"Minoru-sama, thank you for your hard work."

  At the airlock, Minami acknowledged Minoru for his efforts upon returning from the ground.

  "Yeah, thanks."

  "May I ask how it went?"

  Minami inquired, to which Minoru replied, "I think I have a general idea."

  They then made their way to the information center, which had been converted from the submarine's command information center.

  While standing, he operated a console and brought up a map of Central Asia on the display.

  Minoru traced two straight lines on the screen with a stylus device. One line started from the southeastern shore of the Caspian Sea in Turkmenistan, while the other started from the northern shore of the Aral Sea in Kazakhstan. These are two locations which Minoru descended to investigate the location where the "Small Tablet Compass" would point to.

  3New Soviet Union

  31

  "The location the compass is pointing to is probably here."

  Minoru zoomed in on the location where the two-line extensions intersected.

  "Bukhara in Uzbekistan. It matches with the theories of scholars in the Kalachakra Tantra about the location of Shambhala."

  The Kalachakra Tantra is a Tibetan Buddhist scripture and one of the leading contemporary sources on the Shambhala legend. It is, in a sense, the original source of the Shambhala legend.

  "Should we contact Tatsuya-sama right away, then?"

  The investigation using the "Compass" was requested by Tatsuya. It was a reasonable assumption that Minami would ask, "Are you going to report to Tatsuya?"

  "No. Not yet, but there is one more place I would like to check before that."

  But Minoru's answer was "No."

  "Actually, I've found that the closer you are to the destination, the more sensitive the

  'Small Tablet Compass' becomes. When I used it at these two points, the response was much clearer than when I used it at Miyakishima."

  "The movement wasn't considerable then?"

  "Yeah. I thought that even if it weren't to point to the original destination, that the

  'Compass' would respond more accurately when used in areas where relics from Shambhala may reside."

  Minoru's remark was met with surprise by Minami, who asked,

  "Then you have an idea where the ruins may be?"

  "Legends say that there is an underground passage leading to Shambhala in the Potala Palace in Lhasa. I think it is worth checking out."

  "Lhasa, in Tibet!? But, Minoru-sama, wouldn't that be dangerous?"

  Minami maintained her polite speech, but concern was strongly present in her tone.

  She had good reason to be concerned. Tibet is formally an independent state, but it has become a vassal state in effect of the GAU4. And the current Tibetan government followed their will in not allowing Japanese nationals to enter the country.

  Minoru is not a Japanese citizen anymore. "Kudou Minoru" died in the summer of three years ago. However, he uses a forged Japanese passport when on the ground. If he were 4 The Great Asian Union/The Great Union of Asian 32

  to have it on him, the local officials would without a doubt try to arrest him for illegally entering the country. The same would be true even if he weren't to carry his passport.

  The Tibetan judicial authorities are the least of Minoru's problems, however. The problem is that the GAU has stationed soldiers in Tibet, acting as if they own it.

  With Tibet sharing a border with the IPU, the IPU would like Tibet to disassociate from the GAU, whereas the GAU seeks to obstruct any influence of the IPU on Tibet. As a result, the region has become the stage for a secret dispute between the intelligence agencies of the two countries.

  It's likely that those among the most elite of the GAU's intelligence and espionage units have been sent into Tibet. Even for Minoru, they wouldn't be easy opponents to deal with. In light of this, he isn't optimistic about being able to infiltrate Tibet.

  "I'm not taking this lightly. It isn't like I'm going there to pick a fight, nor am I going to meddle with any critical facilities. Even if I get nothing done, I plan to be back in four hours."

  Four hours is the time the Takachiho takes to complete a revolution around the Earth.

  However, since the Earth rotates on its own axis, it takes approximately 4.8 hours for it to make a revolution. Therefore, the optimal time for a round trip to the ground and back is one hour; two, ignoring added degrees of difficulty. This means that Minoru intends to spend at least two hours in Tibet, instead of descending and returning immediately, so if something were to go wrong he then could not return to the Takachiho.

