The air crackled with tension as Tatsuya felt the searing pain of the fatal attack. A vicious slash from his back to the right side left him feeling like he was moments away from a dangerous situation. With focus, he relied on his primary magic, [Regrowth], to work its miraculous self-restoration. Instantly, his body returned to normal, and even his torn jacket was made whole again.
Meanwhile, Alpha's longsword plunged into the ground, pulsating with energy, casting an eerie purple glow.
Observing Tatsuya's recovery, Alpha couldn't help but be intrigued by his unique magic.
The transformation into an elf warrior seemed to have infused her with a bit of personality, giving her a patient demeanor in the face of an adversary, moreover, she really wanted to damn well kill someone for these brats ruining the timing.
"T-Tatsuya nii-san, th-that's him! The one who took nee-san!" Fumiya exclaimed, as if he was damn well complaining to his big brother, his face pale with fear and anger as he forgot about Tatsuya's injuries.
Through their communication transmission with Jarvis, Alpha learned that the intruder was Kuroba Fumiya, the heir of the Kuroba, which is a branch serving the esteemed Yotsuba clan. As she learns that, Alpha realizes that her liege was being underestimated.
Tatsuya, on the other hand, was solely focused on Fumiya's well-being, knowing that 'his duty' was to protect him. The decision regarding Ayako being taken by them wasn't within his realm of responsibility.
With a desire to prevent disturbing the neighborhood and protect her liege's image, Alpha decided to set up a barrier across the courtyard to block sound and images during their fight. As a Parasite, she didn't need a CAD to wield magic.
However, Fumiya's desperation got the better of him, and he lunged at Alpha, attempting to attack her with his [Direct Pain] magic.
Using a knuckle-type CAD to cast his unique magic, he attempted to send pain directly to the enemy's nerves without physical contact. However, it proved ineffective against Alpha.
Undeterred, Fumiya switched tactics and launched a powerful [Air Blade] magic, a high-compression blast resembling a deadly slash. As the ground around them exploded into chaos, Alpha's figure seemed to blur, and in an instant, she appeared before Fumiya, skillfully knocking him back with a well-placed kick without the intention of killing him.
Fumiya struggled to catch his breath, groaning as he clutched his aching stomach. His thoughts raced, realizing just how quickly Alpha had taken him down. He couldn't help but feel that his opponent was deliberately holding back.
But before he could recover fully, Alpha swiftly shifted her focus back to Tatsuya, never forgetting about the other threat in their midst. As Alpha remained on guard, a sudden and unfamiliar sensation jolted through her body as if she had been struck. Confused, she quickly dismissed the possibility of a bullet hitting her, knowing that her impenetrable body wouldn't allow for such a weakness.
As the dust settled, Alpha turned her gaze onto Tatsuya, who now wielded a special long-barreled gun-type CAD. There was a calculating intensity in his eyes as he studied her, devoid of any visible emotion.
---
Through his [Elemental Sight], he analyzed her, only to discover an otherworldly composition of elements, unseen on Earth's periodic table.
Her pitch-black armor shielded her from his 'eyes', revealing nothing beyond the external information.
Tatsuya could only perceive the shape, aura, and composition of the mysterious armor she adorned.
In theory, nothing should have been able to deceive Tatsuya's eyes, yet this enigmatic armor proved to be an exception. It became clear that Alpha was no ordinary opponent.
She didn't use any magic to alter her appearance, leading him to believe that her unique armor prevented him from seeing through her. Her greatsword emitted constant and intense energy, crackling with purple lightning, even when she wasn't wielding it. This led Tatsuya to believe that the sword itself was an integral part of her magic or perhaps a specialized CAD fused with the weapon.
As he observed the scene before him, Tatsuya's analytical mind raced to unravel the mysteries of Alpha's powers.
"Wait, Fumiya!" Tatsuya damn well forgot about him, as he was too focused on her.
Still... Fumiya also didn't hear him as Tatsuya wanted to make sure of something.
-Boom!
He marveled at her resilience when she took a direct hit from Fumiya's [Air Blade] magic, remaining unscathed and seemingly unfazed by the attack.
Tatsuya reached for his Silver Trident, hidden beneath his jacket, preparing to engage in the battle that loomed before him. But before he could act, Alpha's speed astonished him. She vanished from his sight with a blur of motion, reappearing before Fumiya, delivering a swift kick that effortlessly subdued him. Tatsuya's heart raced as he struggled to process the immense speed and precision of her movements.
Gathering himself, Tatsuya knew he had to act quickly.
His mind calculated the variables within the [Magic Calculation Area] as he aimed his [Decomposition] magic at four key points on Alpha's armor. The attack landed like well-aimed bullets, causing her shoulders and thighs to appear hollowed out as if they were struck by a projectile.
However, what happened next left Tatsuya dumbfounded. Alpha turned her gaze toward him, her eyes glowing ominously through the Y-shaped visor of her helmet. To his disbelief, the hollowed areas on her armor began to regenerate, the injured parts enveloped in a dark, shadow-like smoke that swiftly reconstituted into a solid form.
"Regeneration?" Tatsuya uttered in astonishment, trying to comprehend the extent of her abilities.
'It took him 2.3 seconds to regenerate. But... what is he?' He thought, leaving him with a huge question.
