Mitou Shoukan://Blood-Sign-Volume 3, Opening X-02 - Midair Battle, Altitude 5000m

“I’m glad we made it within the ninety second standby period.”

“Now, how about we get Round 2 started?”

(Opening X-02 Open 05/22 03:00 Attention! Local Time)

Midair Battle, Altitude 5000m

The local time was three in the morning on May 22.

A formation of several large Repliglass transport ships known as Whooper Swans were flying five thousand meters above the Pacific Ocean. With an escort of Repliglass aircraft known as Swallows, the heavily guarded group sliced through the dark night, so no one would mistakenly think they were filled with tourists enjoying a vacation.

As their name suggested, the Whooper Swans were designed after migratory birds, so they could takeoff from land or water, carry thirty tons of cargo, and fly 13,000 km without refueling. When used exclusively to transport personnel, they could carry two hundred soldiers to the other side of the planet. They also had a unique navigation system that accurately picked up their direction and location using the earth’s magnetic field, so they could avoid the foolish scenario of being shot down by a surface-to-air missile after a civilian app picked up their GPS signal or collision avoidance signal.

They were all primary products of Quad Motors, an American defense contractor.

Currently, the third Whooper Swan was filled with spiraling alarms that sounded like screams or angry shouts.

The internal lighting had switched over to the red lights that indicated an emergency.

“Escort Swallows #3 and #8 are down! The remaining four are being overpowered!!”

“There are twelve enemy aircraft. …No, there are some high-level stealth fighters mixed in! Their numbers are unknown!!”

“Angel 02 to Seraph 03. The numerical difference has grown too wide. We can’t hold them back any longer! They’re going to reach the main unit!!”

The crew was ignoring the proper manual by removing their seatbelts and running around in a panic, but one boy remained entirely motionless as he leaned against a bulkhead with his arms crossed.

He was Shiroyama Kyousuke.

He kept one eye closed and spoke to the master of this small fortress.

“Did you know this was going to happen? At least the Swallow pilots were able to eject safely…”

“Well, if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have paid so much to hire a Freedom summoner.”

A gentle woman’s voice answered him. She went beyond calm and seemed to have left the flow of time behind.

She had long and fluffy chestnut-brown hair, thin-framed glasses, a tight skirt, and the kind of white blouse and bolo tie that went with a suit. That might make her sound like an office worker, but the lab coat she wore on top of that entirely changed that impression. But due to the aura surrounding her, she may have looked more like a school doctor than a cold scientist.

She was Government Award 109, Academia.

Her name was Maria Heartocean.

She was a summoner who had surpassed Award 100 without fighting even once and she participated in the Summoning Ceremony industry as a pure researcher, so in a way she was a mutation on the same level as Perfect Dragon Lu Niang Lan.

Maria elegantly relaxed in a folding chair with her legs crossed.

“That’s what it means when those of us in Government hire someone from Freedom, right? And didn’t you know the risks when you took the job?”

“That mysterious stomachache is turning out to be surprisingly expensive. Of course, part of that was due to relying on Lu-san’s Chinese medicine which is about as rare as a jewel…”

“?”

Maria tilted her head before continuing.

“So what do you think as a professional fighter? This ship is carrying a brain and some research results that could destroy the world’s balance, so do you think Illegal’s ‘cleaners’ will be satisfied just by giving me a watery grave?”

“What are you talking about…?”

It was not Kyousuke who interrupted.

It was a senior military officer with plenty of medals displayed on his chest and he spoke to prevent the boy from saying anything unnecessary.

“Let me be clear, lady. With our army, navy, air force, and marines, we have the world’s largest military and we can achieve victory no matter the situation. We are the world police! Thus we need no help from an outside mercenary!”

“Buuuut, you only have four…no, three Swallow escorts left, right? You don’t have the numbers or strength to push back Illegal’s force now. Alice (with) Rabbit, how long until the enemy reaches our main unit?”

