it, right?" "......Letting go?"

"Seems a Katana was involved with the fight against the Mercenary Gang? You had two Dites. The Dite you used against Dinn was in the form of a Katana." "........." Originally, Layfon had been training in the Psyharden's Katana skill, taught by his adopted father, Derek. It wasn't a sword skill. However, Layfon chose to fight with a sword when he became a Heaven's Blade successor. "Didn't you say before that you don't think what you did in Grendan was wrong? But you've restricted yourself to some sort of a constraint? That's not because of the crime, but because of your sense of guilt. I think you just need to let go and release yourself from it." Layfon didn't think it was wrong to participate in the underground matches, but it was unforgivable in Derek's view. If he used the Psyharden skill, then he'd have tainted Derek's reputation. The only solution was for him to stop using the Katana. The difference between using a sword and a Katana was delicately decisive. He was able to use the sword when he was a Heaven's Blade successor because of his ability to understand and use any techniques by glancing at them, and because of the support from the Steel Thread techniques that he learned from Lintence. "That's all I have to say. Layton's the one to decide in the end." (Letting......go?) He knew from Naruki's opinion that it wasn't easy to let go, still, he was hesitant. Someone knocked on the door. The day of the match had come. The audience was more enthusiastic than usual. All of the platoons would have fought each other at least once after this match. They would also have their results compared. The results would directly impact their ordering in the next Military Arts Competition. Nevertheless, all the audience wanted to know was which platoon was the strongest. In particular, today's match would decide whether the 1st platoon could maintain its top position. As such, everyone in the audience seat kept their gazes on the war field. "Well......it's got nothing to do with us," Sharnid happily said in the locker room. The three teams fighting for the first position were Vance's 1st platoon, Gorneo's 5th platoon, and the 14th platoon. All three teams had only lost one match. The 17th platoon was right after them, with two defeats under its belt. The 17th platoon's opponent was the 1st platoon today. The other two teams were also having their match today with each other. If the 17th platoon won the match, first place would still go to the 5th or the 14th platoon. If team 17 lost, the 1st platoon would take top position, tied with the winning team of the other

match. "We can't not give it our best because of that," Nina glared at him. "Yes, yes," Sharnid shrugged. "Even though we can't take the top position, we'll still do our best...... No, we must still win!" Because the platoon wasn't in its best condition......... Because whether they won or not they couldn't take the first place...... These things mattered not. There was a higher meaning if they defeated the 1st platoon. Naruki's friends held an interview before with the platoons. Gorneo, the captain of the 5th platoon, had said in the interview that if they couldn't win against the 1st platoon, then Zuellni wouldn't have changed from the time when it lost in the last Military Arts Competition. Nina thought so too. And more significantly, she didn't want to think that it wasn't possible to find a replacement for Layfon. It was also for Layfon, since Nina had said to "do something", so she had to do something for him to see how they had become stronger. "I know," Sharnid said, waving his hand weakly as if Nina's words were wind to him. She glared at him then turned her gaze to Dalshena. Dalshena sat with eyes closed. "The attacker is...... the Captain?" Dalshena asked, keeping her pose. Everyone's gaze went to Nina except Felli's. "Naruki and I will go up the left rear. Dalshena, please take the right rear. Sharnid will fire from a distance with Felli's support. That'll be our formation once the match begins," Nina said. She swallowed and waited for their reaction. "This time we're on the offensive. We lose if the Captain falls. Is this ok?" Dalshena asked as Nina had expected. She knew she would point out the danger of having the captain take the front attacker position. In truth, Nina wasn't sure where to put Dalshena. She did check Dalshena's fighting style through the videos, but that was all within the formation of the 10th platoon. Nina didn't know how Dalshena fought on her own. The 10th platoon had taken advantage of Dalshena's excellent offensive skill. Nina had thought of using a similar strategy, but it would be difficult because they didn't have enough time to train together. And Dalshena also held the same worry. "Please don't worry about me," she said. Layfon had taught her the Kongoukei. He said the Heaven's Blade successor, Reverse, used it as his defensive skill. She couldn't use it as well as the Heaven's Blade successor, but with it, she had the confidence to defend against heavy impacts. "Then I just need to attack when the time comes?" Dalshena opened her eyes and looked at her. "Yes."

"Roger." She closed her eyes again and waited for the match to begin. Having checked everyone's Dites, Harley came to Nina. "It's Layfon's operation today. Is it finished?" "Um? I don't know much about medicine." Layfon's operation was today, an operation to take out the debris in his spinal cord. "I hope it'll go smoothly." "Yes." They must not lose this match. If she continued to rely on Layfon and didn't move forward......... That was what she thought. And she wanted to show that she could do it without Layfon. "We'll win," she said to herself. Layfon was outside the hospital one hour before Nina's match. The operation didn't take long. The problem was where the debris was located in the spinal cord, and how to safely take it out. This had been talked over in the preparatory meeting, so all the doctors needed were to follow the decisions made in the meeting during the operation. Fortunately, the debris was in an area where the debris could be taken out in one and not in several operations...... So one operation sufficed. The doctors had then sewed up the wound and stuck on it a wet pad filled with active cell medicine. The pain felt like a cramp, but with the aid of Internal Kei, the wound should close up and recover within the day. The thread used to sew up the wound would then melt and disappear. Layfon didn't even need to go back to the hospital and have the thread taken out. However, he couldn't do much about his reduced strength. (I'm not at my full strength.) He checked his body condition in a relaxed manner and headed for the closest tram station. This area was quieter today because of the inter-platoon match. A tram arrived right after Layfon had checked the timetable at the station. "Ah........." The tram slowed to a stop. The first half of the tram rolled past Layfon, and he saw a shocked Meishen standing at the exit of the tram. Since he couldn't escape, he entered the

tram. Meishen stood at the exit with a bunch of flowers in her arm. The computer of the tram made an electronic sound as if urging something. Meishen stepped back from the door in a fluster. The tram moved after the door had closed. "Ah, Mei. Hello," Layfon smiled with embarrassment. "......Layton, why?" Meishen asked, shocked. "Ah, I was discharged." "Huh? But......But you have an operation......" "Oh, it's finished." "......Uh? But, the operation?" "Yeah, it finished quicker than expected. I was surprised too." Only the two of them were in the tram. They sat side by side. The scenery flowed outside the window opposite them. They sat in silence. Meishen put the light-colored flowers between them. Layfon had received flowers when he was in the hospital. Nina's was a deep color. Felli's was a color that softened the room. Naruki and Meishen's were of a pure color. Layfon thought Meishen's flowers seemed to represent herself. The two of them looked at the flowers. "About before...... I'm sorry," she said weakly. "Uh......Rather than that, I'm happy that Mei isn't injured." "Me......never mind." "Never mind, but......" "Layton......You protected me," she cut in, her hands clutching her skirt as if she was using her entire strength to say those words. "......Not only that, you also protected me when the filth monsters were here." "Huh......?" "I heard about it from Naruki. Like a secret weapon, but the Student President didn't say what it was. He just said it's changed. If Layton wasn't there." "Uh......" "......Actually, Naruki said that too," she said, her head lowered. Her shoulders sagged as if

losing strength. "......I don't understand. Even though Layton's a Heaven's Blade successor, an incredible someone, I still don't understand. I know Military Artists are incredible, but I don't understand anything beyond that. Although I understand that you did something bad and were exiled from Grendan......" she fell silent. Meishen was a normal person. In Grendan, people would understand the term Heaven's Blade successor even if it wasn't explained. It was understandable that Meishen didn't comprehend the meaning of the term. Layfon hadn't fought seriously in the past inter-platoon matches. He had fought with a strength just a bit above a normal student's. The only times he used some of his true strength was when he fought in the matches against the 10th and the 5th platoons. Meishen and anyone else probably wouldn't understand the difference in Layfon's strength in those matches. In addition, Meishen and the others wouldn't understand how Zuellni's Military Artists fought against filth monsters. They were in the shelters and couldn't see anything as the fight wasn't broadcasted. (Aaah, I see......) He now understood the Queen's words on a deeper level. This was the thing that no one was to know that Military Artists fought filth monsters using the strength they exhibited in matches. The strength of Heaven's Blade successors far exceeded the comprehension of normal people. Hence, Meishen couldn't accept what Naruki said, that Layfon defeated all the larvae. "It was me," Layfon nodded. "Really?" She didn't look convinced. "Is it hard to believe?" "Uh......" "That was what happened. But it's ok if you think it's a lie." "Wh, Why?" "Because I can't find the proof for you." Naruki might see the proof one day. She was a Military Artist. She had what a Military Artist possessed. Perhaps Layfon would be there when Zuellni once more fought filth monsters. He didn't think the same opportunity would present itself to Meishen. Normal people would hide in a shelter when filth monsters attacked. "Can't I trust you?"

"Huh?" "I want to trust Layton." Looking at her lowered head, this time Layfon had nothing to say. Although her words were within his predictions, the feelings he got when hearing them was unexpected. He had wanted her to believe him, but whether it would go smoothly was uncertain. Anyone else wouldn't have cared. To believe, to trust or not to trust mattered not. "Th, thanks." "I've thought of what Layton said. You decided to do that after considering many things, right?" "Yeah........." "I wasn't there. About those people who didn't treat you well......I'm angry at them, and I'm also sad......But, I don't understand them. I don't think I can judge them, but......" When he realized it, Meishen's shoulders were trembling. Her tears darkened her skirt. She was crying. "Mei......" "Layton......You've done well," she said as if she was moaning. "You did your best......but they didn't understand you......they're so mean." "........." Meishen meant the children at the orphanage. Words defending those kids flashed past Layfon's head. He swallowed them. It wasn't hatred. The feeling was like a defense but either way, they wouldn't forgive him. If only he was hated. He said that not long ago to Gorneo. He had the right to hate him. The closest person to Gorneo was Gahard. Gorneo had the right to hate Layfon as Layfon had paralyzed Gahard. He hadn't the right to stop that hatred, which was the same with the children at the orphanage. So, "Thank you," came his heartfelt reply to Meishen, who was crying for him.

Thump, thump......The sound of a pulse. Was this Zuellni's voice coming from the liquid flowing in the tubes? No. No. Zuellni denied that. The reason came from somewhere else. Speaking of which......The Electronic Fairy Zuellni did not exist in a human's consciousness. A human's nervous system was too sensitive to be able to manage such a huge city. A human would scream horribly at every single thing. He wouldn't be able to manage the city. So this feeling didn't come from the city itself. What was it.........? The answer came from within the question. What was used as a hearing mechanism was limited only to a certain place. Where could it be besides that place? Here. The center of the Mechanical Department. In here. The place that existed for the city's entirety. The Electronic Fairy in the form of a child......That was the city's consciousness. It pondered its feeling of looking at the city, and of managing its own body. Usually, it could clearly feel the boundaries, but now it couldn't remember that feeling and that puzzled Zuellni. But was that really the sense of hearing? It also felt like touch, as if a pulse was shaking it. What was it, that feeling......? Zuellni analyzed its feelings in order to seek the reason behind it, but no results surfaced. It was strange. When Zuellni broke through its thoughts, it stared at that place. Its gaze pierced through the outer wall of the Mechanical Department, the outer wall of the city to somewhere far away. A place the city must go to.........Anxiety and impatience urged Zuellni on. "Your stubbornness is really annoying," Kiriku said coldly, sitting in a wheelchair. "Sorry," Layfon said with his head lowered. A "humph" came from Kiriku, contrasting his unhappy attitude with his handsome face. "I made it for you, but you said you're not gonna use it. This is too tragic." Both of them looked at the Dites lying on the table. A big Dite in the shape of a stone, and a rod shaped Dite in a leather case. They were the Adamantium Dite and its material. The Alchemy student Kiriku, had combined the qualities and shapes that were determined by the combination of materials to make the Adamantium Dite. "This Dite can turn into sword, thread, gun, long sword, bow and staff, It can take several sword forms......And according to your wish, I had eliminated the variation of a Katana." "Yes." "Really........."

Wearing protective gear for outside city use, Layfon listened to Kiriku's explanation. He had returned to the dormitory to change his clothes and make his preparations. He now stood at the entrance underneath Zuellni. It was his third time here. The first time was when he had to fight the aged phase filth monster. The second time was when he went to investigate the ruined city. The first time he was alone when he came here. The second time he was with the 5th and the 17th platoons. This third time...... "He, you're holding something interesting~" The new presence stood behind Layfon without hesitation. He frowned. "This is confidential. Go away," Kirkiu glared at the newcomer. "Yeah~" the owner of the presence...... Haia retreated. A number of bikes sat behind him, along with more than ten Military Artists. They were all his subordinates, Military Artists of the Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang. Karian had come to the hospital room a day before the operation. "Actually, the city's acting strange," he said after putting down the present and greeted Layfon politely. "Strange?" "Though the information came from the Mercenary Gang........." Remembering Haia's face, Layfon's expression turned sour. Haia had been sent to the hospital after that match. He had already recovered but Layfon didn't hear anything of Haia leaving Zuellni. "Aa, don't show that kind of a face. They're still useful." "How......Useful?" "Their strength is needed when it comes to fighting filth monsters. And we have to leave the Haikizoku to them. Of course, that's besides using what they planned in the match." Layfon didn't know whether there was an easy way to remove the Haikizoku, but he knew Karian was serious about the filth monsters' attack. Layfon understood after having seen the Military Artists of Zuellni fighting the larvae. They had no previous experience in that area. Grendan's would have at least seen fights with filth monsters, but not here. As he thought, cities other than Grendan were more peaceful. "Then........." "Ah. Their......Their psychokinesist discovered some filth monsters in the path of the city." "The path of the city?" That puzzled Layfon. If it was at a distance that a psychokinesist

could reach, then the city should have taken evasive action. "It really is strange. At first I doubted it too. Of course, the psychokinesist who discovered it was also doubtful of it. He delayed his report to Haia to spend a few days to observe." Karian breathed in. The pupils behind his glasses were sharp. "But the city didn't change its path. It still heads in the same direction, right where the filth monsters are." "Felli......Has your sister confirmed it?" "Because it's quite a distance, it was quicker to send the drones out than the flakes. The result came back yesterday." He took out a bag and handed it to Layfon. Layfon confirmed the content. He had done this before. As expected, the photos were like before, photos of the wild scenery outside the city. In those photos showed numerous things that he had encountered. The dormant filth monsters. "Aa, right. Let me introduce them~" Haia said to Layfon, pointing at the bikes and people behind himself. This was after Kiriku had finished explaining and Layfon had buckled up the weapon harness around his waist. "He's the psychokinesist. He's my backup." A tall man waited behind Haia. A hood covered his head and face, and a cape shrouded his body. A mask concealed his face. His hands were hidden in gloves. A piece of cloth wrapped around the head where the mask failed to cover, as if he was careful so not one inch of his skin was exposed. (This person.........) He was the psychokinesist who found the filth monsters, the one who discovered the filth monsters earlier than anyone else, and he found them in a distance that required a drone to cover.........If that was true, then his psychokinesis might even be more powerful than Felli's. "This is Fermaus. His throat doesn't work so he has to talk through an electronic voice." "Please look after me." An electronic voice, devoid of its gender origin, sounded above Layfon's head. A flake floated above him. "He's a genius in psychokinesis, but he also has other special abilities. Because of that, he's to dress like this." "Special abilities?" Layfon listened silently, suspicious of Haia's voluntary information. As of a kid who was so

proud of something that he had to boast about it, but because it was a secret, Haia said in a low voice, "He can smell filth monsters." "Smell?" What? Smelling anything was out of the question once outside the air purification system. The pollutants were enough to blunt and conquer the senses of the entire body. The sense of smell was also paralyzed. "You don't believe me. I can distinguish by smelling," Fermaus said. "Wolfstein.........You have killed countless filth monsters. I can tell by smelling the remnants of filth monsters left in your body. Other people won't get it, but I do. You've killed many more filth monsters than anyone here. It's my honor to be able to fight with you." "Uh......That name's already........." "I see. Excuse me, Layfon-dono," Fermaus lifted his head carefully. Layfon didn't feel any hatred and rudeness from him. Instead, Fermaus was respectful. "Hey, hey. I was the one in trouble before. You don't have to use polite terms here." "That was leader's fault. Although to obtain a thing through any means is passed down from the first generation, this time with Wolfstein......Excuse me, Layfon-dono's provocative action was also unnecessary. If we had explained the danger of Haikizoku to Layfon-dono, he'd have lent a helping hand. But we turned him into an enemy. If Ryuhou was alive, he'd call you a fool." "Don't bring in the previous generation," Haia said with an annoyed expression. "No, I have to." The rest of the Mercenary Gang laughed cheerfully. Layfon watched them with complicated feelings. "......Well, it's useless to talk about the past." "No, please forgive me~" Haia sat down. "Compared to that, let's talk about me," Fermaus turned to Layfon. "I can smell filth monsters. This is by smelling the stirring in the air when pollutants are breathed in and stored. The dry wind outside the city is caused by the filth monsters' activities and their use of pollutants." "Ha, Ah........." Even though Layfon had just listened to something grand about filth monsters being able to change the air, all he could do was stand dumbfounded.

"My sense of smell can find the pollutants used by filth monsters." "But......" Layfon still didn't find Fermaus' words convincing. Even the filth monsters changing the atmosphere didn't feel real to him. It was too hard to comprehend without a basis. The thing was, Fermaus' words just weren't credible enough. Besides, what Layfon thought was most suspicious was...... "I understand. To smell the filth monsters, you've to go outside the air purification system." "...... Yes," Fermaus slowly lifted his right hand. "People cannot live long under exposure to the pollutants. The body will burn, rot and collapse. My body can't escape that pain. And medical treatment isn't advanced enough to treat injuries of that kind if I'm exposed repeatedly to pollutants." His right hand took the chin of the mask. "But I have in me a special physique. It might have been born from tolerance. I've a special physique that allows me to live even though I'm exposed to pollutants. If my body's examined, maybe we'll see the day when humans can overcome pollutants in the air." Fermaus took down the mask. Layfon heard Kiriku's swallow. He himself opened his mouth, but no words came forth. "But the price might be to become someone like me," he said. Fermaus' skin was dark as charcoal and ribboned with red veins. His nose had collapsed. His eyelids were gone. The white eyeballs looked ready to fall out of their sockets. Dry lips cracked. Layfon could see his perfect white teeth that contrasted with his lips. This was a face of someone who could live through continuous exposure to pollutants, unable to receive any treatment because modern medicine wasn't advanced enough. "Please believe in my sense of smell. Her Majesty also acknowledges it." Fermaus put the mask back and bowed deeply to Layfon. The whistle sounded in the war field. Besides the psychokinesist, only four people in the 17th platoon were left to fight. The 1st platoon had six. However, the fighting power wasn't that unequal taking into consideration that the 1st platoon was leaving one or two people to defend their flag. In actuality, Felli's report showed the 1st platoon did leave two people for defense. Nina and her team took action when the siren sounded. Nina took the left rear, followed by Naruki. The 17th platoon was on the offensive. The team would lose if Nina, as captain, was defeated. Showing this weakness was to attract the attacks over to Nina's side, and it worked. Vance had sent a number of good fighters to track her. "Bad strategy......" Vance said, his huge body suddenly blocking her forward momentum.

The staff spun in his hand, creating a storm of Kei. His other teammates gathered round and sealed off Nina's path. "Bad strategy or not...... Talk of it later!" she roared and blocked the staff with the iron whips. Her foot sank into the ground at the impact of the assault. She used external Kei to bounce back the staff, and dove for Vance's front. The staff was a longer ranged weapon, so a close quarters fight would reduce its effectiveness. As expected, Vance's teammates moved as if to make Nina back off. Naruki's rope shot in and wrapped around the sword of the Military Artist on Vance's right, stopping his movement. Still, they were two against one............Still a disadvantage for Nina. Vance was a better fighter than her. He had had more experience as a senior student, having fought in the Military Arts Competition and numerous other inter-platoon matches. But Nina's fight with Vance was to draw the attention of the 1st platoon. The strategy to move forward for a decisive fight was to create an opening for Dalshena. She boldly swung her iron whips at Vance. Vance fought her at close distance, looking as if he was releasing his strength without holding back, and also looking as if he had become smaller for the fight. Chased away from Vance's front area, Nina attacked his teammates behind him. Body bent, she blocked a sword with her left iron whip and stood up. She heaved him over her shoulder in Vance's direction. "Wa!" Vance pulled close to Nina to avoid his teammate's body. He didn't look once at his team member. Using external Kei, Nina jumped backwards to retreat. Vance rushed in, his staff pointed forward to attack. Nina had the disadvantage as she was in midair. In one moment, Vance's body seemed to shrink, retrieving the staff. And Nina then felt the speed of the staff that she failed to see. Her iron whips bounced off Vance's weapon, and a heavy impact landed on her chest. She was thrown into the air. "Captain!" The disappearance of Nina from her sight pulled Naruki's gaze over. In that one swift moment, the rope in her hand loosened. The enemy team member seized that chance. By the time Naruki's gaze returned to him, he was right beside her. "What!" "So naive, newcomer!" "Ah!" External Kei hit Naruki and sent her sliding out. She wanted to climb back up but her body was paralyzed. The commentator announced she was out of the match. Everyone thought the same conclusion would be made for Nina, but reality spoke differently.

"Huh!" Dust clouded the place where Nina had landed. Soil particles fell onto the ground. A shadow flew out of the dust cloud. Variation of internal Kei: Kongoukei. Using all of her strength, Nina had used Layfon's skill to block Vance's attack. After blocking Vance, she had leapt over his head to defeat Naruki's enemy. She also defeated the other member of the 1st platoon. The commentator couldn't make a conclusion to the fight, and more cheering and shouts roiled down from the audience stand. ".........It's not finished." "You've become strong........." In response to Vance's fighting stance, Nina readied her own as she moved. "Is it because of that guy's influence?" "It's not my personality to rely on others," she declared. "I see. So that guy's thinking. It's moving in a good direction." Vance meant Karian, the person who knew of Layfon's past. He switched Layfon from General studies into Military Arts, and put him into Nina's team. The 17th platoon's real beginning was when Nina's determination aligned with Karian's thinking. "I'm grateful to the Student President...... But what went after that was my own path." "Not a bad response," Vance said. "I can fight you more......though that's what I wanted to say." Regret filled his voice. "It's the end." A change occurred on the front line of the 1st platoon. Intense light burnt Nina's eyes, and the sound of explosions drowned the cheering of the crowd. "This is!?" she said, forgetting Vance was in front of her. "They've put in a flake mine in the ground......We got tricked," Felli's guilty voice came through her flake. Dalshena was free to choose her own timing for when to attack. When did she move......? Seemed to be when the crowd cheered. If that was the case, then the target of the explosion was Dalshena.........

"......... They got through our opening when our vision was sealed." Next was Felli, relaying how the 1st platoon defeated them. Nina didn't think the flake mine would finish off Dalshena, but the number of flakes was large, and the light and the rumble of the explosion were unexpectedly overwhelming......... They couldn't do much under that situation. "And I'm here to stop you while the others take out Sharnid and that guy's sister...... I was to play with you during that time." Both Dalshena and Naruki were out of action. Only Nina was left. Felli had fighting power but she was one against so many Military Artists. "It's your defeat, Nina Antalk." I can still win! Although that was Nina's thought, it failed to turn into strength to tightly grip the iron whips. Vance looked bigger than he was in front of her.

Regaining her sight, Dalshena's intense gaze pierced Nina. Nina moved her own gaze away. Anger filled the Locker Room. "!" An invisible bomb waited to explode. What was shattered became the sound of reality. The cabinet leaning against the wall had been cut into two. "Calm down, Shena," Sharnid said tiredly. He was hiding beside the door. "......Calm down?" The person who cut down the cabinet......Dalshena slowly turned around to glare at him. "I.........This is my first time experiencing a match as terrible as this." Her gaze swept across the room. She was too outraged to scream. The fight between Nina and Vance didn't happen in the end. The moment when Nina saw Vance's attack, she was defeated. Vance's words about sending people to find Sharnid was a trap. Numbed by Vance's air, Nina didn't hear the siren announcing the end of the match. "Damn!" Dalshena destroyed another cabinet.

"That's enough." "But.........!" Sharnid frowned. "You neglected your surroundings because you were used to relying on others. This is no longer the same when you can just look at what's before you." "!" The muscles on Dalshena's face twitched. She opened her mouth and closed it, gritting her teeth. "I........." That was all that slipped through her closed mouth, and she rushed out of the Locker Room. The sound of the door closing echoed in the room. "......Well, I think we did pretty well." Sharnid's words felt like they were there to disperse the echo, rather than a comfort. "......How so?" Nina asked. "It's true we had a terrible match." "Well, even so. Vance won. He had accurately taken advantage of Shena's weakness. As for the flake mine, isn't that eye-opening, Felli-chan?" Felli nodded with an expression stiffer than usual. "......... The flakes buried there probably cut off the psychokinesis communication. If they did do that, they couldn't read the flow of the other team's psychokinesis. They then used a minimal level of psychokinesis to trigger off the flake mine. This technique isn't necessary against filth monsters, but against humans, that's different. It's a technique we should learn." He added, "Can't be like that the next time." It seemed Felli felt regret too. "I see.........well, it's that type of feeling. Layfon had taught Nina some skill, but it wasn't enough to change the result. We underestimated the 1st platoon. That was all." "But......!" Nina could accept this. Everything felt hopeless once she knew Layfon couldn't participate in the match. She couldn't forgive herself. She didn't want to admit that they couldn't do anything without Layfon. She wanted to win. She wanted to win just this time. To win a match that wasn't a "beautiful match." What should she say to Layfon at the hospital? Sharnid and the rest of the 17th platoon couldn't find anything else to say to Nina.

Knock Knock...... The cautious knocking on the door broke the silence. Nina didn't move. Sighing, Sharnid opened the door. ".........Mei?" Naruki said. She'd been sitting on the long bench in silence. Meishen stood nervously at the door. "Hi," Mifi waved, oblivious to the atmosphere.

Chapter 5: Two Fights "......Are you going?" Meishen said, crying. The tram had gone past a few stations. No new passengers appeared. Meishen's crying voice mixed in with the sound of the tram moving, and it disappeared. "Huh?" "It's strange you were discharged right after the operation. Layton really is going?" He didn't respond with words to confuse the topic. Would she believe him if he said "no"? She wouldn't believe him. "......Yeah." So he nodded. Meishen was looking at him with reddened eyes. Her mouth opened as if she wanted to say something, but she swallowed the words. "Does it have to be Layton?" "If it were another city, I think it wouldn't have to be me." But Zuellni didn't have any experienced Military Artists. This was too heavy a burden for the students. When he fought the aged phase filth monster, he said he could defeat it with his heart prepared to lose half of the city. He probably could have defeated it. But at that time, the probability of the city becoming useless was high. The most important thing was that the city would face a crisis.........not just the danger of filth monsters attacking, but the probability of the city's functions stopping, to the point that the city would not be able to support its occupants. Perhaps the crisis of the food shortage at Grendan would in turn come to Zuellni. Grendan managed that time, but could Zuellni manage it too? The ending was that they couldn't do anything but delay the time of death. "It'll definitely be all right if I go......Am I arrogant?"

"......A bit." "I thought so." In truth, "a bit" was an understatement. He had known that since long ago. "I wasn't thinking of 'protecting' anything.........To seek a path outside Military Arts, I said that before right? I still feel the same now. If we win the Military Arts Competition this year, I plan to return to General Studies." "Can that really happen?" "The Student President who switched me to Military Arts would have graduated. I think it's possible." "But......" "I want to start from there." He could guess what she wanted to say, so he didn't want to hear it. "This place is the only place I have since leaving Grendan." This was the only place where he obtained a scholarship. Because of his level of education and the little money he had, he could only come to Zuellni. So he was here now. "It's different now. Mei's here. Naruki, Mifi, the Captain and everyone. That's why I want to do something." Zuellni had to remain safe for that reason alone. "That's why I'll do what I can do." Meishen's words turned his gaze back to her. ".........I can't fight. But is there anything I can do for you?" "........." "Though you think you're doing this for yourself, you're doing it to protect us......so I want to do something for you." "......Thanks." "Because......Because......I, I......" she looked at the floor, blushing. "Then, I have a request."

"Huh?" "This'll have to wait after the match though. Can you take a message to the Captain?" And Layfon relayed the message to Meishen. A short message. "Is that ok?" "Yes, the Captain will understand," he said decisively as he looked at her. "You really do trust the Captain." "Yeah." It'd be embarrassing to nod honestly, so he chose to smile, bitterly. And as such, Meishen had come to the Locker Room. She saw the sign outside the place forbidding unrelated peoples' entry, but she ran into Mifi in the hall. Mifi talked to the senpai in charge of the place and he let them through. "Mei.........Did anything happen?" Naruki asked. Shocked into silence by the stiff atmosphere in the room, Meishen made up her mind and moved to stand before Nina. "Ex, excuse me......" "What?" Nina said with surprise. Surprised that it wasn't Naruki who came to her but Meishen. Nina's expression turned gentle. Meishen stared at her. Nina Antalk. This wasn't the first time she saw her. They were together at the camp before, and they had attended the celebration too. Still, this felt like Meishen's first time meeting Nina. (This is Nina Antalk.) The person that Layfon trusted. She was a Military Artist but she wasn't as strong as Layfon. She also couldn't have a past as painful as Layfon's......Meishen thought. Though he didn't know the reason, Layfon trusted the Captain. "Uh...... Layfon asked me to tell you something." "Tell me something?" Nina asked. "That is?" "Please ask the Student President and go see Zuellni. This must be something that only the Captain can do." "Zuellni?" Naruki asked instead. Everyone else held the same confusion.

"Isn't Zuellni here? What's happened?" Mifi asked. "Don't know......" Meishen said. "......... 'Get the explanation from the Student President', something like that?" Nina said, turning Meishen's gaze back to her, as if she had understood something while everyone else was wondering. "Nina, you know something? Well, I don't get it, but the situation seems pretty clear." Sharnid said. "Don't you know of it too?" Felli said coldly. Sharnid shrugged. Harley had been checking the Dites, uncaring of Dalshena destroying the properties in the room. But now, "I, I'm not involved this time!" he said in a fluster to show he was in the clear. "Speaking of which......Huh? Could that be it? Ah......Kiriku was in the lab today. Aah......Can it be......Uhhh, he's too sly!" Harley couldn't help but spill out his true feelings. Nina glared at him. "That isn't the issue.........Really." "Geez......what a good natured person," Felli said and took out her Dite. "I'm sending the flakes over." "Thanks. If possible, get in touch with Layfon first." "He had an operation today. He shouldn't be too far. I'll make it." "Yes. Really." "Then what do you plan to do?" Sharnid asked. "Head for the place with clues. You guys, stay ready. I'll get back to you." "Roger," Sharnid replied as Nina ran off. What were left were the restored Dites, Felli, and Sharnid. Sharnid pulled over the weapon harness to himself and laid down on the long bench......Naruki, Mifi and Meishen didn't know what was going on. "Hey......What's going on?" Naruki asked Sharnid. "That guy's at it again." "Huh?" "......Has he gone to fight?"

Naruki and Mifi watched Meishen in shock. "Did he say that?" "......Because he wants to protect, from now on." Sharnid sighed. "Just like him. Geez, doing this kind of thing so calmly." "Please... wait a minute," Naruki massaged her head. "What happened to Layfon? Fighting......" "You'll know in a minute," he looked at Felli. As if they had planned it beforehand, Karian's voice came through Felli's flake. "Ah, you already knew?" he said sourly. "It's not 'already knew'!" Nina said in anger, running on the rooftop. After leaving the war field, she had confirmed the location of her destination and jumped onto a roof. If she ran on the ground using Kei, she'd confuse the students and face many obstructions. On the roofs, she could run as fast as she wanted. "Why did you involve Layfon in such danger?" "If possible, I want him to concentrate on Military Arts." That sounded like Karian's true feelings. "But not this time." "Just what has happened?" she suppressed her anger at Karian for letting Layfon fight alone. "The city's on a rampage." "What?" "As I said, the city's on a rampage." It seemed Karian hadn't yet managed his own feelings about this situation. Impatience and anxiety ran in his voice. "It's like we're giving ourselves up to filth monsters......Do you think I can simply tell everyone about it?" True. It'd be chaos. "But......" "On the other hand......I think I can tell from the last fight. We're still immature. We already fought so desperately against larvae. No, if Layfon wasn't there, we'd have turned into their

food." Nina bit her lips. Yes, Nina and the rest of them couldn't fight the filth monsters directly. The monster's shell was so hard that Nina couldn't break it. It took her several hits to kill the monster, but it'd be an easier fight if she could break the shell with one strike. After that, she contributed to the fight with the aged phase filth monster by offering Layfon a strategy, but could she herself carry that through.......... Even if she could, who else could defeat a larva with just one strike? Who........... Did Zuellni have such a Military Artist? She couldn't think of anyone else. She didn't hear of anyone killing numerous larvae in the previous fight. "Only he can solve this problem. That's the truth." "Bu......" She felt that Layfon was becoming more and more unreachable. She already knew the distance between them was too large. She was doing her best to catch up to him.........now it felt like she wasn't even permitted to catch up. Nina's feet moved as if they were trying to stop themselves. "But......" "He wanted you guys to go, and wanted you guys to make preparations first." "Huh?" "Ask him. So what do you want to do?" Karian asked. Silence descended. Everyone could hear Karian's voice, but no one said anything. They all waited for Nina's reply. "I'm not going." "Oh......" Curiosity came through Karian's voice. "That isn't like you." "I have something else to do." Layfon had said that only Nina could do it. Go to Zuellni.........The Electronic Fairy of the city was also called Zuellni. Other people knew of that as a fact, but none of them had experienced that knowledge. That was the meaning behind Layfon's words. Nina's feet moved again. He said he trusted her. Only she would think of doing something about the unusual actions of the Electronic Fairy. So she had to do something about it. "Then what do we do? Do you need help?" Sharnid asked. "Don't know, but......I think he needs reinforcements. Go to Layfon." "Roger......We believe in you?"

"Of course." It was strange for Sharnid to say that kind of thing. "Though I don't know what you're planning......Smooth sailing." "As you like," Karian said. Nina took a big leap. She jumped over several buildings and landed on the ground. This was her first time coming to the Mechanical Department during the day. She entered the place through the entrance reserved for staff. The bike had only been in use for four hours before Layfon and the others arrived at their destination. This place was the closest in the arid wilderness. The place had sunk into a valley, and a number of huge bodies laid on the angled slope, half buried in the ground, stirring. Filth monsters. "First and second phase......" "Exactly~" Haia nodded at Layfon. It seemed the mother had given birth to the larvae here. Since no cities were around, the mother must have become the larvae's food. Intense fights over her had taken place. "Twelve of them," Fermaus' electronic voice reported. "The same as the information we got before." The beginning number must be about 100 or so. Most of them died in the growing stage from being unable to adapt to eating pollutants, and from fighting each other and consuming each other for survival. Only twelve filth monsters were left, and they showed signs of waking due to the close proximity of a city. "If we had come any later, these guys would have headed straight for the city~" Haia waved his hand and the subordinates standing behind him spread out. "Next......Our contract is to defeat half of the filth monsters, so six of them." "I know," Layfon nodded coldly and took out the Adamantium Dite and the Sapphire Dite. The sword handles could be combined as before. Kiriku had told him the combination of the alloys. Layfon had heard from Karian. The Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang moved between

cities on their roaming bus. They fought filth monsters in their travels. Karian was dealing with the Mercenary Gang because of the filth monsters, but Zuellni didn't have enough money to pay the amount that Haia had raised in the deal. An Academy City's main income derived from the data of research, new techniques, new inventions. Although it was a place of immature people, senior students had a certain level of knowledge in the research area. They researched and obtained new data for the city they were in, but their contribution was also meaningful to other cities because Academy Cities profited by selling data to each other. However, Academy Cities didn't aim to make profits, so if a profit was made, that was used on students' living. Zuellni's current financial situation could not afford Haia's price. Hence, Karian suggested a compromise. He named the amount he could pay, and Haia named the number of Mercenary Gang members to participate in the fight, and Haia then decided on how many monsters they could handle, leaving the rest for Zuellni to manage. And Zuellni's representative was Layfon. "I'm giving you half. Hunt whatever way you like," Layfon said. ".........That's revolting," Haia said, displeased. Layfon's mind was already elsewhere and didn't hear him. "Don't be like that. A Heaven's Blade successor is like that," Fermaus said. "Holding a Heaven's Blade means he isn't allowed to follow the level of anyone around him. He has to act alone even if he has comrades with him. That's a Heaven's Blade successor. Only other Heaven's Blades are allowed to stand beside him." "Tsk. An end without cooperation. If I held the Heaven's Blade, it wouldn't be like that," Haia said as if he was spitting something. Layfon put the rod-like Dites into the slots of his Dite, and ran his Kei through it. "Restoration AD." The Adamantium Dite increased in weight, its shape changing. "That guy........." Layfon frowned at the restored Dite. Kiriku said Layfon was stubborn, but he himself was the same. Layfon was indeed holding a sword. The blade was slightly curved but it still was a sword. The blade was sharper and more solid than the blade before, and it didn't hold the special quality of a Katana. "Well, only that point is different. The shape is the same as before." With this blade, he could easily slice open a filth monster's hard shell. "Next........." Time to go? His mind flew back to earlier.

(Mei, can she do it?) He didn't think she'd ignore his request. It was difficult to enter the Locker Room during a match. If she could get them out of the Locker Room smoothly...... "Hey, wait a bit more. They're softer when they're awake~" A filth monster's shell became much denser and harder during the monster's dormant period. A hard shell would hinder a filth monster's movement, so the shell tended to soften up when the monster was awake. Another saying went that the shell was harder in the filth monster's sleep to prevent other filth monsters from eating it. Was it really true......... The filth monsters stirred, half buried in the ground. They should have felt Zuellni's closeness. Perhaps the shells really were softening to allow greater flexibility. "......It's all right if I just clean up my part." "Ugh. Allow me to show you the beautiful cooperation of my team. You just shut up and see," Haia said, bending down from the rock he was on. Layfon originally intended to ignore him, but......... [Please wait a moment more.] Fermaus' voice stopped his feet from moving. He glanced at Haia. It appeared he hadn't heard Fermaus. [I'm only speaking to you.] "Why?" Layfon asked in a low voice. [Haia's interested in you. Ryuhou always mentioned you. He was happy that you were given a Heaven's Blade, as if you were his own apprentice.] An electronic voice that should be devoid of any feelings, but Layfon felt nostalgia in that voice. "You......" [I knew Ryuhou since I was little. Well, he was older than me. I had also met Derek......Don't know whether he could recognize me with my looks as they are now.] Layfon recalled Fermaus' face without the mask. [I wanted to meet you, but I gave up. We didn't intend to return to Grendan soon. I never guessed we'd meet this way.] ".........What does the Queen want with the Haikizoku?" Since he couldn't ask Haia, he turned the question to Fermaus. This current situation was

due to the Haikizoku. Best if it disappeared. However, he wouldn't feel any more relaxed if the Haikizoku was taken to Grendan because Leerin and Deruk were there. [What does she want......I want to know too. The Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang was formed to find the Haikizoku. Our mission remains the same even if our leader changes. This is some kind of a secret among the royalty.] "So the Mercenary Gang has been following that order and seeking the Haikizoku?" [Well.........It felt like a heavy mission in the first stage of the Mercenary Gang, but the feeling has become less immediate in Ryuhou's generation. Besides, Ryuhou didn't join the Mercenary Gang for that reason.] "Huh?" [Ryuhou just wanted to travel.] Layfon failed to reply to that unexpected answer. [He always sighed that because of him, Derek couldn't have left......He was really happy when he heard Derek's apprentice had become a Heaven's Blade successor.] "............" But that apprentice did something to taint the name of Psyharden. [That's why Haia hates you.] "Why?" The thought of himself tainting Psyharden flashed in his head. [No, that's not it.] Fermaus denied as if he had predicted Layfon's thinking. He might have read Layfon's expression with psychokinesis. [Haia wasn't born in Grendan. He was an orphan and Ryuhou picked him up. Haia was very full of himself, but he fell under Ryuhou's influence. He and Ryuhou had developed a father and son relationship. No one wants to see his own parent praising another child, right?] "I don't get it." Layfon was also an orphan, so he didn't understand the feeling between a father and his son. But he understood it wasn't anything funny when Derek praised other apprentices. [Haia wants to take the Haikizoku back to Grendan so he can take the Heaven's Blade. He wants to prove what Deruk's apprentice can achieve, Ryuhou's apprentice can also do.] Fermaus laughed. It felt strange and itchy to hear that electronic laughter.

A feeling between family members? No.........How should he put it......Layfon held his hand, confused by his own feelings. Another voice suddenly cut in. [What're you doing?] Felli's voice was icy. But it was comforting to him as he was used to it. "Felli......Senpai," Remembering that Fermaus was still listening, he hurriedly added 'senpai'. [It'll take a while for my flake to arrive so I'm borrowing this flake.] Dissatisfaction filled her voice. [Incredible.] The electronic voice sounded. The flake beside Layfon held psychokinesis from two different people. [You didn't cut off my psychokinesis but merged yours with mine? Brilliant. I can interfere with another's use of psychokinesis, but I've never heard of using it this way.] [Sorry, but......] Felli's voice was lighter than usual when she responded to Fermaus' excitement. [I've something to say to this hopeless idiot. Unrelated people please leave.] [Ah......] Fermaus didn't say anything else. It appeared Felli had completely taken over the flake. Though she wasn't physically here, it felt like she and Layfon were alone, together. The discordant and tense atmosphere descended on him. That was Felli's anger. "Uh......I'm sorry." [Never mind. I understand.........I'm deeply shocked by Zuellni's level.] "That's not it," he shook his head, relieved that she understood him. "This is an Academy City. It must be common." [......How troublesome.] She then told him of what happened with the 17th platoon. [Then why did you call us over?] Why did he call them over when their strength wasn't enough to fight filth monsters? "To watch." [Watch?] "The fight. My style of fighting isn't useful, but the Mercenary Gang's is. Felli, I'd be happy if you recorded as much as you can."

Young Military Artists at Grendan would watch the fights of veterans. They'd fight after feeling the atmosphere of the fight and the horror of filth monsters. They'd prepare themselves mentally for the fight, and figure out their own styles. This was a habit only seen in Grendan because of Grendan's numerous contacts with filth monsters. [It'll be difficult to turn the images in my head into video images......I can record the images from the helmet though.] "Please. If only Sharnid senpai and everyone else saw it, Captain would get angry......" [Please don't say something that'd make me not want to prepare for this.] "Huh?" [A joke. Then I'll relay this to them.] "Yes, please tell them where to wait and watch. How long until you get here?" [I can start recording when I see the battle. When my flake arrives, it can record the entire fight.] Layfon nodded. "Then I'm counting on you." [Let this flake be your aid.] The vision dimmed in Layfon's helmet and immediately turned into a colorful world. "This really is better." [......I won't forgive you even if you praise me. And please don't force yourself.] "I know." Felli didn't say anything. She must be relaying the message to Sharnid. "Next......" His preparation was done. (Next is to trust the Captain in that.) He worried about the Captain more than his impending fight. While he was thinking of this, the situation over at Zuellni came through. Felli deliberately left it out of her report to Layfon.

Nina descended into the center of the Mechanical Department on the lift that was fenced waist-high. As the lift stopped, she ran out of it. The time was dusk, and there were no other cleaners around. Almost all of the workers here were in the Resting Room. Nina ran without worrying about knocking over people. No one else was around. Zuellni was on a rampage. She couldn't believe it. That young girl on a rampage? But it was true that the city was heading straight for filth monsters when it should be avoiding them. Layfon was now fighting because of that. (Damn, just what's happened?) She was running now because of that reality. Nina didn't have to doubt. (A child that gentle.......) She and Zuellni met for the first time when she started working at the Mechanical Department. She didn't' know Zuellni as long as she knew Harley, but Zuellni was her first friend since entering the Academy City. Zuellni was important to her, and this had nothing to do with the amount of time they had spent together. "Something bad has happened." She didn't think Zuellni would want to be like this. She stopped, a figure floating up in her mind. Thick metallic plates stood before her. A small hill piled by a number of metal plates....... The center. "Zuellni!" Nina could only call as she walked around the hill. She didn't see an entrance into the hill. "Zuellni!" The sound of mechanisms working drowned out her voice. A feeling of something suppressive rushed up her chest. Her heartbeat quickened. Was she tense? Excited. She put a hand on her chest, realizing the emotions inside her. "......What is this." Unrelated to her consciousness and the situation, her body was becoming excited. Her consciousness and her body seemed to go in different directions. Her body temperature rose as if blood was draining from her head. "Uh......" Her legs weakened and she put a hand on the metal plate. And then...... "What?" The support beneath her hand folded inward. Nina fell, reacted instinctively, and rolled on the fallen plate. The plate lay on an angle and Nina slid down on it. Her shoulder hit the

floor and stopped her movement. The slide wasn't a long one. "This is......the inside." Nina never thought she'd enter the hill this way. She stood up and confirmed her surroundings. She thought she was in total darkness when she rolled down the plate, but it wasn't entirely dark in here. Dim light pulsated in the middle of the small space. Gold and green light flowed, slowly chasing away the darkness. The light made Nina dizzy. Her heart still beat fast. She felt uncomfortable. "Is it here......" Without waiting for Kei to help her body recover, she took a step in the direction of the light. Nina walked around the light and discovered the space wasn't as big as she thought. The face exuding the light greeted her. "Zuellni!" A gem sat on an enormous pedestal cut out by machinery. The base of the pedestal was about the height of Nina's waist. It was wide enough for four to five people to surround it with hand touching hand. The gem on the pedestal was in its raw uncut form. Several tubes extended from the base of the pedestal. Calcite stuck on the gem here and there, transparent like the surface of calm water. Zuellni was in there. But Nina wasn't sure whether it really was Zuellni. "......What is this?" Nina's voice trembled. Zuellni's pupils had lost their focus. Nina didn't know what was inside the gem, but she saw the girl form of Zuellni floated, as if her hands and feet were stretching out. As if she was dead. A chill ran down Nina's back. "Why is it here?" A huge creature with golden hair and branching horns stood behind Zuellni inside the gem. A male goat. The Haikizoku. "You......Why are you here!?" Nina shouted and snatched out her Dite. She restored it, and urged by outrage and dizziness, she used her Kei. Her iron whips struck the gem, giving off a crisp sound. Green and golden light weaved together like a heart beating. They swayed and instantly vanished into normality. "Fu!" Rebounded into the air, she did a backflip and landed. She continued to strike the gem but failed to do any damage to it. No......... (Something pushes me away before I strike the gem.) That was what she felt.

(Then......? Damn.) Felli's flake should be in here. Nina could ask her to analyze the gem. Maybe Felli was already running an analysis. But she didn't ask the psychokinesist on her team. She suppressed her instinctive urge to call Felli by breathing in deeply. (Isn't Layfon also alone?) She thought. Outrage caused her to briefly forget herself. The dissatisfaction she had up till now was gone. She didn't attack the gem again. (This might affect Zuellni.) This was the center of the Mechanical Department. If she destroyed it, the city might cease functioning. Outrage made her forget herself, and in that instant, she realized that she might end up damaging the city itself. Horror filled her. But what should she do......... "My......" "......!" A voice filled her head. Her body turned stiff. "My body is already rotten. It is useless. Driven by the madness of hatred, I turned into flame. I now seek a new master for a new purpose. You whom I hope for, obey my wish. Possess my spirit and show my value. As such, I'll turn the Ashes of Ignasis into a sword, and eliminate all your enemies." Layfon had heard of these words from the Haikizoku in the ruined city. Now these words were directed to Nina for the first time. "You.........You can speak? The Ashes of Ignasis? What're you saying?" She didn't understand the Haikizoku's words, but she quickly chased away that puzzle. She understood some of it because of what happened in the match with the 10th platoon. "You, you're looking for someone so you fight filth monsters? Is that why you're doing this to Zuellni?" "In order to obtain the person who can hold my spirit, I now take action." "What......?" "The situation will help a person change and grow," it said curtly and fell silent. (To change and grow......)

Nina was only puzzled for a while, then realization flooded through her. "Could......Could you be making us fight filth monsters!?" People could become strong by being forced into fights. They couldn't survive if they weren't strong. Electronic Fairies protected their city and their people. If the Electronic Fairy was taken away......... And if the city itself headed for filth monsters.........Then people had to continuously fight filth monsters to survive. "Ridiculous.........The city will die." A city would face constant danger of annihilation if it continued to fight filth monsters. That was why Regios moved to avoid filth monsters. "If a person can possess me, then many more people will be saved by the Ashes of Ignasis." "That is.........That isn't a logical theory," Nina groaned. How could it say that destroying Zuellni was all right for the sake of finding a new master? It had possessed Dinn before. "I won't let you do what you want here.........Let Zuellni go!" The sight of Zuellni's dead posture increased the impatience and worry in her. "My determination is infinite." The Haikizoku stirred within the gem. "But you possess a strange feeling." "Wh, what......?" "You who think of protecting the city, come and try. Even though you do not have the will to feed me, I'll bet on that feeling of yours." "Wh......" Though she didn't understand what the Haikizoku meant, she felt the danger and readied her stance to defend herself. But it was meaningless. The Haikizoku vanished the one second when her iron whips blocked her line of vision to the gem. And quickly......... "What, Ah......" She felt something filling her chest...... "Can, can this be......"

It was forcing itself into her. The hole she didn't know she had in her chest was being stuffed full. Her consciousness started to fade as she felt herself drowning. (Can this be......) Was this what Dinn felt............? "St, stop it!" Only Felli heard Nina's scream. She didn't know what happened next as her psychokinesis couldn't reach it. Felli conveyed the event to Karian so he could send people over to the Mechanical Department. She didn't tell Layfon about it. "Next......" Haia stood up on the huge rock. The filth monsters had awakened from their dormant stage, spreading their wings. "About time to go," he murmured as the other Mercenary Gang members increased their Kei without exciting the filth monsters. "How's it over there?" Layfon asked Felli. [The preparation is completed.] "You don't have to record me......Actually, better if you don't record it." [I know. Even if I want to, it's not possible to make you a target.] Felli's words were as unforgiving as ever. He smiled bitterly as he confirmed the movements of the filth monsters. The filth monsters should have already discovered him and the others by smell. Will they take the bait here or fly straight for the more plentiful Zuellni......... "Then please watch." [Don't force yourself.] That was Sharnid's voice. Layfon spoke to Haia. "We have to time our fights. It'll troublesome if even one filth monster heads for Zuellni." "Who're you talking to?" Excitement showed through Haia's voice. He laughed. "We're hunting dogs on a battlefield. Don't take us for little dogs that need to be taught how to take a bite." "I can tell you how to fight," Layfon shouldered the huge sword in his hand. Haia took the same posture with his Katana.

