Border Between Realities AKA the Dimensional Gap…
Noah, Sirin, and Hayate scattered just as the flame pillars came crashing toward them. Sirin escaped through a Void Rift while Hayate barely slipped through a gap between two of the attacks, with Reinforce boosting her flight speed. Noah created several Force platforms beneath his feet and jumped from one to another, but when one of the pillars struck a nearby landmass, the resulting explosion caught him from the side and sent him spinning through the air.
"Whoa, whoa, WHOA!"
He managed to regain control before crashing into another landmass. Sirin reappeared nearby and immediately fired several Void bullets toward Dormammu, forcing him to defend himself instead of pursuing them.
[Alright!] Sirin shouted through their connection. [No more forgetting about the giant angry dimensional being while discussing the giant angry dimensional being!]
[Agreed!] Hayate answered immediately.
[Very agreed.] Noah wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead.
Dormammu's expression twisted with irritation. "Tsk! Then how about this!"
He suddenly slammed both palms together, and the space surrounding the trio began compressing toward him.
"Haah?!"
Noah immediately felt his entire body being dragged forward. Sirin's eyes widened when even the space around her began stretching toward Dormammu, making it increasingly difficult for her to open another Void Rift.
"He's pulling everything toward himself!"
Hayate reacted first. "Everyone, hold on!"
Several Belkan chains shot out and wrapped securely around Noah and Sirin. Hayate pulled them back while reinforcing her own position, giving Sirin enough time to focus on the distorted space around them.
Sirin brought both hands together as her Herrscher power spread outward. "As the Herrscher of the Void, I'm not going to lose to you when it comes to controlling space!"
The distortion around them slowed as Sirin began contesting Dormammu directly, but neither side could completely overpower the other.
"Well, I'm not just going to hang here doing nothing," Noah said as he thrust one palm toward Dormammu.
"Haaaaaaa!"
The Force slammed into Dormammu and shoved him backward. It only staggered him for a few seconds, but that was enough to break his concentration and allow Sirin to reclaim control of the space surrounding them.
"DAMN YOU, TRAILBLAZER!!!"
"Yeah, yeah! Get in line!"
Noah let out a laugh as Hayate immediately flew away from Dormammu, pulling both him and Sirin with her until the trio had enough distance to regroup.
[Anyway…] Noah reached back into their mental connection while keeping his eyes on Dormammu. [Rein, can you please tell us how many times we need to 'drop' these 'huge stones'?]
Reinforce did not answer.
The three quickly returned to formation, all of them still watching Dormammu in case he attacked again.
[Rein?] Noah called.
[I-I'm calculating it one more time!] Reinforce finally replied.
Sirin's expression immediately became suspicious. [That somehow makes me even more nervous.]
[Eto… according to my calculations, if we use Noah-san's Shamash Unleash at least three consecutive times, we should be able to destroy approximately seventy percent of Dormammu's remaining dimensional protections.] Reinforce paused before continuing more carefully. [That would leave him with far fewer dimensions where he could hide his true body, and the reduced interference should also make my scans much more accurate.]
Nobody could respond to her. The silence somehow hurt Noah more than Dormammu's attacks.
Dormammu suddenly rushed toward them again, forcing Noah to raise one hand. The Force grabbed several nearby landmasses and threw them directly into Dormammu's path.
BAAAANG!
Dormammu smashed through the first one, only for another to crash into him from the side. Noah lowered his hand after the last impact and remained completely silent for several seconds.
Hayate was eventually the one who spoke. [...Rein, you do remember that Noah-kun's Shamash Unleash carries enough energy to destroy a star system, right?]
[...Hai desu,]
Hayate's smile slowly became strained. [And you want us to do that three times in a row?]
[...Hai desu,] Reinforce fidgeted inside their Unison.
Dormammu fired several dark purple spheres of flame toward them, but Sirin snapped her fingers and opened multiple Void Rifts along their path. The attacks vanished into the portals before immediately emerging from another set of rifts around Dormammu, forcing him to twist his body aside as his own flames shot past him.