“Less than three minutes.”

“You heard him. We only have what I think amounts to a king and two pawns on the chess board while Illegal has the full set. So how are you going to turn this around now?”

“Impossible… This can’t be possible…”

The commander groaned and finally started shouting at his closest subordinate to release the pressure building up in his heart.

“We’re only up against outdated fighters, so what in the hell is happening!? Our military has the highest Repliglass standards in the world! These are Quad Motors products!! We should be a generation and a half ahead of every other army!!”

“W-well…”

The young crewmember seemed on the verge of tears, but not because he did not know the answer. He knew answering would only throw oil on the fire.

Kyousuke sighed and took on the thankless role while leaning against the wall.

“They’re using old-fashioned fighters. Based on the movements I’ve seen on the radar, they’re probably Generation 6.5. I think it’s a combination of the Euro Guild’s manned Cold Waves and unmanned Blizzards.”

“Y-you have to be joking… We have cutting-edge Repliglass! In the mock battles, just one of these soundly defeated two hundred stealth fighters and avoided all fifty surface-to-air missiles. That outdated junk could never catch up to us. Besides, Europe admitted defeat in the technological race and decided to import our weapons!”

Maria shrugged in her folding chair and Kyousuke continued with a calm look on his face.

“But as long as they know you’re ‘only’ using Repliglass, they can put together a specialized method of shooting them down. The Whooper Swans and the Swallows both use the earth’s magnetic field to determine their direction and location just like migratory birds and they use that data for evasive actions. …If Illegal uses magnetic jamming, don’t you think your avoidance rates will drop like a rock?”

“Wha…?”

“It’s often said that numbers from mock battles are useless in actual battle,” said Maria. “Well, this is generally how it works when you try to make the ultimate almighty legend that can do everything on its own. I mean, we’re not talking about something that surpasses human understanding like the White Queen.”

Her point was a very summoner-like thing to say, but that name of great evil sent slight ripples through Kyousuke’s heart. He made a point of calming himself before saying more.

“These things have silicon armor and muscles and they have extraordinary shock absorption rates thanks to their structure, but that just means they can be effectively damaged with the kind of chemical rounds that corrode glass. And luckily for our enemy, the Cold Wave and Blizzard are mysterious aircraft that fought against and lost to the Repliglass in the development race. Doesn’t it seem likely they developed plenty of options for defeating Repliglass to help advertise their technology?”

Kyousuke stopped for a moment there.

He looked to Maria for permission before continuing.

“Now, I apologize for getting a little off topic here, but…”

“What is it?”

“Europe has a tendency to insist on developing unique weapons. Even if that means sharing technology with the other European nations when their own can’t do it alone. That’s exactly why the Euro Guild was formed. But they ultimately found they couldn’t stand up to the Repliglass of America’s Quad Motors and reluctantly agreed to import those weapons. …Of course, the Magentarain family isn’t purely American and are actually an extremely influential lobbying group sent in from Europe, so that may have helped soothe their wounded pride.”

“S-so what? We don’t have time to chitchat right now!!”

“What do you think happened to the Cold Wave and Blizzard production lines after they lost the development race without ever once being used? To put it another way, where did Illegal buy these from? …The rumors I’ve heard say a portion of the US military took on part of the Euro Guild’s debt so such a major client wouldn’t go bankrupt. I believe the official reports said you were taking in ‘external DNA’ to promote diversity of weapons, but was that the real reason? I’d like to hear what someone very familiar with this topic has to say.”

First, Shiroyama Kyousuke stared at him.

Maria also looked curiously at him and then the young crewmembers all focused on him as they rushed about.

They all focused on the senior military officer with the mountain of medals on his chest who had been so angry earlier.

“How does it feel to be tormented by fighters built using the very production line you sold? Since their tech was a generation behind, did you think America would be nice and safe protected by its cutting-edge Repliglass even if some bad guys were menacing the rest of the world?”