  Minami stared at Minoru with an expression of concern.

  "Don't worry. I'll be careful."

  But seeing the firm resolve behind Minoru's soft smile, Minami couldn't say a word to stop him.

  ◇ ◇ ◇

  Built in the 17th century, when Europe was being ravaged by the Thirty Years' War, to cover a single hill, the Potala Palace is one of the largest stand-alone buildings in the world in terms of area. At the sight of its grandiose appearance, Minoru let out a sigh of admiration.

  He is currently in the guise of an ordinary tourist. In appearance, he should come off as an ordinary young man who cares about his looks. His clothes match the current trends 33

  in Hong Kong and Shanghai. Thanks to his Information BodyDespite the eye-grabbing sight of the Potala Palace up close, Minoru had not forgotten the purpose of his visit.

  (No response from the "Compass"…)

  While keeping a sharp eye out, he discreetly put the "Compass" back in his pocket after using it. Next he shifted his gaze to the base of the Potala Palace. To be more precise, he turned his "eyes" to the inside of the "Marpori Hill" where the palace stands.

  (Is it in a basement or is it in the ground? There is definitely something there, but…) There was no response from the "Small Tablet Compass," but Minoru could sense the existence of objects of magical power hidden "beneath," in the palace, possibly an extensive collection of sacred relics.

  (…That would be impossible. Let's just not.)

  It's undeniable that he had his finger on the trigger. But the risks were too great.

  Even if, for argument's sake, there is a hidden underground vault in the palace where sacred relics are stored, it would still be extremely difficult to gain access to it without causing a scene. Even with Minoru's capabilities into consideration. If there are any relics buried underground rather than stored in an underground vault, then the situation could be even worse.

  In any of those scenarios, it would also be necessary to account for a full-fledged response per part of the GAU. Minoru wasn’t so obsessed with the sacred relics that he would go to such lengths.

  (─What is it? Magic?)

  Suddenly, Minoru sensed he was about to be subject to magical interference.

  (Is this… [Marionette]?)

  A magic was activated seeking to seize control of his body from the outside, interacting with the fake Information Body, which is worn over his physical body with [Parade] and deployed to form an Information Body that covers his original body.

  The knowledge that Minoru inherited along with the residual thoughts of Zhou Gongjin informed him that this was a technique for manipulating other people's bodies based on the "Taoist style" of Ancient Magic of the East-Asian continent.

  (Where did it come from? How did they find out about me?) Impatience threatened to take over Minoru's thoughts.

  (I have to hide my presence before anything else.)

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  Getting a hold of himself, Minoru chose to escape.

  Minoru turned his back on the palace and headed off to a shopping area oriented toward tourists at a brisk pace. So far, there is only one set of eyes on him. It is likely that neither the authorities nor soldiers have received word about Minoru. He is being pursued by a single high-level magician.

  Suppressing the urge to make a run for it, Minoru headed for where the crowds were.

  He kept [Parade] to the bare minimum to maintain his disguise and refrained from casting [Kimon Tonkou]. He believed that the reason for being spotted was because someone noticed him using magic.

  There was no possibility that his appearance was the cause. If it was the case, that there was a problem with his [Parade] disguise, he would have been questioned by the Tibetan government police, who are under the sway of the GAU, or by soldiers of the GAU, who are roaming about as if they own the place.

  Regarding the use of [Parade], he took great care to make sure that his use of magic would pass unnoticed by others. In fact, the only person who had ever detected his use of [Parade] in either Japan or the USNA ─ taking out certain users, owners of rare superpowers, that can visually distinguish Pushion patterns ─ was Tatsuya.

  Could the person currently pursuing Minoru have a perceptive ability comparable to Tatsuya's, or could they be…

  (…Did they notice the use of the "Compass"?) Minoru believed that this was the most likely case. They still do not know how the

  "Compass" operates in principle. All they found out is how to use it. Besides pouring Psions into it in order to activate it, there is an undeniable possibility that it might emit some kind of special signal that Tatsuya and Minoru are unaware of.