[How are we supposed to do that?] Sirin deadpanned, her strained expression having far less to do with Dormammu's attack and much more to do with Reinforce's answer. [Even if I use all of my power in one attack, I can only destroy a planet at most.]
She raised both Key of Void pistols and fired several Void bullets toward Dormammu before immediately pulling away when he turned his attention toward her.
[In my case, even a Breaker-class spell only has enough power to destroy a city,] Hayate added while bringing Schwertkreuz forward. [If we had the Hyperion and I loaded the spell into its main cannon, then maybe I could reach moon-destroying levels.]
"Brionac!"
A white beam shot from the tip of Schwertkreuz and struck Dormammu's shoulder, forcing him sideways and creating an opening for Noah to attack from the opposite direction.
[If I really push myself and use both Shamash and VA mimicking Shamash, I can probably manage two consecutive Shamash Unleashes,] Noah said through their connection as he rushed toward Dormammu. [Any more than that would drain me way too much.]
Dormammu's arm came toward him almost immediately, and Noah caught the attack against Shamash before being forced several meters backward.
[And before you get any stupid ideas, no,] Sirin warned him. [You are not forcing yourself to fire a third one.]
[I wasn't going to say anything.]
[Your silence was saying it for you.]
Noah wisely decided not to argue.
[I'm… sorry desu.] Reinforce bit her lip inside the Unison. [This is the best plan I can come up with right now.]
Noah, Sirin, and Hayate exchanged glances. Despite Dormammu still attacking them, none of the three needed long to decide how they felt about that.
[It's fine, Rein,] Noah answered first as he pushed Dormammu's arm away and retreated several meters.
[Exactly,] Sirin added. [You found us a way to reach his true body. That's already more than we had a few minutes ago.]
Hayate smiled softly. [Now we just need to figure out how to make your ridiculous plan possible.]
[H-Hayate-chan!]
[I mean that lovingly, Rein.]
[Muuu!]
Reinforce's cheeks puffed up inside their Unison, earning a small laugh from Hayate despite everything happening around them.
Before the discussion could continue, Void Archives suddenly joined their connection.
[I apologize for interrupting, but I have received a priority transmission from Chaldea. It appears Miss March and Mr. Caelus have defeated Voldemort. He is currently in Alliance custody, and his forces have been removed from the battlefield.]
The news caught all three of them by surprise.
[They did it?] Hayate asked, her eyes widening as she blocked another attack from Dormammu.
[Confirmed,] Void Archives replied. [Hogwarts is secure. Voldemort is unconscious and currently under Alliance custody.]
Sirin immediately burst into laughter as she opened another Void Rift beside Dormammu. [Ahahahahaha! Now that's one annoying bastard taken care of!]
[Granny March and Gramps Caelus really pulled it off.] Noah grinned as he raised Shamash again, then looked toward Dormammu. [Nice work, you two.]
Dormammu, who had absolutely no idea why the three people fighting him had suddenly become happier, only looked even more irritated. Suddenly, the black-purple flames around his injuries weakened. Dormammu immediately glanced down at the damage across his body, clearly noticing that something had changed, but Noah and the girls were still too occupied with their own discussion to investigate it.
Void Archives spoke again through their connection. [Regarding the firepower problem, I believe I have a solution.]
That immediately caught everyone's attention.
[Ehh?!] Reinforce reacted first.
[What?!] Sirin followed.
[Really?!] Hayate asked.
[Yes,] Void Archives answered confidently.
Noah grinned. [Hoo? You sound unusually sure of yourself. Alright then, let's hear what brilliant solution our mighty VA came up with.]
Void Archives completely ignored the teasing tone in Noah's voice. [We need three attacks at the required output, but there is no reason Captain has to provide all three. For the first attack, we use my old friend Welt Yang's Pseudo Black Hole. For the second, we call in Hyperion and use the Imaginary Bomb derived from the Imaginary Implosion Pulse. Captain can finish with Shamash Unleash.]
The mental connection went silent for several seconds, then Reinforce immediately ran the idea through her calculations.