“…”

At first, the officer forgot all about the passing time and stood there with a blank look on his face.

But as soon as he realized what Kyousuke had meant and recalled his current situation, he tried to swiftly pull his side arm from its holster.

But before he could, the young crewmembers rushed at him from all around.

Maria did not even watch as the officer was pinned to the floor.

“This isn’t good…”

“This hasn’t solved anything. As I said, I was getting off topic.”

“Then let’s get back on topic. Do you think Illegal will rejoice if they give me a watery grave since I can destroy the world’s balance?”

“No. No assassin fails to check the corpse and they’ll want your tech if they can get it, so I doubt they’ll send you crashing into the dark sea late at night. If you were wearing a Water Bear specialized for life support, you could survive in the ocean for over a month in a state of suspended animation.”

“Meaning…”

“They’re going to board us.”

They made it sound so simple, but it surprised one of the young crewmembers holding down his officer.

“Impossible… Even if transport ships are relatively slow, we’re five thousand meters up and moving at seven hundred kph. And it’s not like the cargo door will open if they politely knock. How could they board us under those condi…”

“Unfortunately, they can do it. If, that is, they use a summoner who can ignore the normal assumptions,” readily stated Kyousuke. “Five thousand meters is above the clouds. It would be best to hide the Whooper Swan in the clouds. We need to avoid being seen by the naked eye.”

The young crewmember was clearly confused but did as he was told because Government was in charge here, not America. Luckily, he kept his eyes on Kyousuke - and thus kept the summoner in his field of vision - as he used the intercom to contact the cockpit.

Meanwhile, Maria spoke calmly.

“Buuuuut. Running isn’t enough. In fact, I doubt we can get away.”

“…”

“So if Illegal is sending a summoner to board us, I’d like to have Government send out a summoner to intercept them.”

With that comment, a single footstep sounded oddly clearly through the din of noise.

It was a short, white-skinned, small-chested girl with bright blonde hair cut short. She wore a red hat and an identically-colored military uniform with a tight skirt. The black belts placed all over the uniform allowed it to double as a straightjacket. On her feet, she wore knee-high boots which also had belts wrapped around them. But in the world of the Summoning Ceremony, restraints such as handcuffs and blindfolds had a special meaning.

They were the symbol of the vessel who formed a pair with a summoner.

They had to bind their own mind so they were not possessed by vengeful and evil spirits they had not summoned.

In other words…

“This is Isabelle, a Government vessel. She’s free right now, so she can become one half of Alice (with) Rabbit at any time.”

“…You knew this was going to happen from the beginning, didn’t you? You lured Illegal in here to create a situation where I would bind a contract with her.”

“Oh? This is a brand-name vessel built up by Government, the world police made up of about sixty governments, corporations, religions, and other groups. I can’t see any room for complaint there.”

Kyousuke sighed.

Either way, they would all die if the Whooper Swan was boarded. Unlike the combat Swallows, this aircraft had no ejection device. In addition to the summoners and vessel who were soaked in the world of the Summoning Ceremony, there were plenty of ignorant normal soldiers who had been sent out too. And most importantly, Kyousuke had the title of Alice (with) Rabbit.

He looked to the military uniform girl while still leaning against the bulkhead.

“You heard her. Are you ready?”

“Yes. I’m willing to fight, but I’d like an injection of motivation.”

“?”

“Specifically, I want a tangible reward. Something other than ‘let’s all work together’.”

Kyousuke gave Maria a dead-eyed look, but the woman simply shrugged in her folding chair. She seemed to be saying that was the kind of girl this was.

“What about a Daioh Bowl at the Dengeki Restaurant?”

“I prefer the Moe Meal.”

“The Maoh Combo?”

“The G’s Lunch.” 𝗳r𝗲𝙚w𝐞𝚋𝘯𝚘ѵ𝗲l.𝑐oｍ

“The Hobby Set is the most I can do.”

“Hmm.”