  Shortly after Minoru sank into the crowd of tourists, the set of eyes on him increased to two. At about the same time, he sensed a sign of magic being activated. And soon after that, the sound of a flute note reached Minoru's ears.

  Vertigo assaulted him. Holding on to his feet, he held the reins on [Parade] upon its state becoming fluctuating . Minoru wasn’t the sole victim of the dizziness. Many of the tourists he was using to blend in, as well as the working shopkeepers doing business with them, all went down on a crouch. Several fainted and collapsed on the street.

  (A sonic weapon? No…)

  35

  Minoru thought about it for a moment before dismissing the possibility of it being caused by a technological weapon. The "sound" he heard was no physical phenomenon.

  Oscillating Psions. It's a magical "sound."

  (A magic that interferes with an unspecified number of people by making them "hear"

  Psion waves?)

  In magic, a particular target is determined, and the magic interferes with the corresponding phenomena. That's the norm in modern magical theory. This doesn't mean that there’s no magic that interferes with an unspecified number of targets. Which is the case for [Parade] as well as [Kimon Tonkou]. Minoru, who has mastered both of these, wasn’t bound by the accepted notion that "magic requires a specific target."

  Incidentally, there’s a shared characteristic between [Parade] and [Kimon Tonkou], in that both are intrinsically ancient magic. [Parade] is a derivative of the [Road Mirage Matoi], from the ninjutsu style of ancient magic that incorporates contemporary concepts, while [Kimon Tonkou] is itself but a refined version of the original of the Taoist style.

  (Come to think of it, the [Marionette] used earlier is also a magic rooted in Taoism.) (Is my enemy a Daoshi?)

  A master of the East-Asian continent's Taoist system of ancient magic is called a "Daoshi".

  Because of their long history, there are many of those Daoshi in the GAU military.

  (My enemies are GAU magicians after all.)

  (And I can see from the attack just now that they have no qualms about involving civilians.)

  It wasn’t Minoru's intention to drag civilians into this situation.

  Besides, currently, Minoru is the only one who remains standing in this tourist shopping area. There was no curtain of people to hide behind.

  Facial expressions fade from the mirage covering himself. The resources that previously kept the illusion's eyes, nose, and mouth in correspondence to his real face were being reclaimed into standby in preparation for the ensuing magic battle.

  Notes of a flute whistle behind Minoru's back. This time a real sound. The air oscillates instead of the psion waves.

  Minoru's head swerves to look back. There he finds a small figure blowing a flute.

  (A kid…?)

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  He was around as tall as a Japanese elementary school boy. His limbs and head, however, were closer to those of an adult. Apart from his size, most of his features seemed to be of a man in his thirties. His clothing, similarly reflected the choices of an adult male reduced to fit his body size.

  Yet, that's no reason to let one's guard down. It was undoubtedly the sound of this man's flute ─ the perceived sound given by the psion waves ─ that is responsible for the fact that nearly a hundred people, regardless of their level of magic resistance, have been rendered powerless all at once.

  The psion music is still playing under the physical tone at this very moment, stirring Minoru. This "tone" is probably a magic that interferes with brain functions. The reason for the dizziness that makes it hard to stay standing and the difficulty in maintaining magic ─ more precisely, difficulty in renewing the effects of a magic in operation ─ is probably because of the interference with mental faculties.

  The tricky part of this magic, which could beed "Magic Flute," is that it is expressed in the form of music. Instead of targeting a specific target, the magic continuously affects anyone indiscriminately within the area where the emitted psion waves can be heard.

  As long as you are within the range, you can't avoid it, even with [Parade].

  (Should I take some distance with [Mock-Teleportation]?) The magic inhibiting effect of "Magic Flute" is about the equivalent of cast jamming. It's not so strong that it prevents magic being activated, but there is also no reason to stay under the influence of the enemy's magic. There was no longer the option to blend in with the crowd, nor was there any point in concealing his magic skills any longer. He has nothing holding him back from using his magic.

