The Navy's assault was swiftly reported to Chikahime and Mototsume. From behind Mototsume, Gōzō's furious voice roared, "Trying to kill my grandson? Time for punishment!" followed by a pained groan. According to Mototsume, Senri had subdued the rampaging Gōzō with a wooden sword. At worst, several Navy bases might have vanished from the map—a feat, however sturdy, no sensible person should ever emulate. Absolutely not.
The soldiers were sent to Kasumiura Base, likely receiving a "warm welcome" from the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion. The credit for their capture was pinned on Major Kazama, who sighed deeply at the burden. Detaining Navy personnel with Army forces could spark issues, but claiming "intruders at an Army base turned out to be Navy" leveraged the longstanding Army-Navy rivalry to deflect scrutiny.
As for the Navy airship with its tampered recognition code, it was deemed "no issue" under Kagurazaka ownership, and no further questions arose. Yugen planned to bring a conciliatory gift later to smooth things over.
Shortly before Tatsuya returned to the villa, Mayumi, Mari, Tōya, and Ami arrived. Though traces of the earlier skirmish were erased, they sensed something had transpired.
"It's been a while, Saegusa-senpai," Yugen greeted. "Looks like you got dragged into this."
"Yes, that old fox is probably thrilled to jump in," Mayumi replied, then turned to Kua. "Nice to meet you, Kua-chan. I'm Saegusa Mayumi."
Mayumi introduced herself, apologizing for not aiding Kua earlier. Kua shook her head, signaling it wasn't her fault. As they spoke, Tatsuya appeared, offering a brief bow to keep the conversation flowing.
"My brother's mentor, Professor Morinaga, was involved in the Navy's magic experiments," Mayumi explained. "He reached out about the harsh treatment of Kua-chan and the others. Yugen, you want Honoka and Mizuki to come with us?"
"Yes, please," Yugen replied. "If any troublemakers interfere, say you're 'escorting VIPs to Haneda under Jōsen family orders.' Beyond that, I leave it to you, senpai."
If trouble arose, Mayumi would handle it, as her skills ensured minimal fallout. Mari, Tōya, and Ami understood the intent and asked no questions. In the worst case, neutralizing soldiers might be necessary, but the Jōsen family had already agreed to bear that responsibility, potentially indebting the Saegusa family. Mayumi, mindful of last year's events, couldn't refuse Yugen's request.
"Doing something like this… Fine, I understand," Mayumi said. "But don't go overboard."
"That depends on their moves," Yugen replied.
Once Mayumi's group, with Honoka and Mizuki, took off, a cruiser awaited at the pier. Using the Navy's airship or landing craft felt too risky.
"What a spring break this turned out to be," Leo grumbled.
"No kidding," Erika agreed.
"Please, no reckless stunts," Mikihiko pleaded.
Yugen, with prior piloting experience (Tatsuya had mentioned an Okinawa incident, sealing the decision), donned the Divine Assembly's combat gear and took the helm.
"Sorry for the trouble, Yugen," Tatsuya said.
"No big deal," Yugen replied. "Pull out your terminal."
Yugen's terminal displayed data on the Southern Islands Arsenal, including Morinaga's presumed location and the lab housing the large-scale CAD. Tatsuya, inwardly noting the folly of crossing someone who could gather such intel so effortlessly, kept his thoughts to himself.
"I also loaded modified military police uniforms for Leo and Erika," Yugen added. "Channel psions, and they'll disrupt recognition—a simple trick."
"You make it sound so easy," Tatsuya remarked. "I'll stick to the plan and rescue Morinaga, as Kua mentioned."
"I'll disable the surveillance cameras first, then join you," Yugen said. "Hayama briefed you, right?"
Temporary measures sufficed since the facility would be destroyed. Obscuring their presence from the enemy was enough. Tatsuya's gaze drifted to Yugen's foldable terminal, displaying the real-time positions of warships and submarines worldwide.
"Yugen, that's…" Tatsuya began.
"A facet of my unique magic, Kaleidoscope—the perception spell Yata no Kagami, embedded in my personal terminal," Yugen explained. "It tracks global military movements. Only you and I know about this. Not even Major Kazama."
A spell that monitored global military actions could spark conflicts if revealed, a fact Tatsuya grasped instantly.
"I'll keep it quiet," Tatsuya said. "Your extraordinariness isn't news to me."
"You're one to talk," Yugen shot back, grinning.
Their conversation shifted to the main issue: Stars' imminent attack on the Southern Islands Arsenal at South Shield Island. Yugen revealed that a fighter jet had landed on the submarine New Mexico the previous evening, likely from Guam.
"Guam, huh?" Tatsuya mused. "But additional forces from Australia seem unlikely."
"They've definitely caught wind that the institute's magic is strategic-class," Yugen said. "In the US, only one strategic-class magician can operate openly."
"Lina," Tatsuya confirmed.
South Shield Island's civilians wouldn't evacuate until late at night, but Stars' reckless tactics were already evident from prior incidents. Just then, Leo and Erika approached.
"What's up, you two?" Yugen asked.
"Yugen, what did you put in our devices?" Erika demanded.
"Looks like the contracts worked out," Yugen said.
"Yeah, though it's got me rattled," Leo admitted.
Tatsuya tilted his head, puzzled, but Leo explained with a wry smile. He had contracted with a male entity named Siegfried, matching his CAD, while Erika bonded with a female entity, Modelette.
