Now that Ei had returned, and Makoto had not completely vanished but continued to exist in the form of a soul, Inazuma's deity had never truly suffered any loss from beginning to end.
Moreover, Ei had resumed the duties she once handled on her behalf. The other party wanted her to live in this world as the noble daughter of the Shogunate—even as the beloved child of the Raiden sisters. And so... the work she once had was no longer hers. What remained was only the identity of a pampered little princess living leisurely within Tenshukaku.
"Haa..."
Thinking of this, she let out a somewhat helpless sigh. In truth, she didn't want to live this kind of life. But at least now she had more time, and could go out and wander around freely.
In her mind, a sentence that Fiore had once said to her suddenly surfaced. Back then, she had asked about her future plans, and the answer she received was—
[In the future? Hmm... maybe I'll just become a simple, sheltered young lady, living a life of luxury...]
At that time, she had still been too young to understand what kind of feeling lay behind those words, or why the other party sighed. But now she understood—after all, she had experienced it herself.
"Hehe~ Why the sudden sigh, Mio?"
Hare, who was walking beside her, couldn't help but laugh softly at her adorable expression, gently reaching out to touch her face. Though, the redness around the girl's eyes from earlier crying still hadn't fully faded.
"It's nothing... just feeling a bit helpless about my own future, that's all."
Feeling the warmth on her cheek, she turned to look at the girl beside her—whose eyes were still slightly swollen—and teased her softly.
"Eh? Hehe... Mio... you sometimes say such strange things..."
Hare blinked in confusion and complained lightly.
"Mm... I suppose..."
She smiled faintly, then—
Beep—!
She raised her hand and pressed the hidden earpiece beneath her hair, activating the communication system with Funeral Parlor.
[Mio, how is the situation?]
On the other end, Gai's voice came through the earpiece.
"Found her."
She replied briefly.
[Is that so? Then leave quickly. Our operation is about to begin.]
Although Gai's tone remained as sharp as ever, she could still detect a trace of relief within it.
"Do you need support?"
She asked.
[Mm... I'll be counting on you then.]
Beep—!
The line cut off. That meant their plan was about to begin.
"Mio... is everything alright?"
Leaning against her, Hare asked with concern after hearing the conversation.
"We're leaving this place."
She said gently.
"Eh? Ah... okay."
Hare froze for a moment before nodding in understanding, holding her hand and obediently following behind her.
Amazing... Mio... she can say things like that so casually...
The Shogun led the girl behind her to the main door of the detention room. It was an electronic lock—not even an obstacle.
Her finger lightly tapped the screen.
Zzzzt~
A current flowed into the lock. With a faint popping sound, a burnt wisp of smoke rose from the display panel.
Beep—!
The next second, the door opened automatically.
"(So... so amazing...)"
Hare murmured in amazement once again.
The two stepped out of the room and moved along the wall to the corner of the dim, red-lit corridor.
Tap, tap~
Footsteps approached from the other side of the corner—steady and singular. It should be a single guard.
"(Mio...)"
Hare seemed to hear it as well, whispering nervously.
"(Shh~ Close your eyes.)"
She instructed softly.
The girl obediently shut her eyes.
Hum~
Her slender hand clenched lightly, and Musou Isshin materialized. The faint trace of violet light was somewhat conspicuous in the dark corridor, and the approaching soldier noticed it.
"...? Who's there?"
He instinctively raised his gun and approached cautiously. Just as he was about to round the corner—
Splurt!!
In the next instant, the tip of Musou Isshin had already pierced through his forehead, passing straight through the center of his skull.
"—!"
Even with her eyes closed, Hare could hear the sound of flesh being pierced. Her body trembled instinctively.
Splurt!
The Shogun flicked her blade, separating the man's head from his body.
Zzzzt~
The corpse was enveloped in violet particles from Musou Isshin and disintegrated, vanishing without a trace—leaving behind not even bone or blood.
