"You are—!!"
"Funeral Parlor."
The other party was clearly startled. She didn't waste words and directly stated the necessary information, instantly making her stance clear.
"Can you still walk?"
She asked.
"Ah... damn it... those bastards!"
Kenji Kido moved his body slightly and cursed under his breath.
"Follow me."
"Wait—hey!"
With that, she turned and left. He hurriedly followed behind.
The underground power was not connected to the upper levels, so the massive door before them remained tightly shut. But this was within her expectations.
"Tsugumi... open the door."
Inori stopped, with Kenji Kido behind her, and pressed her earpiece, speaking to Tsugumi, who was operating the computer.
[Okay~! Right away—open sesame~!]
Beep—!
The next second, the door opened... and what came into view was a chaotic melee of numerous mechs battling in the hall, along with scattered explosions everywhere.
"This... was planned by Gai?"
Kenji Kido, following behind her, asked.
"Mm..."
She answered simply.
"Heh, that guy is still as reckless as ever."
He smiled, as if used to it.
Boom!!
A mech crashed down violently, smashing into the ground nearby.
[Inori... leave quickly.]
It was Ayase...
She glanced upward. On the upper floor, a white mech was fighting several enemies—apparently buying time for her. But unfortunately, their conspicuous movements had already attracted the attention of many enemy mechs. Dozens of them surged toward their position.
[Inori! Damn it!]
Ayase wanted to pursue, but at that moment, Inori reacted with incredible speed. She activated her Void ability. Before Kenji Kido could even react, her hand had already pierced into his chest, pulling his Void out from within!
Delicate silver particles formed a futuristic handgun. Before the mission, Gai had explained its purpose to her.
"—!"
She raised her head, looking at the densely packed mechs in the sky. Her gaze then fell upon the Shogun and Hare, who were passing along the highest level.
"Perfect timing..."
She smiled.
"Mio—!!"
After shouting, she fired the gun in her hand. A stream of blue, foam-like particles sprayed from the muzzle. The light rapidly spread across the entire space. The moment those mechs were about to touch it, their gravity inverted as if they were weightless cotton. They floated upward, moving irregularly and continuously rising toward the ceiling.
Crash!!
This scene was captured by Segai through the monitor in the lounge. His pupils shrank, and with an excited expression, he stood up immediately and strode out without hesitation.
"Wait—! Major, we're not allowed to interfere from above."
A subordinate reminded him from behind.
"...I never said I would interfere~? I just want to 'open my eyes' to something spectacular."
He smiled and left. If what he thought was true... then all the answers would soon appear before him!
Meanwhile—
"M-Mio...?"
Hiding behind the Shogun, Hare glanced at the large number of mechs ahead and those slowly rising from below under an unknown force. She nervously tightened her grip on the person beside her.
"Hare... are you afraid of heights?"
She suddenly asked.
"Eh? Um... I think I'm okay—ah!"
The girl hesitated, about to say something, but the person in front of her suddenly wrapped an arm around her waist. Then, planting one foot against the railing, she leapt straight forward into the vast abyss.
"Ah—!!!"
As expected, the girl screamed, clutching tightly around the other's waist and burying her face against her chest. However, she realized that the expected sensation of weightlessness never came. Confused, she opened her eyes and looked down, only to find that they were... slowly descending? The floating mechs around them were now at the same height as them.
Hum~
The next moment, she felt the woman she was holding begin to radiate a dazzling violet light. That glow gradually illuminated the entire space. When the other opened her eyes, what appeared was a pair of divine, radiant pupils—and—
Hum~
From her chest, a magnificent katana slowly emerged in a brilliant, dreamlike scene. Her hair fluttered as the violet light intensified, draping her profile in a veil of glow.
What an extraordinary moment it was.
At such close distance, she watched the figure before her, her eyes reflecting every detail of her.
"Haa~"
As the blade was gradually drawn out, the woman even let out a captivating breath, leaving the girl flushed red. She felt like her heart couldn't take it anymore!
Once the blade reached its full length, the woman grasped the hilt and pulled it free from her chest. One arm held the girl, while the other raised Musou Isshin, looking down upon everything below with the bearing of a god.
"Ah—! Ah—!!!! So beautiful~!!!!"
After shooting down a soldier who had tried to snipe them, Segai saw the figure above and that dazzling, divine brilliance. He felt as though his entire being was melting. His expression turned euphoric, even flushed like he was in heat.
"It's simply... perfect~!"
This was the answer he sought!
That light slaughtering the army—it was her! That beautiful figure!
The plan to use Hare as bait to lure her out had finally succeeded!
At this moment, everyone's gaze focused on the violet figure before them. And she had already made her move.
"..."
The Shogun slowly looked at the girl in her arms with her eyes filled with divine violet light.
"...///"
The girl stared at her in a daze, her face flushed red.
"...Don't be afraid. I'm here."
Seeing this, she revealed a breathtaking smile and spoke softly.
"///"
The girl's heart trembled again. As if bewitched, she nodded slowly, not even sure if she had heard it clearly.
Crackle!
She slashed forward!
Slash~! ×N
That single strike unleashed countless blade trails like a dense forest, instantly severing all the surrounding mechs!
"No thought... no form."
Hum~
As she murmured, she swung her blade once more.
A massive, sunken blade mark spread across the space—then shattered like glass.
Boom!!
In that instant, the entire building complex split apart without any process whatsoever.
"Ah—!!! Wonderful!!!!!!"
In the distance, Segai slowly dropped to his knees and let out a bizarre cry.
With the previous slash, the battlefield had been instantly cleared. The Shogun sheathed Musou Isshin, yet lightning still crackled across her body as she held the girl in her arms and descended to the ground, landing beside Inori. Ayase, piloting her mech, followed them down and immediately retreated along the pre-planned escape route!
...
...
A few minutes later—
At the outer dock of the now-ruined building complex, at the entrance of an empty tunnel, a pair of violet eyes and a set of red electronic optics emerged.
Tap tap! ×N
The violet eyes belonged to the Shogun. The red electronic optics were from Ayase's mech visor. Beside them were Hare and Inori. The Shogun carried Hare in a princess hold, Ayase supported the unconscious Kenji Kido—his Void having been extracted—and Inori walked alongside them as the group exited the area together.
Hare remained silent in her arms, eyes closed as she nestled comfortably against her, occasionally glancing at her profile with a shy smile.
"Well done, Mio."
Ayase praised her from the side.
"You're too kind."
She replied, glancing at her with her glowing violet eyes.
"You too... Inori."
"Mm..."
Inori nodded simply.
Tap tap...
"Good work, everyone."
At that moment, Gai—who had been waiting there—stepped forward from a speedboat with a smile and greeted them.
"Gai..."
Ayase showed a happy smile upon seeing him.
"Mm... that move earlier truly surprised me. I can assume you won't be doing that often, right?"
Gai nodded to Ayase, then looked toward the Shogun with a teasing smile.
"...That depends on the situation."
She answered.
"Heh... fair enough. No matter what, you've helped us a great deal. Bringing you into Funeral Parlor was definitely the right choice."
Beep—
"The mission is complete. Good work, everyone. Return."
After saying this into his earpiece, he signaled for the team to withdraw.
"Let's head back as well... we'll need to lie low for a while. Is that alright, Mio?"
Gai looked at the Shogun, who was still holding Hare, and asked for her opinion.
"..."
She glanced at Hare, who was resting in her arms with her eyes closed, seemingly asleep. A trace of gentleness flickered within her violet gaze. Then she nodded.
"...Then let's go."
Seeing her agreement, Gai called out once more, and they all departed together.