Episode 182: S Rank and the Silver-Starred Monster
That day, one section of the central city had turned into a battlefield.
The embodiment of Academy City’s greatest strength and destruction.
In other words, the third battle that would decide the fate of the world.
Its conclusion seemed far from being reached.
“I see… I’ve roughly understood how the abilities handled by Explorers work.”
The upper part of a building exploded, enveloped in flames.
Each fragment swirling around was imbued with a shadow, approaching the angel like living creatures.
“So, you output the power of the Mirror World through your own interpretation. This method… I recall encountering something similar when I pruned humans before.”
The angel manipulated the body of its male vessel.
The visor processed information, selecting only the flames and shadows affecting itself.
It then fired energy beams radially at each of them.
The attacks canceled each other out, causing a fierce explosion.
The angel received it on its back, descending rapidly and landing while stirring up the wind.
“Using the power of the Mirror World directly is inefficient. Thus, I shall fight according to the principles of this world as initially planned.”
“Anything goes, but don’t you dare kill me! We’ve already been in too many dangerous situations!”
“That’s why I’m supporting you. Stop whining.”
The man who had regained control of his body saw Mizuki and Tatarai who had just landed.
“Hey, if we’re going to end up in a draw after all this, let’s just stop for today. Neither of us wants to die, right?”
“Then be captured.”
“Pot.”
“There’s no reasoning with any of you, huh!”
The decisive battle had already moved from the man’s hideout to encompass an entire district of the city.
All the people present, both Explorers and tourists, had been evacuated. In the vast streets, only three individuals and one entity remained.
“There’s nothing left to do. If we don’t act, we’ll die, right?”
As he shouted, the man unleashed ice.
Ice bullets generated by Reiko Hyououdou’s ability were fired en masse, akin to machine gun fire.
They accelerated unnaturally mid-flight and began splitting further. Some even carried electricity.
“I’ve already dealt with hundreds of different abilities. You guys don’t stand a chance! Don’t underestimate these as mere ice bullets!”
Each one was humanity’s trump card, an extraordinary phenomenon beyond normalcy.
They swarmed toward Mizuki and Tatarai, representing a war between the individual and the army.
But still, because this battle could take place, it was S Rank.
“Only hundreds, right? Besides… I was feeling hot and wanted some ice cream today.”
Tatarai alone responded to the barrage of ice bullets.
Mizuki took a stance but showed no signs of doing anything.
“Here they come~”
Shadows extended from behind Tatarai, transforming into a massive snake.
The snake leaped forward, opening its huge mouth and swallowing all the ice.
“Hmm~ These crackling ice bullets taste the best~”
While chewing something as if crushing it with her teeth, Tatarai smiled.
Her face looked satisfied.
“Monster…”
“Any seconds?”
She stuck out her tongue playfully and said so.
Her appearance was casual and cheerful, as if she had just come for lunch.
The man flinched upon seeing this, and simultaneously, his mouth moved on its own.
“Indeed, I shall fight. It’s inefficient with you. You can’t handle this precious power properly.”
“What!? If you say so, then show me what you’ve got!”
The moment the angel regained control of the body, the oppressive atmosphere intensified.
Not only that, but the flow of magical power had genuinely changed.
“Tatarai, be careful. The real fight starts now.”
“The main course~”
Shadows spawned snakes, and flames overflowed.
Facing the two who were ready to attack at any moment, the angel exhaled.
And simply thrust its hand forward.
“Abilities, traced back to their origin, are the power of angels.”
Instantly, tremendous pressure was exerted on Tatarai and Mizuki’s bodies.
Attempting to move hastily, their bodies sank into the ground, cracking the asphalt around them.
“Wh-what is this!?”
“Gravity manipulation, huh~”
Tatarai immediately identified the nature of the ability.
Then, she and the snake within the shadows swallowed something together.
After standing up as if nothing happened, Tatarai made Mizuki widen her eyes.
“Nn…!”
“Now that I know it’s gravity, I can burn it away, right?”
“Ah!?”
Understanding Tatarai’s words, Mizuki immediately unleashed flames to counter the gravity-based attack.
“Still, Mizuki needs more practical experience. At this level, you won’t make it as an S Rank. Basically, we’re always targeted by various organizations anyway~”
Tatarai said while chewing and swallowing the gravity.
“Gravity-based powers are mildly sweet~”
“…Indeed, your ability seems different from ordinary ones. That yours…”
The angel muttered upon observing Tatarai.
“Your ability has deviated from its original form and become distorted. No, perhaps that’s precisely why you are who you are.”