When Hare opened her eyes, everything was already over. It was as if nothing had happened. She hadn't even seen Musou Isshin clearly.
"Hare..."
"Mm? Mio?"
"Where's your bag?"
The Shogun asked deliberately.
"Eh? Ah... it's okay... I don't need to take it..."
She shook her head. The situation was urgent now—there was no time to worry about such things.
"There was something important inside, wasn't there?"
"Not really... and I don't even know where they put it."
In truth, the bag only contained her house key and terminal. The rest were unimportant items. Fortunately, she had left her student ID at home today, so she had been lucky.
Tap, tap...
The two quickly moved through the dark corridor. Occasionally, they encountered guards, but she dealt with them effortlessly—none of them could resist her.
Beep—!
After reaching a section with lighting, she pressed the signal transmitter in her pocket.
On the other side, Gai saw the transmitter icon appear on the terminal screen and smiled faintly, then opened communication to all members.
"All units, operation begins!"
"Yes, sir!" ×N
Outside the Fourth Isolation Facility, several rocket launch vehicles that had long been prepared all aimed at the building complex ahead. Upon hearing Gai's order, Argo let out a wild laugh and pressed the detonation switch in his hand.
Beep—!
Boom boom! ×N
Instantly, the facility's power supply—already rigged with explosives by drones—was destroyed in a massive explosion!
Crash~
The entire building complex lost power in an instant, plunging into darkness.
Alarms blared everywhere!
[Warning! All personnel, please be advised: the power system has collapsed. Backup arrays are being used for restart. This process will require time. Please remain alert.]
An electronic female voice broadcast the warning.
At that moment, the long-waiting rocket vehicles unleashed a massive barrage of rockets at the building complex, blasting it apart!
Boom! ×N
"Ugh—ahhh!!" ×N
The floors began to tremble violently. The missile explosions struck precisely near the stationed guards, throwing them into chaos as they scrambled for cover.
"Enemy attack!!! Deploy the Endlave and counterattack!!!"
Seeing this, the captain in the control room immediately ordered his subordinates to activate the mechs for retaliation. The once-quiet quarantine building was now plunged into utter chaos.
"W-What's happening?"
In the corridor, Hare clung to the Shogun's side and asked fearfully.
"It's nothing... they've begun."
She tightened her grip on the girl's hand, offering reassurance, and moved swiftly through the darkened hall according to their plan. Hare followed closely behind her the entire time.
Meanwhile, in an underground detention facility—
Emerging from the ventilation duct, Inori landed lightly in the shadows. She took out her terminal to check the target's location. After confirming that the target was in the cell ahead, she opened the communication channel.
"Gai... I've arrived."
[Good. Bring him out and escape along the planned route. If necessary, you are permitted to extract his Void.]
"Mm..."
Click...
After chambering her pistol and attaching a suppressor, she peeked out to observe the four soldiers preparing to transfer Kenji Kido.
"Phew..."
Letting out a soft breath, she pulled the pin on a flash grenade and tossed it precisely at their feet.
Clack!
At the crisp sound, the soldiers immediately panicked. The dim lighting made it impossible to see what had rolled toward them. In the next instant, a blinding flash assaulted their vision.
"Ugh—!" ×4
Without protective eyewear, they instantly lost their ability to fight.
Tap tap!!
Seizing that moment, Inori rushed forward. With a sweeping kick, she sent the first man flying. As he tried to grab his gun, she fired a shot into his shoulder, halting his movement. She then locked her arm around his neck, using him as a human shield, and with one hand fired two precise shots, blowing the heads off the two men in front.
Piu~
With a final shot, she executed the soldier she was holding, ending the fight.
"Hey! What's going on over there?!"
"!"
Hearing someone approaching from the other side, she acted without hesitation, activating her Void ability and thrusting her hand into his chest.
Shatter!
"Ugh—ahhh!"
With a scream, the man crystallized.
Clatter~
Using his prison access card, she opened the iron door, removed all restraints from Kenji Kido, and finally took off his mask.