I gave the white-haired girl beside me a gentle smile.
"Sorry, Azusa. Kept you waiting, huh."
Not to mention while injured, even in perfect health I could never keep up with Azusa's speed.
Under the cover of the other students, we entered the underground area beneath the ancient cathedral. After a brief discussion, we decided that Azusa would go ahead first and intercept Saori midway, since she likely still had some kind of backup plan.
As for me, I followed far behind at a pace my body could handle, using the marks Azusa left behind as guidance.
I was somewhat worried about the situation outside, and the dark, deep underground environment beneath the cathedral honestly made my skin crawl a little.
But overall, I wasn't afraid.
After all, I wasn't alone.
"Th-though the treaty had an accident and all, Arona will absolutely do her best to protect Sensei!"
Arona's silly little promise was enough to reassure me.
Azusa smiled and nodded toward me.
"I'll leave the rest to you, Sensei."
So the two of us simultaneously looked toward the lone figure standing there, someone who still seemed lost over something.
"Se-Sensei..."
The moment our eyes met, Saori's body trembled slightly. She even stumbled over her words.
"You... when did you... from where did you start..."
Should I say it was because of the terrain here? Even from far away, their conversation had been perfectly audible.
For some reason, her reaction suddenly felt oddly familiar to me, like I had seen something similar recently from a Trinity student.
However, before I could decide whether to answer, or whether to answer honestly, Saori had already calmed herself down.
Or more accurately, after lowering her head, her entire being sank into a deathly stillness.
"...Fine."
The light gradually faded from her eyes as she muttered to herself.
"Everything is nothing but void. Azusa, Sensei, it doesn't matter. Anyone who stands in my way..."
Saori raised her head. Her serpent-like eyes no longer carried any hesitation as they coldly fixed on Azusa and me.
"I'll eliminate all of you without mercy."
She loudly declared:
"I'll teach you the truth of this world! Understand void!"
Seeing this, Azusa extended one arm in front of me and quickly said:
"Sensei, please stay in a safe position in the rear and focus on tactical command and coordination."
"Leave it to me."
I immediately retreated to a safer position and observed the battle between Azusa and Saori.
Honestly speaking, there wasn't much I could personally do in a one-on-one fight.
No matter how refined or rapid the commands, in an intense duel nothing could seize fleeting opportunities faster than instinctive reactions.
Fortunately, our side wasn't limited to just the two visible people, Azusa and me.
"Everyone, can you hear me?"
I opened the communication channel.
"Yes, Sensei."
In public, with outsiders present, Ako's tone became elegant, polite, and composed.
"This battle shall be assisted by me, Amau Ako, through intelligence analysis. Please allow me to demonstrate the Prefect Team's information-gathering capabilities."
"Yeah, I'll leave the weak point analysis to you."
I nodded, then set down a quad-wing drone on the ground. Soon, it shakily lifted into the air and began circling overhead, its movements gradually becoming smoother and more natural.
Ayane's serious voice came through the communicator.
"Signal connection is stable! Support can be provided at any time!"
Then other voices entered my ears one after another.
"Ara ara~ I'll do my best to help too, okay? Hopefully I can be useful~"
"I shall offer prayers for everyone... May God's protection bless the path ahead."
"I will protect Sensei."
...Why did Arona suddenly cut in there?
Then another voice sounded through the communicator.
"Reached support position. Ammunition loaded, target acquired... Awaiting instructions."
"Mashiro."
I spoke.
"Use your own judgment for the timing."
"Understood. I will live up to your expectations."
Bringing together the strength of all our supporters, then conveying the necessary information to Azusa on the front line, that was everything I could do now.
After hearing that Mashiro was in position, Azusa's expression remained unchanged on the surface, but she secretly altered her fighting style. Even at the cost of suffering light injuries, she focused on restricting Saori's movements.
However, Saori quickly realized the reason behind Azusa's behavior.
"...Commence firing!"
A bullet from a tricky angle shot toward Saori's head while she was still entangled with Azusa.
"Get the hell away from me!"
Even though Saori exploded forward to knock Azusa back and desperately evade, the bullet still blasted off her mask.
Revealing the girl's increasingly twisted face, filled with rage and unwillingness.
"There's a sniper too!? How despicable, Shirasu Azusa!"
"I only said I wasn't alone. I never said it was just Sensei and me."
Taking the opportunity to widen the distance between them, Azusa paused while opening the medical supply crate that had just been dropped nearby.
"With Mashiro's skill, the next bullet won't miss. Saori, everyone and I will defeat you together."
Even if its wings are temporarily broken, a bird will eventually return to the skies unreachable by snakes.
Whether by relying on itself alone or with the help of companions.
Looking at the radiant white-haired girl, Saori froze slightly. Her lips moved faintly, and an indescribably complicated expression appeared on her face. In a low murmur, she said:
"So that's how it is, Azusa... You made friends too..."
After a sigh that seemed to contain countless emotions, her expression became even firmer. Saori roared:
"But it's still nowhere near enough! If you want to defeat me, then try it! You think I'll fall this easily!? Meaningless! Meaningless! Everything is meaningless!"
Then Saori once again raised her gun and charged toward Azusa, while Azusa met her head-on without backing down.
At that moment, I heard Ako say confidently:
"Analysis complete. Weakness identified. Sensei, I will now send you the precise data."
"Got it. Thanks for the hard work."
From my position in the rear, I quickly checked the information Ako sent over, but I couldn't help raising an eyebrow, overcome by a strange urge to laugh.
Perhaps because her earlier injuries had not fully healed, or perhaps because the continuous battles had hindered her movements. In any case, according to the analysis, Saori now had a weak point with the highest success probability.
Suppressing the urge to touch the same place on my own body, I switched the channel to a direct line with Azusa.
"Azusa, Saori's biggest weakness right now... is her side abdomen."
In other words, almost the exact same place where she had wounded me.
Hearing that, Azusa gave no reply. She merely narrowed her eyes slightly.
But after several more exchanges, she seized an opening and suddenly fired at Saori's unguarded lower abdomen.
A direct hit to the vital spot!
"Guh...!"