“I dislike discussions~ Let’s talk about our favorite foods instead~”
“Futile. I do not consume food.”
“In that case… die already~”
Shadows extended from Tatarai’s feet, flowing out like a muddy flood.
They transformed into countless hands reaching toward the angel.
However, the angel didn’t change its expression and extended its hand toward them.
“Well, how about this?”
Shadows stretching from behind the angel turned white, forming countless hands that surged forth similarly.
Black and white shadows clashed in the center, intertwining as if consuming each other.
Watching this, Tatarai smiled broadly.
“Copying, huh~? Sloppy~”
“Fair enough, you seem to have grasped merely mimicking me. Your S-Rank abilities are hard to replicate, especially with you leading the way. But it should be enough to kill you all. And the Star Reader’s Staff too.”
“…Solciera, is it? Her too, I suppose you wish to ‘consume’ someday~”
“Unfortunately, that hope will not be fulfilled.”
Wings of an alien form emerged from the angel’s back, enabling flight.
They were biological, resembling countless intertwined creatures, yet radiated a divine aura.
Mizuki and Tatarai intuitively understood what those wings signified.
“Those wings, each feather is an ability.”
“A buffet selection~!”
One frowned, the other laughed.
Their reactions differed in the face of the angel’s power, but the answer when opposing it remained unchanged.
“Shall we shoot it down?”
“Fried chicken.”
Flames erupted from the gun Mizuki aimed, exploding mid-air and raining flames down on the angel.
In response, the angel swung its wings, firing abilities as projectiles.
The flames and abilities collided, causing multiple explosions and raising smoke.
Amidst the smoke, Tatarai burst through.
“Ha ha ha ha! Since it’s such a feast, I won’t leave a single crumb behind!”
“I cannot afford to lose to someone of your caliber.”
Once again, countless abilities were released from the wings.
Simultaneously, the angel utilized Reiko Hyououdou’s freezing power.
“No more games.”
Unlike the random attacks from the wings, the calculated use of Reiko’s ability managed to freeze time itself.
Within the gray world where time stood still, only the numerous abilities unleashed by the angel moved.
Approaching Tatarai in this stopped-time realm, the attacks were—consumed entirely.
“Hmm, delicious~! The pairing with time is quite exquisite!”
For the first time, the angel’s expression faltered during the brief period of time-stopping that felt less than a second long.
On the other hand, Tatarai was chewing something she had stuffed into her mouth.
“Stopping time doesn’t even qualify as a greeting among S Ranks~”
“For reference, care to explain what you did? Though I roughly figured it out, I’d like to hear it from you personally.”
Upon hearing the angel’s words, Tatarai swallowed what she was eating and replied.
“I ate time. You can’t stop something that doesn’t exist, right~?”
“…I revise my understanding. You, like the Star Reader’s Staff, are someone who must be dealt with.”
“Shouldn’t that be ‘us’ too, right~?”
At the same moment Tatarai spoke, flames erupted from seemingly empty space.
A gun barrel appeared right in front of the angel.
“Transfer via spatial incineration…!?”
A matchless powerhouse, the angel, excluding Solciera, faced a battle against another.
Moreover, beside him stood Tatarai, who knew how to wield immense power.
Within this short period, Mizuki had reached a higher stage.
“How’s the cooking?”
“Extra well-done~”
“You idiot!?”
The flames struck the angel directly, instantly engulfing its entire body.
Even an angel couldn’t withstand flames capable of burning concepts without sustaining damage.
Encased in flames, the angel plummeted and crashed onto the ground.
“Fully cooked♪ Fully cooked♪”
“…You should only eat a little. Remember to deliver the proper remains to the Board of Directors.”
Cheerful Tatarai and cautious Mizuki.
Before them, the angel, encased in flames, slowly stood up.
“…Still fighting?”
“Seconds…!”
“…This time, you humans seem exceptionally absurd. Unprecedented strength.”
The angel spread its blazing wings and flapped them once mightily.
The flames vanished instantly.
The angel, scarred and disfigured, observed its own hands and nodded.
“The merged concepts couldn’t be completely burned off yet, I see. Understood.”
Its body quickly repaired itself.
“This is a grand showdown. Enjoy it thoroughly, humans.”
“…Tatarai”
“It’s fine~. If both S Ranks lose, what’s the point of having an Academy City~?”
To the uneasy Mizuki, Tatarai tossed candy into her mouth while making a peace sign.
(Though, things have gotten somewhat troublesome~)
There was a definite sense that they were gaining the upper hand.