"I'll reap them all." And External Kei burst out of Layfon. The Kei shattered the ground before him as it swept up the dust and swallowed the filth monsters. "Time for the hunt!" Haia roared and ran out, moving at high speed with his body close to the ground. "Restoration 02." Layfon's Sapphire Dite became steel threads. Looking at the filth monster that first flew out of the dust cloud, he used Whirl Kei a variation of Internal Kei. The rock underneath him broke into pieces as he jumped. The filth monster's body curved like a snake, its wings beating in repeated motions to lift the filth monster into the sky. Layfon's sword chopped into its exposed chin. The hard shell cracked easily. The power of the Whirl Kei remained steady. He leaned his body onto the sword, and using his own weight pushed the sword through, cutting through the filth monster's body. The enemy collapsed and fell. Layfon landed, his momentum carrying him across the ground. The dust surrounding him did not hinder his vision since he had Felli's support. He slid to a stop and turned around to feel his surroundings with the steel threads. He still had five filth monsters to defeat. He confirmed that all five were caught in his steel threads, then he let go of the Sapphire Dite. The handle of the Sapphire Dite was immediately lifted into the air. It stopped in midair, then shook violently. External Kei assaulted the newly awakened filth monsters. The enemies struggled, pulling the threads this way and that. None of the five filth monsters managed to get an advantage, and their respective struggles kept the handle in balance. The filth monsters in turn lost their own balance and fell back onto the ground. "Next......!" As Layfon was about to let loose the Internal Kei building up inside him, he kneeled down at the sudden pain on his back. [Fon Fon!] Embarrassed at being called by this name, Layfon felt like laughing. "Don't worry. The wound on my back's just opened a bit." [That's not a bit.] "A bit. It hurts, but my protective suit is still intact." A battle with a time limit was better than a damaged protective suit. Knee still bent, he shot into the air with a burst of Internal Kei. He landed on a filth monster

that had flown out of the dust cloud. "You can't stop here. It's your death when you stop." Now that he stood here, Layfon had no time to worry about his own body. One swing of his sword chopped off the head of the filth monster. The sword's sharpness was unquestionable. It wouldn't overheat so easily like last time and the cutting path was accurate. Layfon wasn't at his best body condition, but he felt energized. Standing on the dead filth monster, he lifted his head to gaze at the sky. The sky always seemed rusty-red to him when he fought filth monsters. The pollutant density was higher than usual. Perhaps there was some truth in Fermaus' words. "I feel good......Today, I can even cut open the sky." [Forget that and hurry up with finishing the rest!] Felli scolded. He smiled bitterly. "Got it." He leapt from the descending head of the filth monster and saw his next opponent. This filth monster had just finished biting his sibling's head into pieces. It turned around. Head pointed to the ground and toes to the sky, Layfon leaned the tip of his sword on the steel thread to stop himself from falling. One end of the threads sustained the tension of the filth monsters' struggle. His sword slid on the taut thread towards the Sapphire Dite. He grabbed hold of the handle of his green Dite...... "Tsk!" He lost his balance. The Kei he had put earlier into the steel threads had been exhausted. The filth monsters recovered their freedom one by one. They pulled Layfon towards them. Using that momentum, he turned the Sapphire Dite back into its Dite form, took down two handles from it and put them back into his weapon harness. "Restoration 01." Layfon held the Sapphire Dite in his left hand as the steel threads vanished. He was flying towards two filth monsters that were turning around and heading in his direction. He calmly took out the two Dites placed in the slots of the Adamantium Dite and placed another Dite into one of the slots. "Restoration AD." He restored it again. The blade stretched into a length as long as Layfon was tall. The tip of the blade was in the shape of a crescent moon. A weapon that was like a halberd. The end of the handle was attached to the Sapphire Dite. External Burst Type Kei Gajiya.

The halberd drew a circle as if drawing Layfon in too, and it met the filth monster's long chin on the path of the circular movement, cutting away its obstacle. This was the Heaven's Blade successor Cauntia's technique. Having passed the filth monster, Layfon increased his speed as he spun around, widening the halberd's range and cut down a part of the filth monster's body. Lastly, he took down the enemy's wing and prevented it from flying. Layfon used the momentum of his external Kei to rebound down towards the ground, chasing after the two other filth monsters. He took down the Sapphire Dite from the handle of the Adamantium Dite. He attacked the uninjured filth monster. External burst type variation Bakushikou. When the sword was about to stab deep into the body of the filth monster, the tip of the blade caused an explosion and blew a huge hole in the filth monster's abdomen. Layfon leaped through that hole and changed the Adamantium Dite into the huge sword. He also changed the Sapphire Dite into steel threads and spread the threads around. Two more filth monsters left. One of them was already waiting for him with gigantic teeth. In the chin behind the huge teeth was a hole where smaller teeth sat next to one another without gaps in between them. The filth monster ate by pulling its prey into its mouth with the lower jaw, sucking it in, and grinding it down with the smaller teeth before swallowing. Floating in midair. Layfon ignored the theory of strong and weak and descended. His steel threads connected him to the ground. Another filth monster's long body flew above his head. Its legs, hidden in hard shells, stretched down to grab him, but they were either cut down by or bounced off Layfon's blade. Layfon's steel threads wrapped around the filth monster above him as he once again stood on a steel thread in midair. The other filth monster headed for him with its mouth opened wide. Saliva drooped from its mouth. He took out two Dites from his sword. The steel thread pulled taut as the filth monster above him struggled to break free. He leaped off the steel thread and swung with the Adamantium Dite. External Burst type Kei Sendan. A massive amount of condensed external Kei shot out of the sword. The filth monster received it head on with its mouth opened. The external Kei cut the enemy in half. The internal organs of the filth monster fell in a circle with Layfon in the middle. Suddenly, the steel thread anchored in the ground was pulled loose, sending him flying past the filth monster that was originally above him. He grabbed the handle of the Sapphire Dite to prevent it from falling, and flipped around to face the final filth monster that was now beneath him. He put a Dite into the slot in the Adamantium Dite. This time he cut his enemy in half at a horizontal angle. The abdomen he stood on landed first. Layfon jumped away from the abdomen, from getting caught in its landing. He used the weight of the Adamantium Dite to cushion his own landing. The upper half of the severed filth monster's body kept moving forward but it slowly descended as the wings lost their speed. Layfon took a deep breath to calm the Internal Kei roiling inside him. He had defeated all

six filth monsters. He didn't release all his Kei, since the battle hadn't finished. The Dites also remained in their restored forms. "Thanks for the good work," Felli said through the flake. "No matter how many times I see you, you're still incredible," Sharnid said. It seemed Felli had opened up a communication channel between them. "It's still unbelievable even though I just saw it," Naruki said. "......Is this a dream?" That was Dalshena's voice. Though Layfon heard Sharnid had invited her to join the team for the inter-platoon match, he didn't think she'd come here. "No.........Forget about me. Please look at the other fight." Feeling slightly shy, Layfon turned his gaze to the remaining fight. Leading the Mercenary Gang, Haia was fighting with his all. Their fight was a product of cooperation. The Mercenary Gang members acted as bait to draw the filth monsters into separate fights, preventing them from leaving and flying for Zuellni. Haia was fighting against one of the filth monsters on his own. His Dite had been repaired, maintaining its original Katana form. Enveloped in Kei, the blade lashed out at the filth monster's shell without holding back. The amount of Kei was smaller than Layfon's, so he needed to strike several times to break that shell. "Beautiful," Sharnid said. "I quite understand what you want us to see." "But, that......" Dalshena said. Layfon knew what she didn't get to say. "It's not impossible to aim for my level, but do you think the current students can manage it?" Layfon asked. "Uh......" Dalshena couldn't respond. "The way these Military Artists fight is how to fight filth monsters. This is the correct method. Mine is being a moron without any strategies." He looked at Haia's fight. Haia's skill was similar to his. Layfon won in the fight against him because of a small difference. He didn't think the probability of a victory against Haia would increase exponentially if he held a Katana. That was what it meant to fight Haia who had learned all the Psyharden techniques. Can he become a Heaven's Blade successor.........? From Layfon's viewpoint, Haia had no problem except for his lack of Kei. If he had wanted, he could have fought against all six filth monsters alone. But he didn't do that. His probability of death was drastically reduced through the support of other members. "In my fight, one wrong step means death. I could die from every single mistake I make. I

don't have anyone to cover for those mistakes of mine......" In fact, his mistake in the previous fight against the aged phase monster had damaged his Dite and left him in grave danger. Who knew what would have happened had Nina not shown up. Felli and the others kept silent. "I want you to see this. Results won't be immediate. But we can try again and again. I hope to fight together." Nina told him how they felt when he was acting recklessly. What he did would worry them. If they helped him, his probability of death would reduce, wouldn't it? "You just said something very heavy," Sharnid broke the silence. "Sorry." "......But it doesn't feel bad to have you depend on us." "Same here, if I can become your strength." "Of course," Layfon nodded at Naruki's reply. "Shena, this is the 17th platoon." "Uh?" "Not bad, right?" "Humph." Layfon couldn't tell what expression Dalshena held, but he could discern Sharnid trying to suppress his laughter. Sharnid's attitude turned relaxed. "Nina'll definitely agree to another camp if we say it this way. This way, we can finish what we failed to accomplish in the last camp." "Huh?" "Moron. Still don't get it? The bath. The bath. It's naked girls playing in water and having something unexpected happen......then us seeing it!" "Wh......!" Naruki's voice. Layfon felt as if Felli's level of psychokinesis had dropped. "............I think you should start your life over. From before zero."

"............I knew you were an idiot, but I didn't know it was to this level." Layfon heard the sound of a Dite being restored on the other side of the flake. "No, hey, hey, hey. Wait up. I was joking. Joking. Besides, Layfon was involved too." "Don't get me caught up in it." A swift moment of concentrated murderous intent. Layfon pretended he didn't sense it. In truth, he didn't remember participating in such a scheme. "Hey, hey, don't be so cold. On the first night of camp, didn't we convey our determination by exchanging a glance?" "No. That didn't happen," he said. "You're so cold," Sharnid sighed. "Don't involve others in your foolishness!" Dalshena shouted. Sharnid groaned. Layfon pretended he didn't hear and turned the Dite back into its unrestored form. The fights of the Mercenary Gang had finished. Haia and his members prepared to return to Zuellni. Layfon headed for his bike. (What would the captain think?) He suddenly thought. He had a feeling of being abandoned when Nina said she didn't plan to forfeit the match. It was like he wasn't needed in the 17th platoon. But he knew Nina wouldn't think like that. That was his trust in her. He only felt lonely. He was the one who wanted them to become strong, so he was ashamed of himself for feeling lonely. Hence he wanted Nina and the rest of the team to see this battle. Help them become strong. They must see the battle for themselves. (No, probably not.) Layfon shook his head, rejecting the probability of himself wanting to stand out. (I just want to fit in.) So he let them see his fight, the fight that showed how Grendan fought, and the battle of the Mercenary Gang. "Anyway, let's return." Back to Zuellni where Nina, Felli, Meishen and the others waited. He wanted them to see him more clearly.........Layfon mounted his bike.

Epilogue The sound of wind blowing out of the air purification system and the sound of the vehicle swaying along with the city's movement....... This was Leerin's second time hearing it. "Do you really have to go?" She seemed to have heard similar words before. The pretentious teary eyes before. Leerin wasn't angry, but she felt that strength had been drained from her limbs. "What're you doing?" she groaned, putting down the luggage beside her and pressing a hand on her forehead. Thinking back to how she was like that in the past, she thought she'd die from embarrassment. Synola stopped pretending and put her chest out. "Excuse me. I'm sad because you're leaving." Leerin was at the station of the roaming bus. Once she made her decision, she had acted swiftly. She had applied for temporary leave from school, and had then gone to pack her luggage and fill in the paperwork for a space on the roaming bus to Zuellni. She spent her last night with Derek. Her adopted father didn't even escort her to the front of the door. That was what he was like. Who would have thought that Synola would be here. "Why are you here?" "Well, is it not good to see my cute younger friend leave?" "It's good, but......" She told Synola about her decision yesterday, then was dragged to the pub they visited before. Synola pulled in random patrons of the pub for a parting party. Leerin had thought she would leave it at that. "Well, have a good trip. I won't urge you to hurry back, but please come back in spirit." "......Yes," Leerin smiled with a gentle gaze. "Ah, but I still hope for you to return sooner. I can't calm down without touching Lee-chan's breasts." "I don't know about that." ".........Come back before the symptoms of withdrawal show up." She put her thumb in her mouth like a kid.

"I'll try to return later," Leerin massaged the side of her head. The whistle sounded loudly, cutting through the noise of the crowd. "I'm leaving." "Ok, have a good trip," Synola waved as if Leerin wasn't going somewhere faraway. (I can't think of it that way like her.) She recalled the time when she saw Layfon off. She thought she wouldn't see him again. Probably not? The feeling with Synola was different, but Leerin couldn't compare it with another. She waved at Synola one more time at the entrance of the bus, and entered the bus. "Uh......Here." She looked at the seat. For a person who would spend a long time in the seat, the space given was roomy. It was big enough for her to sleep in it. The luggage space was above the seat. "Let me do it." Someone took hold of her luggage. "Ah, thank......" Thank you very much. That was what Leerin wanted to say, but when she turned around to look at the person's face, her cheek twitched. "Just that much luggage? So little for a girl." Speaking flippantly as if his opinion applied to everyone. A handsome young adult. Laughter shone in his eyes as he looked at her. "Savaris......sama?" "Shh, if possible, I hope you don't call me by my name." "Wh, Why are you here......?" "Uh, I've a secret mission so I have to travel to another city. What about you?" "Huh? Uh......" "Never mind. This will be a long journey. Let us spend the time happily." Was it good to tell him she was going to meet with Layfon.........While she worried over it,

Savaris had already lost his interest in the question he raised. The bus driver announced the bus was about to depart from the city. A Heaven's Blade successor in the bus............That should guarantee the safety of the trip, but for some reason, Leerin felt uneasy. "Ah~ Leaving the city is just the first part of the trip. I'm really anticipating the rest of it~" Savaris said happily to himself. Leerin sighed. She ran along the edge of the city to chase the roaming bus. She finally reached the limit of the city. Synola stopped running and put her hands on her hips as she watched the roaming bus disappear in the horizon. An average person would have confused the bus with its surrounding scenery, but not Synola......or Alsheyra Almonise, the Queen of the Heaven's Blade successors. "What would happen next?" Alsheyra wasn't worried about Savaris. It was useless to worry about him. If he died in the middle of the journey, then let him die. Luck was required for what Alsheyra wanted. If Savaris came back dead, then luck wasn't on her side. She couldn't do anything to gather twelve Military Artists with exceptional abilities to become Heaven's Blade successors. Luck was needed. Besides, the birth of someone like Alsheyra was in itself luck. "Hey, what do you think?" Her gaze left the bus and moved to her own feet. "What......next?" The reposing figure of a beast had appeared at some time. It wasn't your average tamed type of beast. Long fur wrapped around the body similar to a dog's. The front of its paws resembled human fingers. That beast answered her. "What do you think, Grendan? Think your kind will come?" "If they come, they'll only be destroyed and hunted, like I was," Grendan's voice was cold. "That was a long time ago." Grendan rested its chin on the ground. "Well, I don't know what'll happen, but it'll be fine as long as Lee-chan's safe." The laughter came from Grendan's nostrils. As if looking at the direction where the roaming

bus had merged into the horizon, it spoke, "......A nightingale is singing." "Huh?" Alsheyra turned around at the unfamiliar name. Grendan opened its mouth, yawned, and fell silent. Prologue Hmm? Something seemed amiss. Layfon was confused as to why he felt that way. He felt uncomfortable. This was the hospital section of the academy. It was at the end of their inter-city battle with Myath, after his left arm received treatment. Surgery to repair his muscles and nervous system that were injured had been completed on that day as well. "It's all because you act like an idiot and continually return to hospital that we've compiled a complete image of your body, and our thorough understanding of it allowed surgery to commence immediately" said his long-time surgeon Wakudi-senpai. Two hours later, the surgery finished. Afterwards, he received treatment from Jinmaikesenpai. Layfon had only stayed in the hospital for one night. Right now, his left arm was covered by a simple plaster cast to keep his arm in place, and the veins in his lower back looked like a pincushion, being filled with so many needles. "If you want to sleep, sleep facing down" and Layfon, being so instructed, had sat upright in an attempt to avoid touching his back. Leerin was beside the bed. She was wearing the same clothes as when they had met outside the city, with her travelling case by her side. She probably hadn't returned to the hotel at all, and still retained the appearance of arriving recently. She wore an angry expression. That was the cause of Layfon's discomfort. (Strange...) Layfon felt perplexed at that expression. No, this wasn't the first time he had provoked Leerin's anger. In fact, he had done it so often that he had lost count long ago.

Tearing his clothes after training, making too many snacks for his younger brothers and sisters, and playing around too recklessly and covering his clothes in mud, he had always seen this scary expression. And when he covered the rest of the clothes that were about to be washed with mud as well, she looked all the more terrifying. But Leerin would immediately return to her kind self after scolding them. It was very rare for her to actually be angry. It seemed that Leerin was trying to avoid looking Layfon in the eye, lowering her head, gazing furiously at the sheets which covered Layfon's legs. So Layfon couldn't see Leerin's face clearly either, so he could do nothing else but stare at her hair instead. It seemed a little different from when he had departed Grendan. Her hair had grown longer, making it impossible to keep the same hairstyle. Even though they hadn't been apart for more than a year, there was still a difference. He didn't recognize the clothes that Leerin was wearing, so she probably bought them in anticipation of entering senior school. "That's great" thought Layfon. Leerin valued her possessions a lot, so she wouldn't buy new clothes. She knew how to tailor her clothes, so if they didn't fit, she would patch them up. Seeing her wearing new clothes probably meant that they had a bit of money to spare now, allowing Layfon to breathe a sigh of relief. "How's your health?" "Really good, thanks." Layfon gingerly attempted a start to the conversation and Leerin replied sincerely. "You aren't really well, are you, Layfon?" "Well I did get injured." In between the scattered fragments of conversation Layfon smiled bitterly. That numbness of his hands that he felt during his battle with Haia returned. "Don't you think you've had too many injuries?" "Huh?" "Didn't the doctor say so as well? You're getting hospitalised continuously like an idiot." Ah, so she had overheard their conversation. "It's not that bad." "You were never injured as badly as this in Grendan, right?"

That was completely true. The worst injury he had ever sustained during training was when he became a Heaven's Blade Successor and was practicing with the steel wires. When his adoptive father was training him, his father would take every care to avoid pointless injury. When it was necessary, he would not hesitate to hit or hack at Layfon, inflicting on him bruises, burns or even fractures. Yet he would never injure Layfon unless it was really essential to training. His adoptive father was very good at teaching. But Lintence was different. He wasn't good at teaching other people Military Arts, and it was no exception with teaching Layfon. So he often sustained preventable injuries. He nearly died once. But rather than saying it was Lintence's fault, that time was Layfon's own fault. "I have been injured pretty badly when I was training." "But you've never been injured as badly as this before, have you?" As badly as today...Only in this battle. It wasn't wrong to put it that way. On the other hand, when he battled against the filth monster, if he couldn't win and was forced to retreat, dying from the pollutants in the air would have been perfectly normal. (Ah, but...an excuse like that...) Leerin didn't participate in the battle, so she wouldn't understand. It wasn't her fault either. It was a difference in perception between normal citizens and Military Artists. It was also true that Layfon was repeatedly in the care of the hospital since his arrival at Zuellni. (Even though unpredictable events had occurred one after another, they failed to surprise anyone.) (Is it because I have gotten weaker?) Layfon thought about this. His senses weren't as sharp as they used to be at Grendan, but that was inevitable. "Well it was different this time." He was hit over the head with a hollow "dong" sound. "That's not a reason" said Leerin in a reprimanding tone. Her eyes...She looked as if she was about to cry.

"I'm sorry." "You have to be careful next time." "Ok." The atmosphere suddenly turned very serious, and Layfon obediently lowered his head. "I guess I'll let it pass this time." Leerin revealed a comparatively more relaxed and less worried expression. There were tears in the corner of her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away. (Oh, it was that. I haven't shown any signs of repenting for my actions.) Understanding Leerin's reasons for being angry at him, Layfon sighed in relief. This was the ritual he performed as a symbol of reconciliation with her. If he correctly put on a regretful expression, her anger would cease and that would ease Layfon's heart. "It is really fortunate that you could arrive here safely." Taking roaming buses to other cities was extremely dangerous. If filth monsters attacked them while they were on the roaming bus, they wouldn't last very long. "We didn't run into any filth monsters." "That's great." "But it was really uncomfortable being cramped in the bus for so long." "At first the bus seems really spacious, but after you consider how much time you'll spend in the vehicle it starts to seem really cramped. Even though there is ventilation, there is still a really bad smell and you can't even wash yourself properly. It's really uncomfortable." Layfon silently listened to Leerin's complaints. Sitting here, listening to her, it sounded like she wanted some sort of compensation. She was still the same old self. Maybe something happened after her arrival, so as she was sorting out everything that happened she kept up her usual air. Because Layfon had also experienced a drastic change like this, he understood what was going on. He had also been sorting out the changes that had occurred up till now, as well as his feeling on living together with Leerin in the past. As he sorted his thoughts out, he also observed the

changes. Again, he reaffirmed his changes to himself. "...It seems after arriving at Zuellni there are many girls near Layfon, taking care of you." "Erm...Ah..." "I haven't seen you for only a short time and you've changed already. When did you learn to woo so many girls?" "Wai Wait a second. Didn't I tell you about my captain in my letters?" "True, but it's still suspicious. There are things that you can't write in a letter, such as things like 'I'm being happily chased and sought after.' What did you come here to do? To study, right?" "Yeah, that's right, but... you've got it all wrong. Those people really have helped me a lot, but there wasn't any other meaning to it." Without knowing what happened, Layfon nervously attempted to explain the situation. "They aren't really my lovers or anything... and they shouldn't have those kinds of thoughts about me anyway." "Is it really like that?" "What?" Leerin had mumbled something under her breath. It was really quietly whispered and Layfon couldn't quite catch it. "Then, you had better explain your relationship with them right now." With that Leerin suddenly leaned in closely. "Then... Ok?" Layfon had no choice but to begin his explanation. (Well... the explanation right now probably isn't too reliable) Leerin considered it knowingly, thinking of how her slow-witted childhood friend couldn't possibly guess what other people felt deep down in their hearts. So in reality, what Layfon was saying only fit in with what was on the surface, and wouldn't be of too much use. Even considering its unreliability, she could still find some things out from his explanation. For example, his feelings and thoughts towards the ring of girls who had surrounded him upon his arrival at Zuellni. (Haaa...What exactly...what exactly did I come here for?)

Feeling a little annoyed with herself, Leerin listened to Layfon's explanation. "Then... Who started the friendship?" "That, it was..." Layfon could only tell Leerin what was happening on the surface. If it was like that, then figuring out what was going on beneath the surface would be Leerin's job. Interlude 01 "Who's that pretty girl? That girl who gave me the directions." "Ah, are you talking about Felli-senpai?" "Senpai? You're joking, right?" "Yeah, she's a second year student." "Yeah, you're right. Layfon's a first year, right? But she looks pretty young. Maybe I did something bad?" "What did you do?" "Eh? Nothing. I didn't do anything." "Then, you shouldn't care about it too much." "Yeah, you're right...well, she seems a bit like a person who attracts attention." "Ah, you're right about that. Felli-senpai seems to be a bit neurotic." "She didn't do anything, and she just suddenly starts apologizing to me, placing me in a difficult position." "Well, just be wary in the future, and think about how to improve your relationship." "Is that all? According to that letter, that person is a Psychokinesist, right? "Yeah, that person is a prodigy. It's the first time I've heard of a psychokinesist whose hair glows when they use their powers. I wonder if that happens with Delbone-sama as well. I've never seen it, so I wouldn't know. "Delbone-sama is that Heaven's blade successor, right? Wasn't she standing beside her

majesty in the new year's ceremony?" "Ah, that was just an acting Heaven's blade successor. That's because the twelve Heaven's Blades have to be complete." "Really? I've never heard of that." "Yeah, so anyway, that's why Felli-senpai is a psychokinesist." "Ah, I've seen her hair glowing before as well; it really is a beautiful sight." "She doubts her destiny as a psychokinesist and so she came to Zuellni in hope of learning something else, yet she was forced by her brother, the Student Council president to transfer to the Military arts department." "Didn't he force you as well? He's so over the board and extreme." "I reckon. But with the way that person does things, I think he puts many things into consideration." "Maybe it's like that, but even so it seems a bit overboard. As a brother, shouldn't he be supporting his sister in every way he can?" "I agree, that's what he should be doing." Cool in the cafe That day, Layfon lived out a perfectly normal day of his life without anything abnormal. After getting out of bed in the morning, he went to school and stayed there, attending classes and absorbing all the information from his lectures without delay until dusk. Afterward, he went to his platoon training session. To the Zuellni Military Arts department first year Layfon, it was a day which was devoid of anything worth mentioning - just another normal day. His platoon training was the same as always; with Captain Nina filled with enthusiasm, Sharnid, who didn't know what enthusiasm meant, Felli, who was perpetually observing from the sidelines with absolutely zero enthusiasm, and Layfon, who always obediently completed all the exercises. Felli's immediate departure at the end of training was another part of daily life. But today, Sharnid, who normally disappeared right after Felli did, was staying behind and waiting for Layfon with a somewhat sinister smile. "Hey, you don't have work today, right? You couldn't possibly." This happened after Layfon took a relaxing shower after working up a rare sweat during

training. Nina had already returned, and Sharnid, who had already packed up and was ready to leave, was waiting outside the door of the training rooms in high spirits. "If you had to go to your part time job on a day like this, I'd probably end up rolling around on the floor laughing at you." "Stop acting talking about strange things sempai, I don't have any work today." "Good, you really are a lucky guy. Let's go and share the joys of a day like this together. It's not often that I invite another guy." As he said this, he tightly grasped Layfon's shoulders and, like that, forced Layfon out of the training area with him. "Just what are we doing?" "You'll just have to calm down and wait and see." Releasing a struggling Layfon from his grip, Sharnid lead the way with an extremely happy look on his face. Layfon quickly caught up to him, completely lost as to what was going on. The Regios. They were the whole world. Since the world was covered by pollutants, making it extremely difficult for normal life forms to survive on the earth. The people who lived in the world before it was polluted had the Alchemists create and pass on the Regios and continued to live the same way they did before, paying no attention to their drastic change in environment and returning to their everyday lives. Living in the wandering cities, they fought with the real inhabitants and menaces of the earth; the filth monsters. "It's here." He was brought in front of a coffee store by a confident Sharnid. Calling the store a restaurant wouldn't be an exaggeration, with a sign at the doorway listing all the kinds of dishes that were available and the store sign reading "Coffee Mira". Layfon remembered his classmate Mifi saying something about the selling point of this cafe being the beautifully dressed cute waitresses who served the food and drinks. "Ah... Do you like this sort of stuff, senpai?" Supposedly this was a very popular place among male customers, in comparison to its relative unpopularity among females. The mood of the caf was flirtatious, filled with handsome young men. It suited Sharnid, who always liked to hit on girls. "Cute girls are the heritage of the world, even though they aren't really part of our cultural heritage." As he laughed at his own words, Sharnid walked into the store.

"Welcome." Layfon was greeted by a young girl and it really surprised him. At the door, a whole line of girls who wore cute pink uniforms greeted Layfon and Sharnid. "Whoa..." "Table for two? Come with me." Layfon was still spaced out, and before he recovered he was already lead to his seat. After Layfon sat down, Sharnid said something quietly so that girl, who smiled and nodded. She then placed the menu in front of them and left. "What's happening?" "We're leaving the best till last right? Anyway, today is my treat, so just choose anything you like." "Ha..." Layfon felt puzzled at Sharnid's cheerful mood as he searched through the menu. "You really are a hard worker, aren't you? Even if you didn't do that every day you would be just as strong." As Sharnid looked at his menu, he started talking about their platoon training. "It's not that I want to do the training seriously, it's that instead of wasting my efforts thinking about it, I might as well train instead." "I can understand that kind of thinking. Well...when you compare the inter-platoon matches to the actual inter-city battle, it still seems like a kind of game." "Did senpai participate in the last inter-city battle?" "I guess you could say that. But at the time, I hadn't gotten into a platoon yet, so I was just a normal member of the infantry. But because of that I could just relax and do all the support work from behind the front lines. "Next time will be the real thing, and if we don't win, there will be no future for Zuellni. Seeing the other platoons training seriously, and even organising all these inter-platoon matches, I really am moved." "It's more like you're trying your luck, sempai." "If you're too serious about everything then you won't be able to experience the joys that this world has to offer. A normal Military Artist would never leave victory for luck to

decide. I guess I'm the only one who can do such a thing without worries." Layfon pretended he didn't hear anything at all and closed the menu. "Oh! Have you finished choosing what you want? Then...Hey!" Sharnid motioned to a nearby waitress. "So what did we really come here for?" "You'll find out in a sec." Ignoring the silently smiling Sharnid who wouldn't answer any of his questions, Layfon shifted his gaze into the scenery outside the window. It wasn't too long before somebody came over. "What would you like?" Her air was totally different from the girls who had welcomed Layfon at the door...it seemed like she was angry? "Ah..." "......................." As Layfon turned his head around, he found a very familiar person standing before him. Outside of training, her long hair was usually worn over flowing her shoulders but right now it was tied in a high ponytail with a bright red ribbon. On that delicate face you could say that her features were all very well proportioned. Her long eyelashes were quivering; needless to say, she was very angry. "Felli...Senpai?" "What would you like?" Before he was cut off, his voice was barely audible from the shock, the tone of his words revealing much of his underlying thoughts. It was Felli, without a doubt. Speaking of which, there couldn't possibly be another beauty such as this in Zuellni anyway. Also a Military Artist of the 17th platoon, this senpai was older than Layfon by a year, and she was also the sister of the president of the Student Council. A psychokinesist prodigy. To think that Felli, who was expressionless no matter where she went, that Felli who seemed like she was unhappy, a synonym for indifference, was wearing such a cute, pink costume working in this store, was hard to believe.

But she was standing before him regardless. And even her name card clipped to her chest read: "Felli Loss" "What are you doing here...?" "Have you decided what you would like?" The second time she asked that question she cut him off yet again in deathly cold manner. Sharnid, who was shaking all over, could take it no longer and finally burst out laughing. Even with this, Felli continued to fume as she kept her cheeks drawn. "Have you decided what you would like?" What on earth is happening...Am I having a nightmare? In reality, her biggest failure was to be found out by Sharnid-senpai while she was looking for a job. That thought wouldn't leave Felli's head as she angrily picked up the curved plates in the kitchen. Girls wearing the same cute uniforms as Felli as if their looks were their only redeeming quality bustled all around her. Girls with larger chests specifically wore clothing which emphasized that point and the rest of them chose to wear chest pads to wear such clothing as well. Someone else also suggested that Felli do the same, but the offer was immediately rejected. Thinking back, she could only blame herself for not thinking that this kind of thing would happen. Felli continued to hide in that corner cursing Sharnid with a furious look in her eyes. "Are you looking for a job?" After she had finished eating during her lunch break and was enjoying a cup of tea as she read through an info-magazine, Sharnid came over and asked that question. "Ahh..." Noticing Sharnid peeking at her careers magazine over her shoulder Felli nervously closed it. But in doing so, she revealed the cover of the magazine instead, and she ended up not hiding anything at all. Even if she put the magazine into her bag the moment she noticed someone else reading it, there was no way she could have deceived the vision of a Military Artist. It was even more impossible when you considered the fact that Sharnid was a sniper in the team, and his vision was several times better than a normal Military Artists in the first place.

"Do you have a problem?" "Ah, no, no...But to see Felli-chan looking for a job is not something you see every day. What's wrong? I thought your parents were sending you money for living expenses, unless for some reason this month they're experiencing some sort of financial crisis?" "That's..." ...impossible. As she thought this, Felli decided to keep her cool and play along. She had already received the money from her parents, and although she wasn't too sure of its exact value, she knew it was far beyond what a normal student got. And that money was perfectly managed by her brother so that there would be no unnecessary waste. So getting a job had nothing to do with earning more money. But... "No, you're exactly right. My brother went overboard and bought too many books. " In short, she was trying to push all the blame onto her brother. "Oh? That Student Council President-sama? There shouldn't be any problems with the city's budget right?" As Sharnid said this, he had a look of indifference on his face but he as stroking his chin as if thinking intensely about something. "In other words, you want to get some money as quickly as possible?" "As long as it isn't anything shady." "It's legal! It's legal! It's definitely legal! All you're doing is delivering the completed dishes to the customers." It wasn't that she trusted that smiling Sharnid. It's only that she accepted the offer, considering the circumstances that she was in. That was how she had gotten into a situation like this. "You bastard, I'll remember this!" Sharnid hadn't actually lied to her. All she really did was ask what people wanted to eat, and then serve those dishes to the customers. But she never thought that she would be brought to a shop where you had to wear costumes like this. "Ok, new girl. Are you used to the job now?"

"I'm memorizing the menu right now." Hearing someone shouting, Felli turned around. And it was something like... "Really~~? Felli-Chan really is a brilliant child. You could probably remember it immediately, right~~?" To think she was being hired by a man like this. This man was wearing a cute pink uniform and is talking in a feminine voice, happily waving at all the waitresses. "Everyone, do your best to show off your cute points, ok? What's our mission?" "To make cuteness reign supreme!" "That's right!" Seeing the shop owner happily nodding at the waitresses' replies, Felli's head felt like it hurt even more. "And it's all thanks to Sharnid, too." His nightmare got even worse. As he thought this, Layfon pretended to not notice the man in the strange uniform and continued to eat. "You guys are the best, right?" "Yeah. Ever since I started the store, we've been making uniforms like this, so we always pick girls who could bring out that feeling on the chest part of the uniform So that's why I'm considering making a new type of uniform which can bring out Felli-chan's loli aspect." "Layfon, this here is my classmate from my first year here, and right now he's going into the clothing industry." "I'm James~~ Please take care of me, and please use a light too and call me James~~" "Haaa... Nice to meet you." "I decided that opening a normal clothing store would be too boring, so I opened this instead. However, it actually turned out to be a huge success." "A couple of normal stores also use this sort of uniform as the basis for their designs." "Those guys are a bit miserable, aren't they?" "Yeah, there isn't a single girl in the world who would understand the cuteness of those uniforms."

Listening to words that seemed logical and incomprehensible at the same time, Layfon decided to not make any judgments and remain as a listener for the entirety of the conversation. "So in order for us to maintain our customers who live in that area, we have to do much better and we're working very hard to improve. We have many more competitors than before. It's because there are fewer and fewer kids willing to work here, and some are even taken away to work at other places......It's thanks to Sharnid that we have pulled through this tough time." "So what you guys were talking about for that whole time, it was all about Felli-Senpai wasn't it?" Layfon started to understand a little of what they were really talking about. But no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't imagine Felli coming to work at a place like this by herself. "Yeah, we were. She was looking for a job, so I introduced her here." "Haa..." Sharnid obviously didn't make it very clear to Felli as to the nature of her job before she arrived...Layfon began to feel sorry for Felli. But still, it seemed strange that Felli, who had never had a job, suddenly needed one. Anyway, it's all thanks to her that it seems that we've gotten the upper hand over our competitors. I heard that many people are secretly her fans. This time the store with the highest sales is ours. "What are you guy's talking about?" "Eh? Ah, recently there have been many shops which have opened up nearby which are very similar to ours. Everyone is competing for customers, causing income for each store to drop quite a bit." "Seriously. It's because the things we sell in our store originally couldn't be found anywhere else, and since we've become well known, immediately many other people tried to enter the market. If they wanted to copy us, it would have been fine if they opened up somewhere different, but they had to cramp up here with us. All they are doing is causing trouble for other people." "Well...the thing is, not many people like this sort of stuff in the first place, so if you think about it from an business standpoint opening here is actually not a bad choice. Regardless of what happens though, if this continues on, at this rate everyone is going to go broke." "If the competition gets too fierce it won't be good for the economy either." "That's why the economic scientists stepped out and tried reconciliation, and made this

decision. Next week, there will be a turnover competition, and the shop with the most turnovers will be accepted by the Economic Sciences department." "We are putting the honor of the store on the line here, so no matter what we must come first. But at the rate we are going at now, it's not enough to overcome our opponents. Because the other stores used us as a blueprint of sorts and have worked out some sort of marketing strategies, but as a result they don't have anything that is key to their victory. Out strategy of changing uniforms every month has allowed us to pull away from them a little, so next week we have decided to change our uniforms everyday in order to attract more customers. But what we can't have a shortage of in battle is man-power." "So you decided to hire Felli-Senpai." "That's exactly right." It seemed like he understood but then looked like he didn't, showing an expression which was difficult to describe. "Then...does Senpai know about this?" "Of course she knows, I have already given her the pay for next week." "Ah...I see." A week eh...If it was spent doing a job you didn't like, the week would probably pass by very slowly. And it was a job which was in complete contrast with her image. (It should be OK, right?) She would definitely make a mistake somewhere down the line. "What would you like?" "Uhh...A hamburger meal please." "What drink would you like?" "Uhh, red iced tea please." "Would you like me to bring it up together, or do you want to wait until you've finished eating for me to bring it over." "Together please." "Ok, it'll be ready in a moment."

Faintly, a feeling of cold indifference rose up over that cute atmosphere which the pink uniform created, making the customers flinch. Felli looked as if she didn't see them at all, and left the table. After she left the table, the customers let out a sigh, released from that tension. As Felli gave the orders to the kitchen, the store owner said "Felli-chan~ you have to keep smiling, smiling." "Smiling...is it?" "Yes, you have to show our customers your most beautiful expression." "To smile." "Yes. It doesn't have to be heartfelt, ok? But forcefully smiling isn't ok either. It's ok to act like you're happy, and if you think you can do it you should welcome the customers as they enter and feel their smiles. Have a look at how the other girls do it." He looked at the busy waitresses in the other stores. Felli looked over at the girls who were standing there, all of them with bright, clear smiles on their faces. At the same time, she noticed all the males in there had a lusty look on all their faces. "..............." Perhaps he followed Felli's line of sight, as the store owner immediately followed up with a couple of lines. "You don't need to be too conscious of how the customer's are looking at you. If you can't go to the door and welcome the customers, then please try and display the cutest aspect of yourself." That's hard too. "We aren't trying to greet the customers with an overbearing air. If I had to describe it, then it would be a frank expression. Let them feel that they are being welcomed like friends in a relaxed manner." "Frank..." "Can't do it?" The store owner was also starting to feel a little insecure. "I've never tried smiling before." "That's strange, your brother is a professional when it comes to smiling. His fake smile really is brilliant."

"It confuses people into not knowing what to think." "Even if you are thinking about something else, it's ok. If you smile, you leave a very good impression upon other people. Knowing that, your brother is always showing a smiling expression." "Haa..." "Then practice your smile please. You can have a look at those girls, and say something like 'welcome'" "...Welcome." "Noo~~ooo! You weren't smiling. Try again." "Welcome." "Your eyes don't have a very welcoming feel to them." "Welcome." "You're too stiff." "Welcome." "No! No! This won't do!" "Welcome." "Try again." "I think you can do it." ...Just like this, they continued to do this for a length of time. About an hour had passed. "...Have a bit of a rest." The store owner showed his weakness first. "Oh, you really are quite stubborn." "That wasn't my original intention." "It seems she really hasn't ever smiled before."

Felli decided that she would put on an innocent look, but there was practically no way for her to communicate that. It was always like that. Felli had trouble with expressing her feeling to anyone other than her family members. "She pretty much failed." So that's all they could say. The store owner wiped the sweat off his forehead, and thought it over a little before continuing. "Ok, seeing as it's come to this, then we just have to prepare our store to match your expression instead." "Haa..." "Just show us your unique expression. That cool loli feeling. Next week we'll prepare a special uniform just for you. Aaaah~~ It's been a while since I've felt this excited." "No, that's..." "I've already decided. I will not change my decisions. We will change our uniforms daily Uwaahh! It's going to be difficult. Uwaahh!" The store owner pranced away with impossibly tiny footsteps, and Felli couldn't stop him. It wasn't because she was worried about what she was thinking that she couldn't properly communicate with him. She didn't really care what he thought of her. How other people perceived her, wasn't a problem for Felli at all. Right now the issue was... To tell the truth, she wanted to resign. She didn't need any money at all. And she didn't think that this job was very interesting either. And it wasn't like she had no option other than to do the job. Indeed, she really wanted to throw the week's worth of pay she was given in advance right in the store owner's face and just leg it out of there. "AAAAAAHHHHHH!"

No, this was serious. "AAAHHH! Genius! I'm a genius! A prodigy! Kami-Sama has gifted me with my superior abilities. Perhaps you'd better just call me Kami-Sama? Once again, I have gathered the conviction that I had lost by my side." If she could run away from that shop owner who was constantly making these weird noises, Felli would definitely do that. "That's..." "Yes, it's Kami-Sama. I am Kami-Sama. That's why I have to say this. What is cuteness? Cuteness is justice. That's why all those who are cute are gathered to my side." "It doesn't matter how you do it, but please give me a more normal response." "Ah, I'm sorry. I accidentally got caught up in the moment; there's no need for you to worry as it happens all the time." "...All the time?" Keeping a constant distance between herself and the shop owner who was still shaking from his recent excitement, Felli looked at the uniform she was wearing again. It should have been...changed a little. The design of the uniform was definitely different from the others. The uniform doubtlessly still retained its cute feel, having kept its pink color They had started from pink, and finally returned to pink. She felt that if they were going to use that uniform emphasize her selling points it would be a little forced. "It seems blue and black really do suit you the most. But if we just obediently followed that train of thought, we wouldn't have a chance to dig deeper into your potential, and I can't further make use of my genius. Regardless as to how it goes, as long as it is confined by some sort of trend, then that would be a defeat; one which I cannot accept. You have to make cuteness your objective, you must make that pink color your objective!" "Please don't just casually put out a motto like that." "But no matter what it's one which I must always adhere to. It's difficult, oh, it's difficult." He didn't look troubled at all; instead seeing the shop owner revealing an expression of utmost satisfaction at the new uniform Felli couldn't say anything. "Well then, everybody! From now on for the next week, we must all work hard, ok? You are warriors which have been chosen to protect the cute-ism ideals. In order to protect the cuteness in the world, you must show the customers your heartfelt smiles filled with bravery and hope... It's also in order to protect what's dear to you! What's dear to you?" "Of course, our pay!"

Just like this, with the dropping of the shop owner's tears, the sales wars began. "Ok, ok, let me have a look at what the uniform has turned into." "Why did we have to come to a place like this?" After training ended, Layfon was dragged here by Sharnid again. This was the roof of some tall building. Layfon listlessly asked Sharnid who was lying on the water tank enhancing his vision with Internal-type Kei and looking toward the store. "If I peeped at her from close up I'd probably piss Felli off, yeah?" "So they say..." "Even if it's her, she probably wouldn't be using psychokinesis while she's at work." "No, that's not what I'm trying to say." "If anything diverges from the plan, then I'll lose all the money I put into the bet." "You bet on something again?" "Of course, that's why I prepared the ultimate weapon." "And the ultimate weapon refers to...?" "Well, you'll see." Sharnid dragged Layfon over by the neck, and Layfon used his Kei unwillingly and looked across to the Cafe. The store was filled with people. In the midst of it all, girls wearing pink uniforms rushed back and forth. Of the people who were sitting in the cafe, the majority of them were pretty much male students in uniform. Their eyes were glowing as they looked towards the girls in the pink uniforms. And out of all the girls, the male students were all looking towards Felli. Felli, wearing a custom uniform, wore the same cold expression on her face as she carried

the plates back and forth. After placing their meals in front of the stunned customers, she left without a shred of warmth in her expression. Even so, all the male customers in the store were completely satisfied. "How is it?" "That..." "I have no idea how to describe this situation" thought Layfon. Felli was the same as always with a cold, featureless expression. What was more striking was an annoyed look as if she had been forced to do this reflected on her doll-like face. Even though she should be very nervous at carrying all those dishes around, yet... "It seems like you still don't get it" said Sharnid as he shook his head. "It doesn't matter that she doesn't provide a very welcome service. Look, see all those girls around her who are attending to the customers' every need? Look at them all, all smiling the same smile, and even the girls who are a even a little cute just get buried under the whole group. No matter how much prettier Felli is she would probably be the same, buried by the rest of the girls. That's the result of the uniforms. Wearing the same uniforms, doing the same things and saying the same words, it will always bury a person's individuality to an extent. The only people who could tell all those waitresses apart would be the waitresses themselves. But Felli is different. She's definitely wearing the same systematic uniform, but the impression she makes is different to the rest of them. And on top of that the other girls are obviously treating the guests enthusiastically. 'What's wrong with her?' is probably what most of the people are thinking when they see her. As long as you give them this kind of an impression, you've won. She's already a lot prettier than the rest, making other people wish they could see her smile. Not the smile she uses to greet the customers. Her real smile." Her real smile. Speaking of which, Layfon hasn't ever seen it either. "Senpai, you...have you seen Felli-Senpai smiling before?" "No. She already has a fan club, and the people there haven't caught her honestly smiling either. But there are heaps of people who are willing to pay a lot of money for a picture of her smiling." "Speaking of which, what's in that box?" Beside Sharnid, there was a box which he could carry over his shoulder. "That's a telescopic camera which I borrowed from the people in the Newspaper Club." "You're trying to get pictures too."

"Naturally" said Sharnid confidently, leaving Layfon sighing in resignation. Just like that, he unconsciously probed the area around him. "How do I say it, there seems to be a lot of people around here." "They are the members of the fan club. Damn, they really are quick. If it's like this, even if it's a smile out of professional duty, it'll have to do." Sharnid anxiously got the camera out of the box and proceeded to get into position. In that position, he looked like a sniper who had already locked onto his target. "No matter what, I must take a photo of her smiling." Seeing Sharnid erase his presence completely with his external-type Kei right in front of him, Layfon tilted his head, using internal-type Kei to boost his aural sensory organ, or more commonly known as an ear, and listened for any changes. With a clang, the dishes that were originally on the tray fell out in front of Felli. The spaghetti bolognaise was tipped all over the floor, and the sauce spilt out with it. The empty tray fell onto the floor spinning, going sha-ra sha-ra. The waitresses who saw this immediately began to apologize successively, and Felli turned her head looking over her shoulder behind her. Somebody had pushed Felli from behind her, making her lose her balance and drop the meal. But as she turned her head to look back, there wasn't anyone near her. (She must have been set up) The person who pushed Felli from behind vanished just like that, during the instant when Felli's concentration was broken by the fallen dishes. (Was it on purpose? Who?) "Hey, aren't you even going to apologize?" While she was looking for some person who had already vanished, an angry voice cut in. It came from a guest who was on the table beside Felli whose uniform was splattered with oily dots from the sauce. "You don't even check if you had splattered that on anyone, how the hell are you treating customers?" The waitress who was holding onto the mop froze in confusion.

That person was wearing a Military Artist's uniform, and the expression on his face was doubtlessly one of fury. The store suddenly quieted down. "My most sincere apologies." Felli lowered her head. "If you want to apologize, then get rid of this filth on me." Felli lowered her head, listening to that person's words, and she immediately realized that that person wasn't really angry. It was all an act. As she noticed this, Felli immediately checked the feelings on her hips. The sword belt wasn't there. Of course, she didn't have her Dite rod hidden anywhere either. Realizing that she was about to teach that person a lesson, Felli remembered what she was here to do. (Since she was taking care of a customer, she couldn't do that) "Hey, say something." "I'm extremely sorry." Just like that, she lowered her head and repeated those same words. She couldn't think of anything else to say. "Aiyayaya, we're very sorry Customer-san." The store owner spoke in an extremely high pitched voice as if to ward off the awkwardness of the situation, quickly appeared in front of Felli. "We are very sorry. We'll pay for the cleaning. The dishes will be free as well, so please forgive us." "I don't want to hear this." "Eh?! Aiya, then what?" The customer moved in front of Felli with difficulty as she had been pushed aside by the store manager who was acting as if he were lamenting. "As soon as I came in here I felt unsatisfied. Everyone is pretentiously doing work in front of the customers and there isn't a single sincere smile here. It really pisses me off."

That was actually a very appropriate statement. However, she didn't lose her calm but instead felt a cutting pain on her skin. Felli was also very self-conscious about the fact that she couldn't smile properly. When she was practicing with the store owner, she felt that even if she didn't' smile very often, she should still be able to do it. She was quite shocked herself. "I'm extremely sorry." But, right now, the problem wouldn't just go away after laughing a little. And he couldn't even put on a smiling expression anyway. Felli just kept her head lowered for the whole time. "I'm sorry." In the resting room Felli lowered her head as she apologized to the store owner. "It's okay~~this kind of thing is pretty common in this business" said the store owner, lightheartedly dismissing the apology with a wave of his hand. That customer had left after taking the money for cleaning his clothes. Felli was allowed to have a short break, which is why she was in this resting room, which doubled as a change room for the girls that worked here. Felli stared at the spiraling pattern that spread across the tea cup in the store owner's hand. "...I really wasn't suited to do things like serving the customers." There wasn't a single time where she revealed her true smile. All she did the whole time was listen to the customers' conversations closely. "In that kind of a situation, what would Karian have done?" thought Felli. He would probably deal with it perfectly. No, her brother would never let the customer get angry in the first place. But Felli couldn't do it. And she was completely lost on what to do. "Well...I had thought that dealing with the customers would have been the easiest job, but I hadn't considered suitability for the role." "Then..." "But, I don't think you're not suited to the role." "Eh??" "You quickly memorized the entire menu and when you deliver the dishes there aren't any excess movements. And it's not like you're completely unable to treat the customer nicely, so there's no way anyone could tell you were a newbie."

She never thought that she would be praised, and Felli started feeling dazed about all this. "But it's a pity, we still can't increase the number of customers that way." When he put it like that, for some reason Felli suddenly felt calm again. "Well, if you went to the other stores, there are probably some waitresses who aren't too friendly either. The issue here isn't whether or not you're suited to the job, this is the customer service business. There aren't any real qualifications required, and in a job like this, screwing up is part of the business as well." "Ha...." "But you're not really getting stressed over this right?" The store owner continued "I've got many military artist friends, and most of the psychokinesists are all people who aren't very good at expressing themselves, right? Even though us commoners don't really understand, but those friends told me, that when the psychokinesists are using Nen-I, in order to sharpen their senses, they will normally cut off their responses from their physical body." She kind of understood the meaning behind these words. While using psychokinesists to gather enormous amounts of information, if their bodies reacted to all of the information they received it would waste a large amount of time. So in order to prevent this kind of reaction, the brain limited the amount of information sent to the nervous system in the body. If that repeated continuously over time, the result would be the same as how Felli was now. Whether it be shock, anger or grief...and even laughter, all of those emotions are processed within the brain, and thus Felli became an emotionless doll. "But that's something that must be fixed. In reality, right now, my friend can finally begin to smile again. I think that if you want to express yourself properly, it's definitely not impossible." "Is...that true?" "Of course, I guarantee you." "... The store owner's promise seems somewhat unreliable." "Hey, that was too far." "But, I'm extremely grateful to you." "Ara? What's wrong?" "I don't know if I've figured out where my goal is. I was just thinking that a person already assigned to the Military Arts department who is unable to read the atmosphere and regretted

it might exist." The store owner tilted his head, looking at Felli, and Felli felt that the gloomy atmosphere had gotten somewhat more relaxed, and her facial expressions recovered likewise. After bidding the store owner good day, Felli left the resting room. "...That really scared me," muttered the store owner to himself as he spaced out in the resting room. "Really, that child can smile too. If she practiced a little more, she could do a professional smile as well...ah...but it'll be impossible by this week. And I don't know if that child will still work here after this." The store owner's inner musings never reached Felli's ears. "Was that ok?" A little distance away from the store in a nearby alleyway stood the man from before. He was looking uncomfortably at his surroundings as he flattened out his tie. "You did it very well," said a girl, wearing a bright pink Caf Mira costume. "If a perfect girl with such a noble air to her resigned, Caf Mira's customers would definitely be reduced. Even if she doesn't resign, it would take away a lot of her enthusiasm. If we do this another two, three times, then that Onee-san will definitely not be able to take it anymore." "But is this ok? Isn't that where you work?" "Yeah, it's fine. I'm starting to get annoyed with that boring shop owner cause of how long I've been here. And I hate how he has us wear these idiotic clothes. If you can do it well, you'll get paid for your acting fees." This waitress had accepted the bribe of a rival to Caf Mira. In today's competitive market, buying people out was perfectly natural, but amidst all that, transactions such as these occur quietly in the background. This is also something which the Commerce Department was worried might happen. "Anyway, it's about time to get these clothes off. It wouldn't be good if other people recognized me." "What? Cause it'll make other people think you enjoy Cosplaying?" At this moment, they heard a new voice. "So that's how it is, huh? Well, I knew it would be like this anyway..."

