Mayumi shouted without turning to look at Ryousuke.

  "Yes!"

  Was the only answer she got. Apparently Ryousuke is in no better position than she is.

  I'm sorry, you're struggling there too, Mayumi thought. But she had already made up her mind.

  "I'll say it up front. I'm sorry!"

  So Mayumi loudly apologized for what she was about to do.

  140

  Mayumi out of nowhere asked if he had his [Reactive Armor] shield on, but Ryousuke didn't even have the leisure to turn and look at her. He was too busy trying to fend off Lü Dongbin's four blades. He could not take his eyes off for even a second.

  Lü Dongbin throws a dagger. Ryousuke swings his neck to avoid the blade flying toward his face.

  But he did not stop there. He back steps to dodge the knife swinging horizontally and jumps sideways with the foot he landed on.

  The dagger he had just avoided went backwards and passed right where his neck was.

  With that one’s miss, another blade attempts at Ryousuke's chest. He swatted it away with his left hand, covered in individual armor magic. Just as the blade is about to hit the ground, it leaps back up, aiming for Ryousuke's throat.

  Lü Dongbin's magic was controlling knives and daggers remotely. He did not just send the blades flying, but coordinated them in tandem with his technique with the knives in his hands.

  Ryousuke noticed that the knives were controlled remotely via a virtual string, and that Lü Dongbin's technique was a magical equivalent of rope-dart wielding. This weaponry technique from the East Asia continent involves the use of a rope attached to the base of a throwable blade, or "dart". In this case a magical thread was playing the role of the rope.

  Since the string doesn't physically exist, the trajectory of the blade cannot be disrupted by twisting or cutting the rope, as is the case with a normal rope dart. The fact the tip of the blade can be turned in any direction is also inherent to this version with magic.

  Although it may be less flexible than the flying knives freely with Psychokinesis, it is definitely more troublesome when used in conjunction with a proper knife-wielding technique.

  So far none of the blades had the power to pierce [Reactive Armor].

  But there is no guarantee that nothing will happen even if it hits. He can't also ignore the possibility it was a feint to make him let his guard down.

  It was at that point, he couldn't turn around at that time, even if someone called out to him. "Yes" was all he could manage.

  And it seems to have sufficed for Mayumi, too.

  141

  Just after his reply, an apology followed by a powerful magical sign blanketed the sky above. Ryousuke was involuntarily thrown off guard, but fortunately, so was Lü Dongbin. The momentum of his magically manipulated blades weakened as well.

  And then, from the sky rained a barrage of hailstones.

  Mayumi only received one short word, but it was clear, and left no room for misunderstanding.

  First, she used a Movement Magic to pull the five fallen guards into a two-meter radius circle around her. Then she built up a new [Hail Storm] magic sequence.

  The target is a circle with a radius of 20 meters, excluding the area two meters from herself. A donut-shaped area with a hole in it, or rather a bagel-shaped area. That's the two-dimensional sighting with a viewpoint overhead.

  With her habitual practice of three-dimensional aiming from a multi-viewpoint remote sight, Mayumi is not very good at wide-area attacks with two-dimensional aiming. But again, just because she "doesn't feel comfortable" or "isn't good at it" doesn't mean she "can't do it".

  Raindrops falling, moisture fills the air, and water soaks the pavement.

  From all which ice bullets form and shoot down from the sky.

  Not only did the hailstones pound the pavement, they punched shallow holes all over the place. The resulting collateral damage is another reason why Mayumi hesitates to use wide-area indiscriminate magic.

  Ryousuke's whole body also got caught in the hailstorm. Yet, he does not seem to be in any particular pain. The ice bullets drilling into the road's pavement are probably no match for his Reactive Armor.

  His opponent, Lü Dongbin, sheltered under the zelkova tree. But the hail also covered the shade of the zelkova tree.

  They didn't come from just the sky above, but also from the water pooling on the ground. So too from the dew dripping from the leaves of the trees. No shelter from the rain will help against [Hail Storm].

