[423] Second Headquarters (2)
"This… this can't be…."
The gatekeeper could not finish his sentence.
As far as he knew, Shirone was a Nephilim who wielded light magic, but the thing that had destroyed Oprica had been dark magic.
The problem was it was broad daylight, the sun blazing down.
In a place filled with the essence of light, only someone exempt from the Law could wield darkness.
"Are you going to keep this up?"
Plu drew the magic staff Phoenix from the Cubric and spun it.
Shirone had taken the initiative, but if Plu had been a moment slower the Phoenix spirit would have burst out and razed the prison.
The gatekeeper's face contorted into a nasty scowl.
"Don't talk nonsense. We're Nor. We don't get dragged around by fairy tales!"
When the gatekeeper cast the sound spell Perry, a sinister cry—like a crow's call—stitched across the sky.
Riding the wind magic Aeos, three Nor landed behind him.
They were Nor guards who had been waiting nearby.
"Hey, what's this, you called us all over? Huh?"
The bald guard caught sight of Shirone's group and narrowed his eyes.
"What are those kids?"
"They're from the First Command. That blond is the Light of Sector 73—Shirone."
"Shirone?"
The bald man stared at Shirone. Like the gatekeeper, his expression soured.
"Oh, that Shirone? The one who sided with those half-witted Mecha."
Plu stepped forward. "Anyone else to call? We're busy—if you want to do this, do it fast."
The gatekeeper addressed the guards.
"Don't be careless. Their magic system is different from ours."
"We know. It's a lot crappier than ours."
Plu snorted and held the Phoenix out. At that moment Shirone touched his shoulder and stepped forward.
"I'll do it, senior."
However the Nor judged him, Shirone's central role in the war against Heaven didn't change.
If they were to gather tens of thousands of Nor under command, they needed to see a Nephilim's ability right now.
"All right. But be quick."
Plu stepped aside and Shirone walked steadily toward the gatekeeper.
"Take us to the command. There's no need for pointless fighting, is there?"
"Hah. The rumors were right. But you know this—our true strength starts now."
The gatekeeper glared and spoke to his comrades.
"Prepare Mahagart."
The bald man looked puzzled.
"Mahagart? Do we really need to go that far?"
"Haven't you heard? He uses strange magic. Best to finish him at once."
"Tch!"
The bald man grudgingly complied.
Rank aside, at the command entrance the gatekeeper's judgment was final.
The other three followed the bald man's motion.
Ancient magic lacked the individuality of modern spells, but that made it ideal for group casting.
As the surrounding air grew heavy and coalesced, Shirone compressed photons directly ahead.
Four Nor cast their magic in unison.
"Mahagart!"
A wind denser than gas surged forward.
Once swept up, there was no resisting: bodies were flung into walls and limbs torn apart—an overwhelmingly powerful spell.
Shirone gritted his teeth and fired a Photon Cannon.
A heavy flare pierced the center of the air, folding it into rippling wrinkles.
With a bursting crack that threatened eardrums, the Photon Cannon shredded the Mahagart to smithereens.
"Grrr!"
The Mahagart backlash fluttered the Nor's coat collars; the sound alone made heads reel.
"Th-that Mahagart…."
The Nor's collective magic was as meticulous and potent as the Mecha's three-stage combat system.
A spell that required perfect teamwork.
For such a spell to be undone by one person was a blow to the pride of the Nor fighters.
Plu had already expected this result.
Stupid. They should've considered the difference in density.
No matter how strong the wind, it couldn't push aside a Photon Cannon compressed to a point.
That was why modern magic split air magic into press-type and blow-type so it could be applied to many situations.
He's trained a lot in a short time, too.
The Photon Cannon's power now far exceeded what Shirone had at the Magic Association—final-year training had clearly helped.
Having practiced both shotgun movement and laser guidance, Plu felt almost proud, as if Shirone's growth were her own.
* * *
Shirone's group followed the gatekeeper deep into the forest.
Shirone's display had been shocking, but it hadn't broken the Nor soldiers' resolve.
The one they truly obeyed in their hearts was their commander; they trusted she would lead them to victory.
Still, they'd changed course because the situation had exceeded their ability to judge. They didn't know what principle triggered Shirone's power, but his ability to destroy a four-man combination in a single blow was worth reassessing.
"We'll guide you, but don't think we'll accept you. The commander will never allow an alliance with the Mecha."
Plu asked, "What caused the split? There must've been some trigger, right?"
Differences in mindset between Mecha and Nor made conflict unsurprising, but with a common enemy like Heaven in wartime, uniting was the usual course.
Plu thought they wouldn't split merely because they were different.
"The Mecha are arrogant. They think what they know is the best. The Nor have Nor ways. But the Mecha wouldn't acknowledge that. War is fought to win. We don't want to ally with weaklings again."
The gatekeeper stopped and swept aside a shrub.
"We're here. This is our command."
Shirone tilted his head. All he could see at first was a sheer cliff.
"This is the command?"
The gatekeeper cast Perry and the distinctive Purin birdsong cleaved the sky.
Moments later, dozens of holes opened in the cliff face and Nor sentries peered out.
The ground vibrated and the cliff began to transform into a fortress.
A door opened in the ground and stone stairs descended from above.
Ancient magic.
Using affinity with the natural world, the Nor had magically shaped the entire mountain into a natural fortress.