"Who is it..." "Who cares who I am. To appear in a situation like this, I must be a hero of justice, right? Do you understand your position?" Sharnid stood there, looking like he was blocking the way to the exit of the lane. "Che. Seventeenth Platoon." "That's how it is." Sharnid snickered at the slowly retreating boy. "What're you doing? What do you want with us?" shouted the waitress. Sharnid shrugged his shoulders. "Well...if it was just me, it wouldn't really be a problem. But there's someone else who wants to have a little chat with you guys." "Huh?" After hearing Sharnid's words, the other two finally noticed. "You should be feeling your backs getting cold about now. Although I'm surprised at how relaxed you guys are, how do you feel now?" It was as if there was a gale behind them. They gingerly turned around, and standing there was... "....................." Stunned to silence, the two just stood there rigidly like corpses. Layfon was standing behind them. Gazing at them, silently. He wasn't holding anything in his hands, but his dite was clearly hung on his hip-belt for all to see. It felt like he could whip it out in an instant. "Speaking of which...you guys were talking about some very interesting things. That it wouldn't be good for people who know you to recognize you. Can you tell us why you would be troubled by that?" "What...What do you want? It's got nothing to do with you." "Well... it doesn't have anything to do with us, but..." There was a very quite knocking sound. It was the sound of Layfon tapping the Dite with his fingers.

Da... Da... Da... The sounds reverberated through the small alleyway with rhythm. "Did you know? There's a rule, specifically dealing with duels between Military Artists in the student handbook. Well, if we did this in public, we would break the rule, but if you reject others' challenges, it's a sort of disgrace to a Military Artist. It's not easy to reject another's challenge." As he said this, Sharnid slowly pulled out the student handbook. "Let me see, ok? Lets, see... Lets see...If there's to be a duel between Military Artists on school grounds, you must first apply to the student council for permission, and after verification of the two student's identities, the duel is to take place at a specified arena. The weapons must comply with the Academy City's regulations...etc. etc." He closed the student handbook with a slap. "So, you'll have to wait until our trump card decides to apply for a duel before this can proceed. If you piss him off, even just a little, then you'll no longer get to speak reason to him. So let me tell him." Da. Da. Da. The sound was continuing. Seeing the paling boy, Sharnid continued. "So, what do you say?" "W-w-w-wait a sec, I, I'm not really a Military Artist, I've only just worn this uniform for a little while. Duels or whatever, just spare me!" "Then that makes it very difficult for us. That's obviously against the rules. Then... about the uniform, it's the proof of what kind of student you are, and if there's no valid reason to be wearing another type of uniform then you'll have to receive punishment. It says here." "It's much better than a duel." As the male student lamented he took off his Military Artist's uniform and threw it onto the floor. Da...The sound stopped. The boy looked relieved as he collapsed in a heap onto the floor. "Hmm... I guess it's ok like that as well. Then we're done over here, but not quite yet over there, eh?" "What are you going to do?" The blanching waitress looked down upon Sharnid with a belittling expression.

"This guy wearing a Military Artist's uniform has absolutely nothing to do with me." "Woah, acting like you don't know him already?" "What are you talking about, acting? I obviously don't know him." "Well, if you want to take this approach it's fine as well. Then how did she drop all those dishes and spill it over a customer's trousers?" "It was her mistake, I suppose." It seems she was going to pretend she didn't hear what the other boy had said previously... No, she was insisting that she didn't even speak to the boy. Of course, Layfon and Sharnid both knew Felli, so you could say they were protecting one of their own people and lying. "No, that's not such a simple problem." As he said this, he took out the camera. "I prepared this baby to catch a Kodak moment, but instead it caught a different moment instead" "Che..." "I got the decisive shot. We haven't broken the student rules by doing this...at least we shouldn't have. Anyway, if the Commerce Department catch wind of some bad rumors, it might be pretty difficult to find any jobs in the future." "..............." Looking at the silent waitress, Sharnid gave Layfon a signal with his eyes, telling him what to do. But Layfon didn't reply either. The blood rushing to his head was genuine; him getting pissed off wasn't an act either, but to push a girl in a dilemma to make a choice still seemed low. And it wasn't their place to deal with this girl either. If he still forced her to make a decision, it would seem a little excessive. If they were officially questioned, it would actually be Layfon and Sharnid who wouldn't be able to answer.

"...Really, what the hell are you guys doing?" Hearing a tired, sigh, Layfon and Sharnid's bodies both shivered from the surprise. "Oh, Felli-Chan. Are you well?" "Of course. I'm having a wonderful time working at some brilliant store somebody recommended to me." "Wahh... but isn't that obviously displeasure in your voice?" "And on top of that, you make someone your money tree?" As she said this, Felli walked up to Sharnid and pulling the camera off him and took out the memory card in an instant. "I'm confiscating this." "That memory card has a huge storage capacity, and it was pretty expensive. Can you return it to me afterwards?" "Denied." Hearing this, Sharnid powerlessly lowered his head. Ignoring Sharnid's reaction, Felli stood in front of the waitress. "What are you doing?" The girl looked at Felli with contempt and provocation. Felli brought down her palm with a lot of force. The sound didn't seem to match with the small lane...or rather, it was a huge noise you would expect to find on busy highways, reverberating in that tiny side street. "Hmph." "Ah...." The sound was so loud it left Layfon and Sharnid stunned for a moment. "Well, with that, your debt to me has gone away quite easily; I'll just leave you to the store owner and let him deal with you." Saying that, Felli stared steadily at her and walked past Sharnid, quickly returning to the store. The four people behind her watched her leave, stunned.

 It was already deep into the night. The shift was over, and Felli came out from the store. When she looked up, she saw a familiar person standing in front of her. "You were here." Layfon stood under a lamppost near the store. "Yeah, well..." "...Could it be that you've been waiting here for the whole time?" "No, even for me that would be too..." "No willpower?" "Eeehh?" As Felli finished speaking, she didn't even stop and left, and Layfon chased after her. "I'll walk you home." "Of course you will. You've been waiting for so long, so of course you would." And just like that, they continued to walk silently. But she still felt conscious about Layfon, who was walking behind her just out of her peripheral vision. His expression at that time was the exact opposite of that when he was fighting Filth Monsters; it really made people want to sigh. It was like a child throwing a fit... Felli sighed. "Really, thanks for before." "No...I'm sorry, I just went ahead and did something unnecessary." "You were really pissed off, weren't you? I could feel your killing intent from all the way inside the store." At that time, as Felli was repenting on her actions, she had already felt Layfon's killing intent. "Looking at you threatening those two people, you seemed pretty happy to me." "No, that was all Sharnid-senpai's idea." "Why were you so angry?"

"That...It seems I really can't bear to see my friends being bullied." She had guessed it was probably something like this much earlier, and her expectations for any other reasons were disappointing. "Well...that's just how you are." "And besides..." As if countering Felli's words, Layfon began to say something. "I also wanted to help senpai...Felli trying out things other than being a psychokinesist." He whispered this at a barely audible volume to himself, surprising Felli so much that she couldn't catch her breath. (This person really is...) She wanted to live a life outside that of a Nen-I user. Her brother knew that Felli had this dream. Other than him there was only Layfon. (He really is...He really is...He really is...!) Nobody else knew; only Layfon. She never even told her captain, Nina, and this man she did tell didn't even understand the meaning behind it. But at that time, she didn't know what kind of expression to put on. He was cheering for me, worrying about me, it really makes me happy... But Layfon, who knew of her dream, didn't recognize the deeper meaning to this dream at all, and his slowness really made Felli angry. Now, how was she going to show both those expressions at once... (Right now, she was completely lost on what expression to use.) "Fine, I'm going home!" Felli loudly ended the conversation, and continued on forward and as she confirmed the sounds of Layfon's chasing footsteps. She walked a little bit faster. Interlude 02 "........." "What's wrong?" "Speaking of which, there aren't any Heaven's Blade Successors who use metal whips, are there?" "I think you should know more about these things than I do."

"I guess I should. Well, including me, there're three people who use swords, and if you exclude Delbone, there's a person using his fists, a longsword, a shield, a gun, a staff, a bow and metal spheres. There isn't anyone who uses metal whips." "What's the matter, bringing up these things now." "Well, it's about my captain, Nina-senpai." "Yeah, I know, you're always talking about this person in your letters, and she seems to be very hardworking." "Yeah, it was just teaching her some moves. But I've taught her a lot of different moves before..." "Because Layfon isn't used to teaching others, that person must be having a hard time learning, right?" "Hmm, maybe it's like that. So that's why, I suddenly thought of a move at that moment. It's a move that couldn't be more suitable for her. But I can't remember where I picked up that move from." "...You've gotten dementia?" "Hmm...Maybe it's like that. But as long as I've seen a move once, I can immediately recognize the direction of its Kei flow, so maybe it wasn't a Heaven's Blade successor's move. I should be able to remember a person who used such an elegant move, even if I've only seen him once." "But to make Layfon so eager to teach her that move, that person must be really talented." "Yeah, she's really hardworking as well." "Oh...?" "Not only that, she's also very frank. I doubt there's anyone else who's as direct as she is. But then again, she's a little bit of a klutz at times." "You don't have the right to say that about others." "Really?" "Yes, really." "But I'm a little bit envious. Even though she's clumsy, she's still very straightforward about everything. It really makes me envious. "Yeah, maybe."

Diamond Passion To Layfon Alseif, Nina Antalk was someone who held many secrets. In the Academy City of Zuellni, as a Military Artist elite, she was allowed to enter a platoon as only a 3rd year, making her a very accomplished girl. At the same time, she was a person who was involved with the dilemma Zuellni was facing and was very passionate about doing something for the city. But where did this passion come from? He felt that if he went and asked her, he might be able to understand her feelings completely, but then again he might never be able to understand. "Is it really ok?" Nina asked Layfon in an unsettled manner. "It's ok." A completely spiritless Layfon nodded his head. They were in a training area that was especially reserved for the 17th platoon of Zuellni. Soundproof and shockproof materials were used to isolate this huge space, and in it, stood the Captain of the seventeenth squad, Nina and her platoon member Layfon. Only platoons with the bare minimum of four fighting members, such as the seventeenth squad, felt that the training area was extremely spacious. And in a situation like today when there were only two people, it felt even more spacious. It was also an unavoidable reality. Today was a rest day with lessons only before lunch, so most of the platoons had finished training by dusk. Even if the sounds of training came through the neighboring walls, it would be probably be some hardworking individual practicing by himself. "Is it really ok?" Asked Nina almost naggingly, as she confirmed the sensation of the two restored Dites she held in each of her hands. The whips that she wielded were weapons designed to emphasize offensive capabilities. "Anytime is fine." Again, he nodded as if unaware of anything. "I can't say how this'll turn out." Facing Layfon's attitude, Nina felt a little annoyed. She felt that she was being underestimated. Considering their strength, that would be understandable as well. The problem was that he wasn't even holding a Dite in his hands, and not only that, he had loosened his sword strap as well while still standing around with a complacent look on his

face, which made Nina feel like he had seriously insulted her self-respect. She wouldn't ask him again. She immediately got her internal-type Kei flowing. Using the internal-type Kei generated from within her to reinforce her entire body, she immediately cut down the distance between herself and Layfon. Following up on her charge, she brought out her right-hand metal whip. Nina locked onto Layfon's left shoulder. Layfon was in the center of her vision as she charged at him, and showing no signs of moving just caught Nina's strike just like that. The force in that strike was more than enough to rend flesh; to smash bone into little pieces. Even though the strike was that powerful, it was as if it had fallen upon a steel wall, and her wrist received a jarring impact instead. "Ugh..." Even though she didn't let go of the steel whip, Nina was caught completely off guard, and kept her distance from Layfon. "Do it more seriously." Layfon turned to face Nina, whose wrist was wracked with pain and spoke to her in a critical manner. "That attack was nothing like Senpai's usual attacks. You have to attack even more seriously, and make it so that I'm forced to evade it. If you can't do that, then there's no meaning to what I'm going to show you next." She's had been training with Layfon for a long time now, and it wasn't only after the platoon training sessions, but also with him during their rest days, but she had never seen Layfon like this before. "What's wrong?" She didn't ask him like that. A part of it was because she knew now wasn't the time to ask something like that, but she knew the real reason was her curiosity for what Layfon was going to show her next. "....................." Nina quietly increased the density of her Internal type Kei. Being able to do this in a blink

of an eye was thanks to Layfon's training as well. The unique breathing method she used when using Internal type Kei was also the result of taking Layfon's advice. He told her to keep her breath the same as it normally was, and as a result she managed to master Internal type Kei. When she first started, she would get exhausted very quickly. It felt like she couldn't properly control the Kei which burned within her, but now she could stabilize her Kei easily. She could feel her muscles expanding beneath her skin. It wasn't just her muscles, even the bones which held up her body was filling with Kei, making them harder. Her body was like a spring, coiling up and gathering energy, and then releasing it all. The target that she had locked on to hadn't changed; it was still the left shoulder. She brought her arm down in a direct stroke from up high. She released all her Kei at the moment of impact. "Wu..." Again, her wrist sent out a signal of pain as Nina looked at an unperturbed Layfon. This time Layfon moved. Grabbing Nina's right arm which was targeting his left shoulder, he punched her with the other hand in the stomach. The Kei which he released from his fist caused Nina to be flung against the opposing wall. Her back rammed into the wall, then Nina fell onto the ground with a crash. "What the hell's going on..." Layfon didn't hold back with his strike at all. Nina stood up quickly. Layfon stood there showing no signs of being injured, completely still. "Do you understand what I just did?" "No, filling your whole body up with Kei, I have no idea what you did" replied Nina, shaking her head. It was true; that's all she had figured out from all that. Her right wrist was aching. It was the evidence that all the power in her strike had been deflected back easily. If she hadn't loosened her grip at the moment of impact, the recoil would probably have been even greater. Layfon carried the first aid kit over, deftly treating Nina's wrist.

"Ah, I'm sorry." "...It's ok." He sprayed her wrist with a cooling mist to ease the pain, then used a bandage to wrap it up and secure it. Nina concentrated her Internal-type Kei near her wrist. Even though she didn't expect any real results, at least it would speed up her recovery. "What was that you did back there?" Compared to the pain in her wrist, she cared about that more. That move was probably what Layfon was going to show Nina. Even if it was like that, she couldn't understand it at all. "It didn't feel like striking a person at all, it felt as if I was hitting something very hard." "That was the Heaven's Blade Successor Reverse's move." "It was a Heaven's Blade Successor's move?" The Heaven's Blade Successors of Lance Shelled City Grendan were really powerful Military Artists who could single-handedly take Filth Monsters. And standing in front of her, Layfon was also a Heaven's Blade Successor before he came to Zuellni. "This technique is the only reason Reverse became a Heaven's Blade Successor, and it's no surprise." "Is it really that powerful of a technique?" No doubt it was; deflecting Nina's technique so easily. But relying on just that technique to become a Heaven's Blade Successor seemed a little surprising. Layfon is very strong. He warded off two attacks on Zuellni by the Filth Monsters by himself. But during those battles, Nina was standing aside and watching. That stunning scene made you forget to breathe. And the second time, fighting that mature form Filth Monster, Layfon performed moves which were impossible for Nina.

But most importantly of all, when he was facing such a huge existence, he didn't show any signs of fear. To be able to do all that by himself, that was the definition of strong. And that's why Nina started having thoughts of not being able to do anything by herself... "Kongoukei...(Diamond Kei)That's what this technique is called. It defends against all attacks and then causes them to rebound; the strongest shield. And then there is the strongest Guan Dao (halberd) wielded by Cauntia, which can cut through anything. This pair's combination attacks have massacred large numbers of Filth monsters." "...So that's why." She understood that reasoning. A team, which was made up of two people who had reached a genius level in their offense and defense, would surely be a formidable combination. But Layfon shook his head as Nina thought of this explanation. "There's Cauntia who only attacks and completely disregards defense, and there's reverse who only defends and never bothers with offense. Think about it carefully, and imagine the situation." With that body, she takes on the relentless attack of the filth monsters with such concentration that she barely blinks. Can you imagine that, Captain?" Nina didn't reply and was frozen on the spot. When they were battling the mature form filth monster, Nina acted as the bait. At that time the filth beast was coming closer and closer, pressuring her, and Nina was so scared that she couldn't move at all. She thought it was going to be the same as a battle, so she didn't think that there would be any problems. At that time, she never even imagined she might be torn into shreds by those gigantic teeth. She decided that she would imagine herself in such a situation more often. What kind of people would be there... "The basic idea of Kongoukei is to use Internal type Kei to reinforce your body and simultaneously follow the Kei of an attack and reflect it. It's actually very simple in theory. But the hard part is getting the timing right and to always be staring at the opponent with a persistent glare, and to do that you have to have a very strong will. You have to do those two things." As he said 'To always be staring at the opponent with a persistent glare' she already thought that it was possible for her to master his technique.

But, if it was as he said, then it shouldn't be that easy to learn. After all the training, Nina finally understood this from her experience. "Owowowow...." Nina woke up to excruciating pain in her muscles. How long had it been? Even before, she hadn't ever been like this before. Now she thought about it, recently every time she had forgotten her restraint and pushed herself too much she had done something that made her whole body sore with pain. But practicing by herself for self training all the time, to the point of being hospitalised, which was the catalyst for Layfon to start training her, providing Nina with very valuable training sessions. Ignoring the pain, she sat up with that blank look of having just woken up, adjusting her Kei breathing. This was her latest daily routine she had to go through. Her ultimate goal was to be able to maintain her Kei breathing even when she was sleeping, but right now, she still couldn't do it. It wasn't actually to flood her lungs with Kei, but it was to stabilize the flow of Kei coming from her Kei organ in her back...that was called Kei breathing. As she proceeded with her Kei breathing, she unconsciously looked about her room. Looking at her bed, her study desk, and her wardrobe, you could immediately tell a private room; it was Nina's living space. The toilet, the showers, and the kitchen were all shared. Nina lived in the girl's dorms. This was built a few years ago as practice for the Architecture Students for their graduation. The designer had called it a work of art, and you could see this clearly from the outside of the building. It was built in an archaic wooden house style, and on the inside, everywhere you looked you could see carefully designed ornaments. The three shared rooms were also very spacious and luxurious, making people who lived in other apartments and dormitories feel envious. But the thing was, that place wasn't very popular. The main reason was that it was too far away from school.

And another reason was the noise pollution. Originally, the land nearby was prepared for Architecture Students to undergo training, so they would build many different structures, or knock down the older buildings. The reason that the girl's dorm that Nina lived in hadn't been knocked down was that the person who designed this returned to his home city after graduating and won an award for the design, so they kept this building as a memorial of sorts. A house without people living in it would quickly fall into disrepair, so they turned it into a so-called girl's dorm and rented it out. But when it got dark, the lack of people felt creepy to many residents, so there were very few people who lived in that dorm. Because of all the terrible conditions, the rent was low, so Nina decided to live here. "Hoo..." Nina had finished adjusting her Kei breathing, and now fully awake, she used her Internal type Kei to ease the pain in her muscles. This level of muscle soreness only needed maintain some sort of Kei in the area, and the pain would be gone by around noon. Internal type Kei, or Katsukei, could be used to reinforce the body and remove fatigue. If in an emergency one fully released all their Internal type Kei and continually reinforced their body, afterward there would be very scary side consequences waiting for the user. Nina had experienced this period of aftershock herself. However, if it was used appropriately, one could achieve accelerated recovery. Feeling a lot more comfortable, Nina placed a panda plushie that she had been hugging all that time onto the jutting windowsill beside her bed. The plushie had been mended in several places, and gave an overall appearance of being very old and worn. That plushie was one few things that Nina had brought here from her hometown. It was a present from her grandfather when she was little, and she wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully if she wasn't hugging it. Wearing a set of light pink pajamas, Nina walked out of her room, going to wash her face. As soon as she walked into the hallway the mouth-watering smell of melted butter assaulted her. Nina hurriedly looked at the clock hung on the wall beside the stairs. It was an ancient clock that had to be wound, telling Nina that breakfast was about to start. Nina quickly walked towards the washing basin, washed her face, and then returned to her room to change. Just as she finished changing... The clock sounded out with a ring and simultaneously, a voice called out "Breakfast is starting~~~~". At the same time a clanging sound reverberated with the other noises around the dorm at a level far beyond ear splitting.

Put simply, it was the sound of metal hitting metal, but to call it a weapon created solely for pissing people off wasn't excessive at all. Any alarm clock in existence couldn't possibly create a sound as annoying as this. "Woah!" After a while, she heard the ringing again. Normally, she got up well before the sound went off, but she had overexerted herself in yesterday's training session, so she slept in a little. Even if she lived this irregular life, the only schedule she strictly followed was her mealtimes. That was one of the rules of the girls dorm. "I'm up! I'm up already!" Shouting at the top of her lungs from her room loudly, Nina scrambled out of her room. The girl beside the stairs was holding a soup spoon and was beating a pan. The noise this made was known as the most effective weapon designed to wake people up in the morning. "Hehee... Nina you lazy sloth". As she said this, she stopped hitting the frying pan and pulled out her earplugs. "Haa...I'm sorry." Seeing that the noise had stopped, Nina apologized in a relieved manner. This girl's name was Selina Vin. She was a fourth year Alchemy student, and she was also the dorm manager. The reason that she was the dorm manager was because of all the people who lived here, she was the only one who could cook. People who could control food were the greatest people in the world, as decreed by the last dorm manager who graduated last year. "But it's been a long time since I've whacked the frying pan like this, so I'm a little happy." Saying this, Selina went downstairs first. Nina helplessly chased after her. All of the people who lived in the dorm were already seated at the table in the dining room. "Morning, Nina." "Morning, Leu" The person who called out to Nina was another person who lived in this dorm, and after replying, Nina also took her place at the table.

Today's breakfast was toast fried in butter and dipped in milk, along with salad and tea. On a table which could seat ten people, there was only enough food for three. That is to say, these three people were all of the people who lived in this all girls dorm. "It's been such a long time since I've heard that sound she uses to wake people up." "Yeah, sorry about that." Selina also put on a expression which said 'can't help it' and sighed. "The others who used to live here have all graduated, so now it really feels a little lonely." "No, that's not it. Only two people graduated from here" said Nina calmly as she spread honey across the toast. "But it's because nobody new came to live here." "Anyway, it's not a problem that has just started. It started ages ago" muttered Leu, staring into the distance. "Part of it's also because of the way Selina wakes people up; it leaves most of the new people here traumatized and they all leave this dorm." "But isn't that because it was really hard to wake that girl up?" Looking at Selina frowning with displeasure, Nina shook her head helplessly. "Well...even if she wasn't scared away, there would only be four people. In this dorm for ten people there isn't even half that." At least she had to reassure her first. "But isn't having only three people manage this huge dorm too much work? We can't clean the empty rooms up properly, and we can't clean up the lawn outside properly... and recently there's been more mice, so don't you guys think it'd be better if we called in some more people?" "No." Facing Selina who was whining, Leu cut in "I don't think the mice have anything to do with the number of people living here, but there have been some pretty annoying sounds coming from the ceiling." "...Eh?" Nina moved her feet under the table slightly, and her toes touched something. It was a something that was quite hard.

That's why I have a proposal. Ah, you can't reject this proposal. No matter what you say, I'm the dorm manager. Ahem!" Listening to Selina who had probably puffed up her chest, Nina looked under the table. "That's why I want to increase the number of people in this dorm." "...you don't even know how you're going to do that, and we all know we can't just increase the number of people so easily just because we wanted to." "That'll never happen, yeah?" "This dorm has a pretty unfortunate environment, so I doubt many students would be willing to come here." "Hem hem hem~" Pretending to listen to what Leu and Selina were saying, Nina had put all her attention into looking for the something under the table. (...What is that thing?) There was a normal plate placed there. On the plate, there were the dishes leftover from last night. There wasn't any problem, seeing as plates were made for dishes to be placed on them. There wasn't any problem with that. The question was, what was a plate doing on the floor? And next to the plate, there was a chipped soup bowl, with some milk inside. Why was this. "Then, I'll introduce it to everyone." "Introduce?"Asked Leu in surprise. The talk across the table was still continuing. "Is there already someone coming to live in our dorm?" "That's exactly right~~~Steven-chan, welcome~~~" As Selina held extended her 'welcome' there was a creepy noise. "Shu~~~" "...What is this?" Leu looked at the thing that flew out from under the table with a surprised expression. It must have been ordered to stay under the table until this moment. Under the table, there were many plates with all the leftovers from last night. She obviously heard Selina's introduction, but that was a completely inadequate explanation of the phenomenon in front of her. "Steven-chan."

"No, I'm not talking about that." "That is something my friend from the Cultivation Department sent me from another city. Originally they bought a squirrel-type egg which was meant to exterminate mice for us, but they made a mistake and they got a pet instead." "Haha, and you can't return stuff you bought from other cities as well." "Yeah, but if they just threw this thing out, it's a bit too cruel, so they looked for people who were willing to keep him." "Then it's him who's going to live here from now on?" "Yeah, he's really cute, isn't he?" "Well, I don't really hate pets. I'm not afraid of them either. But still, if we were going to get a pet, we should have just gotten a guard dog to look after the house." "Arah, there's no point in keeping a guard dog. We don't have any criminals or delinquents in this area." "I think the fact that a person like you who has no sense of urgency managed to live peacefully up till today is the real mystery...If it can't catch any mice, then there's no point at all in having it as an extra member of the dorm. He isn't even a person." "Eh~~~~~? I can't?" "Well, I guess you can, but have you figured out a solution for his litter?" "No problem." "Really. Then it's up to Nina then? Is it ok?" As for Selina's question, Nina couldn't answer it. She was drenched in cold sweat, and it wasn't stopping. Below her feet, there was a terrifying creature. It was a creature she could grab with one hand, eating the leftovers in the dish like a wild beast. It looked like it was pretty hungry. Aah, it's slender body gave out a feeling of immaturity. It had grown long claws in order to run around the ground more easily. In its mouth, there were small, sharp teeth tearing at the leftover food.

...It was a ferret. "Aaah! Waaah!!!!" "Nina?" That creature lifted it's head and licked it mouth, it front legs rubbing its face before it stood up, looking about at its surroundings. Looking at Nina. Those glossy, round eyes were filled with curiosity. "Shu~" It was a very weak sound. "Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!" Nina let out a deafening cry and jumped onto the table. "Ni-Nina?" "What's wrong?" The two of them stared stunned at Nina, who was shaking on the table. The ferret was frightened by Nina's cry and hugged Selina's leg, hiding behind it. "...Nina, do you hate animals?" "...No, it's only those that I can't stand" "Arah..." Seeing Nina holding her head and shrinking away, the two looked at each other. In the end, they took Steven the ferret back to Selina's room and continued their breakfast. "Though I never thought that Nina would be afraid of ferrets." "It's pretty surprising." "...If you two want to laugh, then laugh." Seeing her shoulders still quivering slightly, the two couldn't help not laughing but didn't make a noise, and Nina just sat there pretending to calmly eat breakfast. But her veins near

her temples were still throbbing. "But why is it that you're only afraid of ferrets? I mean, in the inter-city battles, you've met far scarier people than that little creature." "Is it a physiological reason?" In response to Leu's question, Nina said definitely "It was that thing's fault in the first place." "It's fault...Nina, what exactly did the ferret do?" "Aah, just thinking about it scares me. It was when I was five. Because my uncle loved animals, he kept a lot of pets and livestock at his house. At that time, I often went to that uncle's house to play..." "Uhh...if it's like that, why are you afraid of ferrets?" "On my fifth birthday, everyone in my extended family came to wish me a happy birthday. My uncle also came. He told me there was a surprise waiting for me in my bedroom. Even though I wanted to see what it was immediately, he told me to wait until the birthday party was over. So I had no choice but to be patient and wait." Nina shivered as she recalled it. "Well...what happened?" "Yeah, what next?" "My uncle prepared a ferret for me. Originally, it was meant to be safely housed inside its cage, I don't know if it had something to do with the metal lock being broken, but somehow that ferret got out of it's cage." "So that's why you're afraid of ferrets?" "If would be great if that were all. That thing ... my precious plushie..." "Plushie? You mean the one in your room?" "Yeah. It was chewing my precious Mitessha with tearing noises." Recalling the scene, Nina continued to quiver. What the young Nina saw when she returned to her room was an evil monster using its vicious teeth and tearing a hole in Mitessha's stomach and was pulling out the cotton stuffing within into long thin strands. "Aiya."

"To me, Mitessha isn't just a precious plushie I got from my grandfather. It's a precious friend who keeps me company through the night. Even though it was so important, that thing... that thing..." With her mother's help, Mitessha was restored to his former glory, but on his body there was an irrevocable scar. From then on, every time she saw a ferret, she would remember what happened back then and she would be so terrified that she would start shaking. "Then, can't I keep him?" After breakfast, the three of them were drinking tea together. "Wuu..." Looking at a very sad Selina, Nina was speechless. "Nina, that's a trick she uses all the time" reminded Leu quietly. She knew this as well. As soon as Selina was in a situation that was disadvantageous to her, she would put on a childlike appearance. It was her solution to everything. Even though Nina knew this... "I can't...?" "Wuu..." She couldn't do anything against this expression of Selina's. And her everyday meals were always made by this person who they always wanted to thank. When it came to any of her requests, they always felt that it was hard to deny her. (No, quickly remember, Nina Antalk. Selina wants to keep a ferret. That horrific beast. Have you forgotten Mitessha's tragedy?) Nina continually shook her head, reminding herself in her heart. Ok, I'm going to refuse...as she thought this, she looked up as Selina. "If that child doesn't find an owner he's going to be gotten rid of. He's very pitiful...am I still not allowed to keep him?" It was completely unfair to be saying this sort of thing with an expression as if she were going to cry. "Ok, ok...I understand."

As she said this in a tiny voice, Leu who was sitting beside her quietly said "Idiot." "Really? Really? Thank you so much!" "On one condition! Quickly tell him to never get close to me!" "Ok, I got it." Seeing Selina happily make her promise, Nina showed a trace of glumness. Noon that day. Layfon was startled to see a languished Nina come into the training area. Could it be because of yesterday's training? Aware of the possibility, Layfon was worried. Nina showed an exhausted smile and shook her head. "It has nothing to do with yesterday's training. It's just, this morning...it was like that." In response to a vague reply like that, Layfon cast a confounded look over to Nina, but she didn't attempt to explain it any further. "Let's just train for now. What are we doing today? Are we continuing what we did yesterday?" Nina thought that she would need that kind of strong defense. "Today we're doing basic training." "Why? I want to get the essentials of that move." "I think you've already got the basics of that move. I said it yesterday too, Kongoukei is a very simple Kei technique. If you just memorize the technique, you'll be able to do it very quickly. But to use it correctly is a different thing." "That's why we have to..." "That's why, just by memorizing we cannot understand the true nature of Kongoukei" asserted Layfon, and Nina closed her mouth. "Concentration isn't something which will be easily trained, and if you want to be able to bring out Kongoukei's original use, raising your basic abilities is very important. And if your foundations are very strong, then your overall abilities will be raised as well. No matter how

you look at it, isn't it very good?" As he said this, Layfon walked towards one side of the room, and started to prepare for training. Nina watched Layfon's back quietly. Layfon seemed even further from Nina. Nina only saw the inter-platoon battle before her...and a bit further away, the inter-city battle. But Layfon looked even further, thinking of doing battle with filth monsters. This was the original purpose of Military Artists, right? She knew that it was the Military Artist's job to fight the filth monsters that attacked the city. But the inter-city battles with other Academy cities... the battle with other Military Artists from other cities was unavoidable. "Then, what am I supposed to do about that area...Waah!" Halfway in her sentence, Nina fell backwards to the floor, and frowned. On the ground, many balls the size of fists rolled around. These were things which Nina bought with the platoon's budget according to Layfon's request. "But that sort of thing is perfectly normal for Military Artists." The two were practicing their stances on top of the rolling balls. As they practiced the basics of being aware of Kei within their weapons, they had to be careful of the balls they were stepping on and insert Kei into the balls to stop them from rolling. If it was just standing on the balls, even Nina could do it as she was right now. But to do it as she was practicing her stances was very hard. As she continued to step on the balls and adjust her stances, she had to use her nerves to adjust the direction of the Kei flow. "Indeed, battling with filth monsters is different from fighting other military artists, but the only difference is the fighting methods, as the essence of the Kei technique hasn't changed." Nina moved about slowly, while Layfon leisurely stepped between poses. The balls he stepped on didn't move at all. Seeing this, Nina realized just how great the gap between herself and Layfon was. "Let's just use Kongoukei as an example. You don't know how strong your opponent's attack will be. You don't know how much power you need to defend against the attack. For argument's sake, you don't even know who your opponent is. Even with your standards now, you might still run into some trouble. But in order to get the greatest result, isn't it better to be working hard for that? You'll never waste hard work. "

"...Speaking of which, are you practicing properly right now?" "I am, wouldn't you say that I am doing training very seriously?" "You're actually holding back to coordinate with me, right?" "I haven't actually thought about that..." Being asked that question all of a sudden by Nina, Layfon scratched his face uneasily. "Well, I certainly wouldn't do this in individual training, and this place isn't a specialized facility, so I can't do it properly, so doing this seems a lot more appropriate" said Layfon, balancing on a ball with a single leg. Seeing this change, Nina observed Layfon's feet. Thick Kei rotated around Layfon in a whirl. The first thing that Layfon had taught Nina was how to observe an opponent's Kei. As she observes the movements of the body, she also has to capture the flow of her opponent's Kei. If she did that, before her opponent used any moves she would be able to detect any changes in the flow of his Kei. She could nearly...do it. But she didn't understand it. If she could see the flow of the Kei, then as her opponent used any techniques she would also be able to see the change in the flow. Even though she understood this, that's all she could do. If she reproduced the flow of Kei, in theory she could use the same technique, but she couldn't do it in reality. (Ah...it's true.) Layfon was full of unbelievable aspects to him. Geniuses were hard to understand in the first place. And Nina herself was a rare student who was made a platoon member as a first year, so many people around her might think she was a genius as well, but she wanted to deny it. She didn't actually think that she was a genius, all she did was work harder than people expected her to. Even though she always felt that no matter how much she did she was always short of something, she still kept on working hard. Layfon easily reached a level she could never reach no matter how hard she worked. Even if that was the case, when people praised him, he accepted it unenthusiastically. He thought that it was something that was perfectly normal. He was a little proud. After Layfon had taught her the basics to Kei, she felt it even more. Layfon was filled with an even greater aura that made everything he did seem perfectly natural for everyone else. Of course he would be like that.

Of course, he could do it all. He never thought that he wouldn't be able to achieve anything. If someone did point out a problem, he wouldn't accept it, as if he lost to someone else. Perhaps Layfon was also aware that things that he told others to do were a little difficult for them. That's what Nina felt. She couldn't complete the exercises Layfon had set for her, but she wouldn't feel impatient; she wouldn't start yelling curses at herself. Even though he was proud, but he wasn't indifferent. (Ah, it really is...) Nina mumbled again to herself in her heart, and then she renewed her training with the stances. He was a hopeless genius, hopelessly proud, and hopelessly gentle. When that bit of gentleness wasn't seen in his Military Arts, his whole person would seem completely unreliable, but when he did show it, it made one's chest feel tight just like that. That sort of change was completely unbelievable, it seemed difficult to accept. (Why...is it like this...) Inadvertently thinking of this, Nina shook her head trying to chase the thought out of her head. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about those things. Why did Layfon make others think like this...it really is unbelievable, and (It really does make people angry.) I guess I'll try and see...thought Nina. No matter what, she wanted to try it out. No matter what it was that she could learn from him, she would try and learn it. In order for her to protect this city, she had to turn his power into her own. "Shu~~" Remembering the cries of the evil beast, Nina was so terrified she nearly lost it.

"Ah, Nina." After leaving the training area, Nina and Layfon walked towards the nearby shopping street. They had agreed earlier that they would go to a Military Arts specialist store and have a look around. They needed to resupply on the anti-slip perishables, as well as look at some other methods of training. They were nearly at the large store when she was stopped by a call from Selina. And then, there was that evil monster's cry. "Wh-Why did you bring that to this kind of place?" Nina protested with an expression of terror. The Devil's spawn named Steven was running around Selina in circles. "Because I need to buy a leash for this child when we go out for walks, and I have to buy some other things that he needs" replied Selina awkwardly as she stood in front of a pet store. "But in comparison...Nina, you..." Selina smiled at Nina teasingly. "Nina, you guys are getting pretty heated up over there, right?" As she said this, Nina finally realized the state that she was in. "That..." Layfon's awkward face was just in front of her. "...Eh? Eh? Waa Waaaa!" Noticing that she was tightly holding onto Layfon, she suddenly let go with a shriek. Her cheeks were burning hot. She knew that right now her face was probably beet red. "No need to be shy." "It's totally not what you think!" Even as she said that with a red face, Selina pretended not to hear. "Ah, Nina, I'm going to take Steven for a walk, so I'll leave these things for you to take

home." She forced the large paper bags she was holding onto Nina, and then leading Steven along she walked away. "When we get back, I'm going to tell you all about what Steven did today." "Wait..." Eh, we have to buy things as well...Even though she wanted to say this, she knew that Selina wouldn't listen to what others say, and she was also slightly afraid of Steven, so she was unable to put up a more demanding front. "...Do you hate animals?" Layfon asked Nina as her extended hand dropped powerlessly to her side. "It's not like that." Looking at Selina's gradually shrinking shadow, her shoulders dropped powerlessly as well. Other than shake her head in helplessly, Nina couldn't do anything. As a result, they had so many things that she was forced to ask for Layfon's help to carry it. No, it wasn't that Nina bought a lot of things, but it was Selina who actually bought too much. "She didn't think of the consequences at all, geez." Nina complained quietly, walking towards her dorm. Even though this sort of thing happened, she still felt a little annoyed. Today was really way to strange. She felt like she couldn't control her mood properly. Layfon followed silently behind her. Layfon was holding what Selina bought for Steven. They didn't know what was inside, but it was surprising that to keep Steven that she would need such a large thing. Layfon noticed where Nina was looking, she was looking his way. The thing wasn't really heavy for a Military Artist, but it was still pretty big. Before she had seen through the thin gap in the paper bag, Layfon looked over and she turned around immediately. After they arrived at the dorm, she placed the stuff they bought in the kitchen while Layfon sat in the drawing room waiting. Nina returned to her own room. As she changed into her casual clothes, she thought about making some tea for Layfon. The snacks Selina had baked a couple of days ago still had many left over.

As she was changing, she couldn't help it and she started humming. She looked beside her bed. Her bed was placed beside the wall, and next to it there was a windowsill. On the windowsill, Nina had left some miscellaneous items she had as a girl there as a decoration. In the middle, there was something that felt different from normal. It was a blank, white space, there was a strange feeling. "...Why?" She stopped humming. Something that was meant to be there was gone. She realized instantly that something was gone, that she was missing something. Thinking this... She calmly organized her memories again, and she looked around her room with a tense expression. It really was gone. Mitessha was gone. Nina was feeling slightly dizzy, and she held onto the side of her desk to stop herself from falling over. "Why...?" Still carrying a feeling of uncertainty, Nina put on a serious expression as she went through her memories again. This morning, her day had been completely messed up by that devil Steven, but before that, as Nina woke up she had placed Mitessha in his special place. After that...What happened after that. Even though she wasn't too sure, but she couldn't remember moving Mitessha. She still remembered that to escape Steven she ran out of the room and quickly changed and left the dorm. What did she do at that time? No, Mitessha should still be in the same spot. She couldn't answer that question with her memories. Which meant that something happened when Nina wasn't in the room. It was impossible for her to have moved Mitessha, so something or someone had moved her poor panda plushie. As Nina was thinking about this, there was a light knocking sound at the door. "Umm... senpai?" On the other side of the door, was Layfon's voice. Right now Nina didn't have any time to

spare to worry about Layfon. "Ahhhh...I really am an idiot." Making a cold sound that surprised even herself, Nina looked up. Layfon had opened the door and was looking over at her with surprise. "Poor Mitessha, I just left him there and went out, I bet he hates me now." "That...senpai?" She understood that Layfon was calling to her, but if she didn't get her conclusion of her chest, she couldn't calm down. "I really am an idiot. At that time, how horrified must he have been, as he saw his own death nearing. Even if it was like that, I still fell to my own horrors, and left him behind and ran away myself. It's perfectly normal for me to be hated now." "Senpai? Hello?" "Mitessha couldn't move, so he lost his life and departed. I have to do everything in my power. If I don't correct my mistakes...yes, if I don't do that then..." "Senpai? Please return to earth now..." As he said this, Layfon gradually got further away from Nina. Nina was probably blaming herself for not taking responsibility. "But Mitessha hasn't returned, has he?" "Who is this Mitessha you're talking about?" "I have to do it." "Do what?" Letting out a miserable cry, Nina had already lost all signs of answering Layfon. "I'm home~" A completely carefree voice came from downstairs. It was Selina That means, if Salina was here, that was here as well. "Coming."

As Nina muttered to herself, she pushed Layfon out of the way and ran towards the front door. "Wuu...isn't anyone home?" At the front door, Selina was carrying Steven who was testing his claws and looking around the room. There was nobody on the first floor. "And I thought Nina had come back." Selina had already forgotten that Nina was afraid of Steven. No, she actually thought that because of how cute the little thing was, that they definitely could make it up to each other and have a good relationship. Selina thought of this as she heard footsteps upstairs. "Ah, Nina thanks for carrying..." Smiling like always, Selina was waving at Nina, then she froze. Nina walked out with a scary expression on her face. For some reason she was holding a pair of restored Dites...Metal whips. "Nina...?" While she was still mumbling to herself, stunned, Nina had already walked over in front of her. She didn't have time to be afraid. She stood up immediately, but as soon as she did, she got knocked over by a strong blast of wind. "What are you doing?" This time the person crying out was Layfon. Why are you getting in my way? Nina's eyes were shining fiercely. Using his sword, he pushed back the metal whips, Layfon's back shaking slightly. Nina's whole body was overflowing with Kei. Like a broken pipe. Even her breathing was mingled with Kei, as if she was fighting some monstrous being from a nightmare. "Saying that I'm in your way..."

Layfon was shaking slightly as he replied. "If I don't do this, Mitessha won't return." "So that's why I'm asking, who is he?" "Shut up!" Nina roared as she rushed and pushed Layfon out of the way getting closer to Selina yet again. The target was the ferret Selina was holding on to. "I'm going to take you down! I'm going to take back Mitessha!" "Ah, I can't take it anymore." Layfon went and whacked Nina's completely open back. He wanted to knock her out with that blow, so he adjusted his power accordingly. Nina was sent flying by this Kei-filled attack and she landed outside in the front garden. Seeing Nina down, Layfon frowned. If it was a Military Artist, it would have been fine, but being forced to hit his senpai left a bad aftertaste in his mouth. "What's wrong...?" Asked Selina who stood there stunned, staring at the fallen Nina. The ferret she was holding in her arms was fidgeting a lot. "I don't know what's going on either...what's Mitessha?" "Eh? Mitessha? Mitessha is..." Just as Selina is about to answer, Layfon felt a killing intent bubbling out from Nina. "Is it..." It really is. "Mwahahahaha..." Nina, who was supposed to be knocked out, stood up again and she was still releasing Kei like before. "I'm sure I hit you with my Kei." Why...as he was thinking, Layfon realized something.

"...Kongoukei?" Is it? Successful? At this sort of time? In these circumstances? "Mwahahahaha..." "Eh~ No way!" Facing Nina who was releasing a bestial killing intent and slowly closing in, Layfon felt somewhat powerless instead of nervous. How to say it, he wasn't exactly happy with the fact that Nina had grasped a technique he had taught her. Layfon had also experienced times where he couldn't use a technique but suddenly used it under pressure, but never in a situation like this. "Return him." Nina spoke in a human language, her two eyes drilling into the ferret. "Ah." Steven leaped out of Selina's arms. "Trying to run!" Nina started to run chasing after Steven who escaped from the front door into the front yard. "Ah, ah...could it be...wai-wait!" Looking like she suddenly remembered something, Selina went to chase after Nina and the ferret whose traces had since disappeared. "I am going to take back Mitessha!" "That's why I'm asking who the hell is he?" There weren't many people about at dusk so Nina and Layfon's shouts reverberated in the air. As the sun began to set Leu returned from the library, saw the front door wide open, and scowled. "They really make people worry." Leu went into the dorm shouting, "be a bit more careful next time" but nobody replied. Such a worrisome thing as this must have been caused by Selina. She probably got carried away since Nina agreed to let her keep the ferret. If she didn't remind her properly...As she grumbled away to herself he walked up to her room.

"That's right..." Remembering something, Leu went downstairs, into the drawing room. Both their common room and their drawing room were filled with piles of magazines the three bought. Leu picked up the plushie which was placed in the corner of the sofa. "If I don't put you back, Nina's probably going to go crazy." Saying this to the panda plushie, she walked upstairs. After Nina left, Selina and Leu wanted to see if Steven could actually catch mice, and placed him up in a place where there might be a nest in the ceiling. Even though he was surprisingly successful, Steven was treating catching mice like a game. With the ferret showing off his live catches to Leu in a self-satisfied manner, Leu could only sigh in resignation. Well, he did manage to catch the mice. Selina also said happily "Like this, I'm sure Nina will accept Steven now." But what would the final result be? Well, why was Mitessha in the drawing room? As they were looking for a way to get up into the ceiling from the second floor, they found that they could only go up to the ceiling from Nina's room. Even though Selina had the master key to all the rooms in the dorm, but she was still a bit guilty about just going into someone else's room. And she was going to bring a ferret which Nina hated into her room. Remembering Mitessha, and Nina's tragic past, they didn't want to put Mitessha with the ferret even for a second. That's why, Leu placed Mitessha into the drawing room with good intentions. But she ended up forgetting him there. "But where did those guys disappear to?" For some reason, the door to Nina's room was wide open, and placing Mitessha back into the room, Leu could only respond to her stomach's complain with a sigh. "Ahahahahah, what's wrong Layfon?" "Ah! I can't take it anymore! Why did I have to teach you this move!" As he fought Nina with his sword in the air, Layfon complained with remorse. "Nina~~Listen to me~~" said Selina on the verge of tears. By the time her words reached Nina's ears, it was because Nina was down on the ground with fatigue from using too much Kei, and night had long fallen. From then on, whenever Steven saw Nina he would escape at lightning speed. Speaking objectively, this was a very strange occurrence.

Interlude 03 "Speaking of which, there are normally a lot of people who take care of us." "Huh? Oh, you mean Mei-Shen and them, right?" "Yeah, what kind of people are they?" "The three of them seem like childhood friends. They were all born in the transport city...You've been there too right?" "Oh, yes. But I stayed for just under three days." "Yeah, and the lodging facilities are the best." "That's right." "Still, what kind of people are they?" "You might have already seen Naruki because she's in one of the platoons." "That person with the tanned skin?" "Yeah, that's her. She's also part of the City Police. Mifi is a very open girl, and she works at the journalism department. As for Mei-Shen, even though I know her pretty well..." he sighed, "Well, cooking. If it's one thing I've to say about her cooking, it's her dessert. She's very good at making sweets." "Oh? Then all your desserts and snacks were made by her?" "Yeah, but it's just that I don't really like eating sweets." "Same. I don't eat too much stuff with a lot of sugar in it. But you're licking a lollipop right now." "But still, I need my sugar." "Yeah, yeah. Father used to say that if two people licked a lollipop at the same time it would bring about hatred." "Why would he say that..." "Then, do you refuse to eat her sweets?" "No, sometimes I eat them as well. I'm eating a controlled amount of sugar." "Huh?"

"Mei-Shen is a really nice person, and when I was really busy she made me bentoes for lunch." "...Wait for me!" Innocence Wander The bell that signaled the end of classes was also a signal for the start of yet another battle. The start of the lunch break was also the starting pistol of the race between military artists for lunch. The ordinary students who didn't want to go to the cafeteria could easily buy lunch by asking students in the Military Arts department to buy it for them. Thus, the military artists charged out of the classroom simultaneously as the classes ended, flying towards the canteen. Occasionally even the older students who were teaching those classes would also join the fray, so naturally nobody tried to stop them. Of course, if public property was damaged, or if people started fighting and were caught by the city guards they would be punished. Having nothing to do with that storm-like event, Layfon leisurely walked to the nearest park. Inside the park there was a small pavilion with a table, and it was a very suitable place for lunch. "......Is there anything special going on today?" Layfon stared at the food on the table. Although he already thought the bento he was carrying in the basket today was excessively large, he never thought that what it contained was also incredibly luxurious, and the effort put into making it was different from normal as well. "......It's not like that" quietly replied Mei-Shen as she lowered her head, blushing. "Hey, as long as I can eat great food it's all good." "Ok..." Although Naruki and Mifi were with Mei-Shen all the time, they didn't know why Mei-Shen put in so much effort today. For some reason, Mei-Shen seemed a little strange today. But right now the atmosphere made it seem hardly appropriate to ask "what's wrong", so Layfon began to eat silently. "Heaven's Blade Successor" Recently, this phrase had continually appeared in Mei-Shen's mind. She knew that it was a phrase whose meaning represented something superior. That was why she was so concerned with it. To a passerby who had no idea of what was going on, the easiest solution would be to ask the person directly. But no matter what she did, Mei-Shen couldn't bring herself to

ask Layfon. That was because it was a phrase that appeared in a letter privately addressed to Layfon. That letter was accidentally placed together with other letters for Mei-Shen, which explained why she had it. Although she immediately realized that this letter was delivered to the wrong place, why did it have to be delivered to her mailbox? ... Mei-Shen thought silently, resenting this fact. Of course, Mei-Shen couldn't just go and ask Layfon about a word appearing in a letter addressed to him that she couldn't have ever heard of or seen before. Moreover, Mei-Shen hadn't apologized to Layfon for peeking at the letter and had completely missed the best chance to ask him about it. And who was the person who wrote the letter to Layfon, a girl named Leerin? Although she wanted to find out, it was difficult for Mei-Shen to open her mouth and ask. She was afraid of asking. The only thing that was clear was that this girl named Leerin knew the Layfon from before Zuellni very well. Without knowing why, Mei-Shen felt very discontent. "Have you heard of the phrase 'Heaven's Blade Successor'?" Instead, Mei-Shen decided to ask the people who were beside her in the dormitory's shared kitchen. In order to live together in the student dormitory, Mei-Shen, Naruki and Mifi shared this 3 bedroom and 1 dining room dorm. Because they had been best friends since childhood, they weren't uncomfortable with each other. Mei-Shen really liked this sense of spaciousness in the kitchen. "Heaven's Blade Successor?" Mifi was stuffing her face with Mei-Shen's cake as she tilted her head asking, "What's that?" "I think it's a phrase referring to a Military Artist......" said Mei-Shen without much confidence. She then imitated Mifi and together they began to stare silently at Naruki. Layfon was a Military Artist, so this phrase must be specifically referring to something about them. Naruki, who was also a Military Artist, was the most likely out of them to know what the term meant. "Heaven's Blade......I haven't heard of it before." Seeing Naruki shaking her head, Mei-Shen lowered her head in disappointment. However, Naruki seemed to have remembered something. "A person who received the Heaven's Blade...right? It really is a pretentious name but at least it isn't as absurd as the Joeldem's Knights of the Crossroad. Well, every City has it own customs when referring to military artists, so I think Heaven's Blade something is just another nickname for them." Mifi nodded her head in agreement. "Oh yeah, if we went to the library and researched the phrase in the Database of Cities I'm sure we'll understand what it is. So, where did this phrase originate from?" "Ah......That's...." "Well, the only one that could catch your interest would be that one." "Yeah, and plus the phrase is about Military Artists."