Kyousuke and Isabelle pointed at each other’s face and spoke at the exact same moment.

“Here we go.”

“Here we go.”

The boy left the bulkhead, the girl walked to his side, and they both moved to the very back of the Whooper Swan.

“I bind this covenant of blood in the name of The Spirit of Fluttering ‘Yellow’ Gills that Rules the Heavens (s - a - so - voz - tix - ei - yw - za), one of the Three which manage and guide the summoning ceremony. You are of human flesh with a proper heart and soul, yet from this moment onward, you shall be a limited vessel that can hold all things.”

Kyousuke almost sang the whispered words as he cut his index finger with a razor blade.

“You shall be a lord of emptiness that uses the power filling you to at times bend the laws of this world.”

A bead of red blood appeared on the end of his finger and he held it out toward Isabelle.

“So I shall prepare this vessel. I am a summoner, unable to leave the world of man, yet a symbol of haughty intellect that uses power from beyond the world of man to guide the world of man to the next age!!”

Isabelle used her small tongue to expressionlessly lick up the iron-tasting liquid.

That signaled the completion of their contract.

Shiroyama Kyousuke pulled out a 180 cm rod that had been curled up in the back of his hoodie. It was a Blood-Sign, one tool of the Summoning Ceremony.

The two of them arrived at the very back of the Whooper Swan.

Kyousuke used his own voice to speak to a soldier who wore a special mask to work in an extreme low pressure environment. Unless he gathered their attention, the summoner and vessel would be forgotten.

“Can you close the first barrier and open the cargo door?”

“Eh!? What!? But we’re five thousand meters up. What are you thinking of doing without a suit or mask!?”

“Just do it. We only have twenty seconds.”

The Euro Guild’s Generation 6.5 fighters came in two varieties: the manned Cold Wave and the unmanned Blizzard.

They were a unique weapon that stuck to a structure of one manned command craft per three to four unmanned high-mobility fighters, so the Blizzards may have been more like the secondary ships in a shooting game than like any previously-existing weapon.

They pursued the enemy craft with sharp turns that exceeded the human limits of inertial Gs and the manned fighter always remained close at hand to prevent interference from cyber-attacks and jamming, so they provided certain attack power and overall safety.

“Bam, bam, bam! That magnetic jamming is working like a charm. The turkey’s stripped bare, so we can go at any time!!”

“Come in from the front just to be sure. I want to see the pilot’s face from the cockpit. That would be the most effective method. …Aiko, get ready.”

Their top priority objective was not shooting down Government’s Repliglass Whooper Swan.

It was securing a certain research result as well as the scientist behind it.

If that proved impossible, they would shoot it down. In other words, that was their secondary objective.

“Anyway, this is completely insane. Government has finally started messing with people’s souls.”

“It’s technically spiritual damage and not the soul itself. They find the soul’s impurities and either wash them away or use them. Not even they have a definition of the soul itself.”

“It’s the same either way. They can possess and corrupt people all they want, right? By now, they’re probably developing a new breed of human with wings on their back.”

As she listened to that exchange, the Cold Wave’s female pilot stroked the revolver-style grenade launcher attached above her lap.

It fired Incense Grenades.

And if she had those, then the pilot was also a summoner.

An Artificial Sacred Ground was set up when a summoner saw their target with the naked eye and threw an Incense Grenade. And the Artificial Sacred Ground could attach to any surface: the wall, the ceiling, a high-speed train, or even an airplane’s wing.

The pilot was known as Illegal Award 701, Sky Brain.

A lot of summoners preferred highly idiosyncratic localized battles or unique strategies, and she was one of those. She was a rare example of a summoner who specialized in midair battles.

Her feminine curves were clearly visible even through her anti-G suit. Instead of using the radio, she spoke to the sub seat behind her without looking back.

“Aiko, are you ready?”

“Y-yes. When you are.”

The next action occurred during that exchange.