  From a distance, Lü Dongbin appears unharmed. The holes in his clothes suggest that he may have used some kind of magic to harden his skin.

  And then there was a scream from behind the zelkova where Lü Dongbin was sheltering.

  142

  Mayumi pointed her [Multiscope] at the back side of the tree.

  There she found Laura crouched down, covering her head with both arms. Blood was pouring from both, which told Mayumi that her attack had dealt an effective blow.

  Confirming was all she could do, as pain seared through Mayumi's arms. Letting out an anguished moan before letting her body slump forward. Staggering in pain, she barely managed to hold on before falling to her knees.

  With her vision, blurred by tears, she could find no wounds. There was only the pain of being punctured.

  （What…? Is…?)

  She could guess it was some kind of counterattack by Laura. But couldn't muster what exactly.

  This is a witch's auto-retaliatory magic [Erinyes]. It works much like an older form of

  "Hex Reversal," in which a magic sequence is projected outwards, reflecting back pain inflicted on the user.

  By default, this magic would inflict pain ─ phantom pain that would actually manifest wounds of the same degree ─ equivalent to those experienced by the user's own body.

  Fortunately for Mayumi, in this case, given the wide-area and indiscriminate nature of Hail Storm, Laura was not directly targeted by the magic. As a result, the pain was only partially transmitted to Mayumi.

  It was still enough pain to prevent Mayumi from pushing her offensive.

  A staggering Laura stumbled away.

  There wasn't energy left in Mayumi to try to track her whereabouts with the

  [Multiscope].

  The hail descended like bullets in what was less a hailstorm and more a barrage of ice bullets.

  It lasted for no more than ten seconds.

  To Ryousuke it felt like he was being sprayed with gunfire for over a hundred times longer than that.

  The road left scattered with broken branches and strewn with countless small holes along the road surface. No doubt this area will need a total repaving job.

  143

  No doubt the aftermath of the vertical barrage of ice. The barks of the roadside trees had been scrapped, but not a single one had fallen.

  Ryousuke himself was not damaged at all. His [Reactive Armor] completely covered him from the barrage of ice. He reflexively stopped at the time, but he would be able to move without hindrance even under that hailstorm if he had the mind to do so.

  Frustration overcame Ryousuke at the late realization.

  He was completely distracted from his enemy in the hailstorm. The enemy's blade could be reaching him right at this very moment ─ the realization of such danger shot through Ryousuke's mind.

  He frantically searched for Lü Dongbin. Fortunately, less than half of the streetlights had been broken by the hailstorm. The light was sparse, but there was still some dim visibility.

  Lü Dongbin was in a defensive posture with his back against a roadside tree, his face shielded by his arms and his body curled up. It was too dark to make out the details, but he could see him, that was his chance.

  His body was already moving as soon as he felt that. With a single breath, Ryousuke closed the seven or eight meters distance from the tree to which Lü Dongbin had his back on.

  He must have sensed it, because Lü Dongbin dropped his defensive posture and raised his head. He then threw his knife, as well as his dagger at Ryousuke.

  Ryousuke didn't dodge.

  Ryousuke's magic shield bounced back the two blades thrown at close range.

  Perhaps Lü Dongbin was expecting that Ryousuke would continue the usual evasive maneuvers. When Ryousuke pressed forward, his reaction was delayed for a moment.

  Lü Dongbin still managed to thrust the knife in his right hand at Ryousuke's right arm as he lunged forward.

  Ryousuke interrupted his thrust and opened his right fist to knock Lü Dongbin's right hand away.

  Lü Dongbin responded immediately with a knife attack with his left hand.

  Ryousuke backslap Lü Dongbin's left arm with his right hand while planting his outstretched right foot even harder on the ground.

  He then jabbed his left fist out.

  144

  He aimed at the "Dan-chou7" pressure point in the center of the chest.

  His enemy didn't let him get to the vital point so easily.