[Welt-san's Pseudo Black Hole… Hyperion's Imaginary Bomb… and then Noah-san's Shamash Unleash…]
Several calculation windows appeared around Reinforce as she adjusted the values one after another. A few seconds later, her eyes suddenly lit up.
[That could work!]
[Ehh? Really?!] Hayate asked.
[Hai desu!] Reinforce nodded rapidly. [The three attacks don't actually need to come from Noah-san. What matters is that each attack has enough power to destroy a significant portion of Dormammu's dimensional protections. If all three attacks hit close enough together, I can use the reaction from each one to narrow down where his true body is hidden!]
Noah stared ahead for a moment before finally releasing a long breath of relief.
[VA…]
[Yes, Captain?]
[I have never been happier to hear your voice.]
Void Archives did not hesitate. [That statement will remain true for approximately five minutes.]
Noah blinked. […Probably.]
[Five minutes is generous.] Sirin snorted.
Hayate giggled at that before her expression became serious again. [There is still one problem. Welt-san is currently fighting at the Sanctuary, and Hyperion isn't inside the Dimensional Gap with us.]
[I'm aware,] Void Archives replied. [Which is why this will require coordination from the Alliance. Once everyone is prepared, Miss Sirin can provide the exact dimensional coordinates needed to direct both attacks into our battlefield.]
Sirin immediately understood what he meant. [So basically, I open the path and make sure everything lands exactly where Rein needs it.]
[Correct.]
Noah's grin slowly returned as he looked toward Dormammu. [Okay. Now this is starting to sound possible.]
[Then I shall contact the Alliance regarding this,] Void Archives said. [And if they have another option that can replace the Imaginary Bomb, we can consider that as well.]
[Alright.] Noah tightened his grip on Shamash as he looked back toward Dormammu. [While VA is informing everyone, let's keep him busy.]
Dormammu's expression hardened. Ever since Voldemort had been defeated, he could no longer sense the connection between them.
'Tsk! I can't feel that useless snake anymore. Don't tell me he got taken out?!'
His eyes narrowed before settling on Noah, Sirin, and Hayate.
'Then I'll have to use my other plan.'
Dormammu spread both arms, and several large dimensional tears opened around the trio. This time, however, no flames came through them. Enormous black-purple arms emerged instead, reaching toward Noah, Sirin, and Hayate from several directions at once.
"Scatter!"
Noah's Force Sense warned him just before two arms shot out from below him, allowing him to jump away using a Force platform. Sirin immediately opened a Void Rift in front of another incoming arm and redirected it straight toward one approaching from the opposite direction, causing both massive limbs to crash into each other.
"Seriously?!" Dormammu clicked his tongue.
"You're the one who provided both of them!" Sirin shouted back.
Another hand reached toward Hayate, but several Belkan circles appeared around its wrist before it could reach her.
"Restrict Lock!"
White chains wrapped around the arm and pulled tight, stopping it in place.
[Rein!]
[Ready!]
"Balmung!"
Several white swords appeared around Hayate and fired at once, piercing the restrained arm and forcing it back through the tear it had emerged from. Noah immediately used the opening, creating another Force platform beneath his feet and launching himself directly toward Dormammu.
"VA, handle the call! We'll keep him occupied!"
[Already transmitting the request, Captain.]
Dormammu turned toward Noah just as Shamash came down. His fist collided with the burning greatsword, and another powerful shockwave spread across the Dimensional Gap.
BOOOM!!!
Sirin immediately moved toward Dormammu's other side while Hayate began preparing her next spell. Whatever answer came back from the Alliance, the three of them still had to keep Dormammu busy long enough for the plan to work.
—--------
At almost the same time, priority notifications rang through Chaldea Headquarters, the bridge of the Arthra, Mahora's command network, and the communication devices carried by the Astral Express crew at Meldiana Sanctuary and Hogwarts. The fact that the same alert reached every active command front at once immediately caught everyone's attention.
Inside Chaldea, one of the operators quickly checked the source before turning toward Marisbury. "Director, we have an incoming priority transmission from inside the Dimensional Gap!"
Marisbury and Kirschtaria both looked toward the station.
"From Lord Peverell?" Kirschtaria asked.