"Ah, that's ... that's not it." "There really is only one, we can't be wrong." "Well, ah ~~ let's go to the library tomorrow." "Yeah, I was going to go there for work anyway to interview all the people in each Platoon and I wanted to research some topics about Cities that could become articles." "Oh, it sounds interesting." "Then do you want to go to the library together?" "If there is time." "Mi-chan is a bit of a workaholic." Looking at the two people who had made a decision on their own and ignored her, MeiShen sighed in silence as their conversation drifted further and further away from their original discussion.

The next day, after lessons had ended, the three took the monorail to the library. After showing their student ID's at the reception area, they entered the library. They sat down at the designated window, and the computer terminal booted up immediately. All the information in the academy city was relayed across organized lanes like fast moving traffic. After all of that information is entered into the library centre, students are able to search for information at a library terminal, and can also download data that they need onto USB drives. Although they also kept physical books, the majority of them took the form of data that Zuellni published. "Then let me search for information on Grendan." Mifi typed the keyboard with practiced ease. Chrome Shelled Regios Grendan was Layfon's home city, and was strong in military arts. Many powerful individuals were born in Grendan's many training grounds. There was a reason for Grendan's fame among other Cities, and this was the Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang. This gang travelled from city to city via free roaming buses, hired by cities to fight against Filth Monsters or to participate in battles. The number of Filth monsters slain by their hands was innumerable, and in many victorious battles they had made a major contribution. Moreover, they taught the cities fighting skills and battle tactics. The Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang was made up of an overwhelming number of Military Artists from Grendan. Originally, Grendan was just another autonomous City, but its reputation for fierce fighters made it well known across the globe. Therefore, almost all the citizens of Cities knew of the word "Grendan". They had all heard of that city which produced large amounts of military fighters, yet any other details about Grendan were unclear to them. That's why it could be possible for Joeldem, Zuellni and Grendan to have completely different customs and for Mei-Shen to have no way of knowing. The phrase

"Heaven's Blade Successor" she obviously didn't know either. "How's it going?" asked MeiShen as Mifi stared at the screen, humming. "I still haven't found it." "Really?" Naruki, who was standing behind them, leaned over for a closer look. "There are no matches in Grendan's dictionary, and after searching I didn't find any related content at all." "Then what about places other than Grendan?" "I thought about this too, so I tried it as well, but there were no results either." "Sigh~~" "Naruki scratched her head, thinking." "How about asking Layfon himself?" "......That, that's..." "We can't? I think that's the easiest way to find out." "Um... It's best if we don't. " Although Mei-Shen was a shy girl who didn't talk to others very much, it was rare for her to keep her best friends Naruki and Mifi in the dark. Mei-Shen was concealing the truth from her friends, yet at the same time she had to rely on those friends whom she was hiding things from, and this made her feel terrible. She was on the verge of tears. "Well, if that's the case, then we can only try and find out from other Military Artists. We are going to the Military Arts department for the interviews anyway, so why don't you come along?" Although their search was futile, Mifi's face didn't show the slightest sign of discouragement. For Mifi, not being able to find information was something that happened regularly. "...Well" Since Mei-Shen knew Mifi was trying to help, she just silently nodded.

After classes on the next day, the three friends began their journey towards the Military Arts department. The moment Mei-Shen stepped into the entrance, a painful memory surfaced in

her mind and she stopped moving. "Eh? What's wrong?" "... Nothing." Shaking her head, Mei-Shen recalled the time when she stood here agonising over whether or not she should give Layfon the letter that was accidentally sent to her. If she hadn't met Felli here, what might have happened...? She still wouldn't have had the confidence to give it back to him as if nothing had happened. Anyway, recently she had been incessantly gloomy about the contents of the letter. Mei-Shen felt that the consequences of her mistakes have begun to get out of hand. "Let's go." Naruki held out her hand to an agonising Mei-Shen. "Even though I don't know exactly what you are thinking about, if you want to find out, we have to get moving. Just like how you decided to work at the bakery store before. " Naruki held out her hand sincerely, and that look in her eyes reflected the same warmth and sincerity. "...Ok." Quietly nodding, Mei-Shen grasped the offered hand.

"We have to interview four Platoons today, and the first is the 1st Platoon." Although the Military Artists' grounds seemed very large from the outside, it was in reality divided up by various screens into a multitude of small areas on the inside. The streets were very narrow and some seemed like they were squashed in a gap between buildings. MeiShen and her friends lost their way several times before finally arriving at their destination. "Hello everyone," Mifi said. Mei-Shen became nervous when she felt Mifi's voice penetrate the soundproof walls that divided the area. The walls vibrated at her voice. As soon as the door was open, sound waves even louder than before hit Mei-Shen's eardrums. This noise subsided with Mifi's continued greeting. The sudden silence frightened Mei-Shen and she gradually edged her body behind Naruki. Mei-Shen thought that her weakness was lamentable but Mifi stood there without wavering in the slightest. "I'm a reporter from the Weekly Look'n Magazine here for the interview, first year General Arts Student Mifi Rotten and these are my friends." "Yeah, I've heard." Taking a towel from a woman who seemed to be supervising, the tall student wiped his sweat and made his way over. He was the commander of the first Platoon, Vance Haldi. As he stroked his beard his penetrating gaze examined Mei-Shen and her friends. "Lets go to the lounge outside for the interview; you guys, continue training," he directed

the second half of his sentence to the platoon members. After they replied in unison, the platoon members continued with their training. Mei-Shen and the others followed this tall man who exuded dignity completely unlike any other student into the lounge room. "I have read some of Weekly Lookn's reports." Reddish bronze skin, two wriggling silkworm eyebrows, his clearly delineated face and his sloppy beard... it seemed like he embodied both good and evil with his outward appearance, although it didn't seem like he was an evil person. "But, I felt that the content of some of the reports encouraged gambling." That's because Vance had the role of representing all of the students in the Military Arts department. He was the head of Military Arts. "Ahahaha! There is nothing like that. " "The journalist's name was different from yours, so it couldn't have been you. Well, you should pass on what I just said to your superiors." "Ok." Just like that, under intense scrutiny even the brave Mifi couldn't help but cringe a little. "Oh, then I'll begin the interview. The inter-platoon battles have gone on for nearly half a year. Up to now, how do you feel about it?" "How do I feel about what?" "For example, how you felt about some of the more difficult opponents, or if the 1st Platoon are currently in their peak condition, or things like that..." "Inter-platoon battles are just sideshows; the key problem is the formal inter-city battles that we have afterwards." "Really? Okay then, how do good do you think your platoon is?" "We can't assert that we have already reached our limits and achieved peak condition but we can only try to improve ourselves as much as we can in the limited time that we have." "Hehe, it really is tough. Then how do you see the other platoons, and are there any platoons that seem strong to you?" "Mmm... They all have their strengths and weaknesses. The third platoon's average strength is very strong yet they have few other skills. My first platoon is the same. The fifth and sixteenth platoons are suited for surprise attacks, but if the opponent realises their plan before it can be executed it's all over for them. The important thing is to see through the opponents' plan and what has currently appeared......"

"The fifth, tenth, and seventeenth platoons are the ones which have won multiple times." "The tenth eh? Last year in the inter-platoon match they had impressive results. Even though they changed many members this year they aren't short of wonders. Also, the combo between the captain and vice-captain of the platoon is exceptional. When it comes to combos, the fifth platoon isn't bad either, even though the way they work together is not quite the same." "What do you think of the seventeenth squad?" Hearing Mifi ask that question, Mei-Shen immediately became perturbed and couldn't stay calm. It was the platoon Layfon was in. Mei-Shen was very concerned with how others viewed Layfon and she wanted to know what the first squad commander thought. "Captain Nina Antalk's command is brilliant. Because she has a small platoon she thinks very carefully about what to do and how to do it. However, the platoon's greatest weakness is that they lack numbers. Even though their offensive ability is highly ranked among the platoons, their defence is far too weak. When they are on the offensive they are very strong, but if they are defending, they are always passive." "On the topic of the seventeenth platoon, how good is that well known attacker Layfon?" "The seventeenth platoon's offensive force relies mainly on him. Even though you can't overlook Sharnid's sniping ability, Layfon's ability to kill with one strike makes him a fearful existence." Hearing Layfon being praised by the strongest person in the Military Arts department, MeiShen felt very happy. "But the fourteenth squad did come up with an idea to go against that terrifying sword with a shield of their own. Although it was quite significant, the plan failed. That is the power of the seventeenth platoon." "Is that so... Then I wish you the best of luck in your inter-platoon matches." "I want to graduate from this school, so no matter what happens, I will give my all to protecting this city. That is all." "Thank you for accepting our interview." Mifi hurriedly nodded and bowed; Mei-Shen and Naruki quickly following suit. Vance nodded, preparing to leave the lounge room. "Oh yeah, that's right," Mifi spoke as if suddenly remembering something. "Yes?" "I want to ask you something, is that ok?" "What is it?" "Have you heard of the phrase Heaven's Blade Successor?"

"...What is that?" "Oh, it's a rarely used term that I don't understand. I think maybe that as the head of Military Arts, you might know something about it. " "I don't know. Then, I'll be leaving first." Seeing hope radiating from the look on Mifi's face, Vance answered with a stiff expression, turned and left without looking back. "It seems like he knew something eh?" "Yeah, even though he knew he hid it from us." After Vance left, Mifi started talking to Naruki. Why? Mei-Shen felt a little insecure. Why did Vance not tell them what he knew but hid it instead? Doesn't that mean he didn't want anybody to know what a Heaven's Blade Successor was? "Well, it seems things have gotten interesting." Completely different from Mei-Shen's reaction, Mifi's eyes lit up, showing a look of curiosity. "Trying to hide it from me only made me want to know it more." "No comment." "Huhuhu. If it's like this, then we'll go and ask some other people. Ok, let's go." What Naruki said to Mifi obviously didn't register as she stood up with her face full of determination. Mei-Shen was beginning to feel less and less secure.

The next place Mifi had to go to was the tenth platoon. As before, Mifi knocked the door with uncertainty, and the person who welcomed them was filled with the grace of three people; woman of great beauty. After being lead to the lounge room yet again, Mifi began her interview. This beauty's name was Dalshena Che Matelna and it seems that she was the vice captain of the tenth platoon. Her golden, long curls of hair overshadowed the lights in the room, dulling them. Wearing altered fighting gear and a cloak with red texture matching its white lining, she was clothed like a knight. "I'm very sorry, but please be brief." "Ah, ok." Against her icy-cold demeanour, Mifi couldn't hold her ground. "Um... After successfully qualifying for the inter-platoon battles, how do you see your position right now?"

"Obviously I have things I am dissatisfied with, but it's true that the platoon is in great condition when they battle. I hope that we can maintain this state for the proper battle." "Out of all the platoons, which one do you think is the strongest?" "The first platoon. The head of Military Arts, Vance's strong and indestructible fighting style is truly fearsome. The members of the platoon are well suited to that fighting style and aren't bad either." "The other platoons who have qualified include the fifth and the tenth platoon. What do you think of them?" "The fifth platoon's main strength lies in Gorneo and Shante's Carrying Attack. Gorneo's alchemy attacks aren't as easy to use as you make it out to be. Gorneo's rational thinking and Shante's use of her instincts form a fearsome combination. The thing is, you could probably estimate the limit of their combat powers." "Then what about the seventeenth platoon?" "As for their main offensive force Layfon, the limit to his power is unfathomable. Even strong individuals like the head of Military Arts, Vance could be no match for him. But that's all there is to that platoon. Even if he took on the whole of the opposing platoon alone, that won't change the fact that he is only one person. The only reason for their recent victories is because he has been able to smooth out results with individual performances. Other than that, there is nothing noteworthy about that platoon." "Thank you very much for your co-operation. Then, I still have one last question which is unrelated to this interview... "Have you heard of the phrase Heaven's Blade Successor?" "Heaven's Blade? No, no I haven't. Where did the term originate?" "I think it came from Grendan." "Then I think you'd better find Gorneo, because that's where his hometown was." "Really? Thank you so much." "Don't worry about it you guys are working hard as well. The Military Artists are doing it in their own way, and so are you guys, doing the best to make sure our city can keep on existing." After the interview, Dalshena's cold expression was like frost that had finally melted, revealing a warm smile. Watching her pure and radiant smile, Mei-Shen and the others couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, gazing at Dalshena's back as it receded into the distance.

"Uwah, she was so cool." "Yeah, how do I describe her, she's such a noble person." "...Yeah." The three girls stood there in a dreamlike trance looking in the direction in which Dalshena left. "I heard that Dalshena-san was the eldest daughter of Iahaimu. He is the Head of The City of Hourin." "...Really?" "So that's why. It seems to explain her grandeur." "I can't put my finger on it, but she really is cool. "Yeah, she is." "Ah, but I didn't know you knew that kind of stuff as well." "I know a little about her. Dalshena-san even has her own fan club. The amount of detail in those fan club reports of hers almost goes overboard." "It might not be a good idea, but I feel like reading the contents of that report." "Do you want me to bring it next time?" "No, no thanks, I'll give that a pass." The three continued with their conversation, they couldn't get over their uncontrollable emotion. It was overwhelming.

Next up was the fifth platoon. The three girls who were wrapped up by Dalshena's graceful air floated to their next destination, and were lead to the same lounge room for the interview. This time they chatted to more than one person. The Captain of the fifth platoon, Gorneo Luckens was a tall man with a bulky stature comparable to that of the Head of Military Arts, Vance. His body was completely bound with muscle, and his robust neck supported a large head, which he held with a serious manner. Instead, the face reflected an affable expression, leaving a cute impression of the giant. That impression was further reinforced by the presence of a young girl tightly holding onto his shoulders. The red-haired girl distinctly contrasted with Gorneo, with a staunch little face, a petite frame and along

with her headstrong personality and her inability to shoulder any responsibility gave the impression of childishness. Nevertheless, this young girl was actually a fifth year student at Zuellni and she was about twenty years old. Her name was Shante Laite and she was the vice-captain of the fifth platoon. "Are you okay with that?" Shante was in a bad mood and was swiping at Gorneo's head continually. "It's okay, it happens all the time." Gorneo calmly answered Mifi's question. Mei-Shen timidly glanced at Shante and Shante immediately growled at her with a "Grr!" "Ah!" "Grr!" "...Uwah..." "Still not going to stop?" Even though she was rapped by Gorneo's huge knuckles, Shante had no intention of stopping. However, she suddenly stopped. "Huhu..." After wriggling her nose several times, Shante used her legs and, clinging onto Gorneo's head, she leant closer to Mei-shen. "That... that's..." "You, you smell nice." "...Huh?" "Ah, that's because Mei-Shen likes cooking." "Yeah, there's a nice smell on her body." "...Ah" Seeing Shante rapidly sniffing the air, Mei-Shen took out a paper bag from her school bag, and that was the leftover cookies. "Uh, there's only these left......" "Is it for me?" "If you want them..." Mei-Shen put the cookies on the table. Shante leapt off Gorneo's shoulders and went to Mei-

Shen. She then started eating the cookies without a word. "I'm sorry." Gorneo lowered his head in apology. "Ah... No, not at all." "She's lived in the wild for too long." "...Ah." Even though she didn't know what was going on. "Then, can we start now?" Shante was eating the cookies voraciously next to Mei-Shen. Mifi felt at a loss for what to do but decided to push on with the interview. "After qualifying in the inter-platoon battles, as a captain, are you pleased with your team's performance?" "If I were pleased so easily, then everything would be finished by now. It's because we know what we are lacking that we feel unsatisfied." "Are there any platoons that you are especially concerned about?" "I want to learn the first platoon's stable command that can react to any scenario with creative versatility and the individual strengths of each member. They are the role models my platoon is striving for." "Which platoons do you think you should watch out for in the future?" "All of them, but the most dangerous is still the first platoon. If we can't beat the first platoon then it signifies that we cannot beat the previous generation of Zuellni. If there is no change from two years ago then the results will be the same as two years ago as well." Gorneo's words carried a sombre tone through his gloomy speech. Two years ago, before Mei-Shen arrived at Zuellni, Zuellni suffered a heavy defeat in the Inter-City battle. Now, Zuellni had only one Selenium mine left, leaving them no choice of retreat. They must not lose! In Gorneo's words one could hear this determination resounding firmly along with his beliefs the same conviction echoed in Vance and Dalshena's words. At this moment, that was what Mei-Shen felt. Normal students could never feel that heavy burden. Whether it was studying, working at night or playing around, female students followed fashion trends while male students played various ball sports, or common interests of both sexes, movie stars or singers, made up everything in a normal student's life. Even to Mei-Shen, who could live happily as long as Naruki and Mifi were by her side, looking at the peaceful classroom atmosphere from afar, felt that it was very interesting. On the other side, the world was like that. This was also Zuellni, Academy city Zuellni! A city with only students, it was a gathering ground for people to grow, and they had to use their own abilities to make the information they gathered into their knowledge. There were no adults acting as protectors. If it was your world, you had to protect it on your own. This

city was a place like that. Right now, she felt that heavy burden; even within the resting rooms you could hear it, and echoing along the dividing walls of the Military Arts area the striking sounds of each platoon let the world feel that heavy burden. As long as you understood the true meaning of that heavy, heavy sound, you would never forget it. This resolution and will to fight rang out as thunderous crashes in the Training Complex for Zuellni to see. "Thank you for accepting our interview." Mifi continued the interview and seemed to have finished it as Mei-Shen sat there blankly, swallowed up by the sound of training. "Before you go, can I ask a question?" Shante was licking the crumbs off the biscuit wrapper. "Yes?" Gorneo picked her up in one movement and held that position as he replied to Mifi. "Have you heard of the phrase Heaven's Blade Successor?" "...Where did you hear this?" "We heard it by chance...And other people we asked said it was a phrase originating from Grendan, so I thought that Gorneo-Senpai, since you were born in Grendan, would know what it means." "It's a journey and a goal." "...Huh?" "Almost everything in the world is like that. Some are driven by what they want but do not have, and for others it is necessity that leads them to their goal. Only by achieving those goals can we continue to move forward, and if we do not continue to do so then we have reached the destination, the summit of the peak. The Heaven's Blade Successor is one of those peaks. Perhaps people who know of that phrase wish to attain that rank, or perhaps they must. Yet if they do not know of it at all, then they can never aim for it in the beginning." "...Uh huh." "If you don't really want it, if you don't really believe that you need it, then your lack of interest will hold you back and where you are standing will be your final destination." Finishing his speech, Gorneo turned his back to Mei-Shen and the others. Shante climbed up along his arm settling down onto his shoulders, but she continued to stare at Mei-Shen. "What's your name?"

"Huh? Oh... Mei-Shen." "Mei-Shen, is it? Thank you, you really are a nice person. Come play next time!" "Don't swindle anyone else out of their cookies!" "Bye bye!" Shante pretended not to understand what Gorneo was saying, and waved. A glowing smile spread across Mei-Shen's face as she weakly waved back. "Uwah! That was terrifying." Mifi released the breath that she had been holding for the whole time in a large sigh. "Jeez, it felt like I stepped on a Filth monster's tail!" "Yeah, and we can't ask Gorneo-senpai about it any more seeing as how he's already sealed his lips." "Yeah, that means the only person left is..." The two of them turned and looked at Mei-Shen and she knew what they wanted to say. Compared to asking any other people born in Grendan, there was another, much easier way to find out, but Mei-Shen couldn't do it. It was only because she couldn't do it that Gorneo thought they were nuisances. Vance looked like he didn't want to tell anyone either. Just what is going on? Mei-Shen felt very uneasy. Just what did the phrase Heaven's Blade Successor entail? Mifi looked at the annoyed expression on Mei-Shen's face and found it hard for her to open her mouth. "Uhh... Well, the last platoon we are supposed to be interviewing is the seventeenth platoon..." Mei-Shen's expression instantly stiffened.

"There's no way out! The magazine had planned to make an article about all the platoons that performed well in the inter-platoon matches," Mei-Shen murmured quietly like she would an apology. She knocked on the door of the seventeenth platoon and held onto the door handle at the same time. "Hello everyone!" In response to Mifi's cheery greeting, the door swung open. Her voice echoed within the room. This room was originally very quiet but shouts from within that could match those yelling in training exploded across it, making it seem a little out of place. Embarrassed by this unexpected situation, even Mifi couldn't stop her face turning red as she turned into a statue. "Aiyaya... Mifi? And why did you guys come?" From inside the room came Layfon's voice.

"...Uhh... What exactly are you guys doing?" Mifi asked, puzzled. Since she was standing in the doorway, Mei-Shen, who couldn't see what was going on, stood on her toes to look inside. Inside the room, hard metallic balls were rolling all over the floor. "Oh, we're training." "Is that so?" Layfon, Nina and Sharnid were standing on the metallic balls which were rolling all over the place, while Felli expressed no interest as she sat aside on a seat reading a book. Although standing on continually rolling balls was by no means an easy feat... "Wow, that's amazing. Is that for practising balance?" "You're partially correct. This is a kei exercise, and through controlling the flow of the internal-type kei we aim to control the body's balance, and at the same time we try to use external-type kei to keep the balls stationary." As Layfon answered Mifi's question, he waved his Dite downwards at his feet a couple of times. Naruki eye's widened as she saw the ease with which Layfon moved about on the balls while waving his Dite around. "So the interviewers are you guys?" Nina, who was also standing on the metallic balls asked in surprise. "Ah, Yes, that's me. I'm the reporter from Weekly Look'n." "It must have been a busy day. Then, shall we begin?" "Ah, don't we need to go somewhere else?" "No, just here is fine." "That's right. The interview with me, the most handsome man in Zuellni, is something that happens once in a lifetime, so I should treat you guys to a drink. Layfon, quick, go get some drinks for these ladies." Sharnid leapt off the metallic balls lightly, landing in front of Mifi and her friends. "I think they didn't come here just to interview you. Well, where you conduct the interview doesn't really matter, so let's just talk here." As Nina pointed to the chairs, Felli wordlessly got up and left the seat continuing to read as she leaned on the opposite wall. Sharnid tossed a coin. Sighing, Layfon caught it in one hand and was about to go to the vending machine when... "......Ahh, let me help." Mei-Shen followed Layfon to the vending machine.

"I'm sorry." The soft drink cans dropped from the vending machine with a bump. "Eh?" Layfon picked up the soft drink cans. The finger that selected the fruit juices did not hesitate and it seemed that Layfon had already figured out the tastes of everyone in the platoon. This was proven by how he asked what flavour Mei-Shen wanted (he still didn't know what flavours we like) and she felt a little disappointed. "I came without asking for your permission." "That's nothing to be worrying about, since we were going to have a break anyway." Layfon carried the cans for everyone and stood up, and after Mei-Shen asked that she carry half, Layfon gave her the cans that she, Mifi and Naruki had asked for. Even though it was a rare opportunity for the two of them to be together without anyone else... yet she couldn't think of anything to say, so she could only follow Layfon in silence. She gazed at the back of Layfon as he walked ahead of her. It was his back, the back that had protected her at the opening ceremony of the school. At the time in that long line of people, a disturbance suddenly caused everyone to start pushing and shoving, and in the mess of it all a surprised Mei-Shen had slipped and fallen over. If she had stayed like that any longer she would have been injured by the stampede of the crowd. It was at that time that Layfon had saved her, brushing aside the swarms of people and pulled her back to her feet, stopping her from being trampled to death. That might have just been a coincidence; even so, she could not forget the back that had protected her. Heaven's Blade Successor... That was Layfon's past and she wanted to know what it meant. If she were asked why she wanted to know so badly, then her only reason would be that she wanted to understand more about Layfon. Mei-Shen couldn't think of any other reasons as to why she wanted to know. After she looked at his letter without his permission she had felt guilty, and as for the fragments of his past mentioned in the letter, did her simple desire to know merit her attempt at digging out all the information she could? Mei-Shen didn't know how to answer. She was also guilty about not asking Layfon directly but instead asking others to gather information about him. Mei-Shen didn't know whether what she was doing was right or wrong. (But...) She really wanted to know. Losing her chance for apologies, she decided to remain silent and stop thinking about the person named Leerin. The person who wrote that letter. Leerin was in Grendan, and Layfon was in Zuellni. If he could successfully graduate from here, then Mei-Shen would have a whole six years with him. "...Mei?" Layfon turned his head in surprise, staring at Mei-Shen who was standing rooted to the floor. "...Ah, sorry about that." "What's wrong?" "...Nothing." She replied, shaking her head. Mei-Shen didn't want Layfon to see her expression right now, so she lowered her head. She suddenly understood what she really

wanted to do. No, that wasn't it; she already knew what it was. In fact, she should have found out a long time ago. Even though she realised, she tried to not think about it, because that was the only way she could avoid reality. She really was a terrible person. Mei-Shen had six years, and those six years was time that Leerin would never have with Layfon. She turned this into an advantage and accepted it. 'Advantage'... This word was suggestive of a scheme. It was perfunctory, ugly, and terrible beyond comparison. Her self that thought to take advantage of that was too ugly. Why would Mei-Shen think like that? That left her disappointed and anxious. She was attracted by that back, attracted by that back which had once protected her and was now in front of her eyes. There was a person who knew that back a long time ago; there was a girl who understood the Layfon from before Zuellni very well. Every time she thought of that, she couldn't bear it. The 'advantage' that Mei-Shen had thought of was just something that she had come up with after intense thought about this issue. Even though she did have an advantage time-wise, when Mei-Shen thought about what she would be able to achieve in these six years she felt insecure. When she realized that her world was one limited to a world always with Mifi and Naruki she wondered how much she could do. When she realized that she had very little choice over her actions, she felt a deep horror welling up inside of her. In order to dispel those fears, in order to keep herself from feeling the anxiety caused by Leerin, an existence that she couldn't see, and in order to take herself out of a state of ignorance of his past, she decided that she needed to know. (I really am serious.) Mei-Shen sat there thinking to herself resolutely.

When Layfon opened the door, sounds of laughter came out from within. "This really is difficult," Naruki muttered to herself, scattering the metallic balls everywhere as she fell to the floor in embarrassment. "That wasn't bad for your first try," Sharnid said as he continued to stand on the metallic balls. He switched to one foot balancing on the balls and moved about with ease. Beside him, Mifi and Naruki "oohed" in amazement. "I've clearly started practising before you did," Nina said quietly with indignation. "That's because I normally move about carefully without others noticing," Sharnid smugly replied and jumped off the balls. "Well... that means that your technique will continually improve." "I see." Mifi nodded her head with an "Oh" as she wrote in her notebook. The extension to the interview was almost completely about carrying out different types of training. "Then, are there any platoons that catch your attention?" "All of them. Our platoon's weakness is extremely obvious. All the teams will probably pick

up on it. In order to become victorious we can only try to find a way to overcome the weakness. There is no point in saying which platoons are strong because no matter which platoon it is they are all stronger than we are. All of us recognize that point very clearly. " "But your battle records are very good." "That battle record might not represent our actual strength, but our constant good luck is an irrefutable truth. I hope that our luck will be effective only when we are in an unforseen pinch, like when we are seen through by the enemy and they begin to hinder our attacks, or when we are ambushed by the opponent's traps. If we rely on luck like that, then defeat won't be far away. That's why we're working hard to prevent that kind of stuff happening." "Keke. Then, would you please say some final words for the readers?" "I like this place, so that is why I joined the Military arts department. That is all." "Thank you very much for accepting our interview." Ending the interview, everyone started drinking the juice as they chatted about anything that came to their minds. Sharnid made innocuous jokes as Nina sat aside laughing bitterly, and seeing them, Mifi joined in too. Naruki was still sulking over what happened before, and dragged Layfon to help her continue her challenge against the metallic balls. Felli kept an expression saying "this has nothing to do with me" on the whole time. Mei-shen enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere that had spread across the room as well. Without knowing why, she felt anxious. Mei-Shen thought that if she could fit in with everyone here, then she felt that the world that she was experiencing got a little bigger. But... "Oh yeah, have you guys heard of the phrase 'Heaven's Blade successor'?" With this sentence, Mifi tore apart the serene mood.

Mei-Shen didn't blame Mifi, as her strong sense of curiosity was without malice. Mei-Shen knew a long time ago that Mifi would be unable to resist the enticement of unfamiliar things. Even though she clearly knew this, she still went and discussed her problem with Mifi, so she had no right to blame her. After class, Mei-Shen had arrived at the park near the Alchemy Complex, alone. Not long before, she and Mei-Shen had been eating ice cream together. At that time, she tried to open her mouth and ask, but she could only think about it and never act. As she reminisced, she stepped into the garden where night would soon arrive. There was a guest who had arrived already, and even though there was clearly a seat next to her, she was still standing. Seemingly hearing Mei-Shen's footsteps, that person turned her

head. It was Felli. Her silver-white hair swayed with her body, contrasting against the mood of the falling sun. "You really came by yourself." "...Yes." Mei-Shen stood in front of Felli, so nervous that she thought her heart would leap out of her chest. After arriving at school, she found a note on her desk. On it said 'there is something I would like to discuss with you alone', and it specified the time and place. MeiShen came alone, because the person who had asked her to come was the Psychokinesist, Felli and it would be impossible to trick her. If a psychokinesist wished, then they could even count the number of bugs that were in the garden. It was impossible for Naruki and Mifi to hide from her. "... I thought you wouldn't come." "I thought you wouldn't come either." When she picked up the letter from the desk, she was seen by two other people. The letter had been read by all three people, and they decided together that Mei-Shen should go alone. Although Mifi held onto the idea of going together until the end, she met fierce resistance from Naruki. "This is a critical moment, and I think that if we do not obey this condition, then Mei-Shen will have no way of intervening in any matter." Even thought the Layfon they met in the classroom seemed calm and no different from normal, Mei-Shen felt that something deep within him was forcing him to put up that kind of expression, and it seemed very wearing. Mei-Shen hated that feeling when she was helpless and couldn't do anything. She wanted to see his back. "Without beating around the bush, please forget that phrase from yesterday." Heaven's Blade Successor. When Mifi said that word, Mei-Shen felt that the temperature in the entire room had fallen. Mifi's question was like detonating a bomb, and the cracks created from the explosion separated Mei-Shen and the others from the seventeenth platoon. Felli and the others knew what 'Heaven's Blade Successor' really meant, and they knew what that phrase had to do with Layfon and his past. Mei-Shen didn't know. At that moment, she clearly felt the difference. "...Why?" "It has nothing to do with you, and I don't want an excessive burden on him."

"...But" She wanted to know. She wanted to get closer to Layfon. Would forgetting this phrase allow her to get close to Layfon? No, it could only divide them further apart. Just as Mei-Shen was about to open her mouth, Felli said "Just to satisfy your own curiosity, does revealing another person's past make you happy?" "...That's not it." "But that's exactly what you guys are doing. You are unnecessarily digging up the past of another person, in order to please yourself. And then, what are you going to do afterwards?" Of course she knew, she knew just how despicable her actions were. Just because she was afraid of that person in Grendan called Leerin, and in order to patch up the difference between them, Mei-Shen wanted to know what that word meant, and at the same time she realised how inferior her actions were. "...I didn't think that doing so would please myself." But... But... "But, I still want to know. Even though I don't know what will happen if I do know ...but when I think about it, I feel afraid. Why must it be kept a secret? When I think about that fact, I feel afraid. " "Why?" Because if she knew, then perhaps her regard for Layfon might change a little. In MeiShen's heart, her feelings for Layfon might change. She was afraid of that, and she was so afraid she was trembling. If her feeling changed like the flipping of a palm, then Mei-Shen felt that she would definitely see herself as low and despicable. Even now, she was extremely jealous; jealous of the people in the seventeenth platoon who understood what she did not. She was jealous of the fact that even though they knew the truth about Layfon they still regarded him as a comrade. Layfon said that he would not return to Grendan. Was it that wasn't that he didn't want to return, but that he couldn't return? In the phrase "Heaven's Blade successor" was there hidden the reason that prevented his return? Was it because of that reason that Layfon had given up the path of the Military Arts? If it was the case, then what Mei-Shen was doing now was undoubtedly poking into Layfon's unhealed wounds. "Then why do you want to know?" Felli asked Mei-Shen for a reason. "I..." Even if she knew the reason hidden within the phrase, the people in the seventeenth squad still saw Layfon as a comrade. She wanted to protect. She was very regretful. It was as if she had been cast out of Layfon's world that she was regretful.

"I..." The sound quivered. "... Because I like Layfon... Because I like him." That's why she wanted to know, but she was afraid that if she knew, her current relationship with Layfon might collapse. She didn't wish for her feelings to be trapped within herself. She wanted Layfon to understand. Even if it was only one sided to Layfon. She wanted to know about Layfon's past, even if she didn't really want to dig out everything about Layfon, but instead she wanted to verify, that even if she knew of Layfon's past, that her feelings for him would not change. "If you don't verify it, will you have no confidence in your feelings?" "...Yes" Felli's voice was reproachful, but Mei-Shen nodded without disguise. "...Gingerly using the paws to test out the ground as you proceed. You only think about the step ahead, but think nothing of what the consequences are after. That isn't a very smart method." "..." After she knew, how would Layfon see Mei-Shen... That's what Felli was trying to say. Was it possible for everything to stay the same...? "Well..." Facing Mei-Shen, whose expression was beginning to stiffen from fear, Felli continued to speak. "If that is how you do things, then there isn't much left for me to say." After she said this, Felli turned away and left. "That..." "I have nothing to say to you anymore, and the last thing is a piece of advice." Felli said this as she was leaving. "I don't know if you want to know, or if you don't but either way it's very difficult." Mei-Shen noticed that after saying this, Felli sighed. (Ahh... I see...) Watching Felli's shadow leaving the garden, Mei-Shen felt ignorant. (There are many people who like Layfon.) And she, she was definitely... "Hu..." Accompanying her nervousness, loneliness, and weariness, finally recognizing this problem, Mei-Shen laid on the ground, exhausted.

Deep within herself, she felt that... there were a lot of hardships ahead of her. Epilogue She seriously couldn't stand him... On her way back to her accommodations at Zuellni, Leerin repeated this silently to herself again and again. Because it was going to be a long time before the next roaming bus arrived, there was nearly nobody staying here, and the hotel had a very empty feel to it. "What are you talking about, 'very cheap'? No matter how slow you are, there's gotta be a limit. Do you want to participate in the Slowness World Series? Leerin angrily grumbled to herself as she placed her luggage beside the bed and just lay like that on the bed. She was alone now. It wasn't because she hadn't lived alone for a long time, it was just that it felt like she had been suddenly thrown into a silent world, and it brought Leerin an empty feeling. It really had been a hectic day. With the help of Savaris she had managed to cross two fighting cities and reunite with Layfon. If she were to describe it with words, it would only take a sentence or two, but she had experienced a really long day. On her way here on the roaming, bus crossing paths with filth monsters, she realized for the first time how terrifying their existence was. There was no other way that any other city had a group of Military Artists such as the Heaven's Blade Successors with such immense power. Nor were they blessed with the leader of the Heaven's Blade Successors: the Queen. That's why, in comparison to other cities, filth monsters weren't really a big issue. That's why, destruction was more likely for the other cities; at least that's what people who lived in cities without Heaven's Blade Successors said. But as she thought about Layfon standing on the battlefield, her feelings suddenly became complicated. But as she had never seen Layfon being injured as much as this time before, perhaps it was true that other cities were even more dangerous than Grendan. Leerin continually pondered this question. Was it more dangerous in other cities or in Grendan... Whichever one was actually more dangerous was of little consequence, as this question swirling though Leerin's head was unimportant. That was just a buffer of sorts. A necessary buffer for her to accept reality.

"..............." Wriggling silently on her bed, she reached into her luggage bag with one hand. As she touched what she wanted, she tugged it out of the bag. It was a wooden box wrapped up in a cloth. It was something very important that her adoptive father had entrusted to her. It was to be given to the Psyharden successor, a katana Dite. It was the proof of her adoptive father's forgiveness, the proof of her adoptive father's apology. It was also the proof of the bond between them. "I still haven't given it to him yet." It wasn't that she was too busy and forgot to give it to him. But Leerin couldn't just give it to Layfon like that. Maybe he would be so happy that he would start crying. If Layfon started crying, what would she do? Would she be happy as well? Of course. But, that's not the only thing she would feel... "It really is a mess, eh?" Her eyes turned a little warm. There was something rising up from her throat. They would probably start crying together. But, she didn't want to start crying with him. She couldn't say to him, "Isn't this great?" Because, before that, there were other things that she wanted to say. "I'm so happy that Layfon's safe." She was alone in this room. A place where nobody could hear anything, where Layfon couldn't hear her, where nobody else could hear her. And so, she couldn't bear it any more. "I'm so happy..." said Leerin openly, her wrists covering up eyes that were overflowing with tears. Ordinary Days That night, Minse Eutnohl violently threw the thing beside him into the wall.

That happened to be a wooden table, which exuded extravagance and technology in both material and design. But with Minse's strength, the table collided with the screen door with an intense sound before it fell to the ground in pieces. Even that wasn't enough to suppress the rage in his heart, but at least it was enough to temporarily quell his impulses. If he didn't do that, he definitely would have stormed into the palace and completely destroyed the ceremonial banquet which should be going on over there right now. Not only that, he would also personally gouge out the pair of sleepy eyes which belonged to that poor looking brat who would be there. The center to tonight's celebration was that child. Minse was still very youngsomewhere in his mid teens. But he was even younger. That's why Minse was so angry. Tonight, they were commemorating the birth of the twelfth Heaven's Blade Receiver. That kid's name was Layfon Alseif. Since he became a Heaven's Blade, his name became Layfon Wolfstein Alseif. "Why isn't it me?" complained Minse piteously. His hair long black hair grew in a featureless messy tangle. The Eutnohl was one of the three Royal families in Grendan. The current Queen Alsheyra is of the Almonise family. The family that the King or Queen is from is known as the ruling house. There was to be twelve Heaven's Blade Receivers, as there were only twelve blades made from the mysterious Grendan White Dite known as the Heaven's Blades. Before Alsheyra's reign, there were five Heaven's Blades Receivers. But now, all twelve have been gathered. Minse believed that he would be the twelfth. The people also held such hopes for him. The last member of the three royal families, Ronsmier's Tigris had already taken the title of a Heaven's Blade Receiver. Queen Alsheyra was regarded as the strongest royalty in history, with the purest blood running through her veins in the Royal Families, one whose existence itself demanded it be shown off proudly. Naturally, it was expected that Minse, the head of the Eutnohl family, would take the twelfth Heaven's blade title. In fact, calling it his inheritance wouldn't have been an exaggeration. But, reality wasn't like that.

Layfon Wolfstein Alseif. A member of a small school Psyharden, an adoptive child became the twelfth Heaven's Blade. What's more was that Minse wasn't even given a chance to challenge Layfon. "This is a conspiracy," moaned Minse. What he said wasn't actually nonsense. There was no doubt that the Almonise family and the Eutnohl family were the current ruling houses. More accurately, it was between the Eutnohl and Almonise families. The three Royal Families wanted to protect the bloodline of the first King, and they wanted to make sure that any marriages would give birth to more Military Artists. The minimal requirement for a suitor was being a Military Artist. And from the aspect of retaining the purity of the blood from the first king, the suitor had to also be of royal lineage from one of the three Royal families. But purifying the bloodline too much could also lead to the passing on of inherent defects in the genes. After much argument between the three families, they came to an agreement that every three generations, there would be an intermarriage between the three Royal families. The current Queen Alsheyra was born of the Almonise and the Ronsmier families. And her husband was supposed to be of the Eutnohl family. He was Minse's brother. No, he was originally supposed to act as a brotherly figure. Currently, that brother no longer existed. He had eloped with some ordinary woman. Alsheyra had just smiled bitterly at the news, and her next suitor had yet to be decided. If they went in order, then in theory Minse would have been offered to take the position. There were rumors among the citizens that Alsheyra couldn't forget about Minse's brother, and thus was delaying her decision. And privately, she hated him who had thrown her away, which lead to her hate of the Eutnohl family. Minse had believed those rumors. Unfortunately, his bad luck didn't end with the rumors. His parents were also successively unlucky. His father died in a battle with a filth monster, and his mother died of sickness not

long after. And Minse became the head of the Eutnohl Family. Even though he still had many uncles, according to the laws of the three Royal Families, they were very far down the list as heirs. If the situation arose where Minse died, the person who would inherit the position as head of the family wouldn't be his uncles but a child of the current head of another royal family. And if Alsheyra didn't have any children, then the place would be taken by some child of the Ronsmier family. Minse firmly believed that Alsheyra wanted to use some legitimate way to annihilate the Eutnohl family. In order to prevent that from happening, it was imperative that he become a Heaven's Blade. It wasn't only to spread his name as a protector but to also show off his abilities as a descendant of the bloodline. And when there was a Royal Family marriage where the suitor was not of the royal family, then the next suitors would be chosen from the Heaven's Blade Receivers. This way it was possible for him to reclaim the right as a suitor to the Queen and recover the status of the Eutnohl family. However, he didn't get chosen for the twelfth spot. Alsheyra had taken away even the chance to show his strength. This was a conspiracy. Minse believed this without a shred of doubt. "If it's like this, I also have my own means." Sooner or later, Alsheyra was going to come to eliminate Minse. But he wouldn't be sitting, waiting for his demise. "......It's not like you mustn't attack the royalty no matter what." Things like the law have no power over people who have been driven into a corner. In order to live on, they will bare their fangs at anyone. Minse had changed his mood for the better, but looking at his face from the side there was a miserable expression unfitting of his age upon his face. She would only be happy on that day. The following days, she was as busy as a bee.

"I really can't take this!" The Psyharden dojo was not far from the orphanage and Leerin stood outside with her hands on her hips. Only ten years old, she was a mid-level student in elementary school. She had a steady personality and could usually be found cooking in the kitchen. She wore clothes with attention to work and moving about. Her hair was also appropriately tied up in a bun. Following the latest trends, the hair in front of her bun curled to one side. Leerin was standing in the makeshift reception area of the dojo. The second day since Layfon had become a Heaven's Blade Receiver, which was today, the dojo had become unusually busy. Psyharden Katana School's dojo was only an old smallscale dojo. The number of students in the dojo was as small as the dojo itself. There were countless dojos like this in Grendan. Even those that taught the katana couldn't be counted with two hands. Of course, there weren't many that continued existing for a long time. Sometimes it was because the owner of the dojo died in a fight with a filth monster, and there weren't any successors. Some of the dojos fell to ruin after losing in fights with other dojos. However, despite its size, the Psyharden Katana School dojo had a long history. But it wasn't an exaggeration to say that the size of a dojo in Grendan represented its status. A youth, which had been winning in official matches for two years straight, yesterday claimed victory in the Heaven's Blade Receiver selection matches and officially became the twelfth Heaven's Blade Receiver. That youth belonged to the Psyharden School. That is, this dojo located at the edge of the residence areas which was barely struggling by. In the morning, before the doors of the dojo had even opened, there was already a long line of people outside the dojo hoping to get in. Leerin busily responded to them, and even though it was already past noon, there were no signs of there being an end to all this. "Leerin, take this chance and have lunch." "Ok~" In an attempt to take her mind off the annoying problem, a nearby person went behind the reception area, brought a pot and started cooking.

It looked like that there was no end to the people who wanted to join the dojo, and they weren't about to wait obediently in line either. They had obviously already gotten an admission slip but they still couldn't line up properly. Looking at the scene, Leerin was stumped. "I can't take this.! I really want to just stay here instead," complained Leerin. She was drinking some warm milk, and had recovered somewhat. Beside the reception area there were tables prepared by the street's residents. It's just as it appeared; it's a small dojo, without many hands. The kitchen didn't have many staff either. Seeing Leerin complaining, the person who was helping with the cooking started laughing. She was also a Nee-chan who grew up at the orphanage, and she had married recently, living the life of a newlywed. "Well, it's not like you can do anything about this, with Layfon doing all that." A Heaven's Blade Receiver. For the military artists of Grendan, that title held great meaning. It was equivalent to being called the strongest. Wanting to study at the same school that trained one of the strongest is perfectly logical. Some famous examples would be the Luckens School, created by a Heaven's Blade, and the school for the successors of the three royal families, Rivanes. And there was also the dojo currently regarded as the most prosperous, Midknot. These three Military Arts schools all currently have students who were Heaven's Blades Receivers. Although Grendan has twelve Heaven's Blades, it doesn't actually have twelve prosperous Military Arts Schools. For example, the Psychokinesists. The only Nen-I user of all the twelve Heaven's Blades, Delbone was the oldest of them all. There were legends that said that she had already been a Heaven's Blade for several decades, and that perhaps she would have to step down from her position soon. For Psychokinesis, the abilities required far outstripped those demanded of a normal Military Artist, thus there was no dojo which was open to take in disciples and teach them. Another example would be Karen Kei. Troyatte represents this school in the Heaven's Blade. As it is also very hard to grasp, there are very few Military Artists who are willing to learn it. Including these two, with the three mentioned above, and excluding Layfon, there were still

six others. Of the six, the one known as the strongest of the current Heaven's Blades, Lintence, wasn't born in Grendan. He was a military artist who was visiting from another city, and under the Queen's recommendation entered the selection tournament and became a Heaven's Blade Receiver. So if he didn't found a dojo, then there was no way for him to pass on his techniques to anyone else, and he had no intentions of doing so. As for the other five, none of them fitted into any specific dojo in Grendan, and like Lintence, none of them had any intention of starting their own dojo's either. Putting all this into perspective, Layfon is the only Heaven's Blade Receiver to become one having learned only the Psyharden Katana techniques. So, if one was part of the Psyharden dojo, one could become a Heaven's Blade Receiver. Of course, that's what everyone thought. "But the thing is......" Leerin gazed across at the people who were hoping to gain entry after lunch break with mixed feelings. Wasn't there anyone who felt suspicious? Perhaps nobody had noticed the Dite that Layfon was holding in tournament? That was a sword. Psyharden was clearly a school which taught the Katana, not the sword. Thinking back, it was the day before the decisive battle. Inside the dojo, other than the caretaker, the two who had grown under the shelter of the Psyharden dojo; Derek and Layfon were completely alone. The two were holding restored Dites. In Layfon's hand, was a sword. "I'm sorry," said Layfon to a completely silent Derek. He then stored his Dite away and placed it in its sheath. Leerin quickly realized the meaning behind it. That was Layfon making it clear to Derek that he was giving up the way of the Katana. And then, Layfon became a Heaven's Blade Receiver. "Why would Layfon......"

Even now, she still hasn't asked him about it. Until now, Leerin always thought that she knew everything about Layfon. They were the same age, and thus they were placed into the orphanage at almost the same time. And at the time, they were both infants. Leerin was an abandoned child. So was Layfon. They two have been together before they understood anything. At that time, they didn't know that they shared circumstances with the other. They also had many other siblings unrelated by blood in the orphanage. Some were abandoned as well. Others had both their parents die, and nobody adopted the children who were sent here. There were various circumstances. She only recently found out that Military Artists very rarely gave up their children. Perhaps there was some sort of relationship like that, but chances of that wasn't high. Layfon treated Derek like his real father. And likewise, Derek treated Layfon like his own son. Of course, the other children in the orphanage also treated this kindly old Military Artists of few words as their own father. But, Layfon was a Military Artist. Everyone in the orphanage had their own surnames. The ones who had last names kept them. Those who didn't know had Derek give them one. All the children were siblings who had grown up in the same circumstances together, but they wished that they could share their surname with someone else. This felt somewhat lonely. But it was also something they could do nothing about. Derek's last name was the same as the dojo that he was part of. Even though it was very small, even if a normal person carried the name of the dojo, it showed a deep connection with a Military Artist generations back. Not knowing her two parents, Leerin obviously didn't know her surname either. This also meant that Layfon might not have his own surname. Layfon Psyharden. This name wasn't too shabby. As they continued on with their ordinary lives, perhaps it had also become reality. Derek adopted Layfon officially, and was originally meant to be the heir to the Psyharden techniques.

But in his hands, Layfon was holding a sword. (Why?) She couldn't think of any reasons. She couldn't understand why Layfon would do this at all. Leerin was very surprised that when it came to Layfon there were things about him that even she didn't know about. "Excuse me." "Ah, yes." Leerin turned around after suddenly being spoken to. In front of the reception area was a youth who was slightly older than Leerin. He stood there with a very amiable smile, with very thin eyes framed by a pair of glasses, and a head of long silver hair. "Excuse me, is this the Psyharden dojo?" From his manner, it was obvious he came from a family of status. "Yes, I'm sorry, if you want to enter the dojo please get out your entry ticket..." "Ah, it's not like that." The youth simultaneously cut Leerin short and spoke to those who were lining up, showing he knew what was going on. "The thing is, I'm a foreigner." Foreigner here referred to those who came by roaming buses from other cities. "I saw yesterday's match by chance, and I was very impressed, so I wanted to meet that Military Artist personally, and came here." "Ha......" Leerin nodded her head and at the same time became slightly more alert. "Of course, I am an ordinary person; I'm not seeking to get into the dojo through meeting him. I just want to meet him." Again, the youth expressed his plans loudly. The hopefuls who were lining up to gain entry to the dojo realized that he wasn't there to cut in front of them and stopped caring about what he was trying to do. Dealing with a person younger than him by about five years, he was always very courteous.

And Leerin who was always praised by others for her maturity felt that this youth in front of her seemed even more like an adult than she was. The second day after the banquet, they started preparations in order for Layfon to have the same uniform as the rest of the Heaven's Blade Receivers. It seemed that the adjustments to the Heaven's Blade, the measurements to his special combat suit for use outside a city, etc. all needed confirmation. Layfon said he had to temporarily stay in the palace for all those things. They didn't know when the filth monsters would come and ambush them. And Grendan had much more run ins with filth monsters than normal. For a newly appointed Heaven's Blade Receiver, there wasn't any time for rest. Hearing this, the youth nodded his head with some comprehension. "It really is a pity, it seems I won't be able to meet him before my roaming bus leaves." "I'm sorry." "It's ok, it's ok, it's not like it's your fault...... And anyway, this place is very welcoming to us foreigners. In the city I live in, any foreigners who wanted to leave their accommodation had to undergo a relatively thorough inspection, and it's the same for almost every other city I've been to as well. This treatment really surprised me." [It count:4 Editor help plox.] Perhaps this youth was talking to himself, or perhaps he was simply trying to tell someone else his surprising experience here. That's why Leerin wasn't about to answer his query. "I think it's because very few Roaming Buses come by here." The youth reacted with a look of surprise in response to Leerin's answer. "Eh? But, that can't be the only reason can it?" "That...... We have to treat our guests with hospitality, hoping that maybe we'll get some sort of gift from the guests. "If you put it like that, then I'm a complete cheapskate of a guest who doesn't remember any favors." "Ah, that's not what I meant," Leerin explained hurriedly and stopped what she was doing, facing the laughing youth. "Don't mind me, I was just joking."

"Eh?" "Thank you, even though it's a pity that I can't meet that person, I still met a very interesting person." He was referring to Leerin. The serious youth revealed another smile, making Leerin's face burn with redness. But this time, the youth took no notice to her reaction, and left after saying goodbye. "......A strange person." Reflecting on her judgment of the youth, Leerin returned her attention to her meal. There were still many people who wished to enter the dojo, and recording their names and addresses was something that Leerin didn't have a choice in doing right now. As he smoked a cigarette, Lintence responded, "I refuse" to this completely uninteresting topic of conversation. "Go tell them that this is what I said." Lintence lived in the district in Grendan reserved for receivers of the Heaven's Blade. The letter he was holding left his hand. The letter itself and the envelope it came in were in the same state as when he had received them: they were defying physics and were floating horizontally in the air. As they reached the rubbish bin, they were shredded. They were shredded so finely that even those who were used to putting together jigsaw puzzles would have trouble reassembling it, his paranoia making it nearly impossible to restore. The floorboard was creaking. The robust male who had brought the message shrank back and retreated a few steps in the face of Lintence's attitude, making the noise. It was the fate of an apartment that was built with cheap materials, and this was the sound of the floorboards aging. With a pair of spiritless, unfriendly eyes coupled with messy, long, uncut hair and that lazy beard covering his beard, Lintence laid on the sofa. He wasn't looking at the messenger at all, instead staring at the smoke floating about in the room like a mist. "Go back." Lintence uttered the short sentence as he exhaled more smoke. The messenger escaped out the door, the floorboards he stepped upon making more creaking noises.