The target group of Whooper Swans rapidly lowered their noses and began to enter the thick clouds.

“Dammit! They’re diving down!! We won’t be able to see them with the naked eye!!”

“#1 and #4 were lost. But we still have the all-important #3!! Keep on that one at least!!”

“Its head is already in the clouds, so I can’t see the cockpit!!”

She switched off the radio to avoid listening to that pointless exchange.

The vessel girl spoke behind her.

“Can we make it?”

“You bet.”

As previously stated, an Artificial Sacred Ground was only established if the Incense Grenade was thrown while the summoner could see their target with the naked eye.

The problem there was how “the target” was defined.

Did it work when they were just standing there? What if they were wearing a mask? What if they had a character costume covering their entire body? What if they were inside a tank or warship?

No definite answer had been found, but based on Sky Brain’s experience, she felt it had to do with the ability to accurately picture the target in one’s mind. If the target was entirely covered by a character costume, the Artificial Sacred Ground would still appear as long as the summoner could accurately picture the person inside it. It was the same with a tank or a warship. But no matter how accurately one pictured the designs and knew the position of the seat, it would fail if there was not actually anyone sitting there.

On the other hand, a hallway corner or a single layer of paper was enough to prevent it as long as the summoner could not picture the person’s position on the other side. Formless things like powerful backlighting or thick clouds were not much fun for summoners.

That was why she had to finish them off before they could hide.

It did not matter whether or not she could directly see the pilot’s face through the cockpit’s reinforced glass canopy. She only had to see the whole of the #3 Whooper Swan so she could know the position of the cockpit and the pilot’s seat like the back of her own hand.

She pulled the ejection lever located between her legs.

“Let’s go, Aiko!!”

Sky Brain knew she would never receive an answer if she asked if they could go, so she pulled the lever without waiting for a response.

The outer framework of the reinforced glass canopy was severed with the power of gunpowder. The wind pressure blew it backwards and the front and back seats were ejected vertically.

Even after being thrown into the empty air, Sky Brain accurately aimed her revolver-style grenade launcher in one hand. She targeted the #3 Whooper Swan that was trying to escape into the clouds. She was closer now. If she accurately saw them and fired the Incense Grenade, she and the girl would be guided to their target because the summoner and vessel were dragged to the center of the Artificial Sacred Ground when the Incense Grenade detonated.

But just before she could, the Whooper Swan’s rear cargo door opened wide. It transformed into a gentle slope and a boy and girl stood on it. Also, something was thrown out from it. A hairspray-sized metal can cut horizontally through the night sky thanks to the violent winds. It stabbed into the fighter that had been abandoned to the sky after losing its pilot.

It was an Incense Grenade.

“Oh, shi…”

The sound of the explosion filled that space.

She did not have time to curse or to warn her vessel partner.

Shiroyama Kyousuke and Isabelle jumped out into the night sky at an altitude of five thousand meters without the protection of an oxygen tank or pressure-resistant suit. If they were mountain climbing this high without acclimating themselves to the altitude, the risk of altitude sickness would rise considerably.

Their vision wavered, their head hurt, and their chest felt tight, but they ignored it all as they flew horizontally through the night sky. The boy and girl seemed to be magnetically attracted to the main wing of the fighter with an open canopy and they firmly planted their feet on it.

Kyousuke knew that any risk to his life would be resolved as long as he accomplished one thing.

“Stay focused!! This will all be for nothing if you pass out before we summon a Material!!”

“Right. And I would be in super-sized trouble if the summoner lost consciousness. I’d fall from here.”

He used his Blood-Sign to launch a glowing white ball known as a White Thorn.

A collection of 6 x 6 x 6 red balls of light for a total of 216 floated above the Artificial Sacred Ground’s reference surface while matching that surface’s speed. When the White Thorn struck that Rose, the Rose broke into many Petals. Those were low, middle, high, and lowest sounds. As those red lights scattered, he hit one of them into a Spot, a dark fist-sized hole opened in space itself.