"Not directly. The identification belongs to Void Archives."
Marisbury's expression sharpened. "Connect him. Link Arthra and the active command fronts as well."
The order was carried out immediately. On the bridge of the Arthra, Chrono and Amy received the connection moments later. The same happened at Mahora, where Olga's tablet switched to the Alliance priority channel while Noah Schweinorg and the girls gathered around her during the brief pause between waves. At Meldiana Sanctuary, Himeko, Welt, and Dan Heng moved closer together as their communicators joined the same network.
The final feed came from Hogwarts, where March wasted no time leaning far too close to the camera. "Hello?! VA?! Can you hear us?! How's Noah?! What about Sirin, Hayate, and Rein?!"
Caelus reached from behind and gently pulled her back by the shoulders. "March. Give him enough room to actually answer."
"But we haven't heard anything from them!"
"I know." Despite his calmer tone, the concern on Caelus' face made it obvious he wanted the answer just as badly.
Void Archives finally spoke through every connected device. [I can hear all of you perfectly well. And before everyone bombards me with the same question, Captain, Miss Sirin, Miss Hayate, and little Zwei are alive.]
The effect was immediate. March's shoulders dropped in relief while Caelus closed his eyes and released the breath he had been holding. Chrono leaned back slightly in his chair, Amy smiled beside him, and at Mahora, young Noah's expression brightened while Hayate-chan clasped both hands against her chest. Even Welt visibly relaxed after hearing the confirmation.
"And their condition?" Himeko asked.
[Still combat-capable, although considerably exhausted. Dormammu has proven much more troublesome than anticipated. Captain has already been forced to use a full-power Shamash Unleash at point-blank range.]
Welt's expression immediately changed. "He already used it?"
[Yes.]
March blinked. "Wait. Point-blank?"
Dan Heng closed his eyes and sighed. "…Of course he did."
Caelus grimaced. "How badly did that hurt him?"
[Enough to render Captain unconscious for several seconds.]
"WHAT?!" March nearly threw herself toward the camera again, forcing Caelus to catch her by the shoulders before she disappeared out of frame.
Himeko's cheek twitched. "He knocked himself unconscious with his own Shamash Unleash?"
[For several seconds, yes.]
At Mahora, young Noah stared at Olga's tablet in horror. "He knocked himself unconscious with his own attack?!"
Alisa folded her arms and gave him a long look. "Apparently being reckless is universal between Noahs."
Young Noah slowly turned toward her. "…Why are you looking at me?"
"No reason."
"There is definitely a reason!"
Suzuka tried to hide a small laugh beside him while Olga simply rubbed her forehead, clearly deciding that this was not the time to get involved.
Void Archives continued before the conversation could derail any further. [Captain recovered quickly. Miss Sirin and Miss Hayate have already expressed their opinions regarding his actions.]
Several people seemed to imagine Sirin and Hayate's reaction at the exact same time.
"Poor Noah." March winced.
Caelus looked at her. "He did it to himself."
March thought about that for a moment before nodding solemnly. "…Poor foolish Noah."
"That I agree with."
[Captain also asked me to pass along a message. First, to Miss March, Mr. Caelus, and everyone who fought at Hogwarts.]
March perked up hearing her name.
[He congratulates all of you on defeating Voldemort and securing Hogwarts. He also specifically asked me to tell the two of you that you did an excellent job.]
March's eyes widened for a moment before her entire face lit up. "He said that?!"
[Yes.]
"Hehehehe…!" March puffed out her chest and planted both hands on her hips, looking far too pleased with herself, while Caelus smiled beside her.
"Tell him thanks," Caelus replied. "And tell him Voldemort is secured. He doesn't need to worry about that front anymore."
March immediately raised one finger. "Also tell him that his still beautiful and young granny March personally cleaned up all those horrible creatures Voldemort summoned!"
Caelus slowly turned toward her.
March's smile became suspiciously sweet. "Is something the matter, my dear Raccoon ♭?"
"…Nothing."
Himeko laughed softly from the Meldiana feed.
