1

The fire subsided, and with the fall of the Ascended One, the Nullities in the immediate vicinity all but vanished. Meanwhile, Izaya watched the remnants of the Magna Arbiter turn into black mist.

“You won’t escape me this time.”

The silver-haired man reached his hand out towards the mist. He grinned, eagerly eyeing the power that had eluded him for so long. He pointed his rapier forward, where it let loose a high-pitched noise.

Hand trembling as he felt the full brunt of the Ascended One’s last remaining power entering his rapier, he looked around.

His allies all had different expressions on their faces.

Whether it was Satoru’s satisfied look, Utara’s eager smile, Dr. Kagami’s smirk, or Uehara’s wide eyes.

He knew that all of them were more than relieved that their first trial was over. It was a group effort, and in spite of their weary appearances, the sacrifice was worth it all.

I cannot have done it without all of you.

Izaya’s shoulders relaxed, releasing all the pent up tension, after the rapier finished its job. He clapped his hands once before acknowledging everyone with a nod.

“Well done, everyone. All according to expectations.”

“Of course, what did you expect, Lord Izaya?”

Satoru, meanwhile, had a different expression from Utara.

“It’s boring. Setsura’s still hungry.”

“In that case, Satoru,” Izaya said to the spiky-haired youth, “You’ll have your fill later. The true test begins once we head up to Babel.”

Before he continued, he walked past everyone, only stopping when he was inches away from an unconscious girl.

Sana soundly slept with a look of peace on her face.

“Your nightmares are all over now,” said Izaya, brushing the girl’s blonde hair before tenderly wiping her forehead. “Thank you for everything, Sana.”

He gently held the girl’s hand on his own, and after muttering a silent prayer, let it go. Now that the gate will be ready, he found himself in another dilemma.

What will he do with Sana?

“There is still the presence of Nullities in the area.”

Dr. Kagami’s words were sharp. Removing the Magna Arbiter from the equation still did not completely shut off the dimensional fracture it had caused. Judging by the sheer tingling bite of the air, Izaya knew that the doctor told no lie even if he had unsummoned the visor on his head.

Dr. Kagami had read his mind, but that confirmation did little to address his worries. On one hand, he could have him stay behind and use his Armament’s ability to keep Sana safe from incoming Nullities.

But losing the doctor’s very useful ability in Babel could be hard to compensate. It would have been better to leave Utara or Satoru here. Yet, those two can be wild cards, and Izaya wanted both to witness his moment of ascension.

“Leave Sana to me.”

Uehara stepped forward.

“Hmm?”

“With Sana, I feel that I owe her greatly,” Uehara shook her head. “She didn’t want any of this, and all this time… All this time…”

The girl’s body trembled ever so slightly before she crouched near the unconscious Sana.

“She trusted me, and she still does. I think being able to protect her and see her through is the least I can do for her. After all, she still looked at me as…”

“I understand.”

Izaya took no time at all to make his decision. He likewise wanted to have Uehara’s strength for the upcoming battle, but after seeing the sincere feelings in the girl’s eyes, making the decision was easy.

Unlike Dr. Kagami, the girl did not offer anything that he or the rest of Euphoria cannot compensate for.

He looked around for approval from his allies. Dr. Kagami shrugged, and Satoru did not look like he cared. As for Utara, she had an uncomfortable look on her face.

“But, Lord Izaya—“ she began protesting.

“I know, Ms. Utara,” answered Izaya in a comforting voice. “I know your concern. Those people are still here, and as of the moment, they continue to rush towards us. But know that we’re at the cusp of victory. Is there still place for doubt in each other?”

“You’re naïve! How could you be setting yourself up for—“

Izaya gave her a glare.

Utara stopped in an instant. All the fierceness in her eyes disappeared in a flash. She passed her own glare at Uehara and Sana before bowing her head in subservience.

“Sorry, Lord Izaya.”

“No problem. Now that that’s out of the way, it’s time I open the path to Babel.”

“How exactly are you going to do that?” asked Utara. Her curious eyes looked towards the pillar, the one structure that stood out completely.