---
Alpha extended her right hand, her palm beckoning her sword embedded in the ground. As if drawn by an irresistible force, the weapon soared towards her, and she deftly caught its hilt with a call that seemed to resonate through the air.
With a surge of energy, her blade gleamed brightly as she swung it toward Tatsuya. The air crackled with the power of plasma energy magic engulfed in lightning, cascading like a whip from her sword's movement.
"Danger," Tatsuya's eyes widened, swiftly reacting with his CAD in hand. He leaped into action, using magic to create footholds on the air like walls, artfully evading Alpha's magical assault that followed his every move.
[Gram Dispersion]
Tatsuya pulled the trigger and Alpha's magic she had been using suddenly vanished completely as her sword dimmed.
[Compound Waves]
Using the magic he had used against Hattori, he wanted to distract his opponent while he landed. Alpha punched the air with her palm, sending out a burst of psion that caused the combined psion wave to melt away.
Tatsuya pondered her magical prowess. "How much magic does she possess to cast spells so consistently?" he wondered. This battle was becoming serious, and he needed a new strategy.
Alpha wasted no time and closed the distance between them in an instant, her arm cocked back for a punch. Tatsuya relied on the martial arts moves he had honed at the Yakumo shrine, gracefully leaping backward to avoid the blow narrowly.
He invoked the basic systematic magic [Reinforcement], strengthening his right hand for a retaliatory uppercut aimed at Alpha's chin.
However, she deftly evaded it, countering by thrusting her sword into the ground and nimbly using her right knee to block his next fist in mid-air. Taking advantage of her position as she delivered a strong kick with her left foot.
The impact sent him reeling, but he managed to block most of it with his upper arm, though he lost grip of his CAD in the process. Tatsuya sighed, realizing that this wasn't merely a battle for victory but a test of his abilities. He sensed that Alpha had a deeper purpose behind her attacks.
Observing his CAD lying nearby, Alpha let go of the handle of her sword in her left hand and removed her black robe, she threw two hidden daggers from behind her waist, readying herself for a more intimate combat style.
"Chivalry, huh?" Tatsuya remarked, readjusting his stance to steady his center of gravity as he got back on his feet.
---
Haku lounged in the steaming hot water, holding a glass filled with crimson red wine in his hand.
"Ah, it's finished already?" he mused, emptying the glass. He refilled it with his magic [Sukunahikona], as he smile with the practicality.
As he sipped and stretched in the soothing bath, a hologram materialized, displaying data about the Kuroba twins.
"Kuroba Ayako and Kuroba Fumiya. I wonder who's the older one?" Haku pondered aloud.
[Kuroba Ayako. She's the one Alpha caught,] Jarvis replied.
"Ah, got it... And who's the third one?" Haku took another sip of wine.
He wanted to take a break and enjoy his money as he had to suppress his [Elemental Sight] ability since it was quite sensitive to psion fluctuation. Still, he could sense a magic battle from a distance, but he relied on Jarvis to provide information instead.
[It's your friend, sir... Mr. Shiba Tatsuya,] Jarvis informed him.
"Hmm, maybe I drank too much," Haku chuckled, thinking he had misheard. He double-checked the wine bottle from the [Daikokuten], but everything seemed fine. The hologram confirmed that Tatsuya was indeed fighting Alpha hand-to-hand.
"Heh, of course... Who would believe these two are ordinary people?" Haku said sarcastically.
Tonight, he learned more about Tatsuya's true identity and, without much thought, he also pieced together Miyuki's identity.
"Well, it's only natural since I've invented flying magic," he mused.
Being the first to discover the flight magic activation program attracted a lot of attention, both from the Japanese military and weird groups like 'The Seven Sages.' Even the strongest clan of magicians in Japan, the Yotsuba, were after his blueprints. Haku knew he couldn't complain; he had chosen to be a player in this game and didn't want to be anyone else's pawn.
"Dammit..." he muttered, realizing he would inevitably encounter the Yotsuba clan.
As Kuroba Ayako slept in another locked room, he said, "Of course they will come to me, what should I do?"
For the first time, Haku will consider political maneuvers.
"Hey J, show me everything you have on the Yotsuba clan."
Holograms appeared one after another, revealing data about the Yotsuba clan's history.
Just as Jarvis began to explain, Haku interrupted, feeling a sense of deja vu when he saw a particular face among the holograms.
"Wait, who the fuck is this?" Haku asked.
[She is the current head of the clan. Yotsuba Maya,] Jarvis replied.
"Right, I know that," of course, since he can read that.
He pulled Maya's hologram closer with a gesture of his hand, trying to remember where he had seen her before.
"Fuck... something's off about her, yet I don't know anything about her, but... damn, where is it?" He wracked his brain, trying to place the familiar feeling.
"Maybe it's just my imagination," Haku wondered aloud as he swiped through more holographic images of Maya. Suddenly, he stopped at one picture.
"What the fuck---cough! cough!" As he finally figured out who the hell 'Cinderella' was, the wine got stuck in his damn throat.
I'm looking forward to her reactions...
Haha, it ended up being Haku who figured it out first.
If he wants to do this politically, theres only one choice ...
@Livice Lets hope he goes for Mayas daughter the sword girl and not Miyuki
or plot twist: He goes for Maya!
Thanks for the chapter!