Still, they lacked the decisive blow.
(A limitless combination of abilities. Flexible responses due to that. It’s unfair relying solely on tricks~)
If those were regular abilities, dealing with them would be easy.
In fact, Tatarai had single-handedly ended internal conflicts involving tens of thousands within the academy.
No matter how many gathered, if they were diverse but weak, they could never defeat an S Rank.
But the angel was different.
(Boosting every ability to its peak~ and Rey’s freezing ability is annoying~)
The mechanism was unclear, but the angel was amplifying all abilities.
If Tatarai’s guess was correct, everything was equivalent to A Rank.
Each one was powerful enough to be an ace in the academy.
Add to that Reiko Hyououdou’s freezing ability.
The reason why two S Ranks were struggling against the angel lay there.
(Even prolonging the battle to torture them isn’t entirely unpleasant~)
Tatarai glanced sideways at Mizuki.
The current Mizuki was complete as an S Rank.
But signs of fatigue were evident.
Unaware herself, Tatarai, who could identify people by scent and taste, could perceive the subtle changes in the human body.
Mizuki would reach her limit within ten minutes.
Thus, Tatarai chose a quick resolution.
“…Hmm, Mizuki. In this situation, I’ll use my ultimate move~”
“Ultimate move?”
“Yes~. Once set, even an S Rank can’t escape. Can you buy me some time please~?”
“How many seconds do you need?”
“Five seconds please~”
Mizuki readied her gun.
Flames erupted from various parts of her body, and her breath ignited.
“Leave it to me. That much.”
Listening to their exchange, the angel sneered in genuine disdain.
“Underestimating an angel is foolish. Angels are beings to be revered and feared.”
The wings of abilities opened wide.
Exceeding defense, the wings emitted various glows aimed at annihilation.
“As an S Rank, fight honorably…!”
“Don’t get too arrogant, humans.”
The victory condition for the human side was exceedingly simple.
Five seconds of delay, followed by Tatarai’s ultimate move.
The defeat condition was death.
Simple indeed, and therefore, the outcome depended purely on strength in this battle.
“!”
“Perish!”
The five-second battle never commenced.
“～～♪”
A song rang out.
Carried by the wind, resonating against rubble, the beautiful hum reached the ears of the three.
Tatarai judged the singer insane and looked around.
Mizuki stopped moving upon recognizing the voice.
And the angel.
“—!? To appear here…!”
Detecting magic power, it halted its attack on Mizuki.
Three different reactions.
Yet, all eyes turned in the same direction.
The collapsed building and upturned asphalt shimmered under the summer sun, creating heat waves.
Beyond that, someone approached them.
“～～♪”
The humming continued without pause.
Beautiful singing accompanied by an unstable melody.
But it was clear that the girl was in high spirits.
Her black attire stood out amidst the devastated battlefield.
The silver hair flowing in the wind was the most beautiful sight in this place.
The large scythe dragging along, scattering sparks, seemed to be seeking prey.
“Star Reader’s Staff!”
The angel called out the name with distaste.
“—Hello there.”
It was an almost friendly greeting, as if meeting an old friend.
The Star Reader’s Staff—Zero—smiled brightly like a blooming flower.
“To share this excitement with someone… You’re just in time!”
This was supposed to be the decisive battle between S Ranks and angels, deciding the survival of humanity.
Until just a moment ago, that is.
(Loli Ciera’s demand is overwhelming! My instincts weren’t wrong after all! By the way, wouldn’t this also open opportunities for Loli Ciera and Zero’s neLoli explorations!? Ah, though sexual acts are NG, so becoming gooey is impossible. If rejected by Loli Ciera instead of the usual her, I’m confident I’d be down for a day. Still, somehow, can’t I lick that belly? Pretending it’s a doctor’s game might pass, right? Diagnosis, tentacle examinations—that’s diagnosis. Ah, I want to play shop with Loli Ciera too! Let’s go to the city hall together to register the store name. “Cute Cute Loli Ciera Shop” sounds good, but it might be rejected, so maybe we should examine it further. By the way, wasn’t that prepared notebook meant for revealing identities and heroine falls? Well, for now, I can only watch, but ah! Those tiny legs are adorable, and the loli thighs are blinding. Effectively, that’s the starlight shining—)
What begins henceforth is the battle wagering the survival of humanity.
“Listen to me, will you ^^”
“Disappear, imitation.”
A war between the angel and the monster.
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ni hyōi tensei shita ore wa TS o akiramenai, かませ役
