[411] Task Force (3)
Kaida, the strange giant bird flying toward Galliant Island, spotted a cargo ship cutting across the open sea and dropped altitude.
When Julu dismissed Kaida, the four of them — including Shiina and Kuan — began to plummet toward the water at high speed.
Julu and Shiina used Fly magic, and Shirone unfurled his radiant wings to slow his fall.
Altitude might not be a familiar environment for the swordsman Kuan, but he didn't so much as blink as he checked the ship's position.
His ability to generate external gravity through microvibrations to cancel gravitational acceleration was in no way inferior to a mage's technique.
Shiina was impressed by the skill of the Death Mage she'd only heard about in rumors.
Ten years ago he had been hailed as an unrivaled talent in sword movement. And yet that man had lost his Achilles tendon — as if mirroring the one who had lost his sight for him.
Now that she thought about it, they did look alike.
The four hurled themselves at the ship and landed on an unmanned rear deck.
At the same moment Julu summoned an Autoprism and turned them all invisible.
"As expected — when experts gather, it goes smoothly."
How many could infiltrate a ship on the open sea and reach Galliant without being detected?
If Sein had been with them they could've even blocked sound with Equilibrium.
No matter how dangerous Heaven might be, a team like this wouldn't be easy prey.
The cargo hold was packed with goods from the mainland.
They sat back-to-back beside a stack of rice sacks in the corner, two facing two.
"When we reach the port you can't summon the Autoprism. Jonah might notice. Plu will be waiting at the rendezvous. Let's try to slip away unseen."
Shiina handed Kuan a robe.
Julu could hide his face well enough in his current clothes, and Shirone could handle things cleanly by activating his Diamond Armor.
An hour later the ship docked. Noise rose outside the warehouse and then the door snapped open.
The four, pressed against the wall in hiding, slipped out as soon as the crew came in.
The deck was busy with island laborers loading cargo; no one paid them any mind.
Down at the pier it was a bustle of ship mechanics, cargo handlers, warehouse overseers, and merchants.
Jis, who had a long association with Shirone, was darting between the docks, hawking to travelers.
"Come, come! I'll carry your luggage! Tours of the famous Kergo ruins of Galliant! Translation available!"
Shirone pulled the hood of his Diamond Armor robe low and glanced quietly at Jis.
"Still the same, Jis. I wonder how Yuna's doing?"
Even though the Parrot Thieves had left, that spot wouldn't stay empty. He seemed to be getting by honestly enough.
"Huh? Who's that?"
When Jis turned, Shirone bowed his head slightly and followed his party off the dock.
He wanted to greet them, but with the world left behind and their limbs heading into danger, there was nothing to say.
"Be happy, Jis."
Friends approached Jis with worried faces; he stared blankly after Shirone, a pang of longing on his features.
"Ugh, why aren't we getting any customers today? Hey, Jis, what's wrong? You look like you saw a ghost. Who was that?"
"No, it's just a weird feeling. Those people over there."
One friend frowned at the hooded figures. Jis' old habit had surfaced again.
"Hey, don't bother with people like that. Just looking at them gives you the chills. If you get on their bad side you won't even get your bones back."
Another friend agreed.
"My ten years as a hawker tells me the same. Those folks give off a serious danger vibe."
Despite his friends' protests, Jis couldn't take his eyes off them until they vanished.
For some reason a strong wave of nostalgia had welled up in him.
"Come on! Luggage here! Any porters?"
A burly man who had stepped off a passenger ship staggered over carrying bags in both hands.
Jis snapped out of it and was off faster than anyone, waving his hand and running.
"Yes, yes! Coming!"
* * *
Kergo Ruins.
Gaold, Kangnan, Sein, Julu, Plu, Etella, Shiina, Kuan, Shirone.
The nine who took part in this project were gathered together for the first time.
They'd already talked on the way, so no special briefing was necessary.
There were a few operatives inside the ruins, but Sein — who'd been on standby for a day — had handled them all.
Still, they shouldn't be careless; it was better to cover their faces.
But the core target, Gaold, flipped back his hood and even took off his robe, tossing it to the ground.
Kangnan ground his teeth. "Put it back on while we can still handle this nicely."
"Pointless. Once we go in it's over. From now on we enter the Kergo Autonomous District."
Sein added, "If someone's waiting at Geopin's Gate we'll assess their skill and recruit them. Maybe one spot from this group will be filled."
They headed to the terraced altar east of the central temple.
This was where Shirone had earlier opened the Immortal Function and Miro had passed her trial.
A Kergo native guarded the entrance, but he wasn't the same person Shirone had seen before.
With Chief Kadum gone, the Kergo tribe's situation had likely shifted a great deal.
A year ago that native had boasted a fearsome prayer; now on seeing Gaold's party he swallowed nervously, as if suddenly tense.
The gatekeeper, too, would certainly feel the honed energy of nine people like blades forged together.
Gaold strode up and spoke.
"Kertia, ro hoima. Acrasia, withmia benzen."
Knock on my door, and it shall open.
It was a password of memory that remained in Shirone's recollection.
But the native's reaction was different from before. He shook his head gravely and said in Kergo, "Not now. Too many are waiting to go to Heaven. Come back in three days."
Gaold flicked his hand and the native flew with a thud.
Shirone stared at the motionless man on the floor and, astonished, asked Sein, "What did the native say to make you so angry?"
"Gaold doesn't understand Kergo."
"...."
Gaold activated his device, and the altar wall sank in to reveal a door.
Kangnan added, "But he hates Kergo."
Inside, a square spiral staircase plunged endlessly downward.
