"Oh? Has the person been rescued already? Very good…"
Inaba Tsukiyo, who was watching the show in Imaginary Space, nodded with satisfaction upon hearing the news of the Spirit Girl's rescue.
To prevent any accidents during the rescue operation, she used her ability to cut off the communication devices here.
However, as this was an important research base for DEM Company, if there was no response for a period of time, they would definitely discover an anomaly.
Since it was only a matter of time before the events here were discovered, it seemed like a good option to make a big splash before leaving, letting those guys know that an unexpected organization was targeting DEM Company's operations.
Thinking this, Inaba Tsukiyo released control of the communication devices and snapped her fingers.
A brilliant blue glow appeared on the island, and with its appearance, a robot several times larger than a titan and taller than any structure appeared before the survivors.
It was like the giant robots in tokusatsu shows, assembled from the combined powers of various members.
(fuhai: I'll form the head!)
The people who were still struggling were stunned. This colossal robot was on a completely different level than the titans. What kind of beings were those who attacked the island?
"Father, rest time is over. Everything on this island is yours to dispose of as you please. Have fun, and the bigger the commotion, the better."
"Roar! Roar! Roar!!!!"
Father roared up at the sky, and the parts representing its eyes on its head erupted with intense light.
Despite Father's enormous body, its mobility was not slow, and with the additional settings Inaba Tsukiyo had given it, it was even more so.
After leaving Father and the titans here, Inaba Tsukiyo left the island.
Standing before Inaba Tsukiyo at this moment was the target of this rescue mission, the Spirit Girl who had been imprisoned for four years.
Short gray hair, blue-green eyes, and a rather revealing nun's habit that was almost transparent.
Even her chest area was made of very little fabric, and from the front, it was unclear if she was wearing a bra, as only that part of her Astral Dress was a darker color.
But it was precisely this hazy feeling that made her seem even more alluring than if she wore nothing at all.
"Are you the Spirit imprisoned by DEM, Material A?"
"Material A? I have a proper name. I am Motoari Niya."
Nia complained softly. Facing this person, who she suspected was the mastermind behind her rescue, Nia didn't know what her personality was like.
A Spirit? That shouldn't be. Before she was captured, she had investigated other Spirits and hadn't found Inaba Tsukiyo's existence.
It was better to be careful. Don't let her appearance of a teenager fool you; she was actually forty-five years old, already an obasan.
"Hmm? Why do I feel like someone just called me young and beautiful?"
Nia suddenly said, causing Inaba Tsukiyo to tilt her head in confusion.
Regardless, Motoari Niya had been rescued. Although her body was still a bit weak, a Spirit's recovery ability was strong; a period of rest would be enough.
"Um, thank you so much for saving me. If it weren't for you, I really don't know what I would have done. I... I don't even know if I could have held on."
If Inaba Tsukiyo hadn't come to save her, could she have continued to hold on? She felt like she was already close to giving up.
"Are you overthinking it?"
Facing Nia's thanks, Inaba Tsukiyo didn't respond, only giving a flat reply.
"Eh?"
This left Nia bewildered. What did she mean? In the end, she didn't come to this island for her?
"I am Inaba Tsukiyo. The purpose of my coming to rescue you this time was simply to put on a show. And your existence is very important to DEM, so rescuing you will affect their plans. That's all."
Saying this, Inaba Tsukiyo turned her head away, not looking at Nia's face.
Nia, having recovered, rubbed her chin. After a brief moment of thought, Nia revealed a mischievous smile.
Although she was already forty-five years old, she was a popular mangaka before being captured by DEM. She was very familiar with some tropes.
The concept of tsundere became popular around 2004, and Nia had even used this concept in her own works.
Inaba Tsukiyo's behavior could be described as tsundere, and it was a very obvious tsundere act.
Although she knew this, she didn't want to expose it.
If she accidentally angered Inaba Tsukiyo, she wouldn't be able to rely on her in the future.
Inaba Tsukiyo was the mastermind controlling a group of titans in battle. With Inaba Tsukiyo's protection, Nia declared herself fearless.
"Yes, yes. Tsukiyo-chan came to save me entirely to disrupt DEM's plans and had nothing to do with me. It was just to put on a show."
"...I feel like your way of speaking is very annoying. And what is 'Tsukiyo-chan'?"