[Captain's second message is for everyone currently defending the dimensional breaches,] Void Archives continued. [He, Miss Sirin, Miss Hayate, and little Zwei are aware that all of you have been fighting continuously since Dormammu opened the breaches. They asked me to thank everyone for holding out this long.]
The atmosphere across the different feeds changed almost immediately.
At Mahora, young Noah's eyes widened as he stared at the screen. Suzuka noticed his reaction and gave him a gentle smile, while Olga and the others just listened.
[His exact words were: "Tell everyone down there thanks for surviving this long. We know they're fighting their asses off for us, so tell them we're going to make sure all that effort isn't wasted."]
Chrono blinked, while Amy quickly covered her mouth to keep herself from laughing.
"Yep! That's Noah!" March crossed her arms and nodded sagely.
"Very much so," Himeko agreed, covering her own smile with one hand.
Even Marisbury allowed himself a faint smile before returning his attention to the real reason for the call. "I assume gratitude is not the only reason you established an Alliance-wide connection."
[Correct.]
Chrono's expression immediately became serious again. "What happened?"
[We have identified the reason Dormammu has survived every attempt to destroy his manifested body.]
Several screens throughout the network changed as Void Archives transmitted a simplified diagram based on Reinforce Zwei's findings. Dormammu appeared at the center, surrounded by numerous overlapping dimensional protections.
[The body Captain and the others are currently fighting inside the Dimensional Gap is only a manifestation. Dormammu has hidden his true body inside one of the dimensions surrounding his current form. Every time Captain, Miss Sirin, and Miss Hayate break through those protections, he rearranges them while regenerating.]
Kirschtaria studied the diagram carefully. "So even if they completely destroy the body in front of them, it accomplishes very little unless they can locate his real body first."
[Precisely.]
Chrono frowned. "Can Reinforce locate it now?"
[Not yet, but little Zwei discovered a possible method.]
The diagram changed again, highlighting several of the dimensional layers surrounding Dormammu.
[Thanks to Miss Sirin destroying enough of his Quantum protections, little Zwei can now map the dimensions around him much more accurately. The problem is that there are still too many overlapping dimensions interfering with her scans. Until enough of them are removed, she cannot isolate the one hiding Dormammu's true body.]
Welt quickly understood what Void Archives was asking for. "So you need to destroy more of those dimensions."
[Correct.]
"How many?"
[Approximately seventy percent of what remains.]
The mood across the Alliance channel immediately became heavier.
Himeko calmly looked toward the diagram. "I assume there's a reason you contacted everyone instead of simply having Noah destroy them himself."
[There is.]
Void Archives paused briefly before continuing.
[According to little Zwei's calculations, destroying enough of Dormammu's remaining dimensional protections would require roughly three consecutive attacks comparable to Captain's full-power Shamash Unleash.]
The entire Alliance channel went silent.
March slowly raised three fingers toward the screen. "…Three?"
[Three.]
Caelus rubbed his face. "That sounds excessive even by the standards we've gotten used to."
At Chaldea, Kirschtaria turned toward Marisbury. "Didn't the previous readings indicate that a single full-power Shamash Unleash had enough destructive output to affect an entire star system?"
"Correct," Marisbury answered.
Chrono stared at the diagram for several seconds before rubbing his forehead.
"And they need the equivalent of that three times?"
[Correct.]
March slowly lowered one finger, then another, as though somehow recounting them might produce a different answer.
"…Nope. Still three."
At Mahora, young Noah looked genuinely offended on behalf of his older counterpart. "Who came up with that plan?!"
[Little Zwei.]
Hayate-chan immediately raised both hands in Reinforce's defense. "In the other Rein's defense, if she calculated that much power is necessary, then she probably didn't have another choice!"
"Exactly!" Nanoha-chan nodded quickly beside her.
Olga sighed as she looked at the transmitted calculations. "The problem isn't whether Reinforce's numbers are correct. The problem is finding three attacks with that level of power without killing the person firing them."
[Which is more or less the same conclusion Lady Sirin reached.]
"Good." March crossed her arms firmly. "Because Noah is absolutely not firing Shamash three times."