  As a result of Lü Dongbin's evasive action of twisting his upper body, Ryousuke's first landed slightly to the left of the sternum, in the opponent's right chest.

  The feeling of broken ribs coursed through his left fist.

  At the strong feeling of discomfort, Ryousuke's movements stopped.

  He usually does not feel anything tactile while wearing [Reactive Armor]. He could feel resistance and pressure through the magic armor, but not sense breaking his opponent's bones.

  (Did the [Reactive Armor] deactivate…!?)

  Of course, he didn't deactivate it by himself.

  Even though he is in the middle of a battle, his individual armor magic has been canceled.

  It did not break.

  Ryousuke's Reactive Armor was canceled from the outside, against his will!

  Lü Dongbin's left arm, knife in hand, moved.

  Reacting to this, Ryousuke tried to lower his right arm to block it.

  But he was too late.

  The knife pierced Ryousuke's right side.

  It moved to push in deeper, but his right arm got in the way, preventing it.

  Lü Dongbin let his left hand go off the knife and staggered out of the position between Ryousuke and the street tree.

  Lü Dongbin escapes with his hand clutched to his right chest.

  The speed of his escape was by no means fast. His steps were erratic.

  But Ryousuke could only hold his right side with his hand, unable to move from his position.

  7Illustrative

  145

  146

  Chapter 6

  [Interruption]

  Evening of August 11th, local time, Uzbekistan. Tatsuya receives a call from Fujibayashi on the satellite phone. Without so much as a word of greeting, Fujibayashi's first words were the news of the attack on the FLT Labs.

  "Are there any casualties? Wounded?"

  [Fortunately, no fatalities. But Tookami-san sustained a serious puncture wound in his side.

  "Tookami-san, you say? Was his magical armor broken?"

  Tatsuya couldn't hold back his surprise as he asked back.

  Despite much of Ryousuke's efforts to keep it a secret, Tatsuya had [Elemental Sight]. He knew of Ryousuke's [Reactive Armor] ability and that it originated from the former Tenth Research Institute.

  That individual armor magic is not something so easily broken. Noted for its defensive power against all forms of physical attacks, it should also have neigh-impermeable resistance against magic attacks that are mediated by physical phenomena.

  Sure it may have some structural vulnerability in the magic. Tatsuya knows Ryousuke is an Extra. And for the number to be stripped of his family, there had to be some inherent flaw in the Reactive Armor that Tatsuya is unaware of.

  That, or perhaps the enemy may have employed a special technique to break through the magic shield. That seemed the most likely of the two.

  [The details are unknown. He is still undergoing treatment so we haven't been able to hear any details from him yet.]

  "I see. Is there anyone else injured? How is Saegusa-san?"

  As their de facto employer, it was the next natural question to ask about the person Ryousuke was paired with, Mayumi. His concern about her well-being was more than just out of a sense of responsibility as her employer.

  147

  An injury to Mayumi meant a disservice to the Saegusa Family by the Yotsuba Family.

  Tatsuya questioned himself if it was poor judgment on his part to assign Mayumi in guard duties.

  [Mayumi-san is unharmed.]

  Therefore, hearing this answer, Tatsuya felt relieved as any other person would.

  [However, besides Tookami-san, there were also five security guards who were in serious condition.]

  "By serious, you mean life-threatening?"

  In inquiring, there wasn't much of a hint of concern in his tone.

  The same could be said for the calmness of Fujibayashi's voice over the phone.

  [All five appear to have lost the ability to communicate. Not only are they unable to speak, but they are also unable to read and write. There are no signs of physical trauma or brain hemorrhage from the exams, so I assume it must be the result of magic.]

  Fujibayashi's first sentence was enough for Tatsuya to understand what had happened to the guards.

  "That seems to be the symptom caused by the magic of a prehistoric civilization,

  [Babel]."

  […Are you familiar with it?]

  "It is a magic that was used by members of FAIR on the American West Coast, where I recently went. It is contagious, so please have them magically quarantined."

