“Incredible~!”
I -Kourin Karen- was shocked mindless while looking at the sky.
Shocked by the craziness of what Haine-san was doing.
I thought for certain that he would be running around looking for the Wind Founder Shiva-san at the Rudras Metropolis.
But to think he would fly up!
“He must be trying to lure him out.” (Yorishiro)
My Founder and friend, Yorishiro-sama, was at my side looking at the sky.
It was as if a black dragon was piercing through a black cloud.
It was such an out-of-the-world sight that you would think there won’t be a second time seeing something like this.
“Lure out…” (Karen)
“That Mother Monster must be important for Shiva as well. If it were to be on the verge of being wiped out, he might come out. It would be wrapped up faster than straightforwardly searching inside the Wind capital.” (Yorishiro)
You might say that’s the faster way, but even if we were to search the whole world, I am pretty sure the only one who would be able to do something like this is Haine-san. And before all that, I think that the only one who can defeat that army of small-sized monsters is Haine-san.
If I am not careful, my mind might go completely blank.
“But there’s one other reason why Haine-san is going wild like that in the sky.” (Yorishiro)
“Eh?”
“It is something simple. If he goes that wild at the main body of the flies and decreases their numbers, the flies that go down will also decrease equally in numbers. As proof, there’s not that many around us, right?” (Yorishiro)
Now that she mentions it…
Mirack-chan is still doing her best with her fire, but contrary to that, there’s no presence of the black smoke in the surroundings.
“Haine-san is trying to reduce the encroachment of the flies towards the humans as much as possible, that’s why he plunged in there…… Now, let’s not waste the consideration of Haine-san. Let’s escape the city fast, and regroup with the light knights outside.” (Yorishiro)
The knights from the Aurora Knight corps that had accompanied us should be under attack as well. The Ignis Militant corps, the Stream Marine corps, and the Scorched Earth Annihilation corps too.
We should return to where they are and fulfill our duties as heroes!
“Let’s hurry everyone! —Wait.” (Karen)
Just as I was hyped up, I noticed that everyone was acting strange.
We have to hurry and return, and yet, no one was moving.
“What’s wrong? Let’s move everyone! Every grain in the hourglass is precious, you know?” (Karen)
“Don’t move!!” (Celestis)
I was suddenly shouted at by Celestis-chan.
There’s no need to raise your voice that much!
“…I understand. Because you were entranced by your beloved prince, you didn’t notice, right?” (Celestis)
“Eh?!”
Beloved?! Beloved, she said!
“Sasae-chi, lend me that for a moment.” (Celestis)
“Ahn, mah snacks!” (Sasae)
Celestis-chan sticks her hand in Sasae-chan’s pocket without permission and takes it out. And from there, Celestis-chan was holding a snack bag that is widely sold in Apollon City.
Celestis-chan throws that to the front.
And when she did…
*Bang!! Bang Bang!*
A sound that felt as if it could pierce my eardrums rang as the snack bag was torn asunder in mid-air.
“?!!”
“Gyaaa~su!! Mah snack~~!!” (Sasae)
Sasae-chan wails.
After being torn to that many pieces, there’s no way anyone can eat them anymore.
“It can’t be helped. We can’t show it with a person, right? Someone is aiming at us from somewhere. And it is trying to prevent us from leaving here.” (Celestis)
“Aiming? Preventing?!” (Karen)
“You, you don’t know why Mirack-chi is still spreading her fire, right? You really are just looking at the person you like! Oi, Mirack-chi, as expected, this girl doesn’t even see you~.” (Celestis)
“Stop it! I will get so sad that my support will weaken, damn it!!” (Mirack)
Mirack-chan shouted in sadness.
“Could it be…the reason why Mirack-chan is releasing fire even when there’s no flies is because…!” (Karen)
“To conceal us. Against the sniper that we don’t know where it is aiming at us from.” (Celestis)
Sniper.
The reason why the snacks of Sasae-chan were torn to pieces was because someone shot them from somewhere?
Like the air bullets the Wind Founder and hero Shiva was using in the fight with Haine-san not that long ago?!
“Could it be…Shiva-san himself is attacking us?!” (Karen)
“Who knows. If Haine-chi’s words are correct, that thin man should have hidden himself to protect his win, so I don’t think he would just so readily come out. And I also feel like this is slightly different from his style.” (Celestis)
“Style?” (Karen)
“That good-looking bastard used a projectile weapon, but he clashed from the front, and while mixing martial arts, he fought at close to middle range. But the person that is aiming at us from who-knows-where is probably sniping us at quite the long range.” (Celestis)
I see.