Frowning, Nia's way of speaking made Inaba Tsukiyo feel like cutting someone. And what was that nickname? Tsukiyo-chan?
This nickname made Inaba Tsukiyo feel like hitting someone. She didn't know why she felt this way; she just instinctively disliked the nickname.
(fuhai: I don't recommend you search for [Tsukiyo-chan]. I only discovered this person when writing this. I can only say she's quite peculiar.)
"You can call me Tsukiyo or Tsukiyo-chan, but don't call me Tsukiyo-chan. Otherwise... I'll play a game with you."
"Uh... a game? What kind of game?"
Realizing she had stepped on a landmine, Nia couldn't help but ask curiously.
"One thousand minus seven. You continuously answer the result of subtracting seven. What result will you get? And I... will treat the bones in your body very well. Two hundred and six bones. I'm very curious how much you can endure."
This was the game Herrscher Tsukiyo told her about. The reason for making the other person count was apparently to keep them conscious and prevent them from fainting from pain.
Although it was a very perverse move, it was very suitable for threatening people. Didn't you see Nia already cowering on the side, looking at her with a frightened expression?
"I... I understand, Tsukiyo-chan. I'll behave and won't call you that."
She wasn't a masochist. Even after four years of abuse, she hadn't developed strange interests. It was better to be alive.
After confirming that Nia would behave, Inaba Tsukiyo also planned to take Nia back.
However, before returning, Nia wanted to see the condition of her previous residence.
She had a place to live before being captured by the guys from DEM, and she wondered if that place had been reclaimed by DEM.
Very fortunately, Nia's residence had not been reclaimed.
It was just that the spatial quakes that occurred periodically over the past few years had repeatedly destroyed this area. Even if the house was still Nia's, the things inside were gone.
Watching Nia kneel on the floor with a vacant look in her eyes, Inaba Tsukiyo tilted her head in confusion.
Was there something very important inside? Why did Nia have such a strange expression? Like her parents had died.
"Although I'll allow you to live at my house. But you mustn't disturb the other child in the house, understood?"
"Is that person a Spirit too?"
Nia asked curiously. Although her precious collections had disappeared with time, she was still alive.
As long as she was alive, she could get back everything she had lost in the past; it just required a little time and money.
"Yes, Yoshino. She's a bit shy around strangers. If I find out you've been bullying her, I'll have a serious talk with you."
"Understood."
So protective? This aura was even more terrifying than when she had just talked about playing a game with her.
This also made Nia curious about who this Yoshino, whom Inaba Tsukiyo cared about so much, really was.
On the other side, Nilil Island was almost completely destroyed under the hospitality of the Father and the titans. By the time DEM discovered the situation and rushed over, the Father and the titans had already disappeared.
Although there were still some surviving members, these people were all very weak. They found one conscious person and asked what had happened.
The answer they received was only that they were suddenly attacked, and unfamiliar robots and giant robots destroyed everything on the island.
The higher-ups at DEM didn't care about the casualties of these members; they only cared about the Spirit on this island.
However, when the members arrived at the underground research lab, the Spirit was already gone, and all the base's data and research personnel had been destroyed.
"Damn it! Who was it?! Who took Material A?!"
The leading blonde woman angrily punched the nearby wall, shouting in rage.
The Spirit, or Material A as they called her, was a crucial part of the plan.
The most critical part of the plan hadn't even begun, yet she had been taken away by someone else—and not by Ratatoskr, but by an organization that had never appeared before, one that possessed visualization devices far superior to theirs.
The mastermind behind DEM Industries was an extremely arrogant individual, but upon hearing the report, his expression also turned serious.
Robots. Even the armor of their visualization devices couldn't damage them, and there were so many of these robots.
They were able to find DEM Industries' secret research location, cut off communication between the research facility and headquarters, leaving them completely unaware of the attack on the facility.
"This is truly… interesting. A secret organization, mysterious power. It seems we have another opponent. Are you also interested in the power of Spirits?"
"To leave something like this behind, is this your organization's symbol?"
A white-haired man in a suit held a blueprint with a horizontal'S' symbol and some English text on it.
[Big Sister's Koumeikan] 2 9 8 3 1 6 3 5 4
"[Anti-Entropy]? Anti-Entropy? Heh heh~ How interesting. An organization hidden so deeply. I'd like to see what exactly you're planning. You should know that messing with DEM Industries' assets isn't that simple."
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