  [─Understood. I will arrange it immediately.]

  Fujibayashi couldn't hide, nay, she didn't even attempt to hide an accusatory nuance to infuse in her voice. Most likely out of discontent that information was withheld from her.

  "Please contact Yuuka-san and inform her that there has been a [Babel] victim. She knows the treatment procedure."

  [So am I to contact Tsukuba-san directly? Noted."

  Tatsuya submitted a detailed report about [Babel] to the main house. But Maya was not the only person to receive his report. He submitted a detailed report to the head family.

  He also brought the information and method on how to counteract the effects of Babel directly to Yuuka, who specializes in mental interference magic. She should be able to prevent the spread of further damage.

  148

  He should have warned Fujibayashi, and maybe Mayumi, about [Babel]. ─He thought as he hung up the call. Although he did not go out and say it, Tatsuya at least acknowledged his mistake to himself and regretted it.

  The possibility that Laura Simons had obtained Babel using the " Guru's Tablet" was predictable enough. His preoccupation with the search for Shambhala must have blinded him from considering the risks that came with the news of her arrival in Japan.

  Fortunately, it seems that Babel didn't result in any extensive damage. He can take that as some small respite. That said, he couldn't ignore the fact that Laura Simons was using [Babel] and that the other burglar managed to bypass [Reactive Armor].

  If necessary, he would be obliged to return to Japan.

  He frowned at the prospect of the disruption of his plans.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  Tatsuya wasn't the only one furrowing his brows at ruined expectations. Having coursed through a report from an intelligence officer in Uzbekistan, Canopus sighs and leans back, staring up at the ceiling.

  "Lack of training… Lack of experience… No, you don't have any to begin with. Are you really fundamentally unfit for this?"

  The soliloquy, a complaint, escaped him.

  Once again, he looked down at the report. It detailed Evelyn's deployment to the IPU.

  Written there were the details of the commotion she had caused in Samarkand.

  (What were you thinking when you decided to launch a preemptive strike…) This time he didn't voice his mind, but instead kept his grumblings to himself. No matter how many times he found himself being followed, he would never have voluntarily started a battle when it was unrelated to the mission in a foreign country he was undercover in. It was common sense.

  (And what was his officer doing, too? Why didn't he stop her…?) The stance from the report was if it wasn't his problem. It is written as if he was an examiner or a critic. While objectivity is an essential quality for an intelligence officer, lack of responsibility seems to better describe this case.

  (And I heard he was a veteran in his field…)

  149

  More of a veteran in avoiding responsibility, it seems. He was a poor choice to work with someone new to foreign missions like Evelyn. In fact, selection of personnel appears to be the issue with this operation, the choice of Evelyn for it was also inappropriate.

  There was a failure in the vetting of the mission itself. It was impossible not to admit that he had misjudged the situation in the region himself. ─Canopus reflected as he considered the situation.

  He came to the decision to abort and re-evaluate the operation, and to recall Evelyn.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  The day after the attack, Fujibayashi visited Ryousuke in the hospital with Mayumi in tow.

  "I heard the surgery was a success. That's some relief."

  Fujibayashi speaks to Ryousuke, who is awake. His gaze was steady, the anesthesia seemed to have worn off.

  "I'm sorry. I suffered an embarrassing defeat…"

  Ryousuke's face contorted in frustration. There also seemed to be some residual pain.

  "I wouldn't say so. You repelled the thieves and nothing was stolen."

  Mayumi offers some consoling words to Ryousuke.

  "…And the guards, how are they?"

  "The injuries are nothing serious. Magical effects have also been addressed."

  Fujibayashi gives an honest answer to Ryousuke's question.

  Mayumi kept the guards outside the range of the [Hail Storm], and Yuuka had already restored their language faculties impaired by [Babel] by removing the magic sequence lodged in their left temporal lobe.

  "You were the only requiring hospitalization, Tookami-san."

  "I see…"

  A shadow fell over Ryousuke's face again.