The ashes descended towards a shirt full of wrinkles. But before they could land on the shirt, they were sent to the ashtray in a cubic shape. The door was just left open like that, and outside the door near the stairs were sounds of people bumping into each other. The anguished cries of women, the panicked sounds of men, the sounds of people falling from the stairs, as well as the laughter which echoed from upstairs. "So noisy." As Lintence mumbled to himself, the door moved to close itself. At the same time, a hand stopped it. And from behind it, came a surprised sound. "Wow, the pathetic state you're in really is surprising. It's only been a week, so how the hell did you manage to make this room so messy? That's amazing in its own way." Pulling open the closing door, the woman walked in without reserve as she looked about the room in a dazed manner. The woman, dressed in maid uniform, took out a vacuum cleaner and stood in front of Lintence in a proud pose. She didn't look to be older than twenty. But nobody knew her real age. Regardless, this woman often used her leftover Kei for an internal-type Kei to control her body at will. Changing her skeleton was a little difficult, so she couldn't change her height, but she could limit her own growth. At least since the many years ago he had first met her; her height and her visage hadn't changed at all. "What? You can't take it if there isn't that much smoke in the air? You smoking addict." Saying this presumptuously, that woman strode past Lintence and opened the windows. Fresh air rushed passed the woman and blew in, but Lintence's sharp sense of smell still detected the stink of the rubbish dump placed next door in the construction room. "...I believe I told you sixty four thousand eight hundred seconds ago to leave me alone, Your Crappiness." Lintence was still lazing on the sofa as before, but the window closed by itself, and the breeze stopped. "If you've got a problem, then go find somewhere else to live. It's not like that will damage that icy attitude of yours. All the maids I assigned to work here all came to me one after

another crying, pleading me to let them work somewhere else." "So just leave me alone. We've already had this conversation thirty eight times." "If a Heaven's Blade Receiver lives in a place like this, then the Almonise ruling house will be questioned by others. I wish you could at least make it a little tidier." The woman dressed as a maid...... Her Crappiness...... Alsheyra Almonise opened the window yet again. This time it wouldn't be closed again. She removed all the steel threads wrapped around the window. Looking from outside, a pair of hands darted about grasping at empty air. Alsheyra tossed the steel threads in her palm beside her. Those discarded steel threads silently returned to their owner. "Where are the clothes I gave you? I think they should suit your tastes." "You've watched too many yakuza movies." "Look at that mean glare in your eyes. I'd like to see what kind of malicious being you are if you aren't some hoodlum." As she said these rough words, she laughed gracelessly. Laughing, she kicked the accumulating pile of magazines with a well-rehearsed action and after finding the power cord, she connected the cleaner into the hidden socket and proceeded to turn it on. The unique noise of the vacuum cleaner filled the room. "I want to kill you, you know." Lintence muttered this quietly in the midst of the chaotic noise the vacuum cleaner was making. "I know that" replied Alsheyra calmly. "You idiot, you really piss me off. You don't even know your place." "For that, I became a Heaven's Blade Receiver." "That's why I'm saying, an idiot really is stupid. You've already revealed your real self. Just like that, you've leaked the information." "Surely there must be some Heaven's Blade Receivers who aren't satisfied with you?" When Lintence became a Heaven's Blade Receiver, there were some who expressed their disapproval. Lintence wasn't actually the first foreign Military Artist who became a Heaven's Blade Receiver in Grendan.

However, such Military Artists usually appeared about once in every King or Queen's rule. There had never been a person like Alsheyra who gave Heaven's Blades en mass to foreigners. Of course, it was natural for the higher ups of the traditional Military Artists in Grendan to be offended by these actions. As for the isolated city, information from outside cities took relatively high priority. Technology too, took high priority, along with expansion of the gene pool. They welcomed everything other than illnesses. But all these things needed time to fit together, and this was the new problem which this city was facing. First was Lintence, then it was Cauntia and Reverse's combination. Suddenly three military artists had become Heaven's Blade Receivers. Even though survival of the toughest was the Military Artist's motto, they weren't very pleased about this. But...... "So what." Showing no signs of wavering, Alsheyra continued to ponder, calmly went on. "There's no problem with them harboring discontent. If they don't like it, there's no problem either. If they have any problems then it's good if they tell me and don't hold back. Even if I am royalty, I'm merely the descendant of the bloodline of one of the strongest families in Grendan. If you think you're strong, then do your best to do something. Keeping them all in line is my job. As for any disobedient little dogs, giving them the punishing whip is the job of the master. That's all there is to it, is it not?" declared Alsheyra as she cleaned the room with the vacuum cleaner. It didn't fit her maid uniform. As he thought that, Lintence cracked a smile, looking at her face from the side. She was a Queen at birth. She was the strongest at birth. This woman's behavior gave off an aura of splendor, totally out of tune with the obedient feel of her maid uniform. "Well, just let me look forward to what sort of a song an idiot can sing. It's been really boring recently. I wanted to bully the new gentleman, but it seems he's not strong enough yet. Lin, can you go train him?" "Well, I guess that'll be interesting." Lintence had also watched yesterday's finals. But he only watched the opening ceremony and the participants before returning. For him, that was more than enough to predict the results. And he didn't guess wrong. "Oh? That was really unexpected. I thought you would decline."

"That's because he's very good at learning from others. I just want to know if he really has such a talent, so I'm going to go test him." "Ah, I see. That will be very interesting," whispered Alsheyra interestedly, laughing. "There have been many like him. Children who sealed their weapon of choice and techniques while still becoming a Heaven's Blade Receiver." "Anybody could do that." "But they wouldn't do it like this. This is the nature of Military Artists, is it not?" replied Alsheyra quickly. She revealed an expression as if Lintence had fallen for her tricks, and Lintence responded by closing his two eyes, as if an attempt to isolate himself from the noise of the vacuum cleaner. A luxurious selection of cuisines were placed on the round table. Facing master Minse sat three other people. "We really couldn't get Lintence, eh?" Washing down a mouthful of food with some wine, Minse revealed a pained expression. He had already predicted this result. But, if possible, he didn't want to make an enemy out of him. Minse couldn't understand him using steel threads, and that ability scared him. "Isn't that what I said? That guy is a foreigner. He's a pawn under Her Majesty." The speaker was the one who was sitting in the middle of the three. Kalvan Geordeus Midknot. A fifty year old male. He kept a head short hair, some of which had turned grey. A portion of that had turned completely white, which was kept long and tied up. Maybe it was because he's been working too hard, but the wrinkles on his face deeply etched. "Lock it up, I'm afraid information here may reach her majesty's ears." "There's no need for such worries. For the next mission, the new guy and Lintence are being paired up as a team and being sent out. You think she will know about that event?" "That's how it should be in theory, but what I'm worried about is Her Majesty taking some sort of precautionary actions." "That's another needless worry. I understand that woman's personality very well. If she figures out our intentions, she'll face us head on for sure."

"That's true. I think that's how she'd react as well." The youth who replied smiled expectantly while nodding. He sat to the left of Kalvan, who was pulling a long face. "Savaris. You speak as if you could win in a fight against Her Majesty." "Oh? Isn't it because I've harbored such a thought that I'm sitting here right now?" Savaris replied to Kalvan's question in a relaxed manner. "I'm just trying to say that Grendan's current situation isn't very good." "If that's the case, then what things can we tell Her Majesty directly? Isn't it the special privilege of the Heaven's Blade Receivers to be able to see Her Majesty at any time?" "No thanks." Kalvan glared at that young Heaven's Blade Receiver extremely unhappily. "But Her Majesty won't listen. It's true that Her Majesty can't just hand out the Heaven's Blades. But Her Majesty can choose to hold those tournaments to decide the Heaven's Blades. It's worth celebrating the gathering of all twelve Heaven's Blades, but bestowing it upon a ten year old child..." "I became a Heaven's Blade Receiver at thirteen." Savaris couldn't understand why Kalvan thought this was a crisis. "Didn't Kanaris become a Heaven's Blade Receiver at fifteen? Just because he's young, he can't be a Heaven's Blade Receiver? An argument like that is baseless." The last person...Kanaris, just watched the scene silently. She was a woman with a very ordinary visage. All the parts attached to her face seemed as if they were made to give off an impression of a total lack of personality, and if one's eyes left her for just a moment, you wouldn't know she was there anymore. "There really are too many young people" complained Kalvan in a painful manner. Just as he said, among the current Heaven's Blade Receivers, those who were relatively young took up a large proportion. There were four Heaven's Blade Receivers military artists who had served before Alsheyra's reign. Excluding Delbone who was an exceptional case, the other three had all been bestowed with their Heaven's Blades in their late twenties or early thirties. Compared to that, starting with Alsheyra's reign, the oldest any Heaven's Blade Receiver had been given his or her position was Lintence, in his late twenties. The rest were usually

made Heaven's Blade Receivers in their teens, with some just over twenty. And then there was the ten year old Layfon. "It's as if Her Majesty was attempting to crush the record of 'Youngest Heaven's Blade Receiver' eh?" said Savaris, laughing. He had held that record just a few days ago. "Following the record back, following that is Tigris-sama or Delbone-sama. It seems getting a ten or so year-old kid to carry such a burden will be very hard on him." "This isn't a joke!" Annoyed by Savaris' tone, Kalvan slammed his hand down on the round table. The dish on the table shook. Kanaris looked at the spilt sauce spread across the tablecloth with displeasure. "Well...cool down for a moment." Minse reproached Kalvan mildly. "I know what both of you are trying to say, and anyway, since we're all comrades with the same goals please treat each other more cordially." The people who were gathered there were all Military Artists who came from Grendan's dojo's. For example, Kalvan Geordeus Midknot is one who had opened his own dojo. And on his left, the ever smiling Savaris Qaulafin Luckens. He was a part of the Luckens dojo which had helped an early Grendan ruler create the Heaven's Blades, and he was also a descendant of those people. And sitting on the right, Kanaris Aerifos Rivin. She was the successor of the three royal families...that is, she was a part of the dojo which gathered members of the royal family who hadn't inherited any positions among royalty, Rivanes. Among these three the one with the closest blood ties would have to be her. "We can't let anyone look down upon a Heaven's Blade Receiver's authority again. Isn't that why everyone has gathered here today?" Such direct words; who would dare say such a thing? The Queen's assassination, the passing on of the crown. The one who would step up to the place of king would be Minse. Counting by age, it should

actually be Tigris, but even before Alsheyra became Queen he had a chance yet he didn't concern himself with such things, and let Alsheyra inherit the position. If that were the case, he would probably do the same again this time. Minse didn't have the ability to become a Heaven's Blade Receiver. Perhaps he could wait to become betrothed to Alsheyra, but right now, Minse wasn't considering that option at all. Even then, that was only a possibility and there was no guarantee he would become king. "After I become king, I'll give your dojo's repayment in kind." Minse didn't forget making his promises. He was very clear as to why those three were here. They were afraid that the authority of their respective dojos would be diminished. All twelve Heaven's Blade Receivers were gathered. And none of the Military Artists came from their dojo. This implied that even if one trained at another dojo one could still become a Heaven's Blade Receiver. The Heaven's Blade was the ultimate goal of Military Artists in Grendan. There wasn't a better yardstick than that to measure one's own strength by. For that, young Military Artists went to open dojos to train and refine their techniques. Purely fighting for survival really is a little tedious. Everyone also wished to calmly enjoy the pleasure of grandeur. For that, they all yearned for that seat of the Heaven's Blade Receiver, won through a competition of pure strength. Of course, only people who wanted to reach the sky in one go dreamed of that. To those who had already achieved something, these up and coming rookies were nothing more than nuisances. Naturally, the increase in Heaven's Blade Receivers put them on guard and until today, perhaps because they were so young, the new Heaven's Blade Receivers never bothered set up their own Dojo's and were never regarded as a threat. But this time, Layfon was different. Ten years old, a Heaven's Blade Receiver who was too young. He was trained by the Psyharden dojo. A dojo built in some corner of the city, it looked as if it would topple over if you just threw a pebble at it. Among the numerous small dojos, Psyharden was potentially dangerous to the larger dojos. Those who had a burden, have to strive to continue carrying that burden. These people

existed as Military Artists in order to survive in this city. Even though they knew that strength was paramount, there were few who were willing to throw away their burdens for that power. Kalvan was the same, and not counting the heads of the other two's dojos they were one among many. As soon as they learnt that Minse was unable to take part in the selection battle for the Heaven's Blade, they began to run back and forth for today. Which is why they were able to so quickly assemble three Heaven's Blade Receivers before Minse now. "Then, what should we do next?" Savaris spoke first. "For us, the greatest threat right now is Lintence. Wait until he leaves the palace and then do it." "Then I guess we'll do it like that?" Minse nodded in response to Kalvan's inquiry. "Our chance comes the next time the Heaven's Blade Receivers need to move out for battle. When the time comes I won't give any special signal. As soon as they start fighting, our battle starts too, and I'll leave it to you guys." If it was a normal filth monster attack, it isn't the Heaven's Blade Receivers but squads of normal military artists which were mobilized. Perhaps Layfon would also be dispatched, but Lintence would likely be left in support. They were waiting for the Mature Phase filth monster to attack. When that happens, they won't order normal Military Artists to sortie. Heaven's Blades would be dispatched to welcome it in battle. And if the Heaven's Blade Receivers are dispatched in order, then Layfon would be first. But being his first time fighting a Mature Phase filth monster, then it was almost certain that Lintence would be sent out for battle as well. In order for Layfon to quickly gain experience fighting Mature Phases in the next Mature Phase battle Layfon would definitely be picked. "That's why your turn to step onto the battlefield will come very soon" declared Minse.

A month passed. A very boring month. Alsheyra's weekly, quick but ineffective cleaning visits made the room seem even more chaotic. Although Lintence had reservations about all this, all his resistance was useless. Because Alsheyra firmly believed that all that was involved in cleaning was using a vacuum cleaner. It really hurt his head. It was the same thing yesterday. Lintence could only watch as everything was messed up. Afterwards, Alsheyra walked out of his home with a pleased look on her face. Today, Lintence arrived at the palace's flower garden. It was the spacious central garden. There weren't any railings or the like to prevent falls installed. Only the gardener and the Heaven's Blade Receivers had access to this garden. The gardener would never appear here outside of his work hours, and the Heaven's Blade Receivers wouldn't do anything as stupid as falling from the garden and dying. Put another way, this place forbade Heaven's Blade Receivers who did stupid things. Because this was a private area for the ruling family within the palace. Except that's exactly where Lintence was. There was another person there. "...Only your memory is far superior to anyone else's," said Lintence as he watched the child who sat on the ground before him, sweating profusely. "Th-thanks for your guidance." "But you're too used to having Kei flow through your hands. Make the Kei flow around your whole body. Before you can do that, I forbid you from holding your sword other than during battles." "Understood." He originally thought that the child wouldn't understand what he was doing, but he was unexpectedly obedient, which made Lintence feel a little despair. On that visage which terrified many people, there had to be something that makes it seem unfriendly. But that child wasn't actually afraid of him. After calmly adjusting his breathing, he got up immediately. He wasn't sweating at all anymore. The breeze which blew through across the garden had aired his body dry. "That's it for today."

"Thank you for your guidance." Facing Lintence's retreating back after he had finished speaking, the child lowered his head. Like other children, those clear eyes seemed to reflect absolutely nothing, but in reality they were unconsciously absorbing everything before him and adding them to his understanding. To this child, training his body was merely a confirmation process through which he could reproduce what he saw before him. Leaving behind the child to self-training, Lintence returned to the palace. There was a youth standing there. He was watching what was going on in the garden. "So that's the new guy?" "Yeah." That pair of hypnotic eyes that attracted women's obsession stared without reserve at the child's actions. That child was Layfon. "Why are you specially training him?" "To kill time, I guess." "It really is a great way to burn time, eh? I actually thought it was some game to protect this stupid kid who showed up out of nowhere." The youth's name was Troyatte. One of the Heaven's Blades. "The purpose is clearer than that." "I know. But that child is the only person here that I didn't know before he became a Heaven's Blade Receiver. Only Ojou-chans who never leave their homes would think that that alone was enough to accomplish his goals. We're pretty annoyed by this as well, and even Ruimei-ossan is tired of him. What are you guys planning?" "Nothing." "Really? So none of us get to fight?" "Uh-huh." "That's brilliant! As long as I can sleep in a woman's bed its fine, nothing else could possibly better. I'm so happy I'm about to cry."

From his purposely opened palms he seemed unbiased and genuinely happy. However in the next moment Troyatte's expression instantly darkened. "Can't even be bad guy; quite pitiful, eh?" The meaning of his words were very clear. Minse had failed. That wasn't to say that his attempt was exposed. If it was exposed, that pretty much meant failure. If it was a Heaven's Blade Receiver, surely he would understand that point. Minse could only play the role of the pitiful clown. Even though he understood... "They're plotting something as well, right?" The Heaven's Blade Receivers that were assisting Minse. And there were three. "It was probably Kalvan-ossan's bad habit of meddling too much which caused this kind of result. If they just ignore that extra troublesome guy it'd probably be fine. But what's the status of the other two guys? Are they obstacles like Kalvan? Hey, this isn't good, you're not even that old and you're already being shackled down by all these conspiracies. Youths should just act like youths and live life passionately in order to get something out of it, shouldn't they?" Having said this, Troyatte was after all, barely twenty years old. "Compared to you, who's only passionate about women I think I'm a lot better." "What? Boss is the type that prefers revolution?" "How could I be, such a troublesome thing." "I guess not. I guess Boss who left his previous city purely because it was too troublesome would never say something like that. Well, it's just that I can't tell how much of all this trouble Boss talks about is real, and how much is just you pretending." "If you don't know then please shut that oily slick voice of yours up, otherwise I might actually leave, ne? And also, don't come too close; you have too much perfume on." "Well, after all Boss is an ojiisan, so please don't infect me with your outdated tastes." After having a go at each other, the two each went their own way. In the garden, Layfon was still doing his self-training. It's only been a month but he was already familiar with the basic usages of the steel threads. And adding on top of that his own abilities, there was no real

problem using it in battle. (Well, maybe not quite ready yet.) Layfon was still not aware of the horror of the steel threads. Without tasting the effects of the weapon that he was using, he still couldn't say that his understanding of it was flawless. Troyatte had already lost interest in Layfon and left. Lintence also started moving away. At this time, an announcement came echoing across the sky. "The filth monster is currently getting closer. A Mature Phase Stage 2. It will come within the battle area in two days." It was as if the sounds some obaa-san was making as she sat under the sun had been transmitted right to their ears. Near the walkway's patio floated a Psychokinesis flake. This was Delbone's voice. Even though she was now an obaa-san who was lying in hospital, her psychokinesis showed no sign of weakening. "Yes, it'll arrive around midday." Somebody probably asked a question. The voice in the flake answered the question casually. It was as if the flake let you see her pondering the problem. "You have to eat lunch properly. You can't skip, ok? If you don't eat properly you won't grow." The person asking the question was probably Cauntia or Barmelin. "Uh, uh, there's no need to measure a woman's charm with a man's scale. That's obvious. But a woman with charm can't evade the looks of men. Hence, they can't evade men's measuring gaze, right?" "There it is again, getting talked down by Cauntia." Behind, Troyatte revealed a bitter smile. "Stop it guys. The battle area will be roughly ten kilomels north-west off the outer edge of the city. There's no need to use the land rollers. You don't need any travel time either. Is this ok?"

The question was directed towards Alsheyra. "Yeah. I got it. Then, Lintence go backup, Layfon go attack. Lintence, you better support Layfon properly. And Layfon, even though you're a child, you are already an outstanding Heaven's Blade Receiver, so go do your best." In the midair garden, Layfon nodded to the flake in front of him several times. "Good. A very good answer. I like kids with spirit. When you grow a bit older, I'll introduce you to my granddaughter. "Delbone-sama, if you happen to know a young and charming woman, please introduce her to me." "Troyatte, if you could place all your attentions on one woman only, I would introduce you to an exceptional beauty." "That really is a harsh request." "Then please give up. Ayaya, Kalvan-sama, can you not show such a gloomy and unhappy face? You should live your life a little more leisurely." "Then everyone, I hope it's a pleasant battlefield." After saying this, Delbone's voice could no longer be heard. The flake left from above Lintence's head. Leaving the palace's corridors, leaving the midair garden, probably returning to their surveillance of the city. A pleasant battlefield, eh... Lintence pondered as he walked. As to the reason for throwing away the city he had grown up in, then it would be because the environment there didn't have anything that could equal his strength. A city where nothing really happened, a peaceful city where nothing will happen. There was nothing that he needed to protect with his life there, and he didn't know how much time would pass by before the city ran into a mature phase filth monster. Just a second stage male would be great already. Just that would be a huge deal for his city, but for Lintence that kind of level couldn't even be considered any opposition, merely an enemy. It definitely couldn't be considered a pleasant battle. Deciding to leave the city for a while was also because he discovered his great desire for danger.

The thing known as greatness is very difficult to maintain with a relaxed frame of mind. Seeing his steel threads wire technique which he had bet his life on training and mastering gradually rusting from not having a place to use them, he deeply felt how hollow his current life was. It was during his twentieth year that he felt this. And so he left his city. The following five years, he lived a wandering life. He arrived at Grendan because he heard it to be a city that had gone mad. He heard rumors of a city which frequently ran into filth monsters, a city which roamed in the danger zone. It was as if that city was taking the initiative and actually wanted to battle with the filth monsters, continuously fighting all year round. So he arrived here. If the rumors were true, then he could probably fully unleash his strength. And the result far exceeded his expectations. Because in his first encounter, he had allowed his arrogant self to taste defeat. "You're very strong, onii-san." Yes, a girl roughly the same age as Layfon right now wove through all of the steel threads that Lintence had released. And not only that, even when the steel threads bound her up, shredded her skin and flesh, they failed to give her even a single trace of a wound, and like that well known phrase, the bridge of his nose was broken. [In Japanese Culture, breaking the bridge of a person's nose is associated with the defeat of an arrogant person.] "Do you want to prove that you are great? Then enter the competition, until you're recognized here." The girl said this in an aloof banter with her foot atop Lintence's stomach, as he lay there with blood steadily flowing out of his nose. "If you do that, sooner or later I'll have you experience a battlefield that makes you sigh 'ah, I'm so glad I'm not there.'" He hadn't been on such a battlefield yet. There did exist a battlefield which satisfied him a little. At least it was a billion times better than staying in his hometown, rusting. But could he be satisfied with just that?

Please stop joking. "I won't rest until I see it with my own eyes." Lintence mumbled, directing it towards Alsheyra, no longer standing before him. After, he returned to the palace. The emergency alarm rang out across Grendan. "Then let's go." Layfon said this as he used an emergency use backpack to carry his younger brothers and sisters on his back. The young children were running, revealing the urgent atmosphere. But that was just the mood of the bright children, excited by just leaving their front door. It definitely wasn't the urgency of possible loss of life, that sort of sorrowful atmosphere. "Ah, Layfon. Why are you wearing those clothes?" Turning back, he saw his childhood friend standing there, her eyebrows creased. "Isn't the new training uniform folded up nicely over there? Really." "It's okay. I'm changing out of these pretty soon anyway." "No. You're unpresentable." Even though she said this, he obviously didn't have enough time to change clothes. As Leerin grumbled, she tried to make the wrinkles in his shirt less conspicuous, tugging on the collar and the sleeves. Layfon stood there uncomfortably, silently allowing Leerin to fix his attire. "Make sure you do it properly next time." "Ok~~~~" Hearing Layfon's half-hearted answer, Leerin pinched Layfon's cheeks. "Ouch~" He was obviously acting.

"Um, Layfon." "What?" "Don't get injured." "No problem. Didn't I safely return all those times before? I'll return safely this time as well." Before Layfon had become a Heaven's Blade Receiver, Layfon had already fought on the battlefield. In Grendan, those who didn't achieve a certain amount of results in the competitions weren't allowed to fight on the battlefield, and they also couldn't receive the Military Artists' grants. And the young Military Artists' grants would only be given until fifteen. Layfon had been participating in the competitions since two years ago. After achieving his goal in the first competition, he started participating in every battle he was allowed to fight in. If one went onto the battlefield, a Military Artist's grants would be more than others. Layfon gave all of that money to the orphanage. "But today you're alone, right?" Leerin looked at the Dite belt strung around her childhood friend's waist. On it hung a unique Dite. Today was Layfon's first battle as a Heaven's Blade Receiver. "Lintence-sama will be there as well. That person is very strong. So there's no problems." Him saying this didn't lessen Leerin's worry at all. "Then let's make a promise." "A promise?" Leerin was stunned by Layfon's proposal. "A promise I'll definitely come back safely. So, you have to make me a week's worth of food without any green vegetables whatsoever." "Three days." "Eh~~~" "Uh-uh. If you don't eat properly you won't grow. Isn't that what Lucia-neesan said?"

Lucia was a girl who was helping with the cooking recently, and was responsible working in the kitchen before Leerin. Also, she was the one who had taught Layfon and Leerin how to cook. "So mean. Fine, I got it." Layfon nodded his head very unwillingly, and after raising his hand and shouting goodbye he turned and left the orphanage. The younger brothers and sisters shouted towards his retreating back. Layfon waved back at them before leaping out. Leerin sent Layfon off as she watched his shadow leaving, using his emergency high speed dash, flying across rooftops as she whispered. "You clearly have nothing that you don't like eating." But they had already made their promise. Now she could only believe in him. A late Layfon saw what the uniform he was going to wear outside of the city looked like. It was a delicate grass green-colored pollution isolation suit. Next to it was placed a helmet marked with 'Wolfstein.' The suit itself was labeled with Wolfstein, indicating the accessories were made especially for him. Although it didn't affect movement very much, it would still probably create a bit more wind resistance. But for Heaven's Blade Receivers, they have to carefully take into account that sort of minute detail as well. But also, Heaven's Blade Receivers were a symbolic existence. Sometimes, when battling large numbers of filth monsters, their existence can improve the performance of other Military Artists, so they can't neglect the ornaments on their uniforms. "Isn't sensei wearing a protective uniform?" Even though he hadn't been ordered to be addressed as such, but Layfon still called Lintence "sensei." "You're the only one leaving the city." Layfon had some doubts, as Lintence prevented the technical support members from getting close to him as he continued to wear his normal clothes. "This is your battle. I'm just insurance. I'll deal with the guys you leave out. The next time there are orders it'll just be you by yourself. Don't embarrass yourself."

"I understand." The obediently nodding child didn't have a look of fear at all. Because he was a child, his only reaction to anything in the world that he didn't understand was indifference. That pair of eyes no longer had their usual look. A very good expression. He had gotten rid of any emotions. It was an expression reflecting Layfon concentrating all his thoughts into the upcoming battle. (The young child made such an expression. Was this a lamentable occurrence...?) Having once lived in a peaceful city when he was young, he considered it. However, he didn't have too many feelings on that point. And he didn't really think it was lamentable. If one really wanted to push on towards the roots in search of the person to blame, then that would be the adults who made this child make such an expression. Taking this a step further, in the entirety of Grendan, how many children other than Layfon could make such an expression? That is to say, Layfon was a unique example. "You still don't know how to use the steel threads, you understand that, right?" "Yes." Wearing only equipment for traveling outside a city, Lintence made all the technical support members go away. Layfon lifted his head looked at the helmet, playing with the buckle, and walked up to Lintence. "For a person who originally uses a katana, this fight will be rather constrained. But this is a battle that you have chosen, so just fight as you like." Layfon showed a moment of surprise, but it vanished immediately from his face. "There's no problem, I've made a promise with her to get home safely. If I provoke her anger, she's terrifying." "Really?" Although he didn't know who Layfon had made this promise with, but seeing as how he was speaking with such passion it was fine.

"Then go." Layfon took the helmet, strapped it on properly. After checking the connectors for gaps, he slapped him on his back. After the stairs opened up leading below, Layfon jumped out. "Then, I wonder if the comedy over there will be able to meet the expectations?" Moving towards the outer edge of the city, Lintence whispered silently, the words never carrying across to that midair garden within the palace. Prologue So hot. Such a foul smell. "So annoying," Barmelin complained. Her voice echoed and gradually faded. The thick pipe next to her was happily operating. Barmelin's height wasn't something she was proud to show in front of others. The pipe was much bigger than her body and its inside continued to exude heat. Thanks to that, it was still extremely hot to walk on the cleaner path next to it. Even the water was hot. Water for the living passed through this pipe before being purified. Because of the heat, the bacteria was having a blast multiplying in the pipe, and as such, the smell was much sharper than usual. "I'm so unlucky..." she said. The smell entering through her mouth made her frown. Even so, she brushed away the tree roots blocking her and continued her walk. Why was she even doing this? That question had already been kicked flying away. This was the Queen's order, and that meant everything. The Queen's command was beyond all unreasonable things in this city. Before her words, all of Grendan's citizens had to obey. There was no other way. That was what it meant to be a Queen. So Barmelin had to obey the Queen. Even though she thought other people were more suited to this job than her, she could only obey the Queen's order. Besides, she thought it was wonderful to play scissors, paper, rock. No matter how powerful one was, she had a chance of losing in this game. (Why did I have to make it paper at that time...) Barmelin hated herself. She knew from that fight with Cauntia, the idiot who ambushed her, the idiot who had part of her chest cut away from the wind pressure would decide on scissors...

She had already played scissors so many times....... "Scissors, paper, rock." In the end, Barmelin chose paper. She knew Cauntia had a sly smile on her face at that moment. Her smile had put doubt in her heart, and so she changed her decision to scissors. So she became the loser dog. "Go die, you ambushing idiot." And everyone else just go die as well. Barmelin kept moving forward as she cursed and swore. The weapon harness hanging from her waist made a "saasaa" noise. In it were a number of Dites, and chains served as decoration on her clothes. Her face was very pale. No one knew whether it was because of the makeup or if her health was bad. Her short hair was naturally black. Her lips were painted blue, and black color circled her eyes. No one was probably more suitable than her to the phrase of "having the aura of the underworld". Barmelin? Reverse? Delbone? She was also one of the great Heaven's Blade Successors. There was a reason behind it. The sun was close. Sunlight heated her head. In the middle of the courtyard, Alsheyra supported her big hat with a hand as she lifted her head to look at the sun. "So hot." The city had entered the tropics. Though the air shield had reduced some of the sun's heat, it was difficult to dispel the heat that had entered the city. The heat was gaseous and this situation couldn't be helped. The air shield was created to enable a sealed space. "How long has it been since we last had summer?" Alsheyra complained on the hammock. This was the most ventilated place. The wind blowing past here blew away the sweat on her feet. "It's been five years," Kanaris said beside her. "This is the war period. There might be other cities around." Usually, Grendan moved in spring and winter areas. A large part of the year was in spring, and the rest was spent in winter. It wouldn't enter a summer area. When summer arrived, it meant Grendan was moving in an area it didn't usually enter.

"So troublesome...I'm sure there's nothing to be benefited by coming here." Filth monsters were unusually numerous in Grendan's path. Hence, normal Regios wouldn't go near Grendan. This meant Grendan had sole possession of the selenium mine in its vicinity. It had no need to fight to gain another city's selenium mine. In exchange, it fought filth monsters. "But it's so hot," Alsheyra said in irritation. Evaporated water touched the glass of fruit juice. "Right, let's make a swimming pool?" "We don't have any spare money in the budget," Kanaris immediately gave a cold refusal. Alsheyra looked unhappy. "Well then, is it all right to swim in the breeding lake?" "If Your Majesty has finished all the work, then it's up to you." "Sometimes, it's all right to put the problems of reality to the back of the mind." "Hasn't Your Majesty been doing that all the time?" "Aaa, what a purposeless life," Alsheyra sighed and curled up on the hammock. Kanaris was stubborn. She would wait till Alsheyra changed her way of thinking. "Speaking of which........" Losing to the heat, she gave up curling into a ball and reached for the glass of juice. "Why did we come to the tropics five years ago?" "I can only think of the fight with Behemoth? Nothing else special happened." "Ah, Behemoth, how nostalgic...You still remember." "Not many filth monsters we fought were given names." "Really? Wu..... I suppose." Even though the filth monster was so powerful it was given a name, it only meant so little to Alsheyra, and that was shocking for Kanaris, Lintence, Savaris and Layfon. It took the strongest Heaven's Blade Successor, Lintence, and two other Heaven's Blades to defeat the filth monster. Kanaris had witnessed Alsheyra's strength through her eyes and body. Even so, she still didn't know the Queen's true strength. Did her strength really come from the Haikizoku?

Haikizoku. The Electronic Fairy that had gone insane for having lost its city. Because of its hatred against filth monsters, the Electronic Fairy changed its energy and came to possess Military Artist to act as an avenger. However, no shadow of madness was found in Alsheyra. Lazy and arrogant, this was Alsheyra Almonise, but Kanaris knew this was only the superficial side of her. Though she was lazy, it wasn't like she never tried. Though she was arrogant, she knew what gentleness was like. "Speaking of which, it was just a filth monster with a name. Why did the city change its path for it?" "It's impossible to predict the city's destination." "Well, still." "Is it all right if I intrude?" A leisurely voice of an old woman suddenly descended. "Delbone? What's it?" The voice was Delbone's, the only psychokinesist among the Heaven's Blades. "It seems someone has invaded the inner court of that place." Kanaris' expression turned horrible after listening to Delbone's report, but Alsheyra's expression remained unchanged. "Heh," she replied. "Well, I don't think anyone can just enter that place, but we can't just let this slide." "Yes, but that area isn't in operation. It's been sealed. Even if that person can reach that place, he certainly can't enter it." "But just in case," Kanaris said. Alsheyra nodded. "Yes, but we can't send too many people." "Then how about sending a Heaven's Blade?" "That's the best way." After this simple decision, all the Heaven's Blades were summoned and a great scissors, paper, rock match took place. In the end Barmelin was the one to take up this mission. "Go die, you foul smelling Majesty." Barmelin moved in the foul smell as she cursed the tree roots. If she had taken the clear path in the Mechanical Department, she wouldn't be in this tragic situation. No, there might be other trouble. But to Barmelin, it was better taking the other route than this one.

However, the Queen's reason had prevented her from doing so. "If a fight occurs there, it'd damage the Mechanical Department. Take the alley and fight at the entrance of the inner court." This kind of tree was important to the water purification system of the city, so the tree roots weren't something Barmelin could just destroy. But in order to release her stress, she was taking it out on the roots. Because of the roots, it took longer to get to her destination. She had thought for a number of times that it was better to take the normal route. The normal route ran from the Mechanical Department to the depth of the court. As it took advantage of the Department where the city's legs moved, the route was like a maze. One might get lost in the maze and even be squashed to death by the walls. As such, it'd take a considerable amount of time to take that route, so instead, Barmelin had to go through the alley. After a hard time, Barmelin finally managed to separate the roots. The foul smell now clung to her clothes. She decided to throw away the clothes she wore after everything had finished. Then she would need to melt herself in the bath tub. As she silently made her vow, she suddenly halted her steps. A wall had appeared before her. She knocked on the wall with a rhythm and a crack split to run from the bottom of the wall to the top. Compressed air leaked out of the crack as the wall separated into two to reveal a straight path behind it. Barmelin moved past the walls. The two halves of the wall returned to form one wall. The light had disappeared. Barmelin strode forward in the dark. After passing through the hell like maze, he finally arrived. "Geez, is this a joke," the man said. Anytime he recalled the event in the maze, trembling would seize him. A complicated path was all right, but the walls kept moving and the exit kept changing as a result. Also, the design that made him cry was made on top of a permanent exit. In addition, the walls really did want to kill him and make him into mince meat. Even a Military Artist would find it very difficult to fight metal plates. The man's body shook once more. He had to quickly forget that feeling. "It's busy on that side. This thing doesn't match at all, really," he complained, his voice echoing in the huge space. Everything else was dim, but lamps hung on the walls, shining blue light. The air wasn't too bad. It didn't feel suffocating. The impression on him was of a spacious area. Still, it felt different from the feeling he got standing on a grassy plain. This was a feeling of

being defeated by an artificial space. The feeling coming through the soles of his feet was different from before. This floor was made of polished stones. It reflected the blue light, making the place like the world of night. In the depth of the space was a huge door, and a circle of blue light surrounded it, as if it was stressing the existence of this door. This was the man's destination, but his feet wouldn't move. "......... As I said, can't you try to understand my trouble?" he said, rooted on the spot, his red hair swaying as if resisting the darkness. "Are you pooing?" The obvious disapproval came from a female. "Hey, hey, isn't that too dirty," the man said with a helpless expression, but he felt cold sweat on his entire body. (Damn, I can't fight her like how I played with those guys before.) He knew he had been noticed. For him who could move between cities at will, he could not move as he wished in this place. For the Wolf Faces and he himself, this was the biggest door of the ghost. This was a city dominated by unusual Miltiary Artists who obeyed a super-unusual person. And the person in the depth of this city was also....... He knew it wasn't easy to invade this city. But how did she get here earlier than him? Though he could feel her presence, he had yet to see her. She wasn't using Sakkei. Taking advantage of the good echoing function of this room, she was hiding in his blind spot. "So terrible, as expected of Grendan." "You're so noisy, you idiot, go die." The light of a Dite being restored flashed behind the man. Beneath the female's feet appeared his own back. The man also restored his Dite, an elongated metal. His weapon was the metal whip. The light of restoration shone around his body. The man made ready to receive the presence pressing close to his back......... but, the attack wasn't here!? "Damn!" Sensing danger in a split second, he jumped. The Kei covering his body shook because of external Kei, but it had yet to attack him. Her voice sounded from somewhere in the room. "You were just pooing too."

The consecutive attacks came from outside his sight. He swung the metal whip and blocked the small and sharp rain of external Kei. "A gun!" He understood what type of weapon she held. "Troublesome!" He thought the rain had stopped but it then assaulted him from an impossible direction. He blocked it with his weapon again and jumped to change his position. The advantage of a gun was that it automatically turned the Kei into external Kei. This way, the user didn't have to spend time to make external Kei, so her attacking speed was much higher. The user needed to continuously pour Kei into the weapon and pull the trigger. The shortcoming was that the Kei poured into the weapon was basically turned into external Kei and nothing else, so it couldn't be used any other ways. Because of its other shortcoming of being unable to adjust its power, it was useless against Military Artists with strong defense and filth monsters with strong scales. But the advantage that one couldn't ignore was the weapon's long range and consecutive attacks. The user could concentrate on using Kei to strengthen her body. In this case, even Savaris who was good at close combat was lacking. Heaven's Blade Successor Barmelin Swattis Nolne, the slaughterer without a pose. "Die, idiot. Die, idiot. Die, idiot." Her voice was not muffled. She continued to shoot the Kei bullets, just wanting to kill the man. "Your words are too awful." The man gave up moving and blocked her attacks on the spot. The light of Kei covering his body shone more intensely as it received all the Kei bullets. (Strange.) Suspicion surfaced in his mind as he defended himself. His opponent must be a Heaven's Blade Successor. He could tell as he had to use everything to take the speed of her bullets, but on this point alone, his opponent's assault power was too weak. Though the power was weakened as she was using a gun, wasn't this weapon too weak for a Heaven's Blade Successor? Was she not using a Heaven's Blade? This was his conclusion by speculating on the quality of the gun. Bad premonition flashed past him. He jumped.

A flash of light instantly conquered the surrounding blue light. "Tsk." Barmelin responded again at that result. "You pooing lucky idiot, go die." She swung the Dite to dispel the remnants of heat on it. The gun she was holding had now turned into a chain, clinging on her body. Right now, she was holding a big long cannon. A target sat on the shining silvery white body of the cannon. Barmelin could shoot while holding the weapon. This was her Heaven's Blade. She used a Dite that changed its form according to the situation. This was her fighting style. The man was gone. She stood at the entrance, looking around. Even his presence was gone. "Did you finish him?" Delbone's voice came from the flake that had floated down from the ceiling. "I don't feel that I've totally finished him." "Ala Ala. How rare." "Which side are you on?" "Uh, his presence is gone." "Looks like he isn't here anymore." The two of them had the same opinion. The man had suddenly vanished. He had avoided Barmelin's attack and had vanished from Delbone's net of psychokinesis. "What is he?" "Who knows? I remember a red haired Military Artist who wields a metal whip, but this man's age doesn't match that in my memory. He's got a ten years gap." "Is he masking his age with Kei like Her Majesty?" "Perhaps." "You too!"

An angry howl from Barmelin as her expression turned terrible. The depth of the court. This area sinking in darkness and blue light once more returned to peace. Steady stirring that rocked one to sleep dispelled the remnants of war. Sleepiness called forth dreams. Dreams shook the darkness. The shaking darkness reflected reality, but reality was not here. It was in a place far far away, but in fact, it wasn't all that far....... "Ah," the man moaned. He had taken the external Kei with his back. Small tree branches hammered his entire body. In the end, the huge tree trunk had stopped his momentum. "Wu.........." Through the gap of the tree, he saw the clock tower that he had once seen. He put a hand to his temple. "Is it here again? Why? Why do I always return here?" the red haired man, Dixerio........ Dixerio Maskane said. He moaned because of the pain. The breeding lake reflected the sunlight beside him. It was too bright. And the huge noise that was like the sun echoed in his ears. "....... It's summer." He said without much thinking, and then his consciousness faded.

[edit] Chapter 1 - Summer "Summer~~" "I like swimsuits~~ the best~~" Nina frowned at the shouts coming from the lake. "Who's saying those shameful things?" People crowded the swimming area of the lake. It was hard to find the person who shouted out those words, even for a Military Artist. "No no, I understand his feelings." Sharnid nodded. "The passion sealed within uniforms

can now be released. That's the song of a man's soul. It's a joyful song." "Shut up, you lowlife," Dalshena tossed her bag to him. "Can't you live seriously?" "Of course, I'm always serious." "Sorry, it's my fault. It's useless talking to you." "So mean," he smiled. Dalshena sighed. Nina gradually lost interest in their interaction. Felli was looking around, holding an umbrella with a "nothing to do with me" attitude. And Layfon was watching them with a funny smile. "Ah, unexpected, but of course, but there're so many people here," Mifi said, shielding her eyes with her hand as she watched the crowd. "Wonder whether the changing room has any space?" "It should be full," Mei-Shen said uneasily. And.......... "All lockers are full. We can still use the changing room, but we have to watch our luggage," Leerin said, reading from the notice. "Ah, I'll look after the luggage," Harley raised his hand. Beside him, Kirik was glaring at the sun with an unhappy expression. "Is it ok?" "Of course. We aren't gonna swim." "Then what did you come here for?" "To sunbathe," he gave a quick reply to Nina and Leerin, who were still hesitating. Kirik seemed to be saying something, but it must be something that was displeasing. Layfon deeply felt that they were used to her. Leerin. She had been here for three months now. Many things happened during that time. The number of roaming buses had decreased because it was still wartime, so she had decided to temporarily stay here and study. As a third year student, she lived with Nina because she heard the rent was cheap. That really was like her. And she had also found a part time job at the fast food place near the dormitory of the first year. Three months had passed by in the blink of an eye. Leerin had completely merged into

Zuellni's atmosphere. (Is this good?) It wasn't that he had to think like this. Grendan was there. But Leerin really couldn't return in this situation, and she didn't want to drag down her studies. Though she had been easily adaptable when she was young. Anyways, he couldn't help but worry. (Is the Dojo ok?) Leerin was the oldest in the orphanage now. The orphanage should be all right since people from nearby orphanages would come and help. Besides, Leerin had already left the place when she went to study. She said she had applied for leave in the school at Grendan. Everything could be solved once she obtained proof from Zuellni and took her exams for the next grade. But something still felt....... (Is this okay?) "What?" It was Leerin. "Uh, nothing," he shook his head vaguely. (But........) What was it? He wasn't sure. He just felt.......... Something...... He felt......... hard to concentrate. "What happened?" "Really, nothing," he cocked his head at her, shaking his head. His vague expression made her angry. "Ok, then hurry up and get changed," Sharnid said. Everybody moved. They didn't have school and training today. They just came here for a fun day. "We should enjoy some fun," Sharnid said excitedly as he waved his hand. This was three days ago after training in the training room. Nina made a face at the word "fun". For her, who enjoyed training, even if she acknowledged a holiday, she wouldn't acknowledge "fun". Felli's reaction was cold from a corner. Seemed like she was about to say "what a fool". Dalshena's expression was similar. Sharnid hadn't directed his question to Naruki at all. It appeared she might need to learn how to react to this senpai.

Layfon was thinking of how to react to him. "Yes, yes," Harley agreed. "It's already summer. The lake will be opened." "If we want to swim, we can always swim in the pool." "Stupid!" Nina said. Sharnid reproved her angrily. "We can't let this sealed space suppress our youth." "Wh.......!" "Blue sky, glaring sun, hot sand. We can only release the colors of our youth at that place." "Oh!" Harley was the only person to agree. Everyone else was uninterested. "...... Truth to say, I think sometimes we need rest. It's not bad to go once a while," Sharnid said solemnly, perhaps realizing the atmosphere around him. Nina sighed. "True. We've just been training." "Yes, holidays is important too, whether they are for the heart or the body." "Your motivation doesn't seem pure, but, never mind. That suggestion is fine." "Good~~" ....... As such, team 17 had gone on holiday. This might explain why Sharnid's emotions were stronger than usual. "Layfon, what is this. This spiritless swimsuit?" Sharnid reproached him when he came out of the changing room. "A swimsuit doesn't have a spirit........." he said, feeling troublesome as he looked at his swimsuit. It was a fairly normal piece. Sharnid's swimsuit was the same style as Kirik's. It fitted him, but it was too tight. "Oh, oh, my forest is ready for anything. Don't give me too passionate a gaze." "Ah, just what's this situation? Besides, when did I get intimate with you? Be careful of what you say." "Ho, beauty is honed by curves." Not knowing what to say, Layfon moved his gaze away from him. Nina and the girls emerged from the changing room.

Females usually took longer to change, but since both the male and female changing rooms were full, it took them about the same amount of time to get changed. Nina took the lead. Next came Naruki, Mifi, Mei-Shen and Leerin, chatting as they walked. Felli was the last one, as if hiding behind the girls. "Look, Layfon. The female team is so imposing." "Ha........." Urged by Sharnid, Layfon observed their swimsuits. True, they suited their owners' personalities. "Don't you find them beautiful?" Sharnid said in a small voice. "Ha........." Layfon's reply wasn't keen at all. "The light hidden by the uniform is now in bloom. What do you think? It shines, doesn't it? Don't you think this is what the light of youth is like?" "Ha........" "..... Why are you so listless?" "I don't quite know how to swim." "Swim? You planned to swim?" "Eh, isn't that what we're doing?" "You..... How do you want me to explain to you what youth is? From the start? Or a folk tale first?" "What folk tale can explain youth?" Sharnid hugged his head. "Really.... Listen up! The place of physical contact that guys and girls can't touch usually. That's the place! The interaction between adults. We're standing on the boundary that can get us beyond the usual boy-girl relationship." "So..... this is the limit?" "Of course, or do you like seeing their underwear beneath their uniforms more?" "Not, not at all!"

"Right. Then let's feel the beauty now? And look. Look," he turned Layfon's head around. The girls were criticizing each other's swimsuit. "Don't you think they made a serious choice in choosing their swimsuits?" "Uh....... They're pretty." "Since you've emotional perception, then look more troubled." "Look more troubled........" "In other words, desire for the flesh. What do you think?" "It's not good to be so direct." "Listen up, three desires exist between guys and girls. One of them is lust. That's because of the nervous system.........." "Please don't suddenly discuss such a serious topic." "I'm always serious....... Anyway, this is the end of boy girl relationship. Humans can treat it as happiness. All hail humans. Got it?" "I don't get anything you just said." "Really, just what do you want me to say?" Layfon thought Sharnid's words were quite problematic, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why. "Really, look. Nina's even worn that, though she's slow as you." But Nina's sports style swimsuit was very common. "That fool! I'm not saying you have to wear something unexpected. Listen up.........." While Sharnid was speaking......... "What're you doing? Everyone's waiting." "Ah, sorry, Shena........." he cut himself off. Because Layfon's head was lightly bent, he first saw her feet. Sharnid was probably the same. Above the delicate toes were her calves that had gone through training. Next came the thighs that looked to be pretty bouncy. The V shape swimsuit showed her curves. Sharnid wanted to say something but...... He got cut off.

"What?" she frowned at his suspicious look. "Ah, no. I want to ask what do you want to do?" She seemed to get his original intention. Her frown deepened. "Nothing much about "what do I come to do"? I came to swim." Goggles sat on her head. A white swim cap for the purpose of racing hid her golden hair. Of course, that cap failed to cover all of her hair, letting some hair loose down her back. "I don't like to do nothing though we're here to have fun. I'm going ahead for a swim," she left him looking confused, and headed for the beach. "Uh, Layfon, you get it now?" he asked, watching her leave. "Um....... A bit." "Yeah?" Sharnid said, feeling down. Layfon headed for the beach too. And their holiday began. A large area of the lake was opened up for swimming. There was a beach, and the area for swimming wasn't particularly deep. The depth of the banned area was the height of two grown men put together. Canoes were provided along with other swimming gears. Target practices for water shooting could be seen on the opposite shore. There were also people who just relaxed on the beach to sunbathe. Men who chatted with others, girls who waited for guys to walk up to them....... All kinds of people were here today. Layfon was waiting for everyone in the restaurant "Home of the Lake" near the beach. This building had no walls, so everything inside could be seen from the outside. Tables were put in rows, and deeper inside the shop was the kitchen. The shop owner had put in several life buoys. Some beach umbrellas were also there for rent. Layfon sat on the edge of the raised floor, dangling his feet above the sand with nothing to do. Harley and Kirik were watching the luggage on the beach. Layfon saw them discussing something in their notes when he went to deliver some drinks to them. Nina and Dalshena seemed to be competing over swimming. He could see them clearly, though they were in the banned area. Sharnid had gone to do something else for a change of mood. Who knew where he had gone off to. Leerin, Mei-Shen, Naruki and Mifi were playing in the water. Felli....... "You found a nice place," Felli said, suddenly sitting beside him as she drank from the cool drink in her hand. She had her jacket spread on her back. "It's so hot. I don't get why they

still want to play." "It must be more comfortable in the water." "Fon Fon?" "I don't quite know how to swim," he said, moving his gaze away from her. (Sharnid senpai......) All because of the strange things that Sharnid had said, making Layfon think strange thoughts. He felt something looking at Felli's mouth as she drank. Many things had happened in the past three months. Many things had happened, but he couldn't quite remember them. He thought of them as accidents and that was why he forgot them. In fact, he did forget about them until this day came. What Sharnid said had made him recall the past. Felli was wearing her swimsuit with her jacket covering her back and her breasts. A swimsuit with little flower pattern. As she hadn't done up the buttons of the jacket, Layfon could see her stomach. Very white skin. The second piece of her swimsuit was in the style of a skirt that covered her waist and more. Her sandal-covered feet swung back and forth. Felli was so delicate. Thinking of that, he remembered that he had carried her a few times. (Ahhh, no, no, wait, don't think......) At the time during training for the intercity match, and at the time in the ruined city. Those scenes surfaced in his mind. "What's it?" ".... No, nothing," he said, hugging his head and stopping himself from thinking more, yet it failed.... The feeling of Felli's light weight in his arms, the feeling of when he took hold of her legs, the feeling when she sat on his shoulders.... (Ahhhhhhh!) "Are you all right?" "I'm all...... all right." "Do you feel unwell? You've been forcing yourself lately. What happened......" "No. Really. Nothing!" Stop my memory! He prayed with all of his concentration. But at that time.... "Ah, exercise really is great. Felli, you're not going to swim? This is a good chance for some

practice." "No way." "Practice is great so that you don't drown." Nina and Dalshena had returned. "Uh? What's with Layfon?" "Ah, no......." he lifted his head and his gaze met Nina's. (Aa........) More memories surfaced. The time when he was at Nina and Leerin's place. Nina fainted and........ (No, no. That was an accident. Accident. Accident. Accident!) But....... "You look strange." "Layfon, if you feel unwell......" Nina put her hand on his forehead. (Wu!) Her action brought her breasts before him. (Wuwu......) Everything that happened on that day jumped out to him. He had wrapped her with the swimming bag that day for the race...... (As I said, it was an accident!) "No fever, but your face is really red. Are you ok?" "Ah, well, just a little....!" When her hand left his forehead, he seized the chance to stand up and walk past her. But two more figures appeared in his path and made him halt. "What? What's wrong?" Leerin and Mei-Shen were back. "Layfon looks strange," Nina explained.