Caelus nodded without hesitation. "Agreed."
Void Archives changed the transmitted diagram, replacing the single source of energy with three separate positions.
[Which is why I proposed dividing the required output between several sources instead of forcing Captain to provide all three attacks himself.]
Chrono leaned forward slightly. "Go on."
[My initial proposal uses three different sources.]
The first position on the diagram lit up.
[For the first attack, I require your assistance, old friend.]
At Meldiana Sanctuary, Welt's cheek twitched almost imperceptibly as his grip tightened around his cane.
[I need you to fully unleash your Pseudo Black Hole.]
Everyone near him turned at once.
Welt remained silent for several seconds before looking toward the communication screen. "You want me to fire it directly into the Dimensional Gap."
[Correct. Miss Sirin can open a Void Rift directly at Dormammu's position. Little Zwei will then use the damage caused across his dimensional protections as the first scan pulse.]
Welt considered the idea briefly. "If Sirin can maintain the connection long enough for the attack to pass through safely, then it should be possible."
[She has already confirmed that she can.]
"Then you have my cooperation."
Himeko raised an eyebrow. "No hesitation?"
Welt adjusted his glasses. "Noah has been fighting Dormammu this entire time while trusting us to protect the world behind him. If using my power can shorten that battle, there really isn't much to consider."
Himeko smiled softly. "I figured you'd say that."
[Excellent.] Void Archives said before moving on to the second part of the plan.
[For the next attack, my original recommendation was to contact the Hyperion in our home universe and have AI-chan coordinate the firing of an Imaginary Bomb derived from the Imaginary Implosion Pulse. Miss Sirin would then redirect the attack through another Void Rift.]
Chrono's eyebrows rose slightly. "You intend to contact your universe, request battleship support, prepare a strategic weapon, establish a stable dimensional route, and then synchronize its firing window with Welt and Noah?"
[That is the simplified version.]
Amy stared at the communication screen for several seconds. "…Your definition of simple worries me."
[Captain has said something similar.]
While the others continued considering the logistics, Himeko had gone unusually quiet. Welt noticed almost immediately that her attention was no longer on the dimensional diagram itself. One hand rested beneath her chin as she studied the required output instead, her expression becoming increasingly thoughtful.
"Himeko?" Welt called.
She did not answer him immediately.
"VA," Himeko finally said.
[Yes, Miss Himeko?]
"You don't specifically need an Imaginary Bomb for the second attack, correct?"
[Correct.]
"And Rein doesn't care what weapon actually produces it. She only needs something powerful enough to destroy a sufficient portion of Dormammu's dimensional protections."
[Also correct.]
A small smile slowly appeared on Himeko's face. Welt and Dan Heng saw it. At Hogwarts, March stared at Himeko's communication window for a few seconds before slowly leaning toward Caelus.
"…Do you see that smile?"
"I see it."
"I know that smile."
"So do I."
Dan Heng unconsciously stepped back. "Miss Himeko."
Himeko looked toward him with innocent amusement. "My, everyone suddenly looks worried."
"You have something in mind," Welt said as he adjusted his glasses.
"Maybe."
March immediately pointed at the screen. "That means yes!"
Himeko laughed softly before turning her attention back toward Void Archives. "There's no need to contact the Hyperion."
Void Archives remained silent for a moment, apparently already understanding where this conversation was going.
[Miss Himeko…]
"Leave the second attack to me." Himeko's smile became more confident. "I have something that should provide more than enough power."
Chrono looked toward her communication window. "Lady Himeko, are you certain?"
"Completely."
Void Archives remained silent for several seconds, apparently trying to figure out what Himeko was planning.
[Interesting.]
Himeko raised an eyebrow. "Only interesting?"
[I am attempting to determine exactly what you intend to deploy.]
"Let's just say it'll be a rather 'big' surprise."
[That has only made me more curious.]
"My."
Marisbury finally stepped back into the conversation. "If Lady Himeko can provide the second attack, then we can avoid the time needed to establish contact with another universe and coordinate another vessel."
"Which means fewer things that can go wrong," Chrono added.