After about twenty minutes they reached a corridor. Two natives stood guard before an iron door as before.
From this point on it was Kergo's own world, with no intersection with outside civilization.
The natives showed no hesitation in baring the tattoos carved into their bodies, and they were far more aggressive than those who had guarded above.
"Wait. How did you get in? From today entrance to Heaven is—"
Gaold's hand snapped and struck a jaw; the native collapsed with a smack.
His companion was about to retort with a furious glare, but the other side's hand turned and struck his temple.
Shirone watched the two knocked-out natives, nose bleeding, and thought this couldn't continue.
If they opened the Immortal Function in the Chamber of Achievement and Sacrifice they would be welcomed and could go to Geopin's Gate. There was no need to provoke Kergo.
"Um, can't we do this by the book? I know some of the natives here; if we light all eight of the angel's eyes—"
"Angel?"
Gaold stopped dead and turned.
"Shirone, that's just a toy my old classmate made."
Shirone shut his mouth.
He felt a terrifying rage radiating from Gaold, but it wasn't just that. He began to understand why Gaold hated Kergo.
An octagonal chamber appeared beyond the iron door.
Three men guarded the opposite door, and in the center stood a man with a white tattoo marking him as a Kergo priest.
Even to Shirone it was clear these were on a different level from the guards who'd stood in the way so far.
But Gaold didn't glance their way; he walked straight to the altar where eight spheres Miro had made floated.
The Kergo priest scowled and stepped forward.
"Who are you? How dare outsiders enter the sacred chamber of the angels and—"
Before he finished, Gaold grabbed whatever orb he could reach and cast a spell.
It was nothing fancy — a simple Air Press — but when it struck the altar the room reverberated with a thud.
The priest looked around in surprise at the shaking chamber, then hurriedly fixed his gaze on the spheres.
A white radiance flared — Shirone had never been able to see it, no matter what he'd tried a year ago.
Shirone stared at the spheres, transfixed.
It was astonishing that white light could be lit at all, but more than anything the number displayed was unexpectedly small.
1,008,000.
"One million, eight thousand points…"
Gaold stepped up to the stunned priest and, staring straight into his eyes, said curtly, "Move."
Whatever it meant, the priest's legs moved and he stepped aside, clearing a path for Gaold.
The figure far exceeded the score required to pass in the language of the gods.
When they arrived in the Kergo Autonomous District, warriors alerted by the news were already guarding the entrance.
Their eyes flashed with distrust at the sight of outsiders as they held up their weapons.
"This is the sacred land of Kergo! Invaders will be slain without question!"
Gaold approached like a hedgehog bristling with spears and compressed an air sphere in his palm.
Compared to the subjects of Heaven, the Kergo here were relatively tame.
They were warriors who would give their lives for Anke Ra, and individually their combat ability was on another level entirely.
But to Gaold they were all just Kergo.
"All weapons down!"
Just as Gaold's Press spell was about to burst, a broad-shouldered man pushed through the warriors and stepped forward.
His black tattoo had turned gold; Shirone recognized his face at a glance.
He was Mahatu, a member of the Anti-Angel faction who had opposed Chief Kadum.
A golden tattoo meant he had become chieftain.
As expected, the warriors lowered their weapons and knelt.
"Chieftain! These are heretics who assaulted the Kergo priest! Why do you dampen our fury?"
Mahatu exchanged a brief look with Gaold, then moved to the eight standing behind him.
"Long time no see, Sir Shirone."
Mahatu had learned the continental tongue.
He believed religion and society should be separated to improve the tribe's livelihood; it was a necessary skill for negotiating with the Galliant government.
"Mahatu, you became chieftain."
"I don't know if I was fit for it, but it happened."
The warriors seethed.
To them, assaulting a priest was an unforgivable crime.
"Chieftain! Explain yourselves! Who are these people?"
Mahatu looked at Shirone with a troubled expression.
"Why didn't you demonstrate the angel's power?"
"Ah, well… there were circumstances."
Mahatu seemed to understand.
Lately countless people had been flocking to the Kergo ruins.
What on earth was happening in Heaven?
The gravity of the situation could be judged by the caliber of the people Shirone had brought.
What on earth were those monsters?
Mahatu, Kergo's greatest warrior, could feel it.
Each of them had honed a different discipline to its extreme. In particular, Gaold did not feel entirely human.
If someone who'd considered himself unrivaled in fighting spirit could be shaken by merely meeting Gaold's eyes, even Shirone couldn't be expected to control that.
Because negotiations were underway there was no outright clash, but the psychological battle between the warriors and Gaold remained fierce.
"Punish the heretics who assaulted the priest! We are ready to fight! Someone like you would not frighten us!"
"Then come on! Come on and try!"
Kangnan watched Gaold argue with warriors who didn't even share a language and rubbed his temple in annoyance.
'I shouldn't have put that man in command,' he thought.
Still, there were times Gaold's methods were necessary.
And above all, wasn't this the day he had waited twenty years for?
No matter how much Kangnan disliked him, today he couldn't berate the ugly duckling.
"Everyone, quiet! Do you dare disobey my command?"
"Chieftain! We are ready to die at your command. But making a deal with heretics would deny the very existence of Kergo!"
"How foolish. Do you know who stands here right now?"
The warriors' gazes turned to Shirone.
But those who had been crushed under Kadum's iron rule a year ago — imprisoned and beaten — had no way to recognize the face of the boy before them.
Mahatu raised his hand and introduced Shirone.
"This is Shirone, the envoy of God who punished Kadum's faction and delivered our Anti-Angel faction."