At the command, several formidable figures surrounded Shirone's group.
At the gate, a tall, aristocratic-looking blond woman approached with a haughty stride.
She was the Nor archmage, Deputy Commander of the Rebellion—Leycis.
"What's this? Purin's birdsong, huh?"
The gatekeeper halted the group and whispered something to Leycis.
Plu switched the drone translator to an internal channel and amplified the sound.
A warning popped on her retinal display: sound collection disabled. It seemed they were blocking external sound propagation by magic.
"Hmm, understood."
After hearing the report, Leycis nodded and walked toward Shirone.
A wielder of ancient magic with a Spirit Force of thirty-two percent.
Plu kept her guard up, ready to act.
Then, Leycis's previously neutral face suddenly brightened before Shirone.
"Welcome, Light of Sector 73."
Taken aback by the unexpected greeting, Shirone watched Leycis spread her arms and pull him into a tight embrace.
She smelled strongly of perfume.
A perfume as deep as blood.
Leycis led Shirone's group into the cliff's interior stronghold.
At that point Clove and Gadrak peeled off, and the remaining two were shown to the commander's chamber.
A carpet lay on the floor and a three-person sofa faced another; the setting felt more familiar to Shirone than to the Mecha.
Leycis, seated in the central chair between the sofas, gestured for them to sit. Shirone and Plu sat on opposite sofas as if on cue.
A position ideal for a coordinated attack should anything happen.
Leycis regarded their unusual seating with a wry smile.
"So, why have you come?"
Shirone said, "You can probably guess. The First Command proposed an alliance."
Leycis propped her chin and crossed her legs.
"An alliance. What good is that now? What would we accomplish together?"
Shirone relayed the same words Sein had used to sway the Crude.
Hearing them, Leycis fell into a rare serious silence.
"Hmm. If it can paralyze the Aegis System… If that happens, it'd be in our favor."
"If we can just get inside Heaven, we can create variables. So how about joining hands with the First Command and moving together?"
"But before that, one question."
Leycis winked one eye.
"If we conquer Heaven by doing that, who becomes king?"
"King?"
"What I mean is, who is this alliance for? When you first raised the rebellion, relations were fine. But isn't it obvious the Mecha have already shown their colors? Even if you order us to ally, do you think the troops will follow willingly? We split once already. You reached out first, but there's no guarantee you won't stab us in the back a second time."
From the Nor perspective, such doubts were unavoidable.
Shirone, thrown by the unexpected question, couldn't answer, so Leycis continued.
"So here's my proposal."
"A proposal?"
Leycis pointed at Shirone like a jab.
"Light of Sector 73. If you—the symbol of the rebellion—were incorporated into the Second Command, I'd be willing to actively try to persuade my troops."
Plu interjected, "Not a bad offer, but isn't it irrelevant? If we form an alliance, we'll unify again anyway."
"Exactly. That's why I'm proposing it. The Nor aren't foolish enough to make an offer the other side would refuse. But when we win the war, we should have insurance, shouldn't we? The Nor holding the symbol of freedom—that alone would be enough to sway the troops."
Seeing Plu nod, Shirone agreed without hesitation.
Just as Mecha and Nor each had their circumstances, Shirone's team only needed the rebels to move.
"All right. When the war ends, the right to use my name belongs to the Nor people."
Leycis clapped her hands together with a radiant smile.
"Good! Smart thinking. Shall we register now?"
"Register?"
"Since you've entered the Second Command, we should measure you—your Spirit Force."
* * *
Shirone and Plu stood before two changing rooms placed side by side.
To measure Spirit Force they needed several tests, one of which was a physical exam.
Before entering the changing rooms Plu said, "If anything happens, prioritize returning here over fighting. The most important thing is joining up."
"All right. You be careful too, senior."
They entered their respective changing rooms, and two drones split off to follow their owners.
Hearing the door close, Plu looked around.
It was a bare shared room with another door leading further inside.
A Nor woman who had been waiting approached.
"Please undress and hand the clothes to me. We'll return them after the test."
"How much do I need to take off?"
"Everything. We'll sterilize in the disinfection room and take blood and hair samples."
Plu unbuttoned her blouse one button at a time.
Even though they'd joined the Second Command, Leycis wasn't someone to be fully trusted yet.
There was a chance of a surprise attack, but being naked wouldn't reduce her combat effectiveness.
Well, clothes don't provide real protection anyway.
What Plu was more curious about was the Nor testing.
They're taking blood? What are they going to do with it?
She removed the last piece of underwear and handed it over. The woman placed it in a basket and said,
"Um, you need to take off that ring too… ah!"
Plu's eyes suddenly went cold, though she remained calm.
Staring through the woman, she raised her ring finger and flashed the ring.
"You can't take this off. If sterilization is the goal, a ring shouldn't matter, right?"
The Phoenix had been stored in the Cubric. Because the ring was a device that amplified magic, she could take off her underwear, but she wouldn't remove the ring.
"Oh—right. It doesn't really matter. Then this way, please."
The woman went pale and hurried through the door. Only then did Plu relax her expression.
Her deliberate show of menace had been to gauge the woman's reaction.
If the woman had tried to remove the ring by force, this test would likely have been a trap.
But contrary to that expectation, the woman had shown no suspicious intent.
Maybe I overthought it.
Plu followed the woman into the next room.