  Minoru activated [Mock-Teleportation] right away. Except, not to return to Takachiho.

  His situation wasn’t so dire to the point he would need to jump to satellite orbit without allowing himself enough time to focus on the task. And he couldn’t accept even the slightest risk that Takachiho's existence might be discovered.

  Minoru's figure vanished, emerging the next instant on a rooftop at the very end of the shopping street. He confirmed the range of the magic flute’s effect before jumping.

  He turned around ready to counterattack.

  Unfortunately, Minoru had to scramble and switch the offensive magic he was activating to a defensive one.

  Invisible blades flew towards Minoru. A slash of vacuum called "Kamaitachi," instead of the popular compressed thin blades of air used in modern magic. Nevertheless, human skin is not so weak as to sever upon exposure with a difference of about one 37

  atmosphere of air pressure at sea level ─ assuming that sea level is one atmosphere and the vacuum is zero. The threat comes not from the natural phenomenon of the vacuum itself, but in the definition of "cutting and tearing" embedded in it.

  (This is not so much a slash as it is a curse… Is this also a Taoist technique?) In Zhou Gongjin's knowledge, there was a magic named [Qióngqí] (窮奇). In this ancient magic, a curse is released through the medium of the wind, imprinting on the enemy the perception that he is "injured" or "ill". It's part of the suggestion, a kind of mental interference magic, that the enemy damages itself by the subjective impression. It gained its name "Qióngqí" from the similarity the beast with the same name has with the Japanese "kamaitachi", which is said to have been re-imported from Japan in the 19th century.

  Regardless of its precise identity, it is not something that can be ignored. Minoru searched for the enemy's location, repelling the vacuum slashes and the built-in curses one after another. From the feel of the magic, it wasn’t from the little man with the flute.

  It was from another pursuer.

  (Where is he…?)

  (─Uh!?)

  His enemy was right under him. Just below, by the building at whose roof Minoru was standing, stood his enemy, looking up at him. Minoru hastily jumped backwards.

  He appeared to be in his forties, slightly taller than Minoru, but more than twice as broad and bulky. Although it could be said his overweight physique was fit for his middle age, he had enough muscles to account for the extra fat in his body.

  The man climbed up to the roof before Minoru could gauge his distance and immediately lunged at him. An iron fan was in his hands as his weapon of choice. Rather than an iron weapon in the shape of a fan, it was actually a fan with its frame and center pivot bone made of iron.

  Minoru deployed an anti-material shield. Which, surely enough, intercepted the blow of the iron fan.

  "─Gah!"

  In spite of this, severe pain struck Minoru. Although he had never experienced it before, Minoru thought, "This must be how it feels to be hit by a baseball bat." Such violent pain bypassed his magic shield, directly striking Minoru.

  Now his enemy was moving to strike him in the side with his iron fan. Minoru attempted to blow the enemy away in an effort to gain distance.

  38

  The magic used was simple acceleration-type magic that uses the Parasite's event interference power. It's actually more akin to psychokinesis than to magic.

  Considering the enemy's physique, it should have been able to blow him away by at least two meters.

  (─My magic was nullified!?)

  But in reality, all it did was to disrupt the iron fan's blow. For under a second, the enemy merely stiffened his body to withstand the gust of wind, then immediately resumed his strike motion.

  (Gram Demolition? No, not that. I didn't catch any psion flow like that.) (What's up with this guy!?)

  Minoru used a movement and inertia control magic on his own body this time, leaping to the rooftop across the street. Right after landing, Minoru sent a ball lightning with emission-type magic toward the enemy.

  The ball lightning shot out at a speed of about 300 kilometers per hour and successfully hit its target. The man attempted to swat away the ball lightning with his iron fan, in what was probably a reflexive defensive action. And it was through the metal frame of the fan that the enemy ancient-style magician ─ the Daoshi apparently received the electric shock. He crouched down atop the roof holding his hand.