"Eh?" Both girls looked worried. "Layfon?" "Are you all right?" Both girls walked up to him to confirm his situation, bringing their faces close to him. (Ahah, again.......) That scene flashed past him. On that day at Grendan's bus station, a place filled with rumbling. Leerin's teary eyes.... "Ah......." This moment when he made a voice without knowing. "Eh?" He seemed to hear someone's voice. Along with a feeling that rushed up to his brain, he fainted. In the end, he fainted with a reddened face. "So what happened?" They put him underneath an umbrella. Originally they intended to send him to the hospital, but Sharnid had stopped them. "He's burnt." Burnt? As in a heatstroke? "Not sure." Though he was flippant, Sharnid wasn't the type of guy who would leave someone in a life and death situation. Since he said Layfon was all right, he probably would be all right then. "Even so...... I still don't get it," Nina said. Leerin and Mei-Shen stayed behind to look after Layfon. Dalshena went swimming again. And Sharnid had gone with her. Naruki and Mifi went to do something else. Felli stayed at "Home of the Lake" to read her book. Nina had nothing to do and nowhere to go.

"That's difficult......." It felt strange that she had nowhere to go on a beach so full of people. She looked around. She wanted to look after Layfon with Leerin and Mei-Shen, but she felt it was difficult to just sit there with them. Wearing sand-covered sandals, she walked along the beach aimlessly, enjoying the sun and the sand. She saw groups of boys and girls on the beach. There were couples around too. Though they were all students at Zuellni, Nina didn't know all of them. She did, however, come across a few familiar faces. Some of them were with the same gender, some came with their lover. "Um." Nina's gaze suddenly stopped on the couple that had walked past her. "Ah." "Ah." She didn't immediately recognize her because she looked different than usual. Leu looked at her with an "oh no" expression. Leu lived in the same dormitory as Nina, and they were once classmates in first year. Nina recognized the guy beside her. Someone from Military Arts who seemed to be also in the same class in first year. "Come over a sec......" Leu took Nina's hand and pulled her away. "Wh, what?" Nina said in a fluster. "How should I put it......Well......" Leu frowned, not knowing how to say what she wanted to say. Her hands seemed directionless. She seemed to want to push something up before her eyes and suddenly realized that the glasses weren't there. Glasses were inconvenient since she was here to swim. "That's why you refused the invitation. I see. In that case, it'd have been better if you just said so before," Nina said. "No. It isn't like that. No......" "I heard from Selina." "Wu. Ah. Really!" Leu moaned. It was rare for her to be in a fluster when she was usually cold and calm. "Never mind. It's nothing even though Nina knows...... Nothing. Nothing at all!"

"Why are you angry?" "No, I'm not angry," she lowered her head. Nina didn't understand why her emotions fluctuated so much. Speaking aside, Selina seemed to be hiding something when she mentioned that Leu had a boyfriend. (Because she's shy?) Perhaps. Perhaps so. Nina could only guess, since she herself didn't have a boyfriend. "Uh?" Nina cocked her head. Leu was laughing in a bad way. "What's it?" "You came here with the platoon, right? How come you're alone?" "Ah......Nothing." "......Isn't that answer a bit too forced?" "Nah, Layfon fainted." "Again?" Leu asked. "He can faint. Is his body that weak?" "Not really......Seems to be burnt." "Burnt?" "Ah. What happened? It isn't a heatstroke though." "Uh......Ah, perhaps." "What? Thought of something?" "Not really......only......No, perhaps......" She studied Nina. "Um......It's not bad. Your muscles aren't that thick." "What're you saying?" Leu ignored her and touched her arm and leg. "Hey, what're you doing?" "Your muscles aren't that bad. Just a little bit hard. Your stomach doesn't have any

unnecessary meat." "What're you touching?" "Nah. I think it'd be interesting if he fainted because of your charm." "Ha?" Charm? "What're you saying?" "Wrong. You shouldn't be asking me with such a serious expression. You should blush." "No, as I was saying......" "Hey, do you know you're a girl?" "Of course." "I sometimes wonder whether you might think of yourself as a man." "Stupid." "Then why do you not blush?" Even so, that would be hard for her. Nina knew what Leu meant now, but she might not be the only reason even if Layfon fainted because of a lady's charm. At that time, Felli, Leerin, Meishen and Dalshena were around him. All of them were beauties. Sharnid would probably cry with joy. She understood Layfon's fainting had nothing to do with her own charm. "Well, I don't know. Besides, men's hobbies aren't the same." "But." "Well, for example. Don't you find it hard to accept? Don't you find strange if a guy you find revolting actually has a pretty girlfriend? Hard to accept, right? Don't you think that girl has done something against nature?" "I don't think so......" "Right. Then perhaps Layfon likes your type of girl." "Wu........."

"That's right. Since it's rare to get to relax, don't stand here. Go do something fun," Leu said. "Ah......" "What're you thinking? It must be something bad." Leu went back to her boyfriend. Her good point was her ability to tell Nina what to do while holding an indifferent attitude. But now...... Would Layfon like Nina's type? "Wu......." She stayed rooted on the spot, troubled. They had barbecue for dinner, and it was dusk when they finished eating. The number of people on the beach had increased. Some had set up stalls along the beach. Layfon and the others changed into their clothes and went to check out the stalls. "So many people," Leerin said with a sigh. "Yes," Layfon said with a sigh too. "What, what? You don't see this much? It's just a normal summer festival," Mifi said. "We don't have many summers in Grendan." "Ah, just three times." "And we didn't have huge festivals." "Just at the beginning of the New Year. It was grand, but all other smaller events were done within small areas." "Wa, so old-fashioned." "Are there many festivals in Joeldem?" Leerin asked. "Many. The Electronic Fairy Festival is on every single season......" "Really." "Joeldem must be rich." Mifi began to explain Joeldem's festivals to them. Both of them sighed at hearing other festivals. "Though I thought of it when I came to Zuellni, Grendan really is very poor," Layfon said. "What? You only found out now?" Leerin said. "It's always fighting. It shouldn't have that much money."

"Ah, I see." "Geez, you should use your brain. It's the same whether it's money at home or money used to run a country." "Ah, only Leerin would think of that though." The two of them continued to admire the stalls as they argued. "Oi, it's almost time," Sharnid said, checking his watch. "Hurry." "But all the good seats are taken now," Dalshena protested. "Not really. We can just use our brains more, and that's what makes it meaningful," he said. Light blossomed. "Wa......So pretty." Fireworks lit up the sky above the quiet lake. Leerin sighed from the imaginary flowers that were blossoming above her. "They use real fireworks in formal situations. The sound would be very loud. As expected, we don't have the budget and the technology," Nina said to Leerin, who looked unhappy. White and red light painted Leerin's face. The fireworks were only images projected in the sky. "That must be done by the Message Team. I saw them recruiting a short while ago." "Ah, those guys are cutting corners this year." Harley and Kirik. Though Kirik had pointed out the weakness of this year's fireworks, he cheered like everyone else under the grand decoration of the fake fireworks. "Use your brain......This is what you mean?" Dalshena looked around, not interested. They were on the roof of a research building. It usually banned normal students from entering, but the research students were here appreciating the fireworks. "Huh, still can't quite see it clearly," Meishen smiled bitterly. Naruki looked uncomfortable. "Sorry," she said. "No worries. We're in a festival. You've been busy this year too. Don't have much time to relax and rest. Take this opportunity to enjoy your time," Sharnid said. "Yes, yes," Naruki said in a small voice to Meishen.

"Look, you're making it difficult for the first year, doing whatever you like," Dalshena glared at him. "No one wouldn't want to be the guy whom girls can rely on. The problem is just how the opposite gender thinks." "What. Are they in that kind of relationship?" Dalshena understood now. "I'm happy to have you rely on me." "Not in my life." "So mean," he shrugged. She glared at him. Her gaze then alleviated. "But, great suggestion for the holidays." "Isn't it? Youth is short. Summer is even shorter. It'd have been a waste if we didn't enjoy it." "I don't mean that. I mean Nina." Nina often sank into contemplation recently with a serious expression. Though she hid that expression once she noticed someone looking at her, she had failed to escape Dalshena's eyes. Dalshena didn't know what she was contemplating. The busy schedule of the recent Military Arts Competition was a timely relief for the Captain. However, that limit was close to its breaking point. Dalshena feared something might happen, and that was exactly the time when Sharnid made his suggestion. "Well, that person's too passionate." "Passionate?" "Her brain gets heated up. She needs to cool down before losing control," he said and smiled, thinking of something. "Every day is so hot. Other symptoms might just explode together." "Your joke isn't funny," she said. Her expression turned lonely. "That guy would probably look bitter if he heard this foolish talk." "What? Thought of something?" "You can't think of it?" "Who knows," he turned his face away. "At least, I don't have the right to sympathize with him."

"Sympathy. He'd probably hate it." "Perhaps." They lifted their gazes to the fireworks, thinking of their still unconscious friend. Meishen and Mifi watched the two of them from behind. "And that is the injury between the two of them." "Is, is that so?" Meishen said, confused. They couldn't hear the conversation from here, and eavesdropping wasn't good. But she felt like the scene of the lonely two of them watching the fireworks really feels like a painting. "This adult-like feeling is too much for Mei." "Uu......" That must be it since it came from Mifi. "Then let's use a more direct method. Contact. Direct and enthusiastic body contact!" "......Wait, don't you find what you're saying strange?" "There's no other way though." Meishen's face must be very red. She wanted to stop Mifi but she still looked at the direction she was pointing. At where Layfon and Leerin were watching the fireworks together. Perhaps they weren't used to watching fireworks. The two of them looked at the sky like little kids. "You have to show something of yourself like the fireworks." "Eh?" "If you can't do that, then it'll never come to you. Look over there." She followed Mifi's direction again. Felli and Nina were standing somewhere not too far from Layfon and Leerin. A distance that wasn't too far and too close to the other two. A distance that allowed them to speak to the other pair at any moment. "Look, they're waiting too. You're also thinking of pushing them away, pushing Leerin away and wrapping your arm around his. That kind of an initiative." "No, I can't."

That was too much for her. But...... (Wu......) But she should be able to take up her courage again. That was what Mei-Shen thought. She knew she was weak, and that troubled her every time she thought of it. She could only be like this because she was born timid. But if she could have more courage... "What, Mei. Your face is red." "No, nothing." But she could only blush and think, imagining herself in that place as she looked at Layfon and Leerin. And self-hatred rushed up in her, knowing she could only imagine and not do anything. (I want courage.) She thought as she watched Leerin. She felt that everything would end in the blink of an eye. Nina walked with exhaustion. Students filled the tram station, waiting for a tram to take them home. Layfon and the others planned to walk a little before parting to head home. Dalshena and Sharnid decided to just walk. Naruki and her friends stayed back at the tram station, saying they wanted to get back faster. Harley and Kirik returned to the lab. That left Layfon with Nina, Felli and Leerin. At first, Layfon and Leerin talked from one thing to another. This was their first time experiencing the fireworks of summer. They were really happy, and Nina's expression softened as she watched them. Felli wasn't as indifferent as before. She didn't keep her distance but instead, she showed interest in joining the conversation. But by then everyone had quieted down. (Too tired?) Only Leerin wasn't a Military Artist. She had a full day, and she also swam. She must be reaching her limit now. (Let's not force her. We'll take the tram in the next station.) Felli thought. Though Felli was a psychokinesist, her physical strength wasn't as strong as Nina and Layfon's. However, she did do training, so she was in better shape than Leerin. Even so, she felt uneasy with her current steps. As she thought, the next station was her limit. The station appeared soon, and that was the parting point for them. Nina and Leerin lived in the same dormitory, while Layfon and Felli lived in the same suburb. Felli heard a light sigh when they were about to reach the station. "Right, let's take the tram here," Nina suggested.

Layfon nodded. "......Sorry, please wait," Leerin said, stopping. "What's it?" The streetlight didn't reach her face, so the others couldn't make out her expression. Was she not well because of her tiredness? Should Felli have taken the bags? But Leerin had insisted on carrying it. "I've something to say to Layfon," Leerin said, her hand on the bag on her shoulder. "Ah, then we'll......" Nina said, feeling the unusual atmosphere. It had been three months since Leerin arrived at Zuellni. But she had not once said why she was here. Academy Cities had fewer encounters with filth monsters, so they were safer than other cities. But in truth, Nina witnessed a ruined city on her way to Zuellni, and filth monsters did attack Zuellni recently. The journey on a roaming bus was unsafe, yet Leerin had traveled all the way to here. Why? Many people should have already asked her directly or indirectly, but she kept diverting the conversation. This time, she was going to say it. Nina swallowed, feeling the tension. It felt different from when she was in battle. It was a feeling of knowing she shouldn't be here. She exchanged a glance with Felli. The other girl was also hesitating. "No. I want you to hear too. I want you to hear because you understand Layfon, the Military Artist whom I don't quite understand." "Uh......um." "...........................ok." Layfon waited with a tense expression too. "Layfon......" "Uh........." Leerin watched him as if confirming he really was him. "......When I read the letter that you wanted to stay as a Military Artist, I was relieved." "Eh?" "You wrote that in the letter. Though I was happy and troubled, I was happy that you told me you wanted to stay a Military Artist. I've always thought of you as a Military Artist. It feels like if you're not a Military Artist, then you're not the Layfon that I know. Then you'd have disappeared, and I would really hate that feeling."

"Leerin........." "But I thought of it. If I could see Layfon again, I wanted to observe you, and I'd give up if you were a Military Artist that people hated. This isn't related to Zuellni. I'm not a Military Artist, but I've heard from father, so I understand the cruelty of battles. If that were the case, then nothing good would come out of being beside you." Her words nailed Nina's heart. She didn't want Layfon to fight again, yet he did, all because of the lack of maturity in the Military Artists here. All because she herself was too useless. She had thought of this many times, but who helped her climb back to her feet? Layfon. Who helped her to make her stronger? Layfon. In Nina's eyes, she could do nothing to catch up to Layfon's strength. The term "help" probably meant nothing much to him. Because no one could catch up to him......They could only rely on him. Leerin's hand reached into the bag. "But the present Layfon isn't repulsive. I don't know how you think, but I'm glad that you aren't repulsive at all." "I was going to give up Military Arts......" "That's good. At least, I now know Layfon can't give up Military Arts." "Leerin......" "So, to the present Layfon...... No, it's because you're you now, that I think this is essential to you." She took out something from the bag. It was a thin, long box, wrapped in a piece of clean cloth adorned with gold and silver threads. A crest was carved into the cover of the box. Nina didn't know what was inside it. She glanced at Layfon and saw him frozen with shock. "This is......" "Father has already forgiven you. And he feels he owes you, so he hopes you can accept this." Father......Nina recalled the school of Psyharden. Layfon sealed those techniques of his but Haia had always been using those Katana skills. She didn't know what was inside the box. Did Leerin want Layfon to pick up the Katana? Or was it because Layfon had greatly improved, so? He had become stronger than before? In that case...... But Layfon quietly shook his head. "I'm sorry. I can't take this." The events that happened after that night were like raging waves. It was very hard to make

sense of them.

[edit] Chapter 2 - Enemy The information arrived yesterday morning. Delbone's power of psychokinesis could almost discover any nearby filth monsters one week before the city came across their paths. However, this time the filth monsters had an excellent ability to search out their enemies. "Then what about their fighting power?" Cauntia squinted happily as she stood on the edge of Grendan. Her waist long white hair fluttered in the strong wind. She wore the long coat that only a Heaven's Blade Successor was given. The coat covered her body and cut her off from the pollutants in the air. The coat was surprisingly light, allowing her to move freely in it. As such, the coat fully revealed her delicate body. Her waist was high and her arms and legs were long. Only the word "grand" could be used to describe this body. She held a large weapon that had a long and thick handle and a wide and big blade. The head of a dragon decorated the place connecting the blade and the handle, as if the blade was about to shoot flame. The Green Dragon Crescent Moon Sabre, this was her weapon. It was a huge weapon with imposing pressure that was alleviated by the small charm decorating the blade. "Aren't you anticipating this with excitement?" she turned around, her red painted lips revealing the joy in her. A scar from her forehead to her chin cut through her beautiful face. She smiled like a little girl. "Your presence is too heavy." Contrary to Cauntia, a calm face met her gaze. That person stood alone and he was only half as tall as Cauntia. However, his head, eyes, mouth, nose were all big in proportion. His arms and legs were short, giving off a feeling as of a kid being magnified. His skin was smooth and his face was round like a sticky rice cake. "What's it, Reverse? You're as down as ever." "This is war. Of course my feeling is heavy." Cauntia put her hands on her hips and sighed at his timid attitude. "We can never come to a consensus at this point. Why can't you listen to my opinion at times?" "That means you'll have to agree to my opinion." Silence. "Impossible!" said both at the same time.

Cauntia laughed, Reverse smiled without hesitation. "But, don't worry. I'll protect you," he said in a small voice. Unable to suppress herself, she gave him a hug and put her lips on his reddened cheek. "Then let's observe today's prey," she said as if speaking to her love. Both were Heaven's Blade Successors put in the same group. They were now strengthening their vision to confirm their prey. An unusual thing that was the size of a lion was closing in on Grendan from 30 Jimels away. "It's given up its wings." "It looks quite old." The things on the lion's back had become two small hills. This filth monster was in a matured phase. It was massive enough to give up its wings since flying took up lots of strength. "It's worth hunting down," Cauntia said, licking her lips. Reverse's shoulders shook. "It looks powerful, and it looks hard." "I don't mean that. How far can we cut it down? Hohoho, this feels like usual, but different from the time when we took our first filth monster. Compared to giving it the last push, this is so much more boring. Anyway, this is just a job." "I was tense at first too." The filth monster dashed towards Grendan, shortening the distance in shocking speed. The feeling of distance crumbled with a closer look. "Let's get rid of it with our usual combo," she said lightly. Reverse gave a stiff nod. The two of them put on their helmets and readied their fighting stances. Cauntia confirmed the part connecting Reverse's helmet to his armour. The design of his coat differed from hers. Plates of alloys covered several parts of the coat. The coat and the helmet made him look like a metallic doll. Even Military Artists would find it hard to move with that weight on them. High speed was the best strategy. Reverse's equipment didn't seem appropriate in a life and death fight against filth monsters. On the contrary, Cauntia's light equipment seemed more suitable. However, the female Heaven's Blade's equipment wasn't the best at defense. The destruction of the surroundings during a fight could cause scattering stones and rocks to tear apart the coat. Pollutants would enter the body once the protective coat was damaged, and

that pain, though tolerable psychologically, would bring down movement speed. And a Military Artist whose movements slowed down would face death. Either he died by the filth monster's hand, or he died on the way back to the city, his body eaten up by pollutants. However, Reverse and Cauntia were Reverse and Cauntia. That was why they were given permission to wear such gear. He focused on defense and she focused on the offensive. These equipments were specially made to cater for their combination. "Don't worry, I'll always protect you." They gazed at each other. Cauntia smiled a bitter smile. "Thanks. I can do my best because you're here." "Same here." Their interaction showed they knew each other very well. This was a special combination among Heaven's Blades. The two of them walked their own paths but were able to perfectly cater for each other. "Then let's begin the hunt." "Come." They entered the battlefield. Just the two of them, as before. Why am I.... Felli felt her present situation was unreasonable. Why did her stomach hurt so much? It had been one week since that event. Layfon was unhappy in this one week. He and Leerin had a huge fight after he refused to accept the box. It was shocking at first. Felli and Nina never thought Leerin, who was gently persuading him to accept the box would suddenly turn rough. By the time Nina and Felli came to their senses, it was too late to stop the fight. There was no room for them to put in a word. They could only listen with a feeling that they shouldn't be there, and then they watched Leerin run away in anger. So Nina ran after Leerin and Felli ran after Layfon. That couldn't be helped, since they lived in different areas. Layfon waited for her, and they walked to the next tram station in silence. She felt that she had to stand by his side, and she wanted that too, but Layfon was wrong this time. Leerin...... She took the long and dangerous journey to come to Zuellni. Perhaps all students in here would criticize Layfon about this, since everyone had once sat on the small and

narrow roaming bus, facing the danger of being attacked anytime by filth monsters. But that wasn't the problem. All students came here for themselves, no matter how different their purposes were. Leerin was different. She came here for Layfon's sake, yet he failed to express any gratitude. Felli's feelings leaned towards Leerin, and she didn't feel unhappy with that. Layfon was in the wrong, and what Leerin said was right. In that case, she had to do something about this. Leerin wanted Felli and Nina to listen too so they could judge the situation. As a normal person, she wanted Military Artists, such as Felli and Nina, to be the judge in this matter. The two of them knew Layfon as fellow Military Artists. Felli felt Leerin was right. "This isn't Grendan!" Leerin had confirmed his point again and again in the fight. Felli thought she was right but Layfon didn't want to hear it. He kept saying this was his punishment, so he couldn't accept it. Leerin was here so to allow him to accept that box. But........ "Then I'm leaving first," he said and closed the door of the training room. The members left in the room sighed as they heard his footsteps retreat further away. Ahhh, her stomach hurt. She put her hand on her stomach. ".......... His mood hasn't changed," Harley said, tired. Sharnid had already left. At first, everyone was worried, but now they felt tired of the situation. "I never thought he could get mad like that," Nina said. "He always thought it's his punishment. Since she's nailed him, even he would turn stubborn," Dalshena sighed. "Compared to that, that guy's been hiding such strength..... Geez, unbelievable." "But I don't think he'll turn so much more powerful if he uses a Katana," Harley responded. He pointed at the terminal which showed the data of Layfon's three Dites: Sapphire Dite, Shim Adamantium Dite, Adamantium Dite. "Forget his movements when using a weapon. There shouldn't be much difference just on the qualities of the sword and a Katana." "What do you mean?" Nina asked. "Of course, a Katana's cut path is more prominent but we can't say a sword can't cut as well

as a Katana, since technology is improving," he showed the cut path on the screen. "But Layfon is more suited to using a Katana. That's Kirik's opinion. His moves are all variations of the Katana technique. And by using a Katana, he can maximize his power in his basic moves. The damages on the Shim Adamantium Dite would be less than on the sword, and that's probably the same for his body." "Um.........." Nina's expression turned heavy at what Harley said: the burden on the body. "But I heard that he became a Heaven's Blade Successor at age 10. He stopped using the Katana at that time, maybe his body's grown used to handling a sword?" Dalshena said. "Perhaps," Harley said. "I'm not a doctor so I can't say much. But looking from the viewpoint of a technician, a Katana suits him better. He wouldn't have to force himself and shoulder any additional burden. The data here proves it," he pressed a key on the keyboard. Sword and Katana. Felli didn't know the difference between them. As a psychokinesist, it was natural to use the staff Dite. She had no other choice. Even so, the difference in the shape of the flakes could affect the conductivity of psychokinesis and the movement of the flake in the air current. Though she wasn't too keen in the fights, she often requested adjustments for the Dite so she could use the weapon freely. "He doesn't seem to care much about the adjustments of the Dite. I don't mean he's too confident in his own strength though. He remembers the exact data for the Steel Threads setting." "Is that so?" Nina said, surprised. "Yes, as expected, he's only like this when it comes to the sword. He doesn't care much about the Dite that would mean life and death for him. He's probably the exception among so many Military Artists." "Um........." Felli cocked her head at Nina's unusual movement. "I....... I don't have anything to complain about my Dite," Nina said, about to sweat from agitation. Harley gave her a bitter smile. "Of course, my dad and I have always been looking after your Dite." "Harley, do you like the Captain?" Felli asked, holding a mop.

"What!?" he said in a high-pitched voice. Felli was in charge of cleaning today. After vacuuming the place, she took up the mop and started brushing the floor. She asked Harley the question as she felt something from him in the conversation. He had been humming while tidying the equipment. The two of them were alone. "You, what did you say?" The equipment fell everywhere. Harley looked at her in shock as if he was about to fall too. "I felt it from the conversation." "Aaa........ I suppose," he admitted. His unexpectedly honest admission surprised her. "Ah, but that was in the past. It doesn't mean anything now." "Is that so?" "She was my first love. Well, she was the most beautiful in all the girls that I knew. Now she's got short hair, but her hair was long back then. And she was dressed like a lady. None of the girls back then could catch up to her. You can say that was my first time understanding the charm of females." "It feels like you're deliberately complicating the explanation and hiding something." "Wu." "You really don't feel anything now?" "Yes. I can't feel from her what I felt before. We're just childhood friends." "Really." "Perhaps not. Either way, we've been together for a long time. Forget that we're different in gender. I got used to her because of the long time, or you can say that I don't want to see her other side." "Then.........." "I don't want to treat her from the angle of a male. It's different from that of a lover. But I don't despise Nina because she's female." "Ha.........." She nodded, half understanding what he said. This was what childhood friends

were like. "Though I don't know what others think, Nina is like that. I'm used to the present Nina. I find it hard to accept, thinking of the Nina acting all lady-like in front of her boyfriend." "... Meaning you aren't gonna improve your relationship with her?" "That's the way it is with a boy girl relationship. As a friend, Military Artist or Dite technician, then that relationship doesn't matter." Was this feeling special for Harley, or did it apply to all childhood friends? Felli didn't understand since she didn't have one. "Not good enough for research purpose." Nina and Harley, Layfon and Leerin. They were all childhood friends with each other but their personalities were different? Felli didn't know what Layfon thought of it, but she knew Leerin wanted to have a relationship that goes beyond that of childhood friends. Otherwise, she wouldn't have come all the way to Zuellni. And Felli felt that she herself had lost on this point alone. If it was she herself, she wouldn't have done it. Would she have take on a dangerous journey for the sake of another person? She probably wouldn't have chased after him. She would have stayed home and prayed for his safe return. She had lost to Leerin just by thinking like that even though she didn't want to admit it. Even though she didn't want to feel sad, even though she didn't want to admit she had lost. "..... Forget that though," she said to herself as she headed home alone. She couldn't leave the matter as it was. She must do something, but what? Should she help alleviate that stiffness between them first? But that wouldn't help with reaching Leerin's goal. She must do something to resolve Leerin's problem. Besides, Harley had just said something that bothered her. "Ah, yes. There might be one more reason why Layfon doesn't care much about the setting of the Dite," Harley said, embarrassed by the conversation about Nina and so said something else to divert her. "What?" "Layfon had tried the Katana in here and destroyed it. It wasn't a good Dite since I just made it quickly." "Ha......" "But the investigation on the Dite shows Layfon had used too much Kei than usual. I think he couldn't control it because he was using Karen Kei."

She didn't understand what he meant. "Meaning the usual Layfon pays attention to the level of Kei he uses. It's not just the sword or the Katana. He isn't used to the material that made the Dite, so the Adamantium Dite probably wouldn't have worked." Harley thought to himself that Layfon's result had fueled the research students' enthusiasm on researching new materials. Layfon was such a monster. And that had added a few more questions on the Heaven's Blade that a Heaven's Blade Successor used. "Really, what should I do?" Felli sighed deeply. Someone was also sighing right now. The creepy sound of vegetables chopping in the kitchen made Nina hard to sit still. Leerin was making dinner. She had taken charge of the kitchen since she moved in, and Serina, the person in charge of the dormitory had then reduced Leerin's rent. Anyway, Leerin was now alone in the kitchen. Though Nina wanted to say something, she felt it hard to approach the other girl for now. She paced near the door. She didn't feel that Leerin was wrong, but she understood Layfon at the same time. Layfon refused to use the Katana so he wouldn't taint his adopted father's skill. He hadn't once abandoned that decision since he was exiled from Grendan. But Leerin came here because his adopted father had forgiven him, and that feeling shouldn't be ignored. Layfon was unbelievable. He grew up under terrible circumstances, yet he possessed a strength that Nina didn't have. And he fought with a reason that she didn't agree with. The pain he endured didn't come from the fights with filth monsters or the pressure of becoming a Heaven's Blade Successor. That pain came from his feeling of betraying the orphanage. What did he feel when he was exposed to face everyone's reproach? Was he disappointed that they didn't understand him? Or was he angry? And how did Leerin think? "What're you doing?" Leerin had already prepared everything. Her speed in cooking even surprised Serina. "Ah, no..... Well........" "Still thinking of that?" she said with a stiff expression. She was forcing herself to smile. "Um." "What should I do with him? That moron........" Anger and frustration pierced Leerin's words.

"I think he has his reason." "I know that." Nina helped her lay out the eating utensils. Feuda was in her own room, studying or reading books. She always forgot her meals. Serina had written on the board that she'd return late, so they prepared three sets of utensils tonight. Nina placed the large bowl of salad in the middle of the table and went to bring out another dish. Leerin reheated the bread she made in the morning, put it in a basket and took the basket to the table. "But Layfon......" "Leerin?" Leerin swayed and fell to a side. Nina let go of the wok to support her. The wok fell onto the floor and the basket of bread rolled off the table. "Leerin?" It felt like she had lost all her strength. Blood had drained from her face, so white a face that it looked as if she was about to die. She panted. "Leerin?" Nina shouted. Leaving the kitchen to Feuda, Nina took Leerin to the hospital. Looking at the other girl, sleeping with a drip in her arm, a feeling rushed inside her, propelling Nina to run out of the hospital. Layfon needed a stronger power. She had been thinking of something since leaving Leerin in Myath. Savaris was here. Grendan had sent over a Heaven's Blade to take over the Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang. It would be the best for Nina, Karian and anyone else if the Haikizoku could be retrieved without hurting anyone. No, it was all right even if she was to sacrifice herself. However, Savaris seemed to have another purpose here. He wanted to fight Layfon. Why? Because Layfon was an obstacle? Or because...... Layfon needed to become stronger. Nina had been worrying since Leerin arrived. Would it be today, or tomorrow......... That thought had stayed in her mind for three months. Time had calmed her heart, but uneasiness still remained. A Military Artist who had enough strength to match Layfon's had come from Grendan. Nina didn't have the confidence he could win. He needed to become stronger, but she didn't know how to help him. How could she help him get stronger when he was stronger than her? He didn't start from zero. He had already reached 100. The present Nina was like someone at 10 and thinking of how to reach 100. She should probably tell him the event.

But how should she reply if he asked why she didn't tell him earlier? Tell him she was reminded in a dream not to say it? Tell him what she encountered in Myath? She felt unfair that she got caught in this event. She wanted to share it with someone and talked over it with him or her, but if she did that, then that other person would become involved. She couldn't do that. How could she obtain his forgiveness when that time came? She chose not to tell him because she didn't know how it would turn out between them, especially with Layfon. How could she get him involved when he didn't want to fight? But......... Nina pressed the button. The lift took her into the ground where Zuellni's Mechanical Department was. She didn't have work today. The people working here greeted her, and she returned the greeting as she searched for Layfon. Since the city had moved into the tropics, the Mechanical Department was hot. Just walking in it was enough to make her sweat. Right, he was here working close to the central location. Right now, he was standing, holding a mop and forgetting himself. "Layfon." "Eh?" he looked at the direction of the voice. "Captain? What's it?" "Leerin's fainted." ".... Eh?" he said, confused. "She must have fainted from the exhaustion in the long journey and her inability to adapt to the new environment. She's in the hospital." "Right," his body shook, his face green, but he didn't head straight for the hospital. "Not going?" "I......." "Why can't you accept it?" she felt him hesitating because of the box. "You heard it too. I betrayed my father. How can I accept it?" "Is that really it?" "Yes." "Not because you're still angry? Till now........" "How could I. There's no such thing!"

The handle of the mop broke in his hand. His shrill voice echoed in the Mechanical Department and gradually faded. His hands still shook. "You're saying this because you don't know! Father did so much for us........." "Then why are you ignoring his feeling?" Emotions shouldn't govern his actions. Particularly not in this situation. Leerin probably knew that too. But she said those words back then because she felt strongly about it. She had been holding that feeling in the journey to Zuellni. "Your adopted father has realized his mistake. But why can't you accept him? Aren't you ignoring his feeling?" "That....... Of course I know that," he looked at the ground. Nina reached out her hand. "I want you to become strong." "Captain." "I don't know what you'll choose, but if you're not returning to Grendan and want to stay a Military Artist for a while longer, I want you to become strong. Leerin's right, this isn't Grendan. I can't support you from behind. At present, I can't catch up with you." ".........." He seemed to want to say something. Nina saw defeat in his eyes. Why did he lose? (What?) She felt shocked after looking at his eyes. (What.......) Why did he look like he'd been abandoned? "Layfon..... I......" "Captain, you......" Instead of saying more, he sped past her. "Wait!?" But he didn't stop, and she didn't chase after him. The broken handle of the mop was left behind on the floor.

"Wu!" Gorneo kneeled down at the heavy impact of the fist. The time was deep into the night. No one was using the Training Complex. Light spilled out from the training ground of the 5th platoon. "Too naive. I thought training outside can improve your naivety. Is this all you can do!" Gorneo curled into a ball, as if to vomit the pain in his stomach, but no mercy came from that voice. "I'm not yet........" he said, a spasm working into his throat. "Yes, yes. Show me your endurance." He pushed himself up to face his own brother Savaris Qaulafin Luckens. Why was his brother here? Gorneo was confused when Savaris suddenly appeared in his room. Grendan's Heaven's Blade Successors shouldn't have left the city. But Savaris was here to capture the Haikizoku. How foolish. It was only a rumor that a Haikizoku could realize a Military Artist's dream. Such an elite Military Artist actually left Grendan for a rumor....... But Savaris then explained it to him. "This is the Queen's order." In that case, he could only believe what Savaris said, believe in the Queen's words. He believed and accepted it even though he was doubtful. And that was what a Queen's existence was like. Consequently, understanding filtered through him now that he believed about the report of the 17th platoon in the ruined city, the 10th platoon being suddenly disbanded, the doubts over the platoon matches, the appearance of the Mercenary Gang, Zuellni's loss of control. Had these all to do with the Haikizoku? If so, then the Haikizoku was poison to the city, particularly if it was related to Zuellni's rampage. Could it be....... Grendan continued to drift in danger zones. Was it because it had a Haikizoku? Why did the Queen want it? But......... It had been three months since the last meeting with his brother. "Come. How long do you plan to keep swaying?" What had his brother been doing in three months? He stood up, panting as he watched Savaris. That smile was the same as the smile in Grendan, but he could see it had turned older. Gorneo had been in Zuellni for five years

now. It wasn't strange for his brother to have grown older. Savaris probably thought the same. No, it was easier to say Savaris had forgotten the brother he had five years ago. However, in these three months, Gorneo's brother would train him from time to time. He would come once every 2-3 days or he wouldn't show up for a whole week. He never told him what he did in these three months. Savaris was probably sleeping in the roaming bus of the Mercenary Gang. Layfon and Haia had a duel in the last Military Arts Competition, as if something had planned for them to fight. Was that to do with Savaris too? So he wanted to fight Layfon? "Please keep at it. I plan to make you a teacher if you return." "What!?" Gorneo said, speechless. "I think you should be able to inherit father's name since you've had five years of experience." "Hang on. Being a teacher......... There should be people stronger than me. Like Parsen and Denet. And if it's to inherit the Luckens......." "Those two are teachers already, and half of the teachers you knew were already dead." "How........" Savaris told him their death in a frank and refreshing manner. Just like the time when he told him of Gahard's death without considering his feelings. "Geez, death is one split moment no matter how long we train. We live in a world of a moment." "Brother." "Well, in a sense, that's happiness too." A shiver ran down Gorneo's spin as he watched his brother. Savaris........ his brother...... this creature......... he had always watched the world in a different light. As if he had returned to the Savaris in Grendan. Everyone looked at the Heaven's Blade Successor, Savaris, with respect. But not Gorneo, who watched him with fear. Every time he looked at his brother, he felt that he was watching a monster, and uneasiness and fear filled him. "Brother!" he said in a loud voice to cover up the trembling in himself. "It's natural that you would inherit the Luckens Military Arts." "That can't be done. I'm not interested in females." "What!?"

"Aaa, that doesn't mean I'm interested males. I just don't have much of a concept with sex. I haven't done a check up, but I probably can't produce the next generation. How can someone who can't produce the next generation take over the Luckens' name?" What should he say to an older brother like that? "So I can only fight. I can only feel good in fights. Aa, so boring! Why is Layfon so lazy? I was so looking forward to it and thought the Haikizoku would get out of control. I thought I can see the power that I once saw in Grendan," he watched the sky. "So boring! So peaceful! Damn! Isn't there a place that is more exciting than Grendan? Was that why Lintence came to Grendan?" Gorneo didn't understand why he was angry. Savaris wanted to fight something powerful, and it did not matter whether it was a human or a filth monster. He remained the same as when he was in Grendan. Other Military Artists would think this was a Heaven's Blade Successor's wish to improve and become stronger, and that was why he was special in their eyes. But it was hard for Gorneo to live with him as part of the family. Though he knew a Military Artist should become strong, this level of a wish was too much. So he feared his brother. Savaris's gaze fell. He must have tidied his emotions now. "So for that purpose, you must at least learn the 72 techniques. We'll leave the others later. As for the secret of it... well, try your hardest to feel it with your body." Gorneo readied his fighting stance after regulating his breathing. "You'll take that girl with you when you return to Grendan, right?" "Eh?" Shante's shadow surfaced as he was releasing his Kei. "An opening!" Savaris' fist landed on his brother's nose.

The helmet fell and shattered as it touched the ground. Shocked by the sound of fury in the air, the medical team of Grendan stood numb, their mission forgotten. Strong gust of Kei whipped her long hair around her. Unbelievable cracks spidered across the concrete floor beneath her feet, proof of the Kei released from Cauntia. Blood flowed

from her mouth. Wearing the heavy armor, Reverse heard her tooth break. She must have gritted her teeth too hard. "I actually........" she moaned, and spit out the broken tooth. Her coat was heavily damaged. The first high speed attack had split its seams. The second and the third attacks tore the coat further apart. The thin protective coat made to protect against pollutants while allowing maximum movement had its strength drastically reduced. This was of course, as expected. On the contrary, a normal coat would restrict the freedom of movements. Cauntia's Kei wasn't used to defend. Her fight had a limit of ten attacks. Her coat would be completely destroyed once she went over that limit. Right now, parts of her body were exposed. Pollutants burnt her skin. The medical team was here to treat her, but they couldn't approach due to the Kei surrounding her. "Cauntia.......... Cauntia, it's enough. It's already finished." Reverse strode straight up to her despite her Kei crashing against his hard armour. "Finished?" she looked at him with widened eyes. Fury filled her blood-shot eyes. "What's finished? The battle? Or the meaning of my existence?" "Cauntia." "Or is that I, for failing the battle, no longer have the right to be a Heaven's Blade Successor?" "Cauntia!" he held her hand. "We already won." "We didn't. We didn't hunt it down!" Her hand shook. Was it from anger or reproach? Her tendency to attack affected not only others, but herself too. "We didn't take it down but it won't come near Grendan anymore. That means we're done, because we've guarded Grendan." "This.....!!" she swallowed her anger. His genuine eyes had taken away her fury. "Wu, wu, wu.....!!" she moaned. Kei stopped flooding out. The medical team rushed to her and began treatment.

"Thanks," someone said to Reverse as he watched the medical team take Cauntia to the hospital. This someone was as tall as Cauntia. Reverse lifted his head. "Troyatte, is something the matter?" "The old woman said that guy's already escaped. It wouldn't be good for that to become a lie." Reverse sighed in relief. He made up what he said to Cauntia back then. There weren't any evidences to back up his statement. "I was to come here as insurance, but it doesn't look like I can catch up to it. Barmelin should probably have a way to do that. She was making quite a fuss before this too." The elimination of the intruders in the Inner Count had left her some bad memories, and she had shut herself in her home since then. "Lintence holds no interest in an enemy that has fled. But he's given that guy a name." Given a name to the filth monster that had fled Grendan. "Yes, the enemy is strong," Reverse nodded, remembering how the humongous monster had sustained zero injuries. He had taken the filth monster's attack with its sharp teeth to protect Cauntia. "That doesn't sound convincing, coming from you." "That... That can't be." "Well, you're Grendan's most prided knight." A commotion in the direction where Cauntia had disappeared to. "Look, the princess is calling for her knight." "Ah, yes, well then..........." he made a bow to Troyatte and stumbled away in a run. The handsome man squinted at Reverse. "Ah~~ I also want a lover. I'm already tired of what's limited to a bed." He cocked his head. "No, that can't be my fault, right?" He left the scene, thinking his conclusion was quite foolish.

[edit] Chapter 3: Wish His mood had gone to the bottom of what was called the "worst" in the past few months. Nothing much had happened since the Military Arts Competition with Myath, but now... Even Layfon was at a loss. (Aa, what should I do? I just ran off.) The anger in him when he argued with Nina had now faded. Right now, he felt guilty for leaving work and throwing a tantrum at Nina. He walked on the empty road in low spirits. Though he wanted to go back, he felt the Captain would chase him all the way to the dormitory. No, perhaps she wouldn't come...... He strode around his dormitory, saw something shining and went over like a moth attracted to light. It was an area designed for vending machines. It had everything, from drinks and snacks to fast food and cleaning liquid. No wind blew here, as a roof had been constructed over the area. People who stayed late would sometimes sleep here for a night. Tonight, no one was about. Layfon sat down on a long bench. "Ha........" he sighed. He wished he could release all the feelings stuffed inside him. To hold the Katana again meant he had to inherit Psyharden. His adopted father had forgiven him, and that should make him happier than anything else. He shouldn't be unhappy at this. He recalled snatches of memories from when he was small. His adopted father was dancing with a weapon in the dojo. In silence, he swung the wooden Katana, his upper body naked. Metal was embedded in the wooden Katana to give it a heavier feel similar to a real Dite. The air vibrated every time he swung the Katana. At the time, the Katana had accidentally hit little Layfon, and he sat down, seemingly paralyzed, but he didn't cry out. Layfon watched the air flow enveloping his adopted father's muscles as he swung the Katana. He was also watching the other thing rushing out of Derek. Back then, he didn't know that was Kei. Having finished practicing, his adopted father smiled at him. No one else was in the dojo. At that time, the dojo was extremely empty. It was simple to count the number of people who came in to train. Most people had joined the other dojos. Derek had already retired.

"Do you want to hold it?" He had said that to Layfon. "You're the only Military Artist left in the orphanage. You'll one day hold a Dite and fight for the people of Grendan." Layfon took the Katana with both hands. The handle, glistening with sweat, was heavy. Unable to take that weight, he again sat down on the floor. All he could do was fall. Tears fought to fall from his eyes. His adopted father smiled and held him up in his arm. "No need to rush. I'll protect you all till you've grown. And after that, it's your turn." He had decided from that moment on to hold the Katana. He wanted to become a hero like his adopted father. He should be happy. His adopted father willed for him to hold the Katana that he thought he could never touch again. This, however, didn't mean what happened in the past was cancelled. He had tainted the name of a Heaven's Blade. He had betrayed the people of Grendan....... Those things meant nothing for Layfon except for the fact that they had tainted the name of Psyharden. He had insulted the father who had sworn to protect them. When he took up the sword, he wanted to let those who wished to study under Psyharden's name to know that he had cut his ties with Psyharden. His actions had gained Derek many students, but later on, the dojo went back to its desolate state. That didn't concern Layfon much as he was plagued by guilt. Most of the students came to learn the Psyharden techniques because Layfon was a Heaven's Blade successor. However, that thinking alone was not enough to grasp hold of the essence of Psyharden. Back then, Layfon knew a Military Artist in the Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang also used Psyharden, and that the Gang's reputation had far exceeded that of Grendan's. What he didn't know was that the leader of the Gang was the apprentice of Derek's brother from the same Military Arts school. Many people came to learn the Psyharden techniques, but many of them had stopped coming. "They're just techniques taught to mercenaries," one of the students said and left the dojo. That didn't sit well with Layfon. What happened to that person afterwards?

He remembered seeing him once in a public battle. That was it. If that person was still alive, he must still be fighting in Grendan. If that was the case, he might now realize that he had misunderstood the essence of Psyharden. Some people speculated that Layfon had abandoned Psyharden techniques because he was dissatisfied with them. He was angry, but he chose to ignore the speculation. War. War meant survival. It did not have room for contempt and nostalgia. One couldn't fight if one died. And if one died, one could protect nothing. The dead could only return to the earth. What was wrong with that saying? Everyone thought the same way in war. "I know what you want to say........" Layfon burst out. Yet he wanted to deny it. If he could accept a rational truth, he should have kept calm at the start. But he acted foolishly under the urgency of the situation. As such, he tried his best to keep calm during his fights. That was so he could keep on living. He couldn't lose that feeling. He sometimes thought of the teachings of Psyharden even though he didn't hold the Katana. Hearing footsteps, Layfon lifted his head, took out his cash card in a fluster and hurried to stand before a vending machine. He didn't want anyone to see him feeling down in the middle of the night, sitting with his head down on a bench. While he was deciding on which juice to pick... "....... What're you doing?" "Eh?" Though it was deep into the night, Felli was still in uniform. "Felli too. Why are you here?" "I was reading in a certain place and forgot the time. I came over since I am hungry." "I see, but......." "I don't go out in my pajamas," she concluded and went to buy some juice and a snack. Layfon thought she would return home after that, but she sat down on a chair before a table, and opened the packet she bought. "Felli?" "Feel free. I have something to talk to you about."

"Uh, ok," he nodded and pressed a button. He only realized he had chosen a hot drink when he took the can. "Fon Fon, will you not accept it no matter what?" "....... So it's still about that," he said. He didn't want to discuss it. "Is it the captain? Well, it's not like I don't understand your feelings." "Ha." "But that's just natural. You've been forgiven, but you still choose to refuse it. That's hard to accept. Besides, Leerin let us hear the conversation. I think she wants us to make a decision too." "........." "I think you should accept it." "Why?" "Because you have to fight," she touched the surface of the can. "You don't have to take it if you give up on Military Arts. Because that would only cause you nostalgia." Nostalgia. That word caused him pain. He wanted to deny it, but he hardly resisted it when he held the Dite. Although he did resist when the Student President blackmailed him into fighting, now he didn't really dislike what had happened. That was because he enjoyed the time he had spent with Nina and the 17th platoon. He didn't hate Karian now. While Nina had gone missing and Zuellni was on a rampage, the Student President had chosen to negotiate with the filth monster even though he had no fighting strength. He fought in a way that differed from Nina's. And Layfon respected him. "But after, if you choose to continue to fight filth monsters, you should take up the Katana." "I don't want to hold it......." "If you don't hold a Heaven's Blade, what you now have is just an ordinary Dite. Don't you find that imperfect?" "Uh..........." He couldn't deny what she said. No Dites except the Heaven's Blades could sustain the Kei released by him. He hadn't mentioned this to anyone else. He didn't find that painful at first, since he only had to bear with it until he had the Heaven's Blade. Just who had noticed it? "Did the Captain say something?"

"Why so sudden?" "You look like you've been wronged. The Captain's opinion is probably the same as mine. I want to know what she said to make you look like this. She probably didn't mean to, but I guess I'll have to guide you." "Wronged...." He couldn't deny her. Wronged..... No. He was angry with what she said. What was it? Oh yes. "I can't support you." That line. But she said before that she wanted to become strong with him. "Isn't that natural." "Eh?" He felt like Felli had sneaked in a laugh behind his back. "You said that after you know how powerful you are." "Uh, no, I mean........." "I think you should apologize to the Captain." "Why?" "I heard that you were the one who took down the enemy's flag in the intercity match with Myath." "Ah, yes." Felli had been kidnapped during that time, so Layfon had gone alone to fight Haia. Nina and the others had the job of taking the enemy's flag. In the end, Zuellni won the match. "Haia wasn't an easy opponent since he's the leader of a famous Mercenary Gang. No one in Zuellni could win against him besides you. And while fighting him, you helped the Captain." Layfon could tell what she wanted to say. "...... Of course, that was all because I got kidnapped. Sorry." "That wasn't your fault........" In fact, it was his fault. Haia wanted to fight him because they both inherited the Psyharden

skills. Felli just got caught up in this fight between brothers from the same Military Arts school. Karian had arranged for Layfon to enter Military Arts to guarantee their victory in the Military Arts Competition. He had also hired the Mercenary Gang to boost the students' strength. Layfon couldn't underestimate Haia's strength. That proof was shown in the injury on his left hand. "That wound on your left hand is a problem." "Well........." "Would you be calm if I or the Captain got hurt?" "Wu......." "You're strong. So strong that you could spare time to help the Captain while fighting Haia. We can't support you. I don't really know what the Captain thinks since I'm a psychokinesist, but as someone fighting in the frontline, she probably understands that more than me. When you truly need help, she might not be able to provide the support you need. And she blames herself for it. That's why she wants to do something for you, and she also hopes you can do something. Do you understand that feeling?" "......... Even if I take up the Katana, that can't solve the problem of the Dite." "Even so, you can do something if you take up the Katana." That was it. "Whether it's just one out of 100%, or one out of a million chances. As long as it increases the chance of your survival, I hope you can take up the Katana." "That probability means nothing. When you die, you can't escape it. I've seen that many times," he protested. Felli stood up and raised her right hand. He avoided the attack........ But he swallowed at the expression on her face. Face red with eyes widened......... No matter how he looked at her, he knew she was angry. And next, the sound of something hitting his cheek. "You don't know that," she said emotionally. Even she herself didn't know why she was feeling this way. "You don't understand what it feels like when you can't do anything!" she ran off. "......... I knew it would turn out like this," he sighed.