Izaya’s reply came in the form of him clasping both hands together. Gripping the air in front of him, he then let out a determined shout. While that’s happening, a wave of power burst forth from his hands before spreading into the air.

Izaya’s hands burned at the accumulation of power, and they sizzled even more when he tried to rip the fabric of dimensions. Such was the cost of power, power that can force paths to Mu.

Resisting the heat and the pressure that began to climb up his arms, he separated both hands in a forceful motion. The ground shook, and energy released in that swift motion caused him to stumble back.

“S-such power!” commented Utara.

“I’ve never quite seen something like this before. Y-you…” Dr. Kagami’s voice trailed off.

“So strong…!” exclaimed Satoru.

“Calm down. It’s just the power of two Ascended Ones in display.”

Izaya was not able to see what the other Euphoria members were doing, but he could sense the unease in all of them, even for the normally calm Dr. Kagami and the ever-fearless Satoru.

The deed was eventually done, and after another huge release of power, in front of them all was the door to Mu. However, it looked completely different from the usual veiled door.

A door was not able to even properly form, and where it should have been was a fracture. A dimensional hole, a levitating fissure. The red hues of Mu colored the interior of the large portal, and more aura leaked out of its sides.

“The only way back to Babel,” said Izaya before turning back to his allies. “Euphoria, the time has come. Let the conquest of the accursed tower begin!”

He raised his rapier, and with it came determined responses from the three. Meanwhile, Uehara remained silent at first, giving them a nod of approval.

“Best of luck to you all,” she finally said before wrapping her arms around Sana.

“You’ll be reunited with Senri soon. I promise.”

Izaya walked into the portal after giving his last promise, and following him were the three members of Euphoria.

Uehara was left alone. Holding Sana in her hands, she took the time to reflect on the whole series of events the past week.

Looking at Sana, she reaffirmed that she had something else to do here. Helping Izaya secure the ideal world for everyone would be great, but she cannot get it in herself to leave Sana alone.

“You’ll be safe, Sana,” she whispered to the little girl even though she knew her words won’t be heard.

Yes, this is what Big Brother believed in. It is my duty to see his will to the very end. Isn’t that right, Big Brother?

She repeated the same thoughts over and over before she finally got up. Supporting Sana on her arms, she began walking back to the main complex. It was then that a thought struck her. She closed her eyes and scanned the area, as if something told her to.

“Four of them…”

She bit her lips upon sensing the presence of four individuals somewhere far from this area. Nevertheless, they were closing in fast.

She had no doubt who they were.

And she had to stop them.

 

2

Two humanoid Nullities disappeared into a puff of smoke after being impaled by arrows of light. More of them screeched before their heads were blown off by a series of energy shots.

The group of four hurried in their way. Kazuki, with his shield, led the way, while Ms. Sadohara, Amagi, and Kimura followed in that order.

“We’re running out of time.”

Ms. Sadohara’s words did not inspire confidence at all, but Kazuki knew that she said nothing but the truth. The powerful wave that reverberated throughout the passage all but confirmed that something big had happened on the surface.

Guren Izaya may have already defeated the Magna Arbiter and opened the passage to Babel. In that case…

“What do you think happened to Sana?” asked Amagi.

Kazuki failed to answer her concern. Instead, he continued running ahead, crashing into a few more Nullities that blocked their way.

His shield proved more than a match for the smaller Nullities, easily obliterating them with a wild bash each.

“Arata!”

Hearing Amagi, he finally hit the brakes and slowed down with a skid. That was before he noticed the sound of whirling machinery. It was followed by a couple of bullet shots that hit the corners of the hallway they were in.

The whirling sounds stopped, and a door in the midst of slamming down was left in stuck in place. Still, the door creaked, and bits of it crashed to the ground, heading straight at him.

A strong and willful force pulled him back, and he landed on his back just as parts of the door crashed down the floor with a thud.

“Whew,” he finally exhaled. “Thanks.”