"To explain for Tatsuya," Yugen said, "I managed to subjugate altered Parasites by chance. I tested the same principle and succeeded, embedding them in your devices. They're no longer Parasites, so I call them guardian spirits—Servants. Mine's named Alice."
"So you neutralized their harm and turned them into assets," Tatsuya said.
"Not something to advertise," Yugen noted. "You're on the list too, Tatsuya, but that's for after this mission."
Synchronization with Servants promised immense benefits but required precise psion control, a burden for the unskilled. The notion of wielding former enemies felt alien to modern magic, and Tatsuya's exasperated expression drew a chuckle from Yugen.
Upon reaching South Shield Island, Yugen briefed Leo and Erika on the uniforms' magic. Tatsuya, now in the Covert Mobile Suit, drew wide-eyed stares. The villainous mask, feared abroad as "Demon Light," was a deliberate choice to leverage his reputation.
"Tatsuya, what's that?" Leo asked.
"A little secret weapon," Tatsuya replied.
Yugen sent the arsenal's coordinates to Leo and Erika's terminals, and after final checks, Tatsuya launched ahead with his flight device. Yugen grabbed their shoulders.
"Brace yourselves," he warned.
"What—" Erika began.
Before she could finish, Yugen teleported them into the institute's grounds using Pseudo-Teleportation, following via Mirror Gate. Sending them first was a diversion, and no personnel were visible outside, possibly due to ongoing experiments.
"Yugen, warn us next time!" Erika snapped.
"Against the military, straightforward tactics won't cut it," Yugen said. "You know that, Erika."
She grumbled but relented, prioritizing Kua's companions. Tatsuya soared to the rooftop, heading for Morinaga's location. Yugen cast a spell, its formula sinking into the ground, seemingly vanishing.
"That buys us some time," Yugen said, then froze. "This psion flow…"
An unnatural surge of psions came from the southeast, followed by a bluish-white plasma cloud and water vapor from the Navy base's defenses. It was unmistakably strategic-class magic—Heavy Metal Burst. Only one person came to mind.
"Using Heavy Metal Burst on an allied base, even with their goals? Are the USNA's soldiers all idiots?" Yugen muttered.
"That psion signature—it's definitely Lina," Erika said. "Stars is here… Are they after Kua's companions?"
"If so, we can't dawdle," Leo urged. "Yugen, let's move."
"Got it."
Yugen donned his mask and led the charge into the facility. Despite past ties as an exchange student, his role as the Divine Assembly's first seat and a guardian's agent took precedence. Soldiers blocked the path to Kua's companions, but Yugen's Ozone Bullet felled them instantly. Erika bit back a comment, knowing ambushes on their return weren't guaranteed.
Yugen's group reached the experimental wing before Tatsuya, greeted by a command room echoing with error alarms and bickering staff. Ignoring their blame-shifting, Yugen accessed an open console to assess the situation.
(Seventh Plague will fall within twenty-four hours, targeting the Ogasawara Islands… This activation sequence is a defective product! Simple vector adjustments can't cause orbital deviation!)
The spell, Meteorite Fall, had a fatal flaw. Modern magic altered physical laws relative to a reference point, but the farther the activation and effect points, the greater the required computation and psions. Orbital stability demanded balancing Earth's gravity, attraction, and rotation speed—three factors Meteorite Fall ignored, focusing solely on trajectory shifts without addressing attraction or velocity.
The staff's neglect of the Watatsumi Series' psion recovery ensured the spell's failure, Yugen concluded. Just then, Tatsuya arrived with Morinaga, who confronted Kanemaru at the central console. Kanemaru deflected blame, even pinning it on Lina's Heavy Metal Burst, but a spell so easily disrupted was a failure as strategic-class magic.
"Find anything?" Tatsuya asked.
"Just that Seventh Plague will crash in twenty-four hours," Yugen replied. "Electromagnetic interference makes trajectory predictions unreliable."
"Understood," Tatsuya said.
He decomposed the glass separating the command room from the lab and descended. Leo, Erika, and Yugen followed. Tatsuya subdued incoming soldiers with Decomposition, while Yugen opened the CAD's hatch via the console, releasing Kua's companions. He directed a light psion pulse at one girl, Shia, who awoke. Unfamiliar with the outside world, she felt no fear, even of a "demon" like Tatsuya.
"Who are you?" Shia asked.
"Kua asked me to save you all," Tatsuya replied.
"Can you do it?"
"If you wish it."
Shia clung to Tatsuya, pleading for rescue—a moment befitting the original story's protagonist. Tatsuya turned to Yugen, Leo, and Erika.
"Get them to safety," he said. "I'll handle the cleanup."
"Don't overdo it," Yugen warned.
Shia and the others recognized Yugen's group as Tatsuya's allies. Yugen led, with Erika and Leo guarding the rear, escorting the girls out.
"Why is he staying?" Shia asked Yugen.
"To ensure no one else like you is created," Yugen replied. "It's necessary cleanup."
Lina's Heavy Metal Burst had disrupted Seventh Plague's trajectory data, a setback. At worst, they'd need her help to neutralize it. The USNA's failure to dismantle Seventh Plague and Alcatraz—a nuclear system of unparalleled danger—was their sin. Leaving such threats unaddressed was reckless from the start.
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