Only defeat awaited him if he went to battle without any preparation. All he did was flee to this city. But what should he do when he had nowhere to escape to? When she came to, it was already night. She knew immediately she was in the hospital, but all she could think of was why she was wasting time here. "Right. I fainted," Leerin sighed. This was her first time being admitted to a hospital. She had visited others in the hospital a couple of times though. That time when she visited Layfon here in Zuellni, and back at Grendan when her adopted father was attacked by filth monster and had to stay in the hospital. She watched the ceiling, never thinking she would have to stay in a hospital once too. Her first time taking a long journey. Her first time coming to another city. She did her best to keep going no matter how many first times she encountered. Perhaps all the stress she had been bearing had burst out at once. The drip attached to her arm prevented her from moving. "I thought I was quite healthy too," she said, looking out the window at the nighttime scenery of Zuellni. Three months. Though she was used to Zuellni's streetscape, she felt today's scenery was different from usual. Was this because of the change in the color of the sky? Compared to Grendan, the building style here was different. But the color of the sky shouldn't deviate much. Was it because of the stars? Leaving alone the theory that had no basis, her thoughts turned to the people living here. No Synola. None of Leerin's other good friends. No classmates from Grendan's school. No orphanage and no adopted father. In here, she only had Layfon, the Layfon who had disappeared from Grendan. "...... What should I do?" Someone knocked on the door. Leerin glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It was midnight. Who was it? Someone from the hospital? She gave an answer and the door slid open quietly. "Layfon........" The light in the corridor lit up his figure.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" "No," she shook her head in a fluster as he came to stand by her bedside. "Are you feeling ok?" "Yeah, it's all right now. I'm just a bit tired." "The Captain said you fainted due to exhaustion." "I see." The emergency lighting in the room wasn't enough to clearly illuminate his face. What should she do? They had never had such a huge argument. In the past, Layfon was always the first to complain, Leerin then got angry, and he then apologized. She'd then forgive him. But what about this time? Though she thought he was in the wrong, should she still act angry? She was sad when he refused the Dite. The thing she had taken with her all the way to Zuellni had become worthless. Perhaps Layfon had forgotten all that had happened in Grendan. Of course, that wasn't wrong in his perspective. Since he couldn't return to Grendan, he could only cut ties with it. Hence, the Dite she brought with her might have interfered with his decision. "Layfon, am I a bother?" "Not at all," he lightly shook his head. "I'm happy. I'm really happy. I never thought father would forgive me. Nothing makes me happier than that." "Then......." "But it troubles me to suddenly take up what I've determined to give up......... I need time to tidy my feelings." "I see........" They fell silent. Was this the only reason? Did he want to forget everything that had happened in Grendan? She wanted to ask. She wanted to know. And her journey might truly come to an end when she heard his reason. Should she ask or not ask? In the end, she decided to ask the question, but what she managed to confirm was something else. "How many times have you been to the hospital since coming to Zuellni?" "Eh?' "I heard from Nina that you've been admitted to the hospital several times." The time when the larvae attacked the school. The time when he investigated in the ruined city. The time when the ground of Zuellni collapsed. The time when he fought Haia. Four

times altogether. "......... Um." "But you stayed in the hospital only once in Grendan. You sustained many injuries but you never had to be admitted." That one time of the hospital visit was after he had become a Heaven's Blade successor, caused by some training that he did. "Yeah." "Do you know why you get wounded so many times in here?" After looking at the confusion and chaos governing the people in Myath at the news of filth monster attack, Leerin understood how unusual Grendan was. The incidence had also made her realize how safe Grendan was. It was lucky for them to have strong Military Artists, and they also had the elites the 12 Heaven's Blade successors. No city could be luckier than Grendan. At the same time, this was lucky for the Heaven's Blade successors as they could reduce each other's burden. They didn't have to consider being forced into a corner. Even if they made a mistake, Military Artists as strong as them could fill in any gaps left by an error. This meant one didn't have to push oneself too much in a fight. Of course, there were other reasons. For example, Layfon didn't have a Heaven's Blade and had to use a normal Dite that failed to maximize his potential. Things like that. "Yeah," he nodded. Though she didn't know whether he truly knew, she didn't feel impatient. That was because he had come to visit her. "Yes, I wouldn't have to force myself if I was in Grendan. I only needed to fight enemies who were on par with my strength. As you said, I wouldn't use any other Dites," he said, stammering in his speech. "There were Sensei and Savaris-san. No other situation could be better than that. That might be the most fortunate place for a Military Artist. Because of that, I know I should accept the Katana and choose the road to enable me to become stronger." "In that case....." "I know. I'm really happy. In the end, I'm still a Psyharden Military Artist. Nothing can make me happier than father's forgiveness. Looking at Haia holding the Katana so naturally, so matter of fact, I was jealous of him." Leerin had heard that Haia was the leader of the Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang. "....... Can I, can I really have that Katana?" he said with a trembling voice. She now understood why he didn't immediately take the Katana He was afraid. Tears filled her eyes. He was afraid, speculating and doubting whether the forgiveness was not a

lie. He even thought that perhaps the thing inside the box wasn't a Dite. She once again recalled the past he might have wanted to forget. But from the current Layfon, it was clear that he wouldn't have forgotten it. At that time, the people in the orphanage refused him. They called him a traitor, a contemptuous person. Father didn't say anything to comfort him. That couldn't be helped, since he was also in shock. "Father said that he's been in battles for too long. Because he spent a long time teaching students in the dojo, something had restricted him without his knowing. The techniques of Psyharden. The techniques that he learnt in order to survive, he's forgotten them." "Father..........." His shoulders shook under the dim light. She didn't know when, but her voice trembled. "Father knows your path will only get more difficult. He didn't give this to you to inherit Psyharden. He thinks he has nothing left to teach you. He wishes you to grow freely and not be bounded by anything." She remembered that time back in the past. Layfon was too small to accept father's training. In a distance, she watched him swing the wooden Katana on his own. She watched him sway and stagger, unable to take its weight. Even so, he imitated father's stance. "Does that make you happy?" she had asked. Back then, she didn't know the difference between normal people and Military Artists. She thought effort alone could make one become a Military Artist. Sometimes, the boys at the orphanage would play with drawing paper and tree branches, using them as swords in their play. Sometimes, they used those things to tease the girls, so Leerin had hated Military Artists. She didn't understand Layfon's dream to become one. Layfon wanted to become a Military Artist. Well, he was a boy after all. He was always spacing out and he didn't mix with the other kids. And Leerin was disappointed that he was, after all, just like the other boys. She had wanted to invite him to play dolls with her...... "Yeah," he had smiled at her in response as he fell on the ground under the weight of the wooden Katana. Somehow, she felt that smile to be different from the usual Layfon's look. It seemed to sparkle. ..... After that, she understood the difference between Military Artists and normal people, and she knew Layfon was a Military Artist. Father had prepared him a wooden Katana once he started training with him. She watched him damage the Katana again and again. She watched him swing it again and again. She watched him become a Heaven's Blade successor. And..... and she watched him leave Grendan to come to Zuellni. "I'm happy. I'm really happy."

"Yeah........" Even without looking at each other, they knew they were both crying. She felt his tears from her ears, and her tears fell on his neck. They no longer knew who did the hugging first. Tears stole away their strength, and they held each other to give themselves support. This was great. Layfon didn't plan to toss away his past in Grendan. She had thought he had sealed her away in his memories, but truth revealed otherwise. She was really happy. "Don't forget us." "How could I." When they confirmed their faces were wet with tears, their lips overlapped naturally. At this time, Alsheyra had gone to visit the usual bar as Synola. "Uh~?" she watched the ceiling, feeling a bit drunk. Though the lighting was dim, the structure on the ceiling stood out vividly. Submerged a long time in smoke and oil, the color of the ceiling had changed. "What's it?" the owner of the bar asked. He was originally her classmate. It was usual for Synola to act strange, so he only asked out of curiosity. "Um~" she responded. The owner turned away. "You look bored. Is it because that kid's not here?" "Yeah, if I had known, I wouldn't have let her go so far away. Ahah, my stress is piling up~~" "You're strange. Anyone who wants to get close to you would probably get scared away. Though you're a beauty. What a waste." "What, you want to date me?" "Be at ease. I've already given up." "Tsk~" She put her cheek on the bar. Smiling at her bitterly, he poured wine into a glass and went to deliver it to a client.

She made another "Um~" noise. "So strange, Grendan's route hasn't changed." She meant the destination of the city. At that time, Grendan was moving in the direction of the filth monster that Cauntia and Reverse had defeated. The filth monster didn't really flee. It was forced to leave. According to old tradition, they would give it a name, but that hadn't been done yet. Hence, that problem was pushed aside. At present, Grendan should have returned to its usual route in an attempt to quickly decide the outcome of the battle. People called Grendan the insane city. It even ignored the basic rule of moving to the locations of selenium mines. "Is that escaped filth monster a big someone? I don't think so." Though it was chased away, it did impress upon her a true sense of "strength" that she couldn't feel from other filth monsters. "........ Speaking of which, how does this relate to the intruders?" Bothered by this point, she left the bar. Barmelin would probably be outraged if she found out that there was another way into the Inner Court. However, only the royalty knew of this route, so the other Heaven's Blades could only bear the nasty smell through the usual route. If only the intruder had died in the maze. Synola came to the door that would open into the Inner Court. It had been one week since the intruder got here. The city's auto-repair ability had wiped clean the traces left by the previous fight. Synola stood at the door, looking a bit drunk. No handles were built into the door. A shallow trench split the middle of the door, yet seams filled that trench. Protruding holes and depressions covered the door like a puzzle. Even Synola couldn't open this door. Behind this door laid Grendan's real consciousness. When would this consciousness wake? What did the intruder come here for? Should she not have asked Barmelin to come? But she couldn't fight him if that intruder was related to the Wolf Faces. Since she would be pulled to another side, someone needed to fight that person. Besides, it was a high possibility that the Wolf Faces knew of the Inner Court. "Ah, so restricted." Her complaint disappeared without an echo. "I want to see some change here, but things stay the same." The combination of the environment and a match had given birth to the monster called Alsheyra Almonise. Her strength far exceeded any Heaven's Blade successor. Though her strength couldn't be compared to the combined strength of all 12 Heaven's Blade successors, she far exceeded the strength of individual Heaven's Blades. But no one could lead her to

that thing as long as the consciousness of Grendan remained in its slumber. Just what was she to do? "Should I give up?" she asked. Of course, no one replied her. She felt uncomfortable at the silence. "Well, shouldn't I ask Grendan about the route?" she turned, her back facing the door as her train of thought turned to the Haikizoku. She hadn't seen it for a long time even though she was the Queen. The encounter of that time was because Leerin was in danger, and Grendan responded to it. She knew when she first met Leerin. Tears had slid down Leerin's face in her first encounter with Synola. She knew, after looking at the figure in the depth of Leerin's pupils...... Along with the cruelty of fate, that moment had given Synola, Alsheyra Almonise, the sign that the person she was waiting for had appeared. The time was here. It was time for Grendan to fulfill its mission. Yes, she knew. She herself and the 12 Heaven's Blades were not enough. The royal family of Grendan lacked a true successor. But........ Why did Grendan appear in front of Leerin? It wasn't rare for the blood that made up of the three families of the royal line to slip into the ordinary populace. Though Grendan had a long history, it didn't have the power to enable all three royal families to live a rich life. It was rare for that strength to appear in the populace of Grendan, but it wasn't extremely unusual. But why.........? Synola asked again, gritting her teeth. "If possible, I want that child to be happy." Military Artists were born to keep the world in balance. As a normal person, why did Leerin have to face that? That was why Synola let her leave the city. If it could be done, she wanted her to stay away and live happily with Layfon. If she had stayed in Grendan, she would get caught in something bad. In order to head for the Mechanical Department through the secret passage in the Inner Court, Synola must first head back to the palace. Though she found that troublesome, she preferred this road over the nasty smelling maze. Because she could use this privilege, she couldn't help but think of Barmelin's expression of hate. Barmelin always talked to others like she was an elder. Synola hummed. She entered the palace and halted her steps. "Your Majesty," Kanaris said, waiting in the private room for the King. As a shadow Military Artist, she had been using this palace. She looked like the Queen, as if she were Synola's shadow. "Where have you gone to? I asked Delbone-sama, but she wouldn't tell me a thing. I've been looking for you."

"That's one of the seven secrets of the Queen." "That's just........" Kanaris sighed. This wasn't fun at all. Synola wouldn't have minded if she kept asking "what are the other six secrets?" or something like that. "So what is it? It's late." "I have something to report." "What's it?" she looked at the document in her hand. A gene report. But the name of the person who wrote this report wasn't on the document. On the other hand, someone else's name was on it. "What do you mean?" Synola..... Alsheyra asked. ".......... I did this while Your Majesty was outside posing as Synola. I'm sorry. I wasn't interested in it at the beginning, but my thinking changed after so many things have happened." "Uh........" "Why did Grendan appear before that girl? Because of the filth monster? But Your Majesty has already controlled the Haikizoku. Your Majesty wouldn't have ignored it, besides, you were already there. You could have arrived there before Grendan showed up without the girl noticing. But Grendan appeared before her as if to become her shield." Alsheyra's gaze kept glued to the name on the report. "My doubt began there. I took a strand of hair from that girl and did an investigation......... And the result is what you're seeing now." It was easy for Kanaris to take a strand of hair of a normal person. And then she knew about her. "Your Majesty, you know........!" It was enough. "Kanaris. I knew. This isn't because you've overstepped." She grabbed hold of Kanaris's neck and lifted her up. Her eyes rolled to show white. "But you're too loyal to your duty. This isn't loyalty to me. If I weren't the Queen, you'd probably carry out your duty under the next King."

"Ah..... Wu.......! Wu!" She coldly watched her struggling legs. Should she kill her off here? This woman knew. It wasn't strange for Alsheyra to know since she was from the royal line. "But you're now my subordinate. You must finish your mission under my orders. Don't you think you shouldn't do what I don't wish to be done? Though you're good at preparations, can't you give my feelings some consideration?" "..........." The legs gradually stopped struggling. No more strength to even make a noise. Alsheyra released her hold. "You're wrong if you think I can't kill you......... I won't allow this to happen again." "I'm....... very sorry." Alsheyra destroyed the report and returned to her private room. The Kei in her hand had turned the document into powder in an instant. The maids coming in tomorrow would clean that up. The Queen cocked her head at the powder. She recalled the name on the document. Herder Eutnohl, the eldest son of Eutnohl, one of the three royal families. He was her fianc. If she had married him, they would have given birth to a child who would have borne Leerin's fate. But he had eloped with a normal girl. He was a fool under a curse. "Why did you stay in Grendan. You idiot........." According to the calculations based on the year when he went missing, Leerin's age matched the results perfectly. She understood that. She had already considered this possibility. She just didn't want to confirm it.

[edit] Chapter 4: Confusion In the morning, after discovering a city was nearing them, the siren sounded in the sky of Zuellni. Someone quickly confirmed from the flag that it was the Academy City Farune.

"Again....." Karian was having morning tea. Enjoying the time with a cup of tea was one of his hobbies. Though the siren had interfered with his pastime, it did little to affect his mood. After announcing the situation, he ordered all Military Artists to gather and the normal students were to evacuate to the shelters. It was after hearing the name of the other city that he started to feel annoyed. He clearly remembered the results of the past five Military Arts Competitions, along with the names of the cities. Whether it was Myath or Farune... "We haven't fought this city before." That was strange. It was common knowledge that Regios wouldn't move too far away from their selenium mines. As Zuellni only had one mine, the area it moved in should be small. Normal speculation would conclude that the other city had had contact with Zuellni. However, Zuellni had yet to fight Farune. This meant the results of the previous Military Arts Competition had caused huge fluctuations in the movement areas. The other possibility was that after the rampage, Zuellni had run across Myath, and was in turn now running across Farune. "Is that really the case?" He wasn't convinced. The city had been moving for a long time twice now. This trip into the summer season took longer time than usual. One could explain that by an error, but no detailed proof was forthcoming. Then one could only conclude the only possible explanation was chance. But was this enough to solve the problem? As the Student President of Zuellni, as the highest authority of this Academy City, how should he respond to this change? "Anyway, just focus on solving the present problem." He couldn't ignore the present because of his consideration of the future. Leaving his sister behind, he left the house. Before the ringing of the siren, Nina was waiting for Layfon at the entrance of his dormitory. She was already awake when the siren sounded. What she was surprised with was that Layfon had apologized to Leerin, and later on, Leerin had asked her to take the Dite from her room and bring it to him. Nina followed Leerin's instruction. Though it wasn't that good to enter another's room, Leerin had given her permission to do so. The light was dim, but she quickly found the box. She had seen it once, and the box jumped out to her as it stood on the desk.

Once she handed the Dite over to Layfon, he had unwrapped the box and taken out the Dite. A metal Dite with a thread weaving around the handle. "This is..........." "Yes, this is proof of one having learnt all Psyharden skills," he held the handle with nostalgia, walked into the court in the dormitory and restored the Dite. The beauty of the Katana made her speechless. The length of the blade was as long as Layfon's arm. It was wide, giving off an aura of power. The morning sunlight reflecting off the blade made her squint. "Amazing," she said with her voice raised, attracted by the light. "Every part has been set carefully. The technicians have adjusted it again and again for half a year." "Really?" "Yeah," he nodded and moved away from her to ready his fighting stance. He swung the blade back and forth. The feeling of the blade on his hand was different. He confirmed the Katana. "Should it be heavier? The blade also needs....... It's a bit too long, so I should use the Sapphire Dite as a spare. If the blade can be thicker, then it can sustain the Steel Threads. This setting can be made on the Shim Adamantium Dite, but with the Adamantium Dite......." It looked like he wanted to change the Dites he had into Katanas. "..... Aren't you going to use this?" Nina pointed at the Psyharden Katana. It was an excellent Katana, yet Layfon didn't seem satisfied. "Of course I need adjustments made on this Katana, but when comparing the quality of the materials, white alloy far exceeds that of metal and the green alloy. When I used the Dite in the past, it couldn't sustain my skill in Kei, so I decided to go for the aspect to cut things apart." "Is...... Is that so?" "Yeah, besides, this adjustment was made when I was ten." Nina was shocked. "I'm used to wielding bigger Katana. In truth, I can use the Adamantium Dite better if it's heavier. The Shim Admantium Dite suits me more just based on that."

He continued his explanation, facing a speechless Nina. "Of course, there's inconvenience if I keep using it. The inconvenience brought by Kei flow in a Katana used against a filth monster will cause error in the swing of the weapon." A siren cut through the air. "Emergency? Is a city near?" "Seems so. This is like training." Layfon looked at the sky and turned his gaze to the city's legs. A city did appear ahead of Zuellni. "Time to get ready." "I'm going to find Harley-senpai to make some adjustments." "Aa......" "Then I'll be leaving now." She watched him run off. ".... He's changed." A sudden change. He had accepted his identity as a Military Artist. That should warrant a celebration. Whether it was for Nina or Zuellni, this was good news. But somehow, she didn't feel comfortable. "He must have talked over this with Leerin." That must be it. This was probably a good thing, but on the other hand, she knew it was something she couldn't have affected. Having experienced the setback in Grendan, Layfon's current change did not come about because of Nina or anyone else. Never mind. She couldn't do this because she wasn't Leerin? Or because she forced herself too much? "............" Nina shook her head and breathed out as if to let loose the feelings piling up inside her. Sunlight shone into the court. Today was another hot day. Layfon ran. His feet were light, so light. In fact, his entire body felt light, as if power had

filled him. Looking at the usual streetscape before him, it felt refreshing. Why was that so? He knew the reason behind it lay in the wooden box in his right hand. He ran on an empty street. He ran, knowing clearly that he hadn't been abandoned and forgotten. He already knew when he was little. The children of his age had all been adopted by other people. Only he and Leerin had stayed in the orphanage. The kids who had been adopted and taken away never did return to visit them. When he grew up and had a talk with father, he knew this was a fact. At the same time, he realized he was still immature. This didn't mean Derek didn't care for the kids who had left the orphanage. In truth, some kids caused trouble for their adopted families and were sent back to the orphanage. When that time came, Derek faced the adopted parents with determination and persistence. And Layfon didn't know that, as he was still little. Though he didn't feel it daily, he felt he had been kept behind when it was time for other kids to be taken away. One after another, the children left. Only he was left behind, and that made him feel lonely. Every time the day for a kid to leave rolled around, Layfon was always holding Leerin's hand. Leerin, usually strong and talented, always turned gentle and weak on that day. Even though he felt uncomfortable with her sweaty hand, he held onto it and never let go. And every time, she would tell him of her trouble. And Layfon would want to become stronger, stronger and stronger, so he could always stay by her side. So he would never let go of that hand. He didn't know when he had forgotten that feeling. The shortage of food in Grendan had shrouded that feeling, leaving it to hide deep in his heart. He was always with Leerin in Grendan. It was the same when people challenged him for the title of the Heaven's Blade successor. Leerin's letters encouraged him when he was confused. And Leerin had come to Zuellni because of him. For that alone, he must not let go of her hand. Hence he must hold it tight. Hence he must win this battle. The siren was a summon. Holding the Dite in the box, holding the thoughts of Derek and Leerin, Layfon ran for battle. It was after midday when Farune contacted Zuellni. The sound of the edges touching echoed throughout the city. Layfon heard this sound in the building of the Alchemy course. "........ Made it~~" Harley collapsed on a chair. "Come over and see." The restored form of the Shim Adamantium Dite lay on the table. Compared to the Katana, the Shim Adamantium Dite was now longer in length. Light sparkled in the dark blade. "I took the mode of the metal Dite and made it in powdered form. That should raise the sharpness of the blade." Layfon prepared his stance. He couldn't make any large movements in the narrow room, but he nodded at the feeling of the blade in his hand. "Perfect," he smiled.

"Re, really?" Harley smiled too. "Well, this doesn't have much to do with the Military Arts Competition since you aren't allowed to hurt your opponent. But I tried merging the aspects of the Dites........" "Then I'll go ahead. Counting on you for the Sapphire Dite." "Ah, yes." Layfon jumped out the window. Felli's flake was already waiting. It flew into his pocket. "Sorry." "Please hurry and get changed. A plan's already been drawn up." "What do I do?" he asked as he lept from building to building. "........... Instead of that, let's just solve what happened last night. I'm sorry." "Ah, not at all........ It was my fault. Sorry." "No...... So you've decided to hold the Katana." "Yes, you and the Captain are right. I was wrong," he felt flustered at the seeming shadow in her words. "I don't mean that. I mean your heart. Have you decided to continue fighting as a Military Artist?" "Ah........." he breathed in deeply and didn't give an instant reply. "What?" her tone was icy. "No, I haven't thought of that yet........" Submerged in the joy of being allowed to use Psyharden, submerged in the feel of the Katana in his hand, he had totally forgotten it. No........ He had forgotten. That probably came about as a burden on his spirit from fighting as a Military Artist. He now held the Katana, but he hadn't resolved his past in Grendan. Still, this had nothing to do with whether he should continue to be a Military Artist or not. "This feels like your style." "....... Are you underestimating me?" "I was just saying the truth." "Wu..........."

True. He could only see what was before him. He didn't protest against her words as he arrived at the Training Complex. He took out the flake before entering the change room. He took up the clothes. And next, he quickly made his way to the outer area of Zuellni. "Sorry." "No, it's good that you caught up." Under Felli's guidance, he had arrived at where Nina was to confirm the situation. The signing of contract had already begun. "Eh? That person..........?" He noticed the older man standing beside Farune's Student President. "He's the representative of the Academy City Alliance." "Eh, so it's that person." That person wore a grey coat. He looked to be in his thirties. The Academy City Alliance. It managed all Academy Cities and exchanged information between cities. It was also responsible in buying and selling information to other Academy Cities. "It seems he's in Farune." "So these people appear in Military Arts Competitions?" "Seems so. Last time we had one in Zuellni, probably since there was a roaming bus. Not every city had one." "I see........" Layfon looked at the man again. He was a Military Artist that bore no weapon harness. That was probably hidden beneath his uniform. The lumpy part of his left side might hide a Dite. Layfon saw no openings from this person. He looked to hold some strength. Since it was the Academy City Alliance, it must hold several incredible Military Artists. "Well....... Never mind that." That had nothing to do with the present Military Arts Competition. Layfon turned his gaze to Farune's Military Artists. They were all students. How would they fare? Though it was difficult to speculate on the strength of a group, he could tell by looking at them that they held confidence. They might have won in other places. Recently? Or.........

Their aura was frightening. Zuellni did win against Myath, but that was three months ago. Everyone had gradually come to forget the feeling they had in victory. "Captain, what's our deployment?" "Uh? Aa, this time we're in the frontline. Gorneo's team will infiltrate the city." "I see........" "What's it?" she asked. "I've something to talk to you about." "What? About the plan?" "It isn't really a plan......." "What's it?" "Well........" Dalshena came over too. He told them in a small voice. They both widened their eyes. "..... Is that good?" "But that's the basic." "Well, even so......." Dalshena fiddled with her golden curls. "But that's still an individual fight." "It's ok. I think........." he nodded with a smile. "Even if there's one more person, the feeling in battle won't be much different." "True, if we do that, we can dampen their spirit........" Nina said after some consideration. "Can we do that?" "Though I'm not too good with it, it's just a matter of grabbing the right timing," she nodded. "Ok. Let's decide this then. Dalshena-senpai, please lead the front troop. Layfon and I will rush into the enemy formation afterwards. Is that all right?" "Ok. Leave it to me," Dalshena nodded. "Right, next is to win," Nina said with resolve. Layfon smiled. Yes, next was to win.

 At this time, Dixerio finally woke from his long slumber. "As I thought.......... It takes a long time to heal continuously." He had been sleeping on a tree branch. He stood up and stretched, confirming his body condition. "Looks ok." The wounds caused by Barmelin had completely healed. "Aaa, my left leg had become charcoal. One night's sleep wasn't enough to heal that," he laughed lightly in irony. Still, it had been a long time since he was injured. Many tens of years had passed since his body turned into this condition. And the events he had experienced made him feel that time was extremely long and slow. The network of Electronic Fairies that was formed inside the Aurora Field, which was called "En", and his fights against the Wolf Faces in recent years. Just when did he stop growing? When did he stop being human and Military Artist? Dixerio. He used to be a spoiled and arrogant kid living in the City of Strong Desire Velzenheim . He had become like the two people that he met on that day. Who were they? His current purpose was to confirm the answer of this question. However, he had something else to do before that. He must find the man that destroyed his city. That was why he infiltrated Grendan's Inner Court for the second time. He had found a violent welcome waiting for him both times. He didn't get along with the Heaven's Blade successors. They were different from him, as they had obtained power as normal Military Artists. Though he knew a Heaven's Blade could fully release a wielder's potential, the result of that far exceeded his expectations. Either way, his misconception was formed when he was still a kid....... "......... In that case, the 'moto' lives there too." His expression turned sour. The girl he met before did get caught in this whole affair. Through the baptism of the Wolf Faces, her body had an easier time traversing the Aurora Field. No. He should say that she had become less resistant to it. "Anyway."

This was an urgent matter in this world. He got her involved in his fight without reason, and that saddened him. "I must do something for her." Something had happened in that city, so Dixerio had come to visit Zuellni several times. The possibility was high that that girl was the key. Either way, she had obtained the Haikizoku. And that implied....... She had no other choice but to walk the same path as him. The Student Presidents signed the contract, shook each other's hand and returned to their own city. The representative of the Academy City Alliance returned to Farune without a word. The contact point of the cities was the main battlefield. Military Arts students from both cities stood in formation. They faced each other and waited for the signal to begin the battle. Layfon looked at the opposing formation. He held the restored Shim Adamantium Dite. Blue phosphorescence reflected off the dark blade. The gazes of the enemy Military Artists gathered to one spot. The sky was cloudless. Strong sunlight lit up the ground and steam rose in threads. Both Zuellni and Farune scolded the heat. Sweat rolled down Nina's face. Sweat wetted her hands. "It's ok," he said. "Don't look everywhere," she scolded. "Don't worry. I know the timing." "Wu........" "Stay calm. If this works, we rush straight into the enemy formation." "You said that so easily." The flutes sounded at the same time from Farune and Zuellni, signaling the beginning of the battle. At the same time, Military Artists from both sides shouted. The air vibrated from the impact of internal Kei. "Go!!" Vance shouted. Kei exploded from Dalshena. She was leading the front troop and was waiting for Nina's

signal. While studying Farune's front troop, Layfon took a large breath. Just when he was about to give the signal before Nina gave hers....... "Heh!" A thunderous voice filled the space between the two sides. Internal variation of Kei Sound to War. Layfon had released his breath along with Kei. His voice sent Farune's troop into confusion and chaos. "Go!" Nina shouted. Dalshena rushed into the enemy's frontline. Her lance created an opening in the frontline. "Second team, follow!" As if to chase after Dalshena, Nina's team moved forward and expanded the opening that Dalshena had made. Sharnid was waiting on the city's edge, somewhere to the right of the frontline. He was with the cannon team. Naruki was in Nina's team, and Felli had stayed behind for support work. Layfon didn't have any subordinates. He made a huge leap and landed well ahead of Dalshena's team, right in the midst of Farune's second team. "What?" "Wa!" A Farune Military Artist shouted at the sudden landing of Layfon from above. Layfon swung the Katana. External variation of Kei Enreki. A massive amount of Kei flooded out from Layfon, sweeping the Military Artists around him into the air. "..... Fu," he made a sound as he confirmed his move. He had executed a Psyharden move that he hadn't used for a long time. It appeared his skill hadn't gone rusty. He remembered he was in a battle. No time for him to sigh in nostalgia. He wouldn't underestimate his opponents. His feelings were more intense and colorful than usual. He held the joy of the time when he boasted of his newly learnt skills to Leerin. Some Farune Military Artists probably thought Layfon was full of openings. Someone attacked him from behind. He half turned around and hit his opponent's wrist with his elbow, making him drop his weapon. He then fought back the other Military Artists who sought to close in on him. He fought Kei with his Katana. For attacks that he didn't have time to counter with his weapon, he used his fists and kicks. He reserved his strength when

he executed a kick, and he also used that chance to sweep up the dust and soil from the ground and create a dust screen. Sometimes, he countered using his enemy's weapon. The school of Psyharden had never nurtured someone as incredible as Layfon. There was also a saying that said Heaven's Blade successors were nurtured in Grendan. Most of the Military Arts school in Grendan were branch schools that descended from a main school. That main school became famous because it had nurtured Heaven's Blade successors. Those that failed to give birth to any Heaven's Blades faded away with time. With the Psyharden school, no Heaven's Blade was born between its founding and Layfon's birth. Why then didn't it fade away like others? Because people who held Psyharden tended to survive their battles. And that was what Psyharden was like. The Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang became famous thanks to the skills of Psyharden. It wasn't difficult for Layfon to evade the attacks aimed at him. But he suppressed his Kei and sustained the attacks because of the restrictions placed on him. To people who knew Layfon in Zuellni, they might have found him "intolerable", but as Heaven's Blade successor who had to keep fighting the same filth monsters, that sense of danger was essential. Hence Layfon always stayed alone in the Training Complex to train his basics. "What're you waiting for!" Dalshena's team had invaded Farune's second line of attack. Their team had it easier because of Layfon's action. Next, Nina's team completely suppressed Farune's second team. Farune's frontline ended up collapsing. "Ah, yes," Layfon said and made another leap. Keep on moving and he should be able to confirm which moves he was more rusty with. While in midair, he stiffened at a sudden gaze from somewhere. (What?) He cautiously searched for that presence but he couldn't feel it anymore. (Was that my imagination? But........) He had always felt someone was watching him since Leerin came to Zuellni. That gaze was sharp, but it always disappeared when he noticed it. He didn't know who it was, but since he didn't feel any hostility from it, he chose to ignore it. (But why now?) He had thought that it might be a non-Zuellni Military Artist who was watching him from a distance. He couldn't fathom the reason behind that act, but that was a possibility. Besides, no normal Military Artist could catch up with Layfon's speed with his eyes.

(Who is it?) Haia.........? But he shouldn't be in Zuellni anymore. The Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang was still in Zuellni, but they had announced that they had exiled Haia. The Student Council and the City Police had done a thorough investigation, and they couldn't find Haia and Myunfa. So it shouldn't be Haia. Then who was it? "Aa, that was a close call," Savaris cringed on the top of the Student Council building. He was right beside the flag. "As I expected, his sensitivity in this battle is higher than before. Well, he has been a Heaven's Blade successor. Close call. Close call." No one could tell what he truly meant from his expression. In fact, he was enjoying himself. "But he's finally picked up the Katana, his favorite weapon. Now this is getting more interesting." Though he once showed displeasure in Layfon's performance, he was now very happy with his choice of weapon. Because the two of them would one day clash. He had heard of this from the current head of the Gang Fermaus. Since the Gang aimed to take the Haikizoku, then sooner or later, it'd have to face Layfon. Savaris was disappointed of how relaxed Layfon had become in his peaceful life in Zuellni, but now he was happy to see him change. Either way, he wanted to fight a strong Layfon. And since he himself also didn't have the Heaven's Blade, then the conditions matched. "But........ When would that be?" The Haikizoku wouldn't appear as long as the city was safe. He heard Zuellni had gone on a rampage before and had headed for filth monsters like Grendan, but that was before he arrived here. He knew the reason. One, this had something to do with Grendan, and two, that person was in the Queen's care. "......... I don't want to listen to Her Majesty's complaints. What should I do?" Leerin Marfes. She had interfered with his mission, but he couldn't do anything to her. Because of her, he had been lazing around for three months. That was why he had time to train Gorneo and observe Layfon. Well, he couldn't say the three months were totally wasted. "It's about time I get tired of this." He thought of what to do. He could block Layfon's way when filth monsters attacked

Zuellni, allowing Zuellni to face extreme danger. He remembered hearing from Gorneo of how Zuellni fought. Though it probably wouldn't face another group attack from larvae, a crisis still existed if a crowd of mature filth monsters came. But Savaris couldn't wait for filth monsters to show up. He had already waited for three months, and the battlefield of Grendan beckoned. The other way was for him to create a crisis by destroying the city. Though the Haikizoku's hatred was bent on the filth monsters, it might come to possess someone in face of danger. Either way, the person that the Haikizoku possessed at first did not face the danger of filth monsters at that time. ".......... How about I just do that now?" What was ironic was that a battle was right before him. This kind of child's play fueled his impatience. "I say, what do you think?" his gaze slid to that person. "As expected from a Heaven's Blade successor. I can't hide from you." A man wearing a grey coat appeared behind Savaris. A moment ago, he was just at the contact point of the cities. As the representative of the Academy City Alliance, he should have already returned to Farune. "I thought you might do something. What's going on?" Savaris said. "Well......" the man shrugged. "I can't meet your expectation on my own." "But you don't die, right? Nothing would harm you even if you die a hundred times. You give your opponent mental pressure." "That's not possible. Though our thoughts are separated from our bodies, we are still weak in front of despair," he said simply. He was one of the Wolf Faces. "Is it ok to tell me this so easily?" "Of course. Dying a hundred times is not enough to reach true despair." "I see, since you have no real body, you can't feel pain." Savaris remembered the foolish young man he met in Myath. That young man's fear of filth monsters was extreme and unusual. It must be a side effect of becoming a Wolf Face. (What. As I thought, he can't match Layfon.) He looked at the sky, bored.

"Then what do you want with me? Let's leave the conversation if you're here to persuade me to surrender. Grendan's battlefield is still the most attractive for me." "I want to help you return to that battlefield quickly........" "Right......." "Aa, you don't believe me?" "It's not that I don't want to believe. You're Grendan's enemy. Can I trust you like that?" "Then do you plan to keep waiting?" Savaris gave a bitter smile. This person knew of his thought and had suggested accordingly for the negotiation. The man continued speaking without fear. "Filth monsters will attack Zuellni today." "............." A topic that Savaris had been waiting for. "What's the catch of telling me this?" "No matter. This is a filth monster with a name," the man said something that only people of Grendan would understand. "This is becoming more interesting. The Haikizoku will definitely appear. What useful information. As thanks, I won't destroy your body." "Not at all. I still haven't yet asked for your help," he said. "Then what do you want me to help with?" "We'll take the Haikizoku off its vessel." "Why?" "Why? Don't you want the Haikizoku? It'll be troublesome to take it back like that. You can't be thinking of asking us for help when you're at your end?" True. That made sense. Savaris did not have the tool to capture the Haikizoku. He'd probably use the same method as the Mercenary Gang. Find a random person and let the Haikizoku possess him. That wasn't enough. The Haikizoku would be very unstable because the vessel lacked willpower. In addition, Layfon would be there to interfere. The Queen knew the Gang would fail in this mission, so she sent a Heaven's Blade over.

But once the Haikizoku had settled in its vessel, next was Savaris's turn to contend against it. He didn't think he would lose. Actually, it'd be interesting if the vessel was Layfon. In that case, he had to make sure he had enough strength left to fight Layfon after contending with the Haikizoku. "But can your way ensure nothing will happen on the way with delivering the Haikizoku back to Grendan? If it was in a city, I could suppress it with force, but if it was on the roaming bus.........?" "Uh.........." As he thought. This would get troublesome. Besides, that consciousness in Leerin might not take his side. "We can take the Haikizoku off its vessel and hand it to you in its real form." "You can do that?" "Only we can do this." It sounded like a good trade. "Then what're you getting out of this? Do you want me to fight that filth monster?" If that filth monster did have a name, then Layfon himself wasn't enough. This would also be difficult for Savaris as he didn't have his Heaven's Blade. But if they were to cooperate, they might defeat it. "I want you to protect Zuellni." Savaris's eyes widened at the unexpected. "You do know how to joke. According to what I saw in Myath, destroying Academy Cities is what you like." "Yes, Myath doesn't mean much to us, but Zuellni is different. It has something that we want." "I see........" "But it takes time to obtain it. We'll be troubled if something is to happen to Zuellni." "I see." Was that the only reason? What were the Wolf Faces planning? Savaris was really curious. In that case, he better collaborate with them so he could return to Grendan earlier. "Let's do this then."

"Good. Please look after me." The man nodded and vanished. Speaking of which........ who did that man look like? All he saw was that grey coat. "Uh, this is trouble," he said, losing interest in the Wolf Face man. What he was interested in now was the upcoming battle. "A filth monster with a name........ I really anticipate this." How much could he do without a Heaven's Blade? That question made him really anxious. Feeling the Kei running up her arm, Naruki released her Kei without hesitation. "Ha!" External Kei variation Purple Lightning. Thunder strikes shot from the chain of rope. The Military Artists caught by that rope fell down one by one. "Fu............" Naruki retrieved the rope and sighed. In the past three months, she had successfully learnt the key of Karen Kei under Gorneo's instruction. The move she executed was of Karen Kei. The Military Artists she caught did not faint. They just couldn't move as their nervous system was in chaos, leaving Zuellni's Military Artists ample time to deal the final blow. Naruki took back her gaze from the scene. They didn't have a judge to judge whether a person was out of action in the platoon match even though a safety setting was installed in every Dite. Besides, a safety setting couldn't guarantee safety. A blade could still inflict heavy damage, and that was the same with Nina and Naruki's weapons. Sometimes, Military Artists would sustain severe injuries. They might even die. In truth, a guy the same age as Naruki had sustained a head injury during the match with Myath. She had visited him in the hospital. He didn't look reliable, but he was a good man. Fortunately, it wasn't a life threatening injury. But in the month that he was discharged, he always complained of headache. At present, his head would hurt occasionally. Even modern medicine failed to completely cure brain and Kei-related injuries. That man might have died. This was what a Military Arts fight was like. No matter how many safety precautions were made, one fought with death. Naruki couldn't agree with it. She couldn't do it, and that was why she left Joeldem. One had to fight filth monsters in order to survive. But what was a war for? Why should they fight over selenium mines? Why did the cities, the Electronic Fairies have to make humans fight?

She didn't understand. And that, she couldn't agree with. Once she told her parents of her thought, they decided to allow her to study in Academy City. They thought she would die if she continued to think like that in Joeldem. Only death awaited her if she didn't fight. Her parents' decision was right. Hence Naruki aimed to join the police force. Police's opponents were people who threatened the peace of the city. Till now, she had never doubted her decision in becoming a policewoman. However, right now she was part of a platoon, and she was fighting in the Military Arts Competition. She fought and she learnt Karen Kei from Gorneo. What was with the change of heart? Actually, she knew. The event with the 10th platoon had changed her. Dinn had chosen the wrong path for the sake of the city. Did he fail because his choice was wrong? Or was it that even with a wrong decision, one could reach one's goal with a firm belief? Was there any mistake in the justice that she believed in? A closer study yielded the conclusion that one made mistakes because one was too loyal to one's belief. Did the action succeed in the end or fail? Naruki didn't understand, so she now fought in a fight she didn't want to participate in. What she couldn't accept might not necessarily be wrong. But what about the people who had a hand in changing her thinking? Naruki's gaze turned to Nina. Holding the iron whips, Nina changed the team's movement according to the enemy's reactions. If the counterattack was strong, she would take the attack. If the counterattack was weak, she would increase her territory. No one needed a psychokinesist's report to realize Nina was the captain, looking at the way she shouted and gave orders. As natural, she concentrated on attacking. Naruki and the other Military Artists became Nina's wall to reduce her burden. However, Nina would choose to attack even while defending. As long as she saw an opening, she would rush forward. Even though the strategy was aimed to keep Nina's team not too far away from Dalshena's, Naruki still thought it tactless. If Layfon didn't head alone into the enemy's rank to cause a commotion, Dalshena's attack wouldn't have worked. Putting it the other way, the connection of the teams had turned harder to maintain because the fight was too smooth. The team led by the 16th platoon would have collapsed if not for their favorite Whirl Kei strategy. "Captain, please stop for a bit!" Naruki shouted. "Ah? Uh, yes......." Nina replied reluctantly. Naruki calmed herself. She must stop her before anyone broke through the defense of Kei in the Captain's Dite. "Captain!" she called again. Nina finally halted her steps. "You're going in too fast. What exactly are you thinking?" It was Felli's voice coming through the flake. "Please also tell Dalshena senpai not to keep moving ahead. You guys are too far away from the third team."

"But........." she looked ahead. "Layfon, he........" "If I don't first stop you, I can't concentrate on persuading that happy idiot." Reproach filled Felli's voice. A psychokinesist could process gathered information all at the same time. Still, it was difficult for her to speak to different people at the same time. "Sor, sorry........" Nina said and gave an order to Dalshena through the flake. "This is Vance's order. Join with the second wave and turn to defensive formation. Defend the areas we've gained." "Roger." "Really........." Felli didn't say anymore. She must be talking to Layfon. Though they had stopped moving, many Farune Military Artists still surrounded them. Naruki and the other members had turned to a defensive formation while Nina was giving the order. The team changed into a dense formation with Nina at the center of the circle. Not long after that, Dalshena's team retreated to meet up with Nina's team. Since she was in the middle of the formation, Nina couldn't fight. She sighed. "Damn!" She wasn't relaxed at all. She was impatient with Layfon. He wasn't back yet. "What is it?" Naruki asked. The heavy push forward back then seemed to have been pulled by Layfon. "Did I think too highly of myself?" Dalshena sighed also. Sweat rolled down her face. Naruki felt more at ease. No matter how beautiful her senpai was, she could sweat too. This scene didn't mean much, but it helped Naruki breathe. Dalshena's gaze turned from Nina to her. "What's up with her?" "Ah, no, it's Layfon. He seems different from usual. That's worrying." True. Layfon's action was strange. He didn't give off that dark and shadowy feeling. Compared to before, he was happier and more carefree. So carefree that it was hard for her to accept it. "........ He must have solved that problem with Leerin?" "I think so too, but somehow, I feel he's really overdoing it........"

Yes. It felt hard to approach him before the intercity match. She also hadn't talked to him during the fight. And today, she got a feeling that he was relaxed up till the signal for the match to begin. Though he looked like he had plenty of room to spare, others couldn't help but think he was being careless. Was that why Nina was worried? Naruki's instinct told her that wasn't it. Nina was worried......... She was probably using that as an excuse to lie to herself. (Mei-Shen would have felt down while saying, "That's great".) Though Nina was happy that Leerin and Layfon had made up, she probably felt down for failing to help him. Naruki was probably feeling the same too. So useless. But perhaps she was dreaming to live such a useless life. She thought she would deceive herself like this. (Has Leerin noticed?) That Leerin herself felt something for Layfon. Nina should have known the reason behind Leerin's visit, yet she still chose to live with her. It must be hard for her to see Leerin and Layfon so close together. Why was Naruki so useless? The battle continued and Layfon still hadn't returned. "So slow. Has she not convinced him yet?" Nina stumped her foot. At this time...... A roar sounded in the air. "What?" As the battlefield was filled with noise, no one noticed something was nearing them. The psychokinesists were concentrating on gathering information of the battle, so they didn't have spare time to look beyond the cities. The roar became a rumble, and the entire earth shook. "Cityquake!?" Naruki quickly threw away that speculation. A city's multi-legs being trapped inside a crack was the cause of a city's quake. Farune and Zuellni had already stopped moving, so this wasn't it. Then what was it? New rumbling sounded from in front of and behind the two cities. No one had yet to give the signal to stop the battle. However, all Military Artists had ceased fighting. A shrill siren sounded above the battlefield to announce the attack of filth monsters. The sad wailing of Electronic Fairies. At the same time, countless number of larvae had appeared outside the cities.

[edit] Chapter 5 - Chaos Vance was more frustrated and bitter than anyone when he saw the filth monsters appearing in this situation. This was the second Military Arts Competition and the chaos in the enemy city far exceeded his predictions. This was something for Zuellni to rejoice over. The first and second waves had already taken complete control of the battlefield. What they needed was to wait for Vance's defense team to defend against the enemies and obtain victory. However, Vance wasn't too focused on victory. After all, he was the Leader of the Military Arts course. As the chief commander of Zuellni's Military Artists, he had to grasp hold of the situation no matter what. Filth monsters. The larvae had appeared on the outskirts of the city. "Alchemy technicians, prepare to release the safety locks on the Dites. The team here and the cannon team are responsible for holding up the filth monsters. The rest of the teams, get your Dites' safety locks released and join the battle," he gave the orders through the flake and went to stand in front of the troops with a long staff in his hand. "Listen up. Stop them. But don't be too reckless," he roared and jumped into the crowd of larvae. The report on the invasion of the larvae had reached Karian. "Who would have thought......... So unlucky," he said in a small voice as if he didn't want anyone to hear him. The rest of the Student Council members located in the underground conference room didn't have to hear what he just said. "Switch on the city's defense system. If necessary, we have to use the cannon." "But that's......" the head of the Business course objected. He couldn't ignore the consequence of using the cannon that would result in the city losing a large amount of its resources. It didn't matter that they used some of the resources now, but they needed to preserve the resources that could be used in the reproduction phase. For example, the metal and fuel used for every shot were all precious to the city. They were things that couldn't be recovered. Although the city could mine more resources in its route, it might sink into a period of a severe lack of resources. "I understand you. But this is an emergency. It'd be too late if Military Artists became sacrifices." "Isn't he here?" No one needed to ask who "he" was but Karian shook his head.

"There's something else we need to be aware of," he then gave a detailed explanation. What did it mean for the filth monsters to suddenly appear? Why did Zuellni and Farune hold a Military Arts Competition in the vicinity of filth monsters? Was it simply because both sides hadn't noticed it? And was this the same as last time with a female filth monster giving birth underground? However, the report said there were only around 30 larvae. The number was far lower than before. According to a report from another psychokinesist, a huge something laid beneath Zuellni's multi-legs. The larvae seemed to have come from that "something" which was broken. Looking at the damages on the multi-legs, it appeared that "something" had been tossed from a far distance to crash with Zuellni's multi-legs. If that was the case, could a normal female filth monster undertake a feat like this? "I don't think so." Felli's flake was currently heading for that direction. Everything meant this attack wasn't as simple as it seemed. "....... Meaning there might be an aged phase filth monster around?" All members of the Student Council had accepted the knowledge of filth monsters they had heard from Layfon. An aged phase filth monster had given up its reproduction functions. Instead, it turned to evolving. "I'm not sure. Anyway, the Military Artists are fighting the 30 or so larvae. So just in case, we'll have to use that insurance," Karian said and urged everyone to action. One group rushed out of the conference room and the other group stayed behind to discuss further strategies. "......... Really, I've already acted the villain once to ensure our victory in a Military Arts Competition, and then we have this. So annoying." The last time was the Salinvan Guidance Mercenary Gang. This time was filth monsters. What next? He didn't want to think further, but he still fell into contemplation. Unfortunately, his prediction had come true. Zuellni and Farune's Military Artists all witnessed the coming of the larvae. "What's that..........?" Thanks to the connection between the teams and the speedy work of the Dite technicians, the safety lock releasing procedure had gone ahead smoothly. Zuellni was now in a counterattack mode. Although Layfon had taken care of most of the larvae, Zuellni's Military Artists had eliminated around 10 larvae when he returned from Farune. It was fortunate that only a few Military Artists had sustained light injuries. This was the result of

Vance's speedy reaction and everyone's daily training. And luckily, the larvae had gathered in one place. But this wasn't the time to rejoice over luck. Everyone's gaze was now on the thing floating in the air. A black hole that slowly moved as it expanded. Psychokinesists voiced their warnings. A sound grew louder as the hole expanded. When he understood the meaning of that sound, Vance shouted, "Everyone, retreat!!" Something as massive as a mountain had appeared. All Military Artists began retreating from the city's outskirts. An intense and ear-piercing rumbling filled the space, shaking the entire city and making Military Artists' knees go weak. Pillars of earth rose up from outside the city to meet the sky. Soil particles fell through Zuellni's air shield. A moaning of metal sounded behind the retreating Military Artists as the rain of soil hit them. The original form of that noise was finally confirmed. A large pillar on the outskirt of the city... one of the city's multi-legs broke before their eyes and fell onto the earth. "Damn!" Vance burst out. The rain of soil, not yet filtered by the air purification system, fell to make new wounds. It wasn't enough to cause death, but it was enough to lower the students' morale. The rain of soil stopped after the pillar of soil disappeared. Many more larvae appeared from where the multi-leg had fallen. Vance could deeply feel the impending crisis. Someone had thrown over the larvae. Because whatever huge thing that carried the larvae came from somewhere so far away, even psychokinesists failed to detect it. Vance failed to imagine the power behind this. This attack would never end if they couldn't defeat the real enemy. "Damn.........." The number of new larvae was about the same as the first wave of larvae. Zuellni's attack power was enough for it. However, they couldn't predict the location of the third wave. If the third wave came from the side of the city, then Zuellni's attack power would have to spread out, and that would lower the speed of attacking. And if every time a toss of "something" managed to damage Zuellni........... "Damn!" With staff in hand, he gave the order to attack. They must eliminate the larvae before them. But what next? "ARR!" Vance shouted. As the chief commander, he couldn't show his weakness here.

Layfon pinched his nose. He remembered this feeling of pollutants burning his nose. Numerous larvae lay beneath him. He could defeat them in one swift moment if he used the steel threads, but Harley currently kept the Sapphire Dite. Thinking that he couldn't use it, he showed a bitter smile. Harley and Kirik were making adjustments on the Sapphire Dite, and that would take time. If Layfon returned now and asked someone to fetch the Sapphire Dite for him, he'd probably be granting that person relief. He looked at the outskirt of the city. A scenery of the wilderness that he was already used to seeing. Since Zuellni was so hot, it must have moved into the tropics. The third wave came straight after the second wave attack. It didn't cause direct damage to Zuellni, but as Vance had worried, another side of the outskirt was lacking in attack power. While still counterattacking the second wave, Vance ordered the first unit, led by the 17th platoon, to take care of the third wave larvae. "Seems we can rest a little bit." "....... Seems so," Layfon nodded at the voice. He turned around and saw tiredness on Nina's face. Exhaustion was unavoidable since they had been participating in the Military Arts Competition, facing the sudden emergency and now fighting filth monsters. His nose still hurt. This level of pollutants wouldn't bring him any life-threatening danger. Judging by how the outside scenery blurred and twisted, the density of the air filter had increased. No more pollutants would leak into the city. Vance's orders for other teams sounded from the flake. The first unit was ordered to wait at its location and defend its area. But the Military Artists' gazes were attracted to the figure outside the air shield. Farune. When Zuellni was fighting against the second wave of filth monsters, Farune had suddenly moved......... Fled. This meant Zuellni had become a target. Farune had chosen to abandon Zuellni and escape. "....... I can't blame them." "True." Complicated feelings filled Nina's voice. Yes, the people living in Farune were not responsible. Just like the students in Zuellni, they drifted in a region in this wilderness and had to rely on their city alone to survive. The city's consciousness, the Electronic Fairy, had made the decision to leave. One couldn't judge an Electronic Fairy. It had only made the best decision to protect the people living in the city, and as such, Zuellni had been left behind. This wasn't a vile act. It shouldn't be. Almost all Military Artists had witnessed the moment of Farune's leaving. The sound of metal denoted the breaking up of the contact point, and at that moment, two shining things appeared. One was the figure of a young girl. The other was of a grown male. Many people hadn't seen these two figures before, but they all knew what they were. Zuellni and Farune's Electronic Fairies. Farune's aura was like a beast, courageous. On the contrary, Zuellni

appeared innocent and naive with its long hair swaying behind her. But there wasn't a feeling of inferiority and superiority due to the difference in appearance. Farune's eyes were closed. Zuellni gave an imperceptible nod. Light expanded from the two Electronic Fairies and clashed, vanishing the next moment. Next, Zuellni changed. A sudden intense light blinded her figure, and a teenage girl was revealed. Then the two Electronic Fairies disappeared. Farune moved away from Zuellni. "What do you think?" "How should I put it......" Layfon said, perplexed. He felt the two Electronic Fairies had said something during that time and had made a decision. The end result was Farune's leaving. If that was the case, then what had happened? What was the meaning behind Zuellni's growth? ".........I think Farune has given the victory to Zuellni." "Uh?" he reacted, surprised at Nina's conclusion. "I think some kind of relationship exists between Electronic Fairies. The two of them must be discussing, and they made a decision about who won and about the current situation. They might have compromised. That was why they showed themselves." Yes. That explanation seemed plausible. The two of them appeared to have discussed something. Finally, Zuellni had accepted something. That probably was just it. In that case, why did Farune give Zuellni the victory? Because Zuellni had the advantage at the time of the Military Arts Competition? Or was it guilt for abandoning its fellow Electronic Fairy? Layfon didn't understand. Besides, this wasn't the time to dwell on speculations. The two of them looked at Zuellni's broken multi-leg. Either way, this had become a problem. "Zuellni can't move?" "It has lots of multi-legs. I think it can still move even though it's lost one......" But one couldn't quite make that conclusion since Zuellni wasn't moving right now. Perhaps it was already having trouble maintaining its balance. Other areas of Zuellni might also have been damaged. Layfon looked at the sky. "Still haven't found it?" He said to Felli's flake. Felli was currently searching for the location of the thing that was throwing the larvae over. Only she could spread out and control flakes both inside and outside the city. Karian had sent out probes too, but they hadn't found anything.

