Episode 64: Awakening and Blazing Flames
To Aoi Hoshi Miroku, Teruue Mizuki was a presence that had always been there, taken for granted.
Since childhood, Mizuki had been with her. She was the exact opposite of Miroku—instead of logic, she relied on feelings, and instead of words, she resolved matters through force.
Because of this, until now, they had lived complementing each other’s deficiencies.
However, this was only because they hadn’t been forced to make a choice.
If one of them had to be sacrificed, which one should it be?
Teruue Mizuki possessed high qualifications as an explorer.
Miroku was well aware of this.
Therefore, it was fitting for Mizuki to remain at Factom General Academy.
That’s what she thought.
Fortunately, the academy had someone who could replace her—a youth whose essence resembled hers. With such a person around, Factom General Academy would continue to function smoothly with Mizuki at its center.
Thus, this choice seemed reasonable and optimal.
And yet, what lay before her eyes now?
“Ha… ha…”
There stood her childhood friend, battered and bruised, panting heavily.
Mizuki fired twice more. The bullets exploded in front of Orthros, scattering flames. The flames diffused like fireworks and rained down as projectiles.
But it appeared these attacks no longer held much effect on Orthros.
“Already seen through.”
Orthros roared, then deflected the incoming bullets aimed at Ciel’s platform with his head and charged straight toward Mizuki.
“Four moves.”
Attempting to protect herself from Orthros’ attack, Mizuki fired water bullets into the ground, creating an impromptu water wall.
However, Orthros’ tail circumvented the wall and struck Mizuki from the side.
“Agh… cough…”
Tumbling across the floor multiple times, Mizuki managed to stabilize herself and land on her feet. When she looked up, Orthros’ sharp claws were already upon her.
“!”
“Five moves.”
(Defense has been anticipated. Then…)
Mizuki abandoned the option of defense. Instead, she fired a bullet sideways and detonated it immediately.
The explosion sent Mizuki flying sideways.
Just a second later, the claws slashed through the air where she had been standing moments ago.
Standing back up, Mizuki grinned confidently.
“…What is it? Aren’t you going to defeat me in seven moves?”
“There’s no problem. Seven moves refer to the shortest route to incapacitate you. Whether or not you get hit by those claws doesn’t matter; your body has already accumulated enough damage.”
“Mizuki, you can’t win anymore. Let’s stop.”
“I can still fight!”
As she slapped her slightly unsteady cheek and took aim with her gun, Mizuki declared,
“Kei is holding him off alone. Toa believes in me too. Giving up isn’t an option.”
“…Stubborn. I hate that about you.”
Upon hearing Miroku’s words, Mizuki merely smiled without responding.
Then, she fired another round at the pedestal.
Nothing had changed—it was all to buy time until Toa could unleash her Convergent Artillery Attack.
From the start, there was no intention to destroy the pedestal. Mizuki’s true aim was to keep Toa’s attention diverted.
“Hey, what’s wrong, Professor? Can’t even a low-level explorer like me properly defeat your junk?”
“Cheap provocation. But I’ll play along. Ciel.”
“Six moves.”
Orthros approached Mizuki with a speed unexpected for his massive body. He switched from defending the pedestal to aggressively attacking Mizuki.
“Dodge this!”
Avoiding the tail and claws, Mizuki evaded the attacks. Each one was purely physical, mere masses of matter. Carefully dodging them one by one bought more time for Toa’s Convergent Artillery Attack.
“Guh…!”
Gradually, Mizuki’s movements began to lose their precision. Seizing the opportunity created by her delayed reaction due to fatigue, the tail strike connected directly.
“…!”
At the last moment, Mizuki erected a Magic Barrier, but it shattered instantly, and she was slammed into the ground. The air was forcibly expelled from her lungs, causing her consciousness to flicker momentarily.
“Aah…”
Seeing Mizuki collapse onto the floor, Orthros returned leisurely to the pedestal. Clenching her fists tightly, Miroku tried to maintain her composure as she said,
“Do you understand now? This is reality. So, please forget about me.”
“Aff… airs…”
Wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth, Mizuki stood up again and shakily aimed her gun.