It is also possible that Shiva-san has changed his style, but the possibility is low.
I try looking at the surroundings.
In this training space, there’s not much obstructions, moreover, there’s a number of spires around.
If someone were to be hidden in one of them and aiming at us…
“Mirack-chan is spreading her fire here and there because she is concealing us and using it as a shield. If what’s being shot is air bullets, due to the affinities, the fire has an advantage.” (Karen)
“We finally have the chance to utilize the element advantage. But looking at the situation as a whole, things are still going pretty bad though.” (Celestis)
Even if Mirack-chan is creating a firewall, if we were to take one step out, we will get sniped.
If the other party’s objective is to prevent us from regrouping with the people outside…no, to prevent us from escaping from here…
“Whichever it is, just who in the world has set this up?” (Karen)
“Well, there’s only one thing that comes to mind, don’t you think?” (Celestis)
Celestis-chan makes a vulgar smile that she doesn’t do in her times as an idol but frequently appears when she is in hero mode.
“This is the Wind capital, Rudras Metropolis. It is the military force of the Wind Church, the Whirlwind Raid corps.” (Celestis)
- 158: Children of Shiva
Whirlwind Raid corps.
The Wind Church’s military power that is worthy of standing in the same position as the Light Church’s Aurora Knight corps, and the Fire Church’s Ignis Militant corps.
Only that name has been passed to the other churches, but in terms of the details about it, they are shrouded in mystery, just like their church.
Since stepping into this Rudras Metropolis as a special case, we haven’t seen almost anyone aside from Shiva.
A notification was probably send to all the city and they were hidden in a way that we wouldn’t catch sight of them.
“…Ah, now that I think about it, the people that had guided us…” (Karen)
There were several other people aside from the Founder that served as the guides or surveillance…but before I noticed, they were already gone.
On the other hand, Celestis-chan was still throwing a number of snack bags, and was having the sniper -who we still don’t know where it is- shoot them.
“What are ya doing-dasu ka, Celestis-neechan! Please don’t sacrifice more of mah snack-dasu~~!!” (Sasae)
“Shat ap! Once we return alive, I will buy you twice as many! But…damn it. I wanted to locate the sniper’s position with this, but I can’t tell at all!” (Celestis)
What’s being shot is an air bullet, so there’s no color and form after all.
More importantly…
“Let’s prioritize a way to escape. Mirack-chan…” (Karen)
“What is it, Karen?!” (Mirack)
Mirack-chan continues protecting us with a wall of fire.
It feels like she is incredibly happy that I called her name.
“Can you move while still forming the wall of fire? If possible, I want us to reach a cover where we can block the sniper.” (Karen)
“Easy peasy! If it’s for you, I can go all the way to the horizon!” (Mirack)
Aren’t you getting a bit over-exhilarated?
Well, it is better than not having energy, so let’s move slowly while being protected by Mirack-chan—
“…It doesn’t look like it will go so smoothly.” (Celestis)
“The surroundings be turning bad-dasu!” (Sasae)
It looks like Celestis-chan and Sasae-chan have noticed something.
“What? What happened?” (Karen)
Being pointed out this, I look at the surroundings.
We were already surrounded.
By several tens of people that looked pretty brawny. They all wore the same garments, and that’s exactly why I could tell at a glance that they are a coordinated team.
They don’t have any metallic-like armor on their bodies, but from their head to the toes, they were covered completely in cloth; clothing that screams stealth.
This is probably the Whirlwind Raid corp.
Beasts that had erased their presence, had now appeared with their fangs showing.
“This is bad. We are completely surrounded. The sniping until now must have been to buy time for this encirclement to be completed.” (Celestis)
“These numbers…it doesn’t feel like they are trying to keep us in place, it feels as if they are going to try killing us just like that. I can only think that the Wind Church has finally gone crazy.” (Mirack)
At our side, there’s the Founders and heroes, 4 of each -if we count Doraha, there’s 9 in total.
On the other side, there’s brawny people that can be called experienced fighters.
“…Mirack-chan, at my signal, undo the wall of fire.” (Karen)
“Got it. Leave the vanguard to me. I have good affinity against them after all.” (Mirack)