"Are you two all right?"
Lyra looked between Takumi and Lili, her voice laced with concern.
The instant her eyes met Takumi's, a feeling she'd never known bloomed in her chest. Even with chaos raging, she stared blankly for several seconds.
In that gap, a Dark Familia thug lunged. A gust cut the air; Lyra barely had time to raise her chakram to parry when Takumi flicked two fingers.
"[Gravitas Blade]."
A razor-thin pressure blade dropped from afar. From tens of meters out it sheared the attacker cleanly from crown to heel.
A few scarlet droplets spattered the hem of Lyra's coat, snapping her back.
"So strong~"
She muttered—and instantly felt she'd asked a stupid question. How could a man stronger than her be in trouble?
"How about you?" Takumi vaulted to her side, his tone friendly.
Lyra's cheeks pinked; she nodded and squared her shoulders. "Of course. I'm Lyra, the Thrail of the Astraea Familia!"
"Astraea Familia?"
Takumi hummed, riffling his memory. He didn't know much about this timeline's version—but it definitely didn't match his.
"Sorry, I'm new to Orario. I don't know a lot. As for me—I just registered under Goddess Hestia. Looks like you could use a hand."
Lyra blinked in surprise. Her grim past had taught her to smell lies; she could tell he wasn't lying. A freshman… stronger than she was.
No time to puzzle it out. A clear shout rang from up the street as a red-haired girl charged in with a single-edged sword.
"Lyra! How's your side?!"
At the sound of that voice, Lyra straightened immediately. The caller was their captain, the Scarlet Harnel, Alise Lovell.
"Alise! Depot Three is suppressed!"
Alise skidded to a halt ahead. Her red hair, tied in a single ponytail, cut a crisp, capable line; her face was pretty and youthful, her skin white like porcelain. Light armor hugged a slender, straight frame thrumming with power; even with a heavy breastplate, fullness still pressed an unmistakable curve.
She swept the scene on instinct. When her gaze brushed Takumi's, her body gave a minute, startled tremor. But the crisis left no space to dwell.
"Roll Four next—pass it to Iska and Ryuu! Lyra, keep pushing the front!!"
Her orders cracked through the smoke. Under Alise's command, the Astraea Familia moved like clockwork, closing every escape route.
Takumi followed in their wake, Lili—still dazed—at his side. Once most of the enemy were corralled, Alise called again.
"Kaguya, Ryuu—lock the line!"
Clack. Clack.
Two sets of boots rang out.
A black-haired girl in deep crimson kimono stepped forward—rare island garb in these streets. Beside her, a hooded, masked elf with golden hair slid an outer coat from her shoulders.
The kimonoed girl narrowed her eyes, voice soft and lilting. "You do know how to work us, Captain… Don't lag behind, o exalted elf."
"Don't slip, Kaguya. Moving."
The elf's reply was cool. She drew a wooden blade; Kaguya's hand flashed to a short tachi. In the same heartbeat, both vanished.
Whoosh!!
Wind howled. Two slender figures erupted with speed belying their frames and scythed into the mob. The short blade and mana-laden bokken traced arcs like calligraphy.
Robed enemies in off-white had no time to react—legs and arms split by steel, then crushed by wood.
In barely a dozen breaths, despite being outnumbered, the fight was one-sided. The two girls swept the field like autumn wind stripping leaves, felling foe after foe with absolute superiority. In the blaze's red wash, the bokken smashed the final thug senseless.
Sheathing her wooden blade, the elf stood calm. By her, the kimonoed girl—tachi in one hand, the other pressed to her cheek—wore fury on a face that was otherwise noble and gentle.
"My, how dull. Why do these disgraceful worms bring pain and grief to the people… utterly beyond me."
Kaguya couldn't grasp how something so weak still chose harm. In the end, there was only one conclusion: they were scum who deserved death.
Her words flushed a man from the shadows—a magic sword blazing scarlet in his grip. He roared, "Astraea dogs—die!"
He swung. The factory-burning blade vomited a colossal firebolt, a dragon of flame screaming toward the rear line—where spectators stood: Takumi, Lili, and several Astraea members.
"That vector—damn!"
The frontliners' faces changed. They couldn't make it back in time.
Alise kicked off, sword raised—only to see Takumi lift his hand and catch the blast.
The torrent folded like rivers into the sea, flowing into his palm—condensing, condensing—
Until a tiny sun burned in his hand.
Jaws dropped. The swordsman's terror peaked.
"Im—impossible… That was my blade's full output—on par with an LV.4's all-out strike—how—"
Takumi calmly pushed his palm forward.
Fwoom!!
The incandescent bolt lanced out, stitched the night, and punched through the man. A tide of flame roared; he shrieked and crumbled to ash.
Gulp.
Every woman present swallowed hard, stunned and a little afraid as they stared at Takumi. Even Alise, mistress of flame magic herself, knew she couldn't have stopped that head-on.
...
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