The voice on the other end wasn't Flora's. It was a low, murky tone that felt like a shadow creeping across the line.
Flora had been kidnapped.
The moment Julis realized the severity of the situation, the voice on the other end spoke again, slow and deliberate.
"…Is this Julis-Alexia von Riessfeld?"
"Who are you?! Why do you have Flora's phone?!" Julis roared, her voice cracking with a mix of fury and desperation.
The caller ignored her outburst. "The owner of this device is currently in my care. Is your partner, Haruki Aizawa, nearby?"
"I'm here," Haruki replied, his voice level.
To a stranger, he sounded indifferent, but those who knew him could feel a sudden, razor-sharp pressure radiating from his frame. The air in the hallway seemed to drop several degrees.
"How is Flora?! Is she hurt?!" Julis demanded.
After a brief silence, a small, trembling voice leaked through the speaker. "...Princess! Haruki-oniisan! F-Flora is okay!"
Before she could say another word, there was a muffled sound, and the mechanical voice returned. "Aizawa-kun, you understand your position. If you want this child returned unharmed, you will comply with our demands."
"...What are they?" Haruki asked.
He despised being on the defensive, but he had no immediate lead on Flora's location. For now, he had to play along.
"Only one condition: apply for an 'Emergency Freeze' of the Ser-Veresta immediately. Once the application is accepted and the Ogre Lux is sealed, we will release her."
"An Emergency Freeze?"
"It means the Ser-Veresta's functions will be locked for the remainder of the Phoenix Festa," the kidnapper explained coldly. "If we suspect you haven't complied, or if you contact the Guard Force or Seidokan's special intelligence units, her safety is no longer guaranteed. Furthermore, should either of you forfeit the tournament, the deal is off. We want you to fight—just not with that sword."
The line went dead instantly. Julis frantically tried to call back, but the signal was gone. The phone had likely been crushed or powered down.
"Flora... she was really... kidnapped..." Julis's face was ashen. She leaned against the wall, her usual fire extinguished by raw fear.
Haruki looked at her, his expression unreadable. "Calm down. They won't hurt her."
"How can you be so sure?!"
"First, their demand," Haruki analyzed. "They want the sword sealed, but they specifically forbade us from forfeiting. They want us to fight while we're handicapped. This means their goal isn't just a victory in the Festa—it's a test. A person with that kind of specific, 'principled' objective rarely resorts to harming a child. They aren't looking to commit a mindless crime; they're trying to achieve a tactical outcome."
"That... makes sense," Julis whispered, taking a shaky breath. She slapped her cheeks to force herself back into focus. The anger was still there, but the panic was receding.
She looked at Haruki, her eyes full of worry. "But if we seal the Ser-Veresta... can we actually win? Our win rate will plummet without an Ogre Lux..."
"It doesn't matter," Haruki said flatly.
He didn't hesitate for a second. He pulled the Ser-Veresta from his belt and tossed it toward Claudia. "Go ahead and handle the freeze procedure."
The group stared at him in disbelief. They couldn't fathom how he could discard such a powerful weapon so casually.
Haruki looked at the empty space on his belt. "I can defeat the enemy without this sword. Do not doubt that for a single heartbeat."
"Very well," Claudia sighed, catching the magic sword. "I'll handle the freeze. Until the kidnapper is found or the tournament ends, Haruki-kun, you'll be unarmed."
"Wait!" Kirin Toudou stepped forward, her eyes bright with determination. "Haruki-shisho, if you can't use the Ser-Veresta, please use my blade!"
She unbuckled her family heirloom, the Sembakiri, and held it out with both hands. "It isn't an Ogre Lux, but it is forged from high-grade Manadite. It can withstand the destructive force of a high-tier duel. Since I've maintained it daily, it's in perfect condition. Please... take it."
Haruki looked at the long, elegant blade. He could feel the warmth and care that Kirin had poured into the steel over the years. To a master swordsman, a weapon that had been "loved" by its owner was often superior to a powerful but temperamental magical artifact.
"I'll borrow it. Thanks, Kirin."
Haruki's simple thanks nearly made Kirin faint from sheer joy. Julis had to catch her before she hit the floor.
"Right," Claudia said. "We'll proceed with the plan. Haruki, Julis—you have to focus on the semi-finals. We'll handle the investigation from the shadows."
The time for the match arrived. Haruki and Julis walked down the long, dimly lit tunnel toward the central arena of the Sirius Dome.
Haruki now wore the Sembakiri at his waist, with his own Onikiri as a secondary backup. He looked like a traditional dual-wielder. Julis followed, her expression grim. She felt responsible for the handicap Haruki was now carrying.
As they neared the entrance gates, two figures emerged from the shadows.
It was Ernesta Kuhne and Camilla Pareto, the researchers from Alakant Academy. Ernesta, her hair in a bubbly ponytail, waved cheerfully. "Hello, hello! Long time no see, Haruki-kun!"
"What do you want?" Haruki asked, his hand resting on Kirin's blade.
"Oh, so cold! We're about to trade blows, but that doesn't mean we can't be friendly, right?"
"Did you kidnap Flora?" Haruki asked bluntly.
"Flora? What are you talking about?" Ernesta blinked, looking genuinely confused.
Haruki's Wave Perception didn't catch a single tremor of a lie. He realized Alakant wasn't behind the kidnapping. He signaled for Julis to stand down.
"Fine. If you aren't involved, are you just here to talk trash?"
"Hehe, if that's what you want to call it," Ernesta grinned. "Ardi and Rimsi are my masterpieces. If you can actually manage to damage or even destroy them, I'd be thrilled!"
"Destroying your work makes you happy?"
"Of course! It means they weren't perfect yet. It gives me more data to build something even better!" Ernesta laughed, her childish excitement appearing entirely genuine.
Haruki looked at her for a long moment. "Machines are just machines, Ernesta. Their 'evolution' is just a program—a set of strings and logic gates. Because they lack a soul, they have a fixed ceiling. They can never become truly strong."
Ernesta's smile faltered, her expression turning serious.
"I'm going to win," Haruki continued. "And I'm going to prove that only a living being—only true life—can break its own limits to achieve real power."
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