Ms. Sadohara had an expression just as relieved as he did, yet deep in her eyes, there was a look of concern. They stayed in place for a few more seconds while the two other girls began to catch up with them.

“Darling, don’t leave us alone!”

“Arata, what’s going on?”

Kazuki stood up and dusted his clothes before taking a look at the shield in his hand. Feeling the full brunt of the negative energy in the air, he clenched his fist before looking at the path before him.

“I’m sorry.”

He did not elaborate further, instead choosing to walk back to his original path with the crashed door, much more slowly this time.

“Arata, you’re on it again?”

Amagi’s words stopped Kazuki in his tracks.

“There you go again,” said the girl in a firm tone. “Whenever you’re super worried about something or someone, you tend to get very rash.”

“And you’re not?” replied Kazuki. However, he caught himself and relaxed his stance almost immediately. “Sorry. That was a bit rude.”

“I can relate to that feeling, Arata. And I thank you for calling me out on it. Mom appreciated it, too.”

“Ehh? Is there something I missed?” Kimura interjected. “Just when I thought I had the lead, turns out something happened when I was away.”

“H-hey, let’s focus on the important matters, shall we?”

“So you’re saying whatever you did with her and her mom was not important?” sneered Kimura.

“You know that’s not what I meant!”

“There’s something even more alarming,” mused Ms. Sadohara.

Her cold, nearly emotionless voice drew everyone’s attention, and she was seen surveying the panel that held the sliding door up.

“What is it?” asked Kazuki.

“Those doors,” she said, pointing to the rest of the hallway. “They’re programmed to never drop down without input from the control panel.”

“Is that bad?”

Ms. Sadohara put her hands into her coat’s pocket, and with raised eyebrows, the distraught woman looked at where she shot the wall at.

Four shots, all placed expertly at four points on the panel, in the locations where the sliding door ought to drop down. Those were part of the mechanism that would have slammed the thing down, and until now, they creaked with electric sparks.

“These things are not designed to drop down even in the event of an earthquake,” she continued before looking at some of the CCTV cameras plastered on the walls. “It’s not something physical that triggered the door to drop.”

“So what you’re saying is,” Kimura proceeded to answer. “Someone’s watching us, and that person’s controlling the doors to stop us.”

“Even worse,” interrupted Amagi, a grave look on her face. “Could it be that it was something caused by the Nullities?”

Everyone paused at that suggestion.

Ms. Sadohara had a hand on her chin and nodded. “I do think that’s a bigger possibility, Amagi. Guren would not be wasting time on us here, knowing him. Besides, we’ve never seen how the different kinds of Nullities interact with the real world, right?”

“Does the Chronodome event not count?” wondered Kimura.

“It’s the Render of Bounds we’re talking about. I’m more concerned about these E, D-Class Nullities. What they lacked in power and stature, they could compensate in their versatility. These are things not accustomed to the human environment, but when instinctive curiosity gets the best of them, I’m not liking the results.”

“Is there anything to prove your theory on them interfering with the systems of the world? It seems farfetched for them to suddenly gaining sentience and playing with us.”

After Kazuki’s question, Ms. Sadohara was unable to answer immediately. Her reflective look did not inspire confidence, yet she gave a slight nod.

“I didn’t have a way to overtly prove it,” she started, stopping for a while before opening her phone and showing everyone the screen. “But given that signal interference is a thing, I do not doubt it.”

“True. Back when it happened in the Chronodome, our phones were all unusable, too,” said Amagi.

“They don’t need sentience to cause us trouble. Their mere presence could just be randomly interfering with the mechanisms and causing these defense systems to go haywire. Let us proceed carefully for now.”

They had all agreed to her course of action, but barely a few seconds had passed before the sound of an alarm siren blared. All of a sudden, the white lights that decorated the walls turned red.

Everyone pressed their hands on their ears in shock as the sounds pierced their ears.

“W-w-what is it now?!” shrieked Kimura.

“Turns out this electronic interference could be way more severe than I’ve anticipated.”

From the distance, they heard the sound of numerous slider doors slamming down the ground. With each grating slam, the urge to move on increased tenfold.