Two waves of larvae came from the same direction, so what Felli was searching for should be in that direction. If she discovered it, Layfon would immediately move. Only an aged phase filth monster could execute this feat. Probably a very ancient filth monster too. "Still haven't found the target within 30 kilomels." "I see." 30 kilomels. It wasn't possible to cover that distance without a bike. There was the problem of the bike's speed and the endurance of the suit against pollutants. Compared to that, one should also consider the possibility of a long running fight and being unable to make it back because the city was too far away. But with a bike, one should have a higher chance of returning as the bike could carry food, and the psychokinesist would also be with him. But thinking of how that filth monster could throw something so far from 30 kilomels away......... His nose still hurt even though the pollutants were gone from the air. No. If this was caused by pollutants, he should have a nosebleed. Then what was it? "Haven't you ever thought that the smell in the air changes before a battle?" Layfon recalled that voice. "I get excited whenever I feel that. Aah, a strong enemy is coming. I wonder how high of a level my body can reach this time." Those lines felt surreal to him, but he could now understand some of that feeling. The tension one felt in face of a strong enemy. In the past, he had never wanted to see how much strength he had. He only focused on the reward he would get after defeating his enemies. Of course, it wasn't a performance to increase one's power. An opening would make one weak, and weakness meant death. He couldn't make money if he died. That was his naive theory. For some reason, he felt that if he now possessed the feeling he had during those fights, he might not be able to defeat this filth monster. But if it were that person, he probably wouldn't think like that. He would only want to fight his enemy. In the past, Layfon only thought of how to earn rewards. Failure was possible, and his only choice was to flee if he did get trapped in that situation. This meant he had relied too much on Grendan. The current situation was different. If Layfon lost, no one in Zuellni could take his place. No, to say it correctly, this wasn't a problem of losing or not losing......... (Over 30 kilomels.........) He hoped that thing was somewhere close to 30 kilomels. 50 kilomels would take up a lot of time. And what should they do if it was over 100 kilomels? The bike would have to run not on a city's street, but on the arid land. The burden on the tires would destroy them. Besides, the longer Layfon was away, the more larvae would be thrown to Zuellni. What would the result be if 30 larvae were constantly thrown to Zuellni? The Military Artists would have

more strength if not for the Military Arts Competition. Losing to the filth monster wasn't what made Layfon scared. He was scared that when he returned, Zuellni would already be destroyed. (Aa, why am I only realizing that now.) This wasn't Grendan. In Grendan, the Queen would ensure the city's safety even if all Heaven's Blades were sent outside. But Zuellni's strength wasn't as high. It didn't have a Queen. It didn't have Lintence, Savaris, Delbone, Cauntia, Reverse, Troyatte, Ruimei, Barmelin, Kanaris, or Tigris. Even though they weren't here now, Layfon still felt there were people there to take care of the defense behind him. (Why now............) Leerin's figure appeared in his mind. If something happened to her when he was away... If she became food for the larvae........ That thought was enough to numb his limbs. He felt like his feet were glued to Zuellni as if they had taken root. (Please, find it within 50 kilomels.) But the report that came to him after a few hours failed to grant his wish. "At 50 kilomels, and no target spotted." During Felli's report, Layfon was fighting the 5th wave. A positive report finally reached the office of the Student Council the next morning. "Thanks for the work. You should go and rest." "Then I'll take a rest." Karian touched the flake in his breast pocket as a way of comforting his sister. But......The distance was a problem. 150 kilomels. He could not imagine the power behind that something that could throw a huge rock from 150 kilomels away. He didn't even have the strength to guess that power. He might glint some information if he asked students from the Alchemy and the General Studies courses, but he had no strength to hear those reports. A Military Artist who could defeat such a foe...... "Only him." But Karian had felt the same uneasiness that Layfon was feeling. 150 kilomels. This was about the same distance the last time when Layfon went to fight the aged phase filth monster. Taking the terrain into consideration, it'd take one day to reach the destination. No one could guarantee what the filth monster would do during that time. Perhaps it would do

other things. Even filth monsters had things to take care of. So how long could Zuellni hold? They were now fighting against the 8th wave. Each wave had become slower than its predecessor. But they couldn't let their guard down. The Military Artists were exhausted. Karian must make a decision. They could shoot down the larvae group with the support of psychokinesists, but that had its limit. "Can I only leave it to him? But........." An Electronic voice sounded, coming from the bottom of the building. The female receptionist sounded shaky, saying someone was here to see him. Karian immediately understood her reaction after hearing the name of the guest. He had seen him two times. Once during Zuellni's madness, and the other time during the match with Myath. "What're you planning this time?" "Nothing. We sell 'strength'. This should be essential under this situation," the electronic voice sounded as the door closed. A person wearing a cold mask. No one could tell whether it was male or female. However, Karian remained calm despite the uniqueness of this person Fermaus Foa, the Mercenary Gang's representative. Not the leader but the representative. Was it because he was a psychokinesist? Karian nodded. "I see. You only appear now to push up the price?" "Not only that. There's the event in the past too. In truth, this side feels awkward to visit you." "Uh, meaning.........you're willing to help to compensate for the earlier event?" ".........I never thought you would be one to hold a grudge." "I don't forget people with bad personalities," he pushed away the hair from the side of his face. As he had not had any sleep, his hair had lost its shine. He had put aside his glasses too. His countenance right now was extremely exhausted, and the headache that came whenever it wanted urged him to stop thinking, but he kept at it. He needed the Mercenary Gang, but what was their purpose? "We can leave anytime, but then we can't reach our purpose," Fermaus said. Karian wondered whether he said it to alleviate the atmosphere or that he had already guessed Karian's thought. "This is the best time to obtain the Haikizoku. It's not interesting to be hated if we fail to

retrieve it." "......So you want to control the situation?" "Yes. We're on the boundary of winning and losing. Let us reinforce you. Of course, we won't ask for money in return." "The reward is the Haikizoku?" "According to the situation, it might be the possessed Military Artist," Fermaus said without holding back. "......So you want me to abandon Zuellni's student? Do you ask for this regardless of how I answer you?" "You should know that the current situation is different." True. They were reducing the number of larvae, but if they kept fighting like this, people might die. They already had 11 students heavily injured, and numerous students sustained light injuries. It was lucky that no one had died so far. But that was just a problem of timing. The possibility of death would rise if Layfon left Zuellni. This was why Fermaus chose this timing to show himself. Felli had said that he was an incredible psychokinesist. He must have also discovered the thing throwing the larvae and so gave his suggestion to Karian based on his speculation? Or, had he hidden a flake in this room and eavesdropped on Karian's conversation with Felli? Either way, the other side held the upper hand. This masked person seemed to be saying "Here is the fighting power that you want". "All right," he said, nodding slowly. "Then the deal is sealed," Fermaus said. Karian watched him leave. "Are you serious?" the reproachful voice came from the flake in his breast pocket. It appeared Felli hadn't been resting. "Shouldn't you do something before I answer you?" "I already searched the room. There's no hidden flake. He might have retrieved it already, or it might not be there in the first place." "Good." As expected of brother and sister. Satisfaction filled him with his sister's action. He smiled. "Don't try to cover it up." "We do need their fighting strength." "But......"

"Yes, but. You don't think your brother will sacrifice people's lives?" "......That is possible." So his sister did harbor such great hate for him. Perhaps Layfon was one of that reasons. That must be it. But, never mind. "Get Nina Antalk to monitor them." He had heard from Nina of the events when she went missing. As long as the Haikizoku was here, Zuellni might go on a rampage. Hence, he had listened to Nina's explanation. However, Nina also had a stubborn side to her. That wasn't because she was dissatisfied with the Student Council. She had a mission. As such, not wanting to waste more time, he released her from the room. He wondered whether Fermaus knew that the Haikizoku was now in Nina. The Gang must also have something planned. Zuellni had calmed down with Nina's return. No one could deny that truth. "We must protect her when the time comes......At least until Layfon returns," he said, even though he felt they wouldn't do well in resisting the Gang. At the same time, he cursed himself for having no choice but to make such a decision. "Restoration." The Sapphire Dite shone at the cold key word. A Katana. The blade was now thicker to maintain its new form. It was more suitable to call it a Katana used to cut wood. Layfon swung the Katana to feel it, and restored it to the Dite form, putting it back into the weapon harness. Next was the Adamantium Dite. He restored it. A Katana. Not much different from before. The shape of it had changed according to the metal Dite the Dite that Derek had given him. "How is it?" Harley asked anxiously. Exhaustion of working for days without sleep showed on his face. "Good. Very good." He restored it and put it into the weapon harness, feeling the weapon harness's gained weight and the fight looming before him. 150 kilomels was too far away. No matter what, he must reach it before midnight. (What should I do during that time?) He had received Karian's instruction from the flake. Karian had told him that the Mercenary Gang would help, and that Fermaus was in charge of the Gang.

The Gang would do this even though they kidnapped Felli before. But Layfon held gratitude for the Gang's resolve. The Gang could take care of the larvae even without Haia. However, the enemy could control the number of larvae it threw and the direction it threw from. Nothing was guaranteed even with the Mercenary Gang's participation. But Layfon couldn't hope for more. He knew the situation was against them. The longer he dragged it, the worse the situation would become. After thanking Harley and Kirik, he headed for the bottom of the city. He would take the bike and drive for the filth monster. He took the lift to the ground floor and put on his protective suit as he traversed the corridors. Nina appeared underneath the city. "Captain, don't you need a rest?" "You need a rest more than me." The team that the 17th platoon led was given time to rest. The short two hours were enough. "Isn't it better to take a rest?" Nina said. "I need rest before the battle, but that's only if the action hasn't been shifted ahead." The filth monster hadn't moved for now. But who knew when it would take action? "I see," she sighed. "Compared to that, you should adjust the amount of Kei you use. Reduce the number of times you use external Kei in a long fight. That's different from Internal Kei as it can't be recycled. Especially with you, the type who uses heavy weapons........." "How can you still worry about others now?" she smiled bitterly. "I'm sorry......" "No, you're not wrong......It's just, I'm too unreliable." He wanted to say "Not at all", but he swallowed it. "Kongoukei and Raijin. I already learned these two moves, but I still can't support you......" "Captain......" "But I can at least guarantee you that we'll protect Leerin. Please rest at ease." "Ah......"

Did she come here especially to tell him this? So that he could fight without worries. He wanted to say sorry, but he felt that wasn't what he should be saying now. The Katana was now in his weapon harness. Nina had done everything to persuade him to hold the Katana. What was he like to that Nina at that time? He wanted to apologize, but this wasn't the time to say sorry. He had already given it. "Thanks." Nina's eyes widened then she smiled. She smiled as if she was relieved. He was drawn to that smile of hers. "......? What?" "Ah, no...... Nothing. I'll definitely win and come back." "Don't be reckless." "Yeah, I know." Nina moved aside. He opened the door. A bike waited for him in the dim space. "You must return," she said as the bike took him out. When he turned his head around, the door had already closed. He had arrived later than he expected. It was deep into the night. He stopped the bike 10 kilomels from the target and hid himself to observe it. "So huge......" This thing was like a monster with four legs. It had lost its wings to only move on the ground. With its abdomen on the ground, it kept a resting pose like a gigantic statue. But the part jutting from its back that looked like a gargantuan chimney didn't look like part of something living. "......This shoots out the larva," Felli's voice came from the flake in his helmet. "Can't tell whether it's male, but this aged phase monster can reproduce," Layfon said as he continued observing. He wanted to jump in and eliminate it now, but looking at its size, he didn't know where to begin. ".........Got it."

"Eh?" "I just checked the ground. There's a huge hole there. I think there's a female filth monster there." "You mean......" "Yes, I can't see it from here, but a tube-like thing connecting its abdomen to the female's abdomen. That might explain how it sucks in the larvae." And shot to Zuellni like bullets. "In that case, I must first......" he took out the Adamantium Dite and the Sapphire Dite. "Fon Fon? Shouldn't you wait till the morning? You should rest first......" "I can take care of the larvae." "But it might notice the light when you restore the Dites. You must remain calm when you move." Sunlight could cover up the light of the Dite, but not during the night. If he did so, he'd start the battle. How tired was he right now? He hadn't slept for two nights, but he had just drunk the dense nutrient liquid to replenish his strength, and his Internal Kei flow was in good condition. What about psychologically? He took a deep breath. No problem. It had calmed down. And his Kei vein? He did fight in the Military Arts Competition and against the larvae, but that level of tiredness was light. No problem. He had the Adamantium Dite. Looking at this filth monster, it was at the level of gaining a name. That thought made him uneasy, but in this situation, he couldn't have any false hope. All he could do was attempt what he could do. "I'm going in." "Wait..." He restored the two Dites without waiting for her to finish. The filth monster reacted to the light. Its body shook. However, the skin of a filth monster just climbing out of slumber could not immediately regain its level of hardness. Layfon let the steel threads from his left hand run into the filth monster's abdomen to move through the tube into the ground. A bad feeling came from the steel threads. "Tsk." The cannon on the filth monster's back swelled. Layfon tried cutting the tube with the steel threads but failed. The external Kei was deflected. Smoke rose from the abdomen. He jumped up to swing the heavy Adamantium Dite. His target was the mouth of the cannon.

The colossal thing jumped along with the massive pressure. The pressure prevented Layfon from landing on the mouth of the cannon. His Kei move was executed as he lost his balance. Extermal Kei variation Sendan. The Kei cannon rebounded off the filth monster's body and failed to damage it. "Wu!" He adjusted his body for the landing. During this time, the steel threads had killed off the female filth monster and the left behind larvae. But he had only killed some of the larvae. The rest were already in the cannon. The filth monster stood up, leaving behind the useless tube. The sound of rock breaking came from the massive body. Layfon put the handles of the Dites together. The blade of the Katana pointed to the left of his waist. His left hand held its handle. Psyharden technique Flame Cut. The move he executed earlier, Sendan, had given him an idea of how hard the outer skin of the filth monster was. Hence, he chose to use another technique against it. As long as he managed to cut out a part of the outer skin, he could concentrate on attacking that wound. A filth monster's skin was softer once it emerged from its sleep. As tiny cracks ran through the outer skin when the filth monster stood up to spread its limbs, Layfon disappeared, leaving behind flying sand. He reappeared underneath the filth monster's abdomen. Flame cut. External Kei exuded from the blade. Along with the Kei covering his left hand, the two Kei merged to become flame. Pressing those two powers together, he swung the Katana down. Flame return. The second swing of the Katana opened the wound further apart. Body liquid spilled. Layfon didn't stop moving. A Whirl Kei jump took him to the tail end of the filth monster. The enemy bent down at the severe wound, causing the earth to groan intensely. Was it too hurt to move? Or did it want to crush him? Or that it just wanted to protect its wound...... It was too late to give the filth monster a third attack. Layfon defended against the filth monster's counterattacks as he pulled his distance apart from it. Holding the handle of the Adamantium Dite, he concentrated his strength on the Sapphire Dite. The steel threads were still underneath the enemy's abdomen. He wanted to cut open the enemy's body from its inside, but... "Tsk." Trapped in the heavy muscles, the steel threads had failed to move. He only managed to pull

them out by pouring external Kei into it. The filth monster leaped, wanting to crush him with its weight. The rebound of its leap kicked up a screen of dust. Layfon jumped away. As he turned away in his jump, his gaze met that of the filth monster's. It was a monster, but its mouth didn't look that ferocious. It had eyes. Multiple eyes that seemed to be its only difference from a human being. It opened its mouth. Sensing danger, Layfon jumped away again. A loud and shrill sound came from the place that his jump was taking him to. "What's that?" The sharp things shooting from the filth monster's mouth stabbed the earth. "Its teeth," Felli said. The filth monster had shot a few of its numerous teeth in its mouth. "So troublesome." Who would have thought it had such tools along with its size....... Layfon kept moving, preventing himself from presenting a still target for the monster. His enemy moved to keep up with him and he in turn moved away. This prevented him from attacking it. "What's it?" "It's hard. It's huge, and it's hard to grab a good timing. Difficult," he replied as he ran. He attempted to ready an attacking pose with the steel threads while drawing a distance from the filth monster. However, it already took too much strength to cut open the outer skin. Not only that. The wound he made earlier had already healed. "As expected. Amazing revival power," he said and landed in front of the filth monster. "Fon......!" Felli's voice filled his helmet. The sharp teeth flew for him. He stepped back to avoid the assault. "About 500 meters is the shooting range." "Fon Fon?" she said, confused. He didn't reply. He ran, matching the filth monster that tried to close in on him. If he had wanted, he could draw it away, but he didn't do that. The certain speed that he maintained dictated the filth monster's direction. Someone was watching this fight from far away.

"What's he doing?" The man sitting on the bike replied to the flake. "Probably measuring its strength? It seems hard to end the fight quickly, so he must be planning and doing this to figure out his opponent's true strength." "I see," Fermaus said. "Then aren't you going to take action? Aren't you planning to fight it?" Savaris had done little in the past three months. Today's scene was what he had been waiting for, but he never thought this would happen so far away from Zuellni. What were they thinking? "Don't worry, I'll obey the Queen's order.........They should also abide by the agreement." "Agreement?" "Well, that depends on the result. Compared to that, I'm more interested in what Layfon wants to do," he said in a relaxed manner. What was this man planning? Fermaus couldn't tell. Even though Savaris had been in Zuellni for three months, Fermaus didn't see him much. It seemed Savaris had appeared before Gorneo several times, but he didn't live with his brother. Fermaus had tried trailing him, but Savaris had easily thrown him off his trail. In the end, he could only give up and wait for the other person to come. But the Mercenary Gang was impatient. Because of Haia's actions, the Gang was almost disbanded. Now they wanted to return quickly to Grendan. Savaris' arrival was to them an urge, but he didn't say anything to them. It was as if he didn't care at all. However, he had suddenly appeared before him. The Gang's morale was low. Fermaus had already explained to the members about what had happened. If not for this filth monster's attack, he probably couldn't unite them. (Because we relied too much on Haia in the past.) Fermaus couldn't do this alone. Not because he was a psychokinesist, but because he was firmly seen as a strategist by others. They had already accepted him as a strategist, and he himself was used to supporting the leader. It was hard for everyone to accept his changed role. Besides, Savaris was here to replace Haia, yet Savaris didn't care to contact them......... (......I have to keep this home for him.) Considering that Haia might return, Fermaus did all he could to keep this home together. "......Never mind," Savaris said, submerged in heavy feelings. "Ha?"

"I originally wanted to see what Layfon was doing, but never mind. I'm tired of observing. It's been three months," he said and took the bike. Trouble and annoyance in Fermaus's mind. (Aa, that guy has never thought of us.) Savaris just did whatever his personality wanted. "Good," Layfon nodded. He had grasped hold of the filth monster's strength. "Then what do you plan to do?" Felli asked. She had been observing him. "I can't defeat it with a normal method," he said. "No way......" "The Dite isn't hard enough. If I don't use it well, it won't last." It wasn't because the Dite was bad in its filtering function. Only a Heaven's Blade could sustain all of Layfon's Kei. "Even if I have that, that doesn't mean I can fully suppress it. After all, the opponent can be given a name......" "So, time to escape?" Her suggestion was the safest option. The larvae he destroyed earlier were the last group, so the danger to Zuellni was gone. That was why he now had time to think through some strategies. He put the filth monster at bay as he talked with Felli. "No, if I do that, it'll probably head for Zuellni." "Then......?" Though he wanted to drag out the time to weaken his opponent, the first to use up all the strength would probably be Layfon himself. The filth monster could ignore its wounds and let them heal, but with Layfon, he had nothing to defend against the pollutants if his suit was damaged. A long fight was not the best possible decision. "I've a way. Can't guarantee though...... How's Zuellni?" "......Who'd have thought you still have the time to worry about that." "True......Sorry," he apologized. Yes, because he already decided to trust them.

"Stop thinking of other things. Just tell me what you're planning. If there's something I can do to help, I'll do it." "Then please set the psychokinesis mine in the place......" he noticed something. "What?" A large flow of Kei suddenly appeared and a figure wearing the coat of the Mercenary Gang stood in the direct line of Layfon's gaze. "Haia?" Layfon said and then rejected that thought. The color of the Kei was different. And...... "Bare-handed?" No, Dites were equipped on his hands and feet. Hand to hand combat. And Layfon had seen him before......The man moved. He almost failed to capture this man's movement. "Eh? No way......" he doubted his eyes. It wasn't because the man's movement was too quick. The color of the Kei, the movement, and......... One swing of the man's fist sent the filth monster flying. "Eh? Eh?" Confused. But if it was that person, he would definitely do this. The man continued to rain down his fists on the side of the filth monster's abdomen. The enemy's outer scales fell like flakes. Layfon could tell how happy this person was. A fighting maniac. "Savaris......san?" His only conclusion. Layfon jumped to the ground. "Fon Fon?" He increased the density of Kei. Though he didn't know what just happened, this was the best timing to attack. Internal Kei variation Water Mirror. His figure disappeared in the screen of dust that he himself had kicked up. The next moment, he reappeared on the other side of the filth monster, the other side of where Savaris was attacking. He and Savaris had perfectly sandwiched the opponent between them. Layfon attacked. As if knowing his thought, Savaris pushed the face of his palm into the filth monster.

Psyharden technique Hamonnuki. External Kei variation Gourikitetsupa Kouga. Layfon's move peeled off the entire filth monster's outer skin to damage its internal cells. At the same time, Savaris' attack dealt a heavy blow to the opponent's internal structure. The filth monster groaned and moaned under the two severe attacks. ".........Uu." Layfon jumped away and kept his distance from the enemy. A part of the blade he was holding had turned red. Black smoke issued from the gap in the weapon. If he kept releasing his Kei, the Adamantium Dite might not last. "Aa, as I thought. We couldn't fully suppress it," Savaris said in a relaxed manner, appearing beside him. The equipment on his hand had also changed color. "Savaris-san, where's your Heaven's Blade?" "I can't just take it outside anytime I like." "Unbelievable." Layfon watched the sky. It was hard to gain powerful reinforcements, yet Savaris was limited in the same way as he was. "Not at all. I'm quite happy. Don't you find this great to know how weak the outside Military Artists are? Ah, you've already experienced it." Layfon watched him with a cold gaze. "Are you after the Haikizoku?" "Yes," he nodded without hiding anything. "But this seems more interesting now." "Why did you......No, the person who delivered Leerin......" "Yes, that was me," he admitted. "........." Strange. No matter how lucky she was, as a normal person, it wasn't possible for Leerin to traverse the battlefield of the Military Arts Competition. He had thought of her receiving help, yet he never thought it was a Heaven's Blade successor. "Why is the Queen doing this to obtain the Haikizoku?" "Uh, I can't answer you, especially now that you've left Grendan."

"........." "It's got nothing to do with you," Savaris said. "Well, let's put that aside. We've to defeat this monster, right? I haven't fought with you since the battle against Behemoth. At that time we had the Heaven's Blades and Lintence. We were also on the outskirts of the city, so it was all right to sustain injuries. But now we don't have Lintence or the Heaven's Blades. And we're only wearing this kind of suit. Aaaa, so many disadvantages. I just want to dance." "As you wish," Layfon restored the Adamantium Dite into its Dite form and returned it to the weapon harness. He had to let it cool down a bit before using it again. Instead, he restored the Shim Adamantium Dite. "If I can't defeat it, then it matters not whether you're here or not." "Oh? Well said." Even so, Layfon was happy to have Savaris here. The filth monster had been rendered immobile by their simultaneous attacks. This was a good timing to give the Dites some rest. "Since you don't plan to interfere, can you help with something?" "Ohoh, seems like you've a plan. Sure." Here they made their decision. The filth monster moved once more, opening its mouth to shoot out numerous sharp teeth. Layfon and Savaris split up as they leaped aside to avoid the attack. If the enemies were only the larvae, then there was a way to solve this crisis. The tragic scream from her right halted Nina's steps. "My hand......!" the man screamed and fainted. Nina pulled him over and let the medical team treat him. The rate of people getting injured had increased drastically in just a day of battle. Feeling the cruelty of reality, Nina changed her direction, attempting to deal a blow to the larva before her. The heavy hit of the iron weapon broke through the larva's hard shell to strike its body. The hand in the larvae's arm, which had been separated from its owner, had already been bitten into an unrecognizable state. Nina wanted to attack again but her feet slipped. Stand firm. That one opening caused her movement to slow, and the larva took that chance. A massive mouth appeared right before Nina. "Nina!"

"Uu!" She stuck the iron whip into the mouth and executed an external burst type Kei move. The entire body of the larva shook and the larva stopped moving. Using the corpse as a shield, Nina used Kei again Raijin. External burst type Kei executed with extreme high speed. The friction in the air created lightning and destroyed a number of larvae in one split second. Nina immediately leaped back and breathed in deeply. "Don't stop." "Sorry," Sharnid said. His bullet earlier had saved her life. "We don't have time to drag it out with these guys," he said, sweat rolling down his face. He was looking at the direction ahead of her. The Kei cannon had played a hand in keeping the larvae at bay, but filth monsters were still approaching the city, and they weren't larvae. They were matured form of male filth monsters. The things shot over at Zuellni earlier were massive egg-like rocks. Inside each rock hid around 20-40 larvae. There had been 15 waves of attack since Felli reported that Layfon had made contact with the filth monster. However, that was just the number confirmed by psychokinesists. In fact, nine battles had been fought altogether since the landing of the first wave. Felli had reported that the group of larvae they fought now was the last wave, making this the 10th battle. The rock of the 5th wave had been shot down and now lay immobile. But now it finally woke from its slumber, revealing not larvae but five male filth monsters. What changes had the inside of the "egg" underwent? Accelerated growth? Or that the larvae had consumed each other to give birth to the male filth monsters? No doubt this posed the greatest threat to the fighting Military Artists. "How's Dalshena?" The liquid splashing from the vibrating wings of the filth monsters gave off a red shine under the sunlight. Dalshena had sustained an injury during the 8th battle and had left the field. "She's got a broken leg, but that shouldn't have any lasting side effects." "I see." Dalshena wasn't the only one. Naruki had fainted due to overworking her Kei vein. She used Karen Kei too many times when she still hadn't completely grasped hold of how it worked. The air shield reflected dusk. The earlier shot of the Kei cannon had missed its target to draw an arc in the sky. "Don't shoot another cannon," Nina said.

"Makes me think of that stingy Head of Business, hugging his head in regret," Sharnid smiled. The fact that he could still joke in this situation eased Nina's heart. Forget the male filth monsters trying to invade the city. They must first destroy the larvae here. Having had her brief rest, Nina jumped back into the front line. Sharnid's accurate shots took his bullets through the cracks in the shield of the larvae to either kill them off or slow their movements. And Nina no longer held the fear she held when she first fought the filth monsters. She could now wield the iron whips to deal heavy internal damages and defend herself using Kongoukei. When she first fought...... she met Layfon and knew of his strength and past. She had fought the larvae after a setback. At present, she had definitely grown compared to the past. She truly felt it in this battle but she didn't feel happy about it. The enemies were still outside. Even so, Nina and the others had successfully eliminated all larvae in their designated area. Were they to fight the matured forms now? The male filth monsters that were waiting for their chance outside the air shield were creating a huge negative setback for the Military Artists around them. Exhaustion swiftly turned to despair. Next came the report that added frost to ice. "A number of larvae have broken through the outskirt and destroyed the cannon. We can't use the cannon anymore." Felli was concentrating in supporting Layfon. This was another psychokinesist's voice. "Wha!" Nina said in despair at the report. "What happen to the larvae now?" Nina was horrified at one other thing even though it was bad they couldn't use the cannon. "The filth monsters had broken through the third defensive line. Some people have gone chasing after them but they have yet to eliminate them......" "Then we're heading over too!" "Hey, don't be reckless! If you don't rest......" Nina didn't listen to Sharnid's advice. "I'm leaving this to you!" She left him the defensive job and headed for the inside of the city with part of the team. Filth monsters entered a city to eat people. She didn't have to fathom what the larvae's

destination was. The shelter. Nina knew the locations of the shelters even without the help of a psychokinesist. She increased her pace as she drew the location of the third defensive line and the shelter around it in her head. She wasn't thinking of the Military Artists following her at all. She had promised Layfon to protect Leerin. Of course this wasn't the only reason. She knew clearly that it was every Military Artist's job to protect the citizens. But now, all that filled her mind was Layfon's disappointed face when he returned. Nina's speed was faster than others. One only needed to turn the mechanism on the entrance to open the door. Right now, the door was tightly shut. Humans only needed to look at this sign to know it as an entrance, but the illiterate larvae were heading straight for this shelter. Perhaps they could sense the presence of numerous people. Perhaps they could smell them because of their keen sense of smell. There were six larvae winging their way in. Nina arrived earlier than them and she breathed regulated her breathing on top of the shelter. She swung her iron whips and attacked one of the larvae. "Uu!" Pain shot up her right arm. Did she twist her wrist? No. Her right arm was tired for having held the heavy weapon for a long time. Her nerves had reached to the attack she dealt the filth monster just then. "The movement of your right hand is too easy." Layfon's words flashed through her mind. She couldn't keep swinging this heavy weapon without considering the side effects of rebound, especially when it was a long fight......Layfon had reminded her of that. "Damn!" Tolerating the pain, she gave the filth monster a fatal strike with her left iron whip. Five more to go and her reinforcements had yet to arrive. The remaining filth monsters rushed her immediately. Combination of external and internal Kei: Kongoukei. The Kei covering her entire body deflected two larvae. The other two filth monsters didn't

have time to fold their wings before Nina's consecutive strikes hit them, killing them. Three more to go. "Uu......Uu!" The pain running up her right arm was intensifying, making it unable to move as she wanted. The rebounding Kei caused pain in her joints. She was using her left hand more to cover for her right, and that hand felt heavier than before too. Both of her arms felt heavy. (Just when......) Without her knowing, she had sunk into pondering something that had nothing to do with the fight. (When did he start calling me Captain?) Layfon. At first, he called her senpai. Somehow, he had started calling her captain. Just when did it happen? She had only realized it now. But she felt lonely, being called captain. (What do I want to be called?) Captain, senpai or Nina? (So stupid.) She was in a battle right now. The three remaining larvae folded their wings and closed off their shells. Clothed in hard black shell, the three huge insects closed in on Nina, their multi-eyes shining, devoid of emotion. Nina's arms felt so heavy. The fingers holding the iron whips shook. But only three more to go. (It's ok.) She was gathering Kei. She had to protect this place. (Because I've promised Layfon.) She didn't want to see his sad expression again. Internal Kei variation Raijin. Run. Lightning pierced the filth monsters. They exploded before they were sent flying away.

Nina could already grasp hold the key of this move. This had before her ultimate move, the move taught by Layfon that she could show to Dixerio. "I......did it." She tottered on her feet and collapsed onto the ground. She couldn't move. It was already a miracle that she was still holding the iron whips. She had protected Leerin. Completely exhausted, she felt for a split second that she had finished her mission. Yes, just a split second. She only saw some shadow when she looked at the sky, but she then understood what it was. They were five black spots. Shadows then blocked off the sunlight to shade Nina's entire body. Male filth monsters. The five male filth monsters hovering outside the city had finally broken through the air purification shield, and all five were in top condition. As for Zuellni, all of her Military Artists were exhausted for having fought the larvae. (If this continues......) Zuellni would be destroyed. Layfon would lose the place to return to. Leerin would die. Not only that, all other students here would die. What was the Mercenary Gang doing? No......They had lost Haia. The Mercenary Gang's prime purpose was the Haikizoku. They weren't trustworthy. These words echoed in Nina's heart. Is this......the real purpose? Did the Mercenary Gang deliberately allow Zuellni to face a crisis so all students sank into despair? So that the Haikizoku in Nina could awake? "This......" Her voice was lost. She was surprised at her own condition. She couldn't even get up. Right now, her body kept shaking and her flesh refused to listen to her. She couldn't lose here. The cannon was useless, but Zuellni still had Vance and Gorneo. (But, but.........) She couldn't do anything more. She had promised Layfon, but she was sleeping here. Just why did she want to be strong? She didn't think it was bad to let others do the work. She had kept training till now to make herself useful in battle. Even so.......... (Even so!)

"This is your true personality," a sudden voice said. "Though that stubborn wall protects your usual heart, that is your real heart. It is the heart that seeks to protect the city, the heart that hides deep in the side of the hard shell." The owner of the voice was next to her, but Nina couldn't turn her head. It was in her blind spot. "Who... are you?" "Do you want to cry?" The words touched Nina's heart. "Wha......" "It's your promise with the Electronic Fairy. Yes, the promise. You always live in promises. A promise between Military Artists, a promise you made in the childhood and even now, a promise with the person who can touch the most vulnerable part of your heart." "Uu......Uu..." Who? Who's speaking? "You also cannot live on your own. No need to hide that truth. You just need to give voice to your wish. Say you want power." Stop the nonsense! She wanted to shout but she couldn't. Her body failed to move. "Let me give it to you. The power that can pierce through a forest of spears. Awake from your body." The hand of that voice appeared in Nina's sight. The hand was holding something. A something filled with complicated curved lines fill her sight. Then she didn't see anything else. A mask had appeared on Nina's face. Leerin lifted her head without realizing it. "?" She seemed to hear something. "What is it?" Meishen asked. She looked paled.

"Ah, nothing." It must be her imagination. Leerin and the others were in one of the underground shelters. She was leaning against the wall. Because she had nothing to do, she was looking at the ceiling, spacing out. Bags for emergency use lay by her feet and piled on top of them were neatly folded blankets. The airconditioner continued to work but it was useless. The vast, sealed space was filled with the body odors of many people. The booklet on living in a shelter said to stay in the middle of the shelter, but Leerin had chosen the location near the wall. Mifi and the others agreed with her after knowing why she did it. But Mei-Shen was still hesitant as she was cautious in her approach with things. However, even Mei-Shen didn't say much after living in here for three days. She looked at the people in the middle of the shelter with sympathy. This shelter contained close to 1000 people. Toilet. Shower. The passages connecting to other facilities were all located by the wall. It was natural for Leerin to choose this place as she had plenty of experience living in a shelter. However, it was different for others. Not that the people staying the middle of the shelters were any better, they were just naively fearing to live in a shelter. On the other hand, Leerin was used to it. She herself must be stranger than anyone else. "Speaking of which, this time it's so long," Mifi said, less careful than her usual self. Everyone must be very tired. Perhaps they were used to danger now, many more people came to walk in the corridors, and as such, more arguments ensued. Right now, it was happening somewhere too. The commotion quieted down quickly. The City Police was taking those people away to another place. Mifi saw someone familiar among the City Police and waved. "How's it? Your spirit still up?" Formed asked. "Hoho, I'm a bit tired," Mifi smiled bitterly. "How's the situation above the ground?" "Uh? Going all right. But it takes time to resist successive waves of enemies." "Really." "Ah~" Mifi lay down on the blanket. At the same time, Meishen fell.

"Mei?" Leerin said, finding it strange. If it was Meishen, she wouldn't do something like that. Mifi found it strange that Meishen was not responding. She looked at her face. Blood had drained from Mei-Shen's face and she was panting heavily. The two girls quickly sent her to the clinic. It appeared she had come down with a fever due to over-exhaustion. The doctor said it was caused by extreme tension. A few people who were diagnosed with the same thing lay on the beds around Meishen. As she had to look after Meishen, the burden was becoming heavier for Mifi. (Because Naruki's not here.) The three of them were always together. This separation was weakening them. Leerin thought of this as she told Mifi she'd leave and get some food. Mifi nodded tiredly. Leerin walked out of the clinic and took in a deep breath. Even she herself was about to collapse. Was it because this wasn't Grendan? Because there weren't any Heaven's Blade successors? But Layfon was here. She never once doubted his strength. She could be so calm because of this belief. But what else was she thinking? Was it because her strength hadn't recovered since she fainted the last time? Leerin pondered as she headed for the canteen. Suddenly, she halted her steps. She stopped, not knowing why. A path branched off before her. It didn't connect to the toilet, the shower or the canteen. This path led to the outside. For some reason, Leerin had entered this path. At present, the entrance was blocked with numerous heavy metal walls. But she kept walking in that direction. No one else was on the path. No one would risk it as filth monsters were still outside. Leerin stopped after walking a while. Thick walls blocked her way. "What am I doing?" she said. She had no idea, but she felt there must be a reason behind her action. "Uu......" All of a sudden, she covered her face with a hand and knelt down on the floor. Her right eye

hurt. This wasn't the usual pain. The pain was such that she couldn't even make a noise. It felt as if the nerves in her right eyeball had been cut, and the pain was now individualized, as if her right eye didn't belong to her anymore. And tears kept leaking from the eye. (What......?) The pain prevented her from opening her right eye. That was what she thought, but she did see the metal wall before her. Even though her hand was covering her eye......... Her mind was blank. This wasn't even connected to the pain anymore. Who knew when, but the figure of a woman had appeared before the wall. That figure was blurry......Why so blurry? Because Leerin only saw this woman with her right eye. Black clothes and black hair. The woman appeared before her as if attending a funeral. (Who......are you?) Right eye kept crying tears. Was it too painful? Or because it was suppressing an intense emotion? But, she didn't know. This woman did not turn back. She just faced the wall. What was on the other side?

So slow. No, she hadn't taken any actions. He knew clearly the filth monsters were attacking, but Dixerio hesitated in front of so many enemies. No matter the consequences of his action, it'd affect many people. What kind of influence would it be? Maybe that was the Wolf Faces' true aim? It'd have been good if she knew nothing. But he couldn't say that now. The mask danced in the air. Her hands held two iron whips. Nina Antalk. But there remained some difference between her mask and those of the Wolf Faces. The shape was the same, even the pattern was the same. But something was different. Using the building as a foothold, Nina jumped. The green light that seeped from the mask to envelop her entire body was something that the Wolf Faces didn't have. This was the proof of a Haikizoku.

"Damn, it's awakened." Dixerio didn't know how Nina became possessed, but the truth was here before him. Had she walked the same doomed road as him? "I won't let you guys win!" Dixerio jumped and killed the final filth monster with his weapon. Nina's iron whips had already eliminated the other four. Corpses filled the land of Zuellni. Dixerio stood on the head of the filth monster that fell from the sky. On its back stood Nina. The two of them faced each other. "Hey, you still conscious?" Nina didn't reply. "Give me the mask. You'll feel more relaxed that way." Still no reply. "Damn, already swallowed up?" She was the same as him back then...... "........." Nina crossed the iron whips before her. How was she viewing Dixerio? As an enemy? A strange creature? "Well then, guess I'll have to take it by force. It's good to take what I want with my power." Dixerio readied his metal whip on his shoulder. His other arm was stretched in front of his face. When that arm was removed from his vision... "And that is the essence of the city of Strong Desire Velzenheim" The same mask appeared on Dixerio's face. The corpse of the filth monster touched the ground. At the same time, the two Military Artists jumped to cut two green traces in the air.

[edit] Epilogue Sharp teeth flew everywhere. Savaris avoided all the teeth by centimeters. A chill went down his spine after he took one look at the gigantic pillar of tooth stabbing the ground that was about his height. Still, he smiled through his helmet. Instead of increasing his distance with the filth monster, he ran close to it. Ten more seconds till the next attack. That was Layfon's conclusion after observing Savaris and the filth monster. Savaris deliberately slowed down as he closed in on his opponent in a relaxed manner. Ten seconds. The filth monster opened its mouth and at that moment, its mouth exploded. That was Layfon. His External burst type Kei had shattered the sharp tooth the filth monster was about to shoot out. The shattered pieces ran wild inside its owner's mouth. The filth monster spit out liquid and roared in fury. It changed its target to Layfon. Layfon kept his distance as he evaded the attacks. The filth monster chased after him, its every step shaking the earth. Layfon had to move cautiously to prevent himself from falling due to the intense shaking of the ground. He kept his speed the same as his opponents. The distance between them remained constant. Felli's map appeared in a corner of his vision. The blue dot was him. The red dot was the filth monster, and the yellow dot chasing the red dot was Savaris. Layfon ran in a straight line. Finally, both red and yellow dots overlapped. "Twenty more seconds till the destination," Felli's voice sounded in his helmet. Tension was mixed in her voice. "Please take immediate action when the target enters the destination. Don't mind me," Layfon said. He knew Felli's tension would affect the success of the fight, so he confirmed it with her again. "......... Roger." He kept running at a steady pace as the filth monster followed. (Please don't let it notice.) He prayed as he ran. He entered the area not long after with the filth monster right behind him. "Explode!" Felli and Fermaus both called.

An intense and huge keening from the earth buried his surroundings. Having anticipated the explosion, Layfon had jumped. This was the place where he first discovered the filth monster, the place where the filth monster had been shooting out the eggs. A female filth monster was beneath it which meant there was a massive empty hole in the ground. Felli and Fermaus had laid the flakes in the ground and triggered off a psychokinesis mine explosion, causing the ground to sink. Having lost its balance, the filth monster failed to escape the mine but it did not entirely sink into the ground. Hence Savaris gave it a final kick. "Get down there." The External Burst type Kei of that kick shocked the filth monster all the way to its lower body. The colossal creature fell into the hole. Savaris had used the rebound force of the kick to leap into the air. The filth monster rolled as it fell, gathering momentum and increasing its falling rate. In the end, it fell with its back on the ground and its abdomen facing the sky. Layfon snatched out the Adamantium Dite and the Sapphire Dite with his left hand. Their handles were still connected. He condensed the Kei in the Dites to their limits, to the limit of the cracks spreading through the Sapphire Dite. As the light that exuded from the Dites turned from green to red, he executed his move External Burst type variation Rumble Sword. He threw the Sapphire Dite. The sharp Katana, holding a huge amount of Kei, stabbed right down. The color of Kei turned redder than it was allowed. The Katana stabbed the filth monster's abdomen as it drew sparks in the air. Next, the Sapphire Dite exploded and the Kei suppressed inside it shot everywhere. A large part of the filth monster's outer skin was peeled off from that result to reveal the meat of its body. "Time for me to go," Savaris said. Holding the Adamantium Dite, Layfon turned around the back of the blade for the Heaven's Blade to use as his dive point. The rebound force of Savaris' jump helped Layfon to stay in the air longer. Savaris shot straight down. Since he hadn't made any special modification to the fighting suit that he borrowed from the Mercenary Gang, he couldn't use the Luckens move Roar Kei. He now held his fist. (Let's try this then.) One word flowed in his mind, an absolute. He had mentioned this to Gorneo once. This didn't belong to the skills passed down in the Luckens family. This was an ultimate move that one came to learn through training. He himself hadn't yet mastered this move as he didn't want its training to prevent him from growing more. However, he couldn't train since coming to Zuellni as he had to hide himself. And training Gorneo had given him second thoughts. He had changed, and he had chosen to attempt this move. He had attempted it so

he could only keep on honing it. Although one could say "hone", he could only do it all in his head. Using it in real battle for the first time was probably foolish. However, he chose to execute that move. That was what Savaris, the Heaven's Blade successor, was like. External Burst type variation Absolute, full power, stab. His fist hammered into the filth monster's body. This move belonged to the Kei skill that ran through an enemy's entire body to destroy it. This was the true essence of the Luckens' combat skill, a skill invented against filth monsters, a move made to allow bare-hand fight. Roar Kei was one of those moves, a secret that allowed one to fight without physically lifting a finger. Since too few people managed to master this move, it had become a high level move in the Luckens family. To Savaris, the shaking first spread through the air, and then the explosions started from the filth monster itself. A full power stab was more intense than a mere strike by a fist. It was a move that could sink the Kei into the depth of the enemy's body and explode from the inside. Bearing the destructive power of the Kei in the fist, the armored plates often failed to shoulder the enormous Kei, but there was a way to solve this problem. The filth monster shook intensely. Large amount of liquid shot from its mouth. Savaris stepped back quickly, took out a small spray from his clothes and sprayed the liquid on his fist, filling the cracks on his gloves. However, that failed to alleviate the pain in his fist. It seemed he couldn't use his right hand anymore in this battle. At the time of Savaris taking out the emergency spray, Layfon's shadow cut through his vision. He landed in front of Savaris with the huge and long Adamantium Dite on his back, as if it was hiding behind him. The Katana on his back rattled from the massive amount of Kei condensed inside it. The Kei in the blade suddenly disappeared. Heaven's Blade technique Kasumirou. This was a technique that he invented when he was a Heaven's Blade successor. Similar to Savaris' Absolute stab, Layfon's technique was a strike that let its Kei run into the filth monster's body. The Kei then turned into numerous strikes like rain to destroy the enemy from its inside. "Wu!" Layfon tossed away the Adamantium Dite. As it couldn't bear the pressure of the Kei, it exploded. The organs of the filth monster had taken Savaris's blow and were now being cut down by Layfon's move. A filth monster was still a living creature. Even though it had the power to re-grow its outer skin, the level of damages to its body was too severe for it to revive.

Layfon and Savaris watched the enemy from a distance through a screen of dust and sand. "Almost finished?" "If that's the case, then good," Layfon replied. Savaris had sacrificed his right hand and Layfon had lost two Dites. Forget Savaris for now. Layfon had lost the Sapphire Dite that could turn into steel threads and the Adamantium Dite that was his greatest fighting strength. The loss of these two had dramatically decreased his fighting power. If the filth monster didn't fall, Layfon had nothing left to fight it. "We should cut off its neck just in case, but that thing is under the ground and it's got a thick skin and tendons......... It's a bit much for us right now," Savaris calmly analyzed the situation. So now they could only wait for the result. Next came Felli's unfortunate report. "........... The temperature of the target is rising." They hadn't killed it. The ground around the filth monster trembled. Liquid continued to shoot from the filth monster's abdomen. Savaris silently held his left hand as Layfon restored the Shim Adamantium Dite. "Well, we can only go in." "..... Yes," Layfon agreed. Felli's voice sounded in his helmet. "Please escape!" ........ But where could they go? Zuellni's multi-leg was broken. Even if it could move, it couldn't run forever from the filth monster. They could only make a bet with this fight. Layfon pondered another strategy. BANG!! This sound was impossible. But after knowing this sound came from the filth monster and thinking that if it was that person, then nothing was strange. It was a pillar of light. The light had shot through the rising filth monster and dispersed into the air. But this was all after the fact. "........ What?" Layfon was at a loss. The filth monster was dead. He didn't need Felli to

confirm it for him. It was completely dead. "Anyway, we're saved. Even though it's an insult that has got nothing to do with my real strength........." Savaris's reply was cold. "Next is to complete the mission I'm here for." His words restored the calmness in Layfon's head. Savaris was here to take the Haikizoku, the Haikizoku that lived in Nina. "......... Can you just leave it?" he asked with carefully chosen words. He knew Savaris's strength. Even though Savaris didn't have his Heaven's Blade with him, Layfon still didn't want to fight him. "............ Personally, I want to fight you, but would Her Majesty be satisfied? Or, even if she forgives him, would Kanaris understand? She'd be angry. And that's gonna be troublesome." "Really!!" Layfon swung the Shim Adamantium Dite at him without hesitation. The remnants of Kei exploded. His strike drew an arc in the sky. Savaris was gone. "I knew you'd do that," came his carefree laughter. He had first read Layfon's move. "Let me do this, then you'll use your full strength." Savaris's presence was disappearing fast. Layfon rushed out of the screen of dust and saw him riding the bike for Zuellni. "Damn!" He ran for his own bike. 150 Jimels. Target was Zuellni. The curtain of the long chase rose. Blue light accompanied every shake of the space. The ground shook. "Damn, this isn't the time to play!" Dixerio rolled his tongue under the attack of the iron whips. The amount of Kei in the Haikizoku continued to increase, and the density of Internal Kei rose as well. One's dexterity increased. Dixerio knew this theory earlier than Nina. Still, an increase in fighting power didn't usually translate to an improvement in skill. Sure, however good one's skill was, one would fall in front of overwhelming power, but this was different when both fighters possessed the same amount of power. In that case, the outcome came down to one's skill and experience. He deeply believed that he wouldn't lose to her in both skill and experience. Nevertheless, she managed to corner him. (Can't she see I'm holding back?) He didn't plan to kill her so he held back in his every move. Was this it?

(Is that why she has the advantage?) This was the truth. Nina had cornered him step by step despite his confidence in his strategies, as if she didn't fear her enemy, no matter how strong he was. Dixerio wouldn't understand that Nina could reach this level because she kept challenging the high wall that Layfon's presence held. "But!" he shouted after tens of rounds. His heavy metal whip hit her right shoulder. She didn't stop moving. Dixerio was surprised as he felt the feeling through his right wrist. Kongoukei. Still, Dixerio's strike did have its impact. Because she had failed to completely defend from his Kei, Nina's right hand lost its grip on the iron whip. The iron whip fell onto the ground. But she didn't stop her movement. She lifted the left iron whip to strike his face. Suddenly, blue light rippled out in the space. Nina stopped. Dixerio stopped. Nina's iron whip stopped. Dixerio's hand gripped her whip. "My hand isn't that cheap." The skin of his hand ripped and blood flowed. He pulled her down onto the ground with her still holding tightly to the weapon. He raised the whip. Kongoukei. She continued to release her Kei to defend. However, he had already anticipated that move. Internal and External Kei variation Raitei. Raijin, a move used in close distance with the enemy, had become Raitei. It broke through Nina's Kongoukei and the whip hit her on her stomach. "Ha!" she screamed and fell immobile. The mask fell from her face as she fainted. "Geez....... Took me so much strength," he bent to pick up the mask but the mask slipped from his palm. "What?" he looked at it, confused. The mask was now in someone's hand. He looked at this new person, speechless.

"Hey, hey............." Speechless. Before being forcefully pulled into Zuellni, he had once infiltrated Grendan just to see this person. Now....... "Hey, why are you here?" The girl wearing funeral-like black clothes didn't reply. She kept silent....... And vanished. A person stood in the courtyard of Grendan's palace. Her two hands were put together as if she was aiming to shoot. "Straight in the heart" Alsheyra, the owner of the palace, shouted happily. "I'm sorry, I didn't see it........." Kanaris said calmly behind her. A scarf encircled her neck to hide the trace of injury on it. However, the person who made that injury didn't seem to care. "Aaa, well, whatever. It's a feeling of obliterating an interference. Compared to that, look over there. Over there! You can see the flag. Aaa, it's spotless as I imagined. Great. A brilliant reunion! As if I'm a knight on a white horse, out to rescue an imprisoned princess!" "No, you're the Queen. Compared to that, I can't even see the filth monster. Do you think I can see what's beyond it?" Alsheyra didn't seem to hear her. "Wait for me Leerin, I'll be right there to receive you!" she said happily. Kanaris sighed. Grenden moved forward. It kept heading straight for Zuellni.