"And much faster preparation," Amy agreed beside him.
Kirschtaria looked toward the dimensional diagrams transmitted by Void Archives. "Then the sequence becomes Lord Welt first, whatever Lady Himeko intends to use second, and finally Lord Peverell with Shamash."
[Correct.]
Chrono leaned forward slightly. "What kind of timing does Reinforce need between each attack?"
[Little Zwei will calculate the exact firing windows. The attacks need to land close enough together that Dormammu has no time to fully regenerate or rearrange the dimensional protections between them.]
Marisbury immediately turned toward the Chaldean operators. "Prepare every dimensional observation system we have. The moment Miss Reinforce provides targeting data, forward it to Arthra and every participating unit without delay."
"Yes, Director!"
Chrono began issuing orders on his side as well. "Amy, synchronize our communications with Chaldea, Welt, Himeko, and Void Archives. If the situation changes while they're preparing the attacks, everyone needs to know immediately."
"Understood."
March quickly raised her hand from the Hogwarts feed. "What about us?"
"You and Caelus remain the Quick Response Force," Chrono answered. "Hogwarts is secure, but if Dormammu realizes what we're preparing and tries something unexpected on Earth, I may need both of you somewhere else immediately."
March's playful expression disappeared as she nodded. "Got it."
"We'll remain on standby," Caelus added beside her. "Just call us if something happens."
"I will."
At Mahora, Olga looked down at the projected information on her tablet. "And us?"
[Continue exactly what you are doing.]
Young Noah nodded before Void Archives could even finish.
[Captain specifically asked that nobody weaken the defensive fronts just to help him. Your responsibility remains the same. Keep the Quantum Shadows contained and prevent Dormammu from expanding his foothold in the world.]
"That works for us." Young Noah raised Argent slightly. "We already know what our job is."
"And we'll keep doing it," Suzuka added with a smile.
Alisa crossed her arms and looked toward the damaged barrier above Mahora. "Until this whole thing is finally over."
[Thank you.]
Void Archives returned his attention to Himeko.
[I will inform Captain, Miss Sirin, Miss Hayate, and little Zwei that the plan has changed. There is no longer any need to contact the Hyperion.]
Himeko nodded. "Tell Noah he only needs to prepare one more Shamash Unleash."
[Captain will be extremely relieved.]
March giggled from the Hogwarts feed. "Considering he apparently passed out from the last one, I bet he will."
"Don't remind him of that when we see him," Caelus said, shaking his head.
March looked at him with a bright smile. "I absolutely will."
"Of course you will."
Void Archives continued before March could start planning exactly how she intended to tease Noah. [Once Reinforce finishes calculating the exact sequence, I will transmit the firing coordinates and timing to everyone involved.]
"Arthra will be ready," Chrono replied with a firm nod.
"So will Chaldea," Marisbury added.
At Meldiana Sanctuary, Welt tightened his grip around his cane. "Tell Noah not to start until he receives confirmation from us. If the timing needs to be precise, we cannot afford to rush the first attack."
[I will make that clear.]
For a moment, nobody said anything else. Every front now understood what came next and what their role would be once Reinforce completed her calculations.
Before ending the connection, Void Archives spoke one last time.
[Thank you for your assistance. May the Force be with you.]
Several people across the different feeds smiled at the familiar farewell.
"And with you," Himeko answered softly.
The shared communication finally closed, and each front immediately returned to its own battle and preparations. Chaldea began processing the data Reinforce was sending from the Dimensional Gap, while Arthra organized the firing sequence and synchronized communication between everyone involved. At Mahora, the defenders resumed holding the academy against the continuing waves of Quantum Shadows, while March, Caelus, and the rest of the Quick Response Force remained at Hogwarts, ready to deploy again if another emergency appeared.
At Meldiana Sanctuary, Welt quietly prepared himself for the first attack while Himeko stood nearby with that same knowing smile still on her face, leaving everyone around her wondering exactly what she intended to use for the second.
The battle on Earth was still far from over, but the Alliance finally had a way to reach Dormammu's true body.
Now they only needed to make it work.
====== Chapter 231 END ======