At the same time, a protective circle surrounded Shiroyama Kyousuke to keep any external and internal factors from harming him.

Isabelle’s entire body transformed into a three meter mass of translucent red goo known as the Original Red (b).

All of the pain afflicting Kyousuke vanished in an instant.

The battle was also settled in the blink of an eye.

“Kh!!”

The enemy summoner and vessel were hit by the massive wind pressure and could no longer stand on the ground (that is, on the fighter). They were blown backwards and placed their feet on the transparent wall of the Artificial Sacred Ground.

The summoner woman threw away her revolver-style grenade launcher and produced a unique Blood-Sign by gathering moisture until it spiraled around like a whirlpool. It was indeed praiseworthy that she had the swift strength to launch a White Thorn from there.

But it was too late. She would not make it in time.

Before the transformation could affect her vessel, Isabelle’s slime twisted into a drill-like point and charged forward. She collided with the vessel who was still a girl and mercilessly sank into the girl’s solar plexus. With a dull sound of impact, the girl was knocked out.

A vessel could not function while unconscious.

And since the summoner had already launched a White Thorn and was thus contained within a protective circle, they would still receive the penalty for losing.

As soon as both the summoner and vessel went limp, they slipped through the wall at the edge of the Artificial Sacred Ground. They were no longer a target of battle and had been fully neutralized, so they were no longer obstructed by that wall. They were swallowed up by the roaring wind and they vanished into the darkness. Kyousuke started to follow them with his eyes, but…

<Not to worry. Their parachutes will automatically open at a set altitude. Fwoosh(deadpan)>

“Right. Let’s hurry on.”

As soon as he said that, Isabelle realized what he meant and used her translucent slime body to smash the fighter below their feet like it was a candy box.

An Artificial Sacred Ground had a reference surface and, if it was destroyed, the next surface stepped on by the summoner who had setup the Artificial Sacred Ground became the next reference surface.

Free of that surface, the summoner and Material flew through the dark sky.

Once their footing and the artificial gravity were gone, the fierce winds washed over them and the intense wind pressure swept them backwards. All of this was part of the plan. They flew through the sky to reach their second footing.

At times, they would stand on the main wing of an unmanned high-mobility Blizzard and break that wing to jump to the next aircraft. At other times, they would stand on the bottom of a manned Cold Wave’s nose and tear apart the fighter like a paper box before the summoner and vessel could show themselves. The hard part was the inability to use a purely unmanned craft as a target for setting up a new Artificial Sacred Ground, but as long as they knew that from the beginning, it was easy enough to use. Either way, they were immortal as long as the Chain lasted and the protective circle remained.

They hopped from one to another.

They rode the wind from branch to branch.

As they alternated between landing and leaping, they destroyed each of the fighters as they jumped away from it.

A Material that could change based on sound range and cost was effective here. By freely changing its shape, he could switch to the ideal option for the aerodynamics, lift, and air resistance they needed.

Kyousuke was always inside the unchanging protective circle, but he could receive some benefit by staying right next to the Material. And sticking out the tip of his Blood-Sign would spin his body around.

The ninety-second Chain state would reset when a new human target was taken into the Artificial Sacred Ground. Using that like a time bonus, they alternated between destroying manned and unmanned aircraft.

It took no time at all.

The frontline summoner reduced those steel birds of death to nothing more than fireworks in the night sky.

And…

They came to the final one.

“E-eek!?”

Atop the Cold Wave, Shiroyama Kyousuke turned his robotic eyes down toward his feet. He could see the pilots looking up at him through the reinforced glass canopy and they showed no intention of coming out.

They worked to swing the aircraft around, but it was a waste of time. No matter what happened, the summoner and vessel could not be thrown from the Artificial Sacred Ground’s reference surface. The fact that they had forgotten such a basic fact showed just how blank their minds had grown.

“Hurry on out and summon something. If we take you out in a single blow, you can escape with your parachutes.”