“Please… stop this already.”
“Ah, she’s still standing. Well then, let’s proceed to move seven.”
At the professor’s words, Orthros moved.
Mizuki braced herself for the attack, but Orthros didn’t come after her. Instead, he headed towards Toa, who remained stationary, preparing her Convergent Artillery Attack.
By now, Mizuki no longer had the capacity to distract Orthros alone.
“Toa!”
“Don’t come here, Mizuki-chan!”
Orthros’ tail lashed out toward Toa. Mizuki dashed forward with all her might and shielded Toa from the tail’s assault.
A powerful barrier, fueled by all her remaining magic, reduced the tail’s impact. However, the force was more than enough to send Mizuki crashing to her knees.
“…!”
“Mizuki-chan!”
“Wonderful, precisely seven moves. Truly impressive, Demon’s Gear.”
“Convergent Artillery Attack calculations complete. It’s impossible to penetrate Orthros’ barrier.”
“Mizuki…”
Watching her childhood friend collapse, Miroku instinctively reached out her hand but quickly shook her head.
“…Mizuki, we’ve won. Please return quietly.”
“Aff… airs…”
Slowly, Mizuki stood up. Her half-glazed eyes revealed her body’s limits.
Mizuki picked up her fallen gun with trembling hands and took aim. Any observer could see she wasn’t in any condition to fight.
No, worse yet, enduring another proper blow from Orthros could endanger her life.
“…Please stop already.”
“Then… come back… Miroku.”
Unchanging, Mizuki continued to demand just one thing. Witnessing this, Miroku cried out in anguish.
“How long will you cling to such stubbornness?! I’m not a student at that academy anymore! Don’t waste my resolve! If you die here, it’ll all be meaningless!”
The happiness that was supposed to result from her sacrifice—if that happiness disappeared entirely, Miroku feared she would truly lose her purpose in life. That loss was what she feared most.
Understanding the true nature of what Miroku called “resolve,” Mizuki exhaled with a mixture of disbelief and amusement.
“Resolve… Is this what you call your resolve?”
“Yes. I, too, wish I could stay with you forever. But that’s not possible. Someone must sacrifice themselves, and it must be the least useful person!”
Hearing Miroku’s words, Mizuki displayed anger for the first time.
“…Don’t joke around.”
Her words were spat out in fury.
“Is this your resolve? It sounds more like reckless despair.”
Overwhelmed by passion, Mizuki continued speaking, forgetting the pain in her body.
“Did you consult me even once? Did you confide your struggles to Toa? Did you ask Kei for help? Thinking you’re the only one who can sacrifice yourself, being arrogant… This isn’t resolve or anything close to it!”
“Then what should I have done?!”
It was a cry filled with anguish, the voice of a coward’s heart.
Seeing her childhood friend in such a state, Mizuki offered a gentle smile meant to reassure and released her grip on her gun.
“Right now, I’ll show you the answer. Toa, fire your Convergent Artillery Attack.”
“But even if I fire now, it’ll just be dodged…” Toa replied, shaking her head.
Orthros wasn’t moving because he no longer considered them a threat. No matter how hard they tried, Toa’s Convergent Artillery Attack wouldn’t reverse the situation.
However, Mizuki interrupted, saying, “No, it’s different.”
“Huh? …Eh!?”
Had Mizuki gone berserk? Toa looked at her in confusion.
“Toa.”
“!”
Toa immediately dismissed the thought. There was still life in Mizuki’s eyes when she called her name.
“Can you trust me?”
“…Alright.”
Without any basis, Toa decided to trust her.
“Standard output ‘Artemis’—fire!”
A golden light was unleashed. The strongest single strike, condensed with magical power, headed straight toward Mizuki.
“That’s perfect.”
Mizuki extended her right hand toward the light and formed a magic circle.
“What is that!?”
“Ah, a Convergent Artillery Attack magic circle. But… it’s inefficient. In fact, it’s incomplete.”
Indeed, the professor’s observation was correct. The Convergent Artillery Attack tore through the flawed magic circle without being absorbed.