“I know a way to a control center. If my hypothesis was right and that Nullities were there, clearing them out could give us an easier passage.”

“Dammit! Why now, of all times!”

“There’s nothing we can do about it. Let’s get a move on.”

Amagi and Kimura nodded at Ms. Sadohara’s stern voice. “Lead the way!”

 

3

It was a dangerous trek through what seemed like an endless chain of rooms in the hallways. Finally, the four of them reached a room much larger than one they had been to so far.

It looked like a function room, with abandoned tables and chairs littered near the walls. Barely functional vending machines flickered on and off, while projectors lined one side of the wall.

“If we take the right, we can find a way up, and it should lead you straight to the control room.” Ms. Sadohara pointed in that direction before motioning to the path in front of them. “Then, that path ahead? It will then lead to another network of routes that will traverse the entire stretch of the main research building, and one of them leads straight to my lab, which is where we’re supposed to go.”

“Obviously, that way ahead filled with those doors and traps, so we have to first take the right, the control room.”

Ms. Sadohara nodded as Kimura groaned. Amagi, meanwhile, was trying to catch her breath. She leaned against a wall before unsummoning her Armament.

The adrenaline from escaping the doors and the moving corridors still kept Kazuki on his toes. The Nullities that they had to fight through were nothing compared to the environmental hazards that were caused by the systems going haywire.

Doors almost slamming them flat, walls that closed in from numerous directions, security lasers that gave them numerous close calls… he never thought about facing such dangers coming in.

“Those things aren’t a joke,” panted Kazuki. “What’s with all those defense systems?”

“Elysium doesn’t take security lightly at all. Imagine if this facility was still functional today, with all the new technology and toys the Ishida Conglomerate has developed.”

“That run took years off my life! The whole place looked more like a booby trapped castle of some demon lord.”

“Be glad we still got years left, then,” replied Ms. Sadohara, her face now showing weariness. “Come to think of it, though, isn’t that quite an accurate description? After all, this place was an impenetrable fortress, the symbol of Shiroki City’s tech department and the various undertakings that led to the Ishida Conglomerate we know today.”

“Darling, when you said that this place looked like a demon lord castle, did you include that?”

Everyone looked to where Kimura’s finger was pointing. On the path straight ahead, leading to the hallways filled with traps, was a cloud of dark energy. With the sound of a whirlwind, it swirled before armored legs and arms emerged from the center.

Kazuki and the rest readied their weapons, but they stopped upon seeing the form the Nullity took.

From head to toe, it never resembled anything they had taken on before.

It had little bestial features, nor did it resemble the demon-like entities they fought before. Instead, it was adorned by a full suit of armor. From head to toe, it was covered with tough-looking plates that resembled more like modern weaponry.

It was no reanimated knight armor. Instead, it looked like an android, a robot from the modern era. Instead of roaring, it let out numerous beeps before its mechanical limbs swirled in place.

“That form… the Nullities are slowly adapting to our world?” Ms. Sadohara swallowed her last few words, her eyes and gaping mouth showing signs of both wonder and anxiety.

“Now’s no time to be impressed, Ms. Sadohara!” begged Kimura, who was unsure what to do herself.

“This power I’m getting from it,” said a bewildered Kazuki. “Class B?”

The core on its chest glowed red, and eyes flashed from underneath its helmet. It slammed its two fists together and let out another series of mechanical beeps.

“Get ready. This thing ain’t going down without a fight.”

Ms. Sadohara readied her gun and took aim at the Nullity.

Before she could pull the trigger and initiate the battle, she was stopped by a crunching noise.

Sparks flew out of the lifeless Nullity, and its limbs slumped down before the rest of the body collapsed.

It had been stabbed from behind, as a sharp sword stuck out, having pierced its core.

When the whole chunk of armor fell and dissolved into thin air, the whole group looked on, stunned into silence at the sight of their savior.

Picking up Sana, who she had left on the ground, Sayaka Uehara looked on with emotionless eyes.