Kyousuke tapped the canopy with his Blood-Sign and let them read his lips.

“During battle, the vessel can’t fully suppress the Material’s violent nature. If you don’t make up your mind before the first attack is thrown, you’ll have to take the hit as normal humans.”

Kyousuke kept his promise.

The summoner and vessel pair had completely lost the will to fight, so it took less than five seconds to defeat them. Then he asked his vessel a question from the nose of the now-empty fighter.

“How much can you restrain the Material!?”

<During the Chain right now, about 100%. I’ve got a super-sized level of control.>

“Then keep it up. We’ve got another job to do!!”

<I’d like more of an explanation. Hanyaaan (deadpan)???>

“We’re going to attack their aircraft carrier before more can take flight.”

The reinforced glass canopy had opened for the emergency ejection, so the cockpit was exposed. However, Kyousuke did not bother grabbing the control stick. He lightly jumped from the nose to the main wing and pushed on the end of the wing with his Blood-Sign. He was pushing on the flap that changed the flow of air to redirect the aircraft. He then pushed down with all his weight.

The fighter began a large turn with Kyousuke and Isabelle seemingly magnetically stuck to its surface.

The term aircraft carrier brings to mind a large-scale collection of military secrets that only the most powerful of nations can produce, but that was not the case here.

The main point was whether or not it contained cutting-edge catapults, but that meant it was relatively easy to build an aircraft carrier that did not use steam, linear, or other technology for short takeoff catapults.

For example, it could be an aircraft carrier that used a sloped jump similar to a ski jump.

This Illegal faction had bought (using falsified paperwork) a rundown tanker set to be scrapped and attached the sloped jump.

The command system and early warning radar were outdated and it had no fleet for protection, but it was more than enough for a criminal group to freely send out double digit numbers of Generation 6.5 fighters.

But then a fighter crashed right into it.

In a line of explosive flames that resembled an orange flood, the sloped jump was smashed to pieces.

At first, they likely thought one of their own had crashed.

The crew likely clicked their tongues and ran out to extinguish the fire and save the pilots.

But before long, they gasped.

They were already in a summoner’s realm.

“I’m glad we made it within the ninety second standby period.”

The youths had unwittingly rushed into the Artificial Sacred Ground, so they were trapped within the Chain, giving the enemy a further ten minutes. The boy standing in the crimson flames rested his Blood-Sign on his shoulder as he spoke.

“Now, how about we get Round 2 started?”

A human-formed disaster had fallen like a meteor.

That violence reached the normal soldiers as well as the Illegal summoners and did not end until the aircraft carrier disguised as a tanker had been torn in two.

Facts:

*People have no definition for the human soul. However, research is underway on the impurities stuck to the soul which are known as spiritual damage. It is thought this holds the possibility of reaching the human soul itself.

*When the Incense Grenade is thrown, the summoner must have a view of the target with the naked eye. However, if they can accurately picture the internal structure and the person is actually there, the person can be defined as a target even inside fully sealed armor or a giant weapon. But their presence can only be confirmed by seeing if the Artificial Sacred Ground actually appears, so it is safer and more certain to observe the person themselves.

*If the Artificial Sacred Ground’s reference surface is moving, such as on a train or airplane, the Rose, Petals, Spots, etc. will automatically match its speed. When the vehicle turns, the people fighting turn with it. In that case, the White Thorns and Petals are not thrown around by the movement and turning, so the battle can continue like normal.

*A Chain can be used for a long-term midair battle.

*If the vessel is defeated after a Petal enters the Spot but before their body transforms, the summoner and vessel still receive the penalty for defeat.

*When the Artificial Sacred Ground is established, the enemy is trapped inside it. But once they are defeated, the unconscious people are no longer considered targets and can slip through the walls.

*The Spots and Rose do not exist during a Chain, so the Material remains but cannot be built up further. It can only be built up when an enemy is present.