Re-condensing an already launched Convergent Artillery Attack was theoretically possible but practically very difficult.
“Guh, uuuuuugh!”
To compensate for the broken magic circle, Mizuki overlaid another identical one with her left hand. She endured the full force of the Convergent Artillery Attack head-on.
“…A Convergent Artillery Attack requires special skills. You lack them. Continuing this is futile. Ciel, eliminate her.”
“!? Professor, that’s not what we agreed on! You promised not to harm the other students!”
Ignoring Miroku’s cries, the professor responded with visible annoyance:
“All I promised was to leave Factom General Academy operational. There’s a blonde girl over there and another one somewhere, right? That’s fine. Killing them quickly would be better. And besides…”
The professor grinned maliciously.
“The next one looks fit.”
“!? Mizuki, please run away!”
Miroku screamed, tears streaming down her face. Striking the pedestal with her fists, she realized she was just a powerless girl without her Diver Gear.
(Either way, running now will only lead to death eventually. There’s no other option but to settle this.)
Surprisingly calm amidst the chaos, Mizuki thought clearly, free from pain and anxiety.
(Remember, what did she—Solciera say back then?)
During her battle with Solciera, Mizuki received a clue. No, it was likely a deliberate sign left by Solciera herself.
“…Flames are a simplified interpretation of combustion. Water is merely a byproduct of manipulating magical power more precisely.”
The meaning behind those words was the essence of Mizuki’s abilities.
(If those words are true, my capabilities aren’t limited to this extent. Now is the time to awaken my true power!)
The real purpose of intercepting Toa’s Convergent Artillery Attack was akin to shock therapy through excessive absorption of magical power.
Mizuki was attempting to artificially recreate the situation where Solciera interfered and forced her to launch a Convergent Artillery Attack.
(Using combustion to expel excess magical power outward as flames minimizes the burden. Manipulating magical power is like creating a flow of water…)
Piece by piece, everything fell into place. Disassembling the completed bullets and reconstructing them into new abilities, Mizuki worked through the process without the assistance of Diver Gear.
But the professor wouldn’t miss this opportunity.
“Ciel, teach her what a real artillery attack is. Show her the power of a hero’s strike.”
“…”
“Can you hear me, Ciel?”
“…Understood.”
With Ciel’s computational support, Orthros opened its mouth again. The light within grew stronger, forming an artillery attack far more powerful than the first.
“No! Mizuki, please run away!”
“There’s no escape… Just a little longer, just a little more—”
“Fire.”
An artillery attack was launched from Orthros. This time, it headed straight for Mizuki without deviation. Unable to dodge or defend, Mizuki could only stare defiantly at the deadly beam. Everyone expected the inevitable outcome.
But then…
Silver light poured down through a hole in the ceiling, resembling a falling star. It intercepted and nullified Orthros’ artillery attack.
“What is this!? …No, this level of magical depth…”
“……Sister.”
Both the professor and Ciel understood simultaneously. Through the hole in the ceiling, a silver star shone brightly against the night sky.
With her long hair flowing in the wind, Solciera watched them intently.
“Professor, Orthros cannot defeat Sister. We should retreat.”
“Hahaha, what nonsense. Now that Orthros is complete, there’s nothing to fear! Heroes don’t flee! First, let’s kill my spare body candidate over there!”
Just as the professor attempted to control Orthros, a tremendous shockwave rippled through the area.
“What… What is this!?”
Believing himself to be in a safe zone, the professor fell backward from the unexpected impact. When he stood up, he saw Orthros violently smashed against the wall.
“…What?”
Ashes danced around Orthros. A massive explosion had occurred.
“What… What happened!?”
“Could this be…”
The sound of burning air was unmistakable. Its source exhaled quietly, gazing at the stars.
“—I thank you, Solciera. And do not interfere further.”
In response to her words, Solciera vanished, and flames spread throughout the facility. They crept like an invasion, climbing walls and covering the ceiling.
At the center of it all, Mizuki stood alone, composed.
Her breath mingled with flames, scattering fiery sparks with every exhale.
There was no doubt about it.
At this moment, she was the ruler of this burning world.
