ment used as a changing room. Sweat beaded in Karian's face. The same silvery hair that Felli had was stuck on his face. He must have spent his time watching the students repair the place.

His expression looked worse than his face.

"Student President. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine...."

It seemed he would collapse any moment. This heat, plus he wasn't a person of physical strength. Usually he was very busy, and then one crisis happened after another. His mental and physical strength must be close to the limit.

"You should rest a bit."

"No. Everything will be fine if we can overcome this crisis. I can't collapse at this time."

"But...."

"Compared to me, there's something you've to worry about"

Nina didn't know why he called her over, but since she was here, that reason must be extraordinary.

"Did anything happen to Zuellni?"

"She returned to the Mechanical Department after conversing with me."

"Eh?"

Conversing with Zuellni?

"Just...."

"Go. You'll understand."

Karian's face was pale. Was his paleness not related to his exhaustion? But what did he hear from Zuellni?

Nina slowly entered the central area with a big bundle of doubts. She had entered this area before when Melnisc caused Zuellni to go on a rampage. Though she only knew of the existence of the Wolf Faces from Dixerio, or one could say she contacted the strange changes of this world when she leapt through cities, but it all happened after she entered the central area.

The three children chosen by the cruel fate.

That was what Schneibel said. As the mother, the prototype, she would call all other Electronic Fairies "children", then she must be referring to Electronic Fairies. And the ones who were with her at that time were Grendan, Melnisc and Zuellni.

Was Zuellni burdened with a cruel fate too? Wasn't she an Electronic Fairy of an Academy City, a city that nurtured the young? No. Things weren't that simple. Nelphilia held the same appearance as Saya, the original of Electronic Fairies. The beautiful girl who seemed to call forth disaster. She was in Zuellni before. Perhaps everything was related to that.

Nina's feet halted. She had arrived at her destination.

There was a huge gem before her, a gem that hadn't undergone any processing. Connected to it were large machineries and tubes. This was where the Electronic Fairy lived. The soul of the Regios.

Zuellni existed in this gem of unknown color.

".... Why?"

Nina felt nostalgia when she saw her. Though she was more familiar with this Zuellni, she had yet to adapt to this sudden change.

But this only took a split second. Nina immediately noticed and understood the reason behind the change.

"Zuellni......"

The Electronic Fairy smiling in the gem wasn't the grown form that appeared after contacting with Falnir. This was the form of a little girl that Nina first knew.

"Why!?"

Zuellni smiled in the gem and didn't reply. She had never communicated with words, just like the many times when she met Nina, and so Nina shouldn't be feeling any nostalgia even though Zuellni wasn't saying anything.

But Nina had heard of her voice. She heard of Zuellni's voice when she was in Lance Shelled city.

And Karian had also had some special contact with Zuellni. And so why wasn't she answering?

(My owner. Zuellni is very weak right now. Please don't force her.)

Melnisc answered instead.

"Very weak?"

Why?

No, this couldn't be helped. The city's leg was broken. It couldn't even move. Perhaps Nina had made a wrong conclusion. Zuellni was the city's consciousness. A consciousness without a body. The city itself was the Electronic Fairy's body, and the Electronic Fairy was like the soul of a human being. Though it wasn't sure whether humans had souls, the city did have it, and that was the Electronic Fairy.

The body was busy repairing the leg, and so Zuellni must be pouring the Regios' strength into the damaged area. So it was understandable that she had weakened.

(That isn't the only reason, Master.)

Melnisc's meaning clearly put her in the wrong.

"So what happened?"

(Did that girl in dark clothes not tell you? There's no place to retreat to.)

"So......"

(This is what she meant. An equivalent price is needed to overcome a difficulty. This is what you have to have, and so you were called.)

"So......"

(Merciful Electronic Fairy. You have accepted me who went insane because of madness, who almost stepped on the dangerous path of self-destruction. This is what your existence is like. As long as you live, my spirit remains self-sacrificing. You accept those who are confused no matter what will happen. You give guidance to those who don't know their future. This is what your existence is like, and so the Academy City is more suitable for you than any other cities.)

Zuellni smiled, giving off a faint light. But was she commending him? If you looked at this from another angle? He was calling her stupid for sacrificing herself.

"So just what is going on?" Nina howled. "Why is Zuellni this weak?"

Because the city had come across this situation? Or was there another reason? Why did Zuellni turn back into a girl?

Zuellni's expression turned heavy. She didn't say anything.

(The power obtained from Falnir, Falnir had anticipated the intense battle afterwards and so deliberately transferred it to Zuellni so Zuellni could be reborn.)

Melnisc's voice echoed in place of Zuellni's.

(But Zuellni didn't do it. She gave the power to the one who wanted to walk her own path. Zuellni paid her own price in order to help that person move forward.)

"......"

Nina was speechless. The person who wanted to walk her own path. The price. The girl in the color of black had no path to retreat to.

Nina couldn't still not understand. She wasn't this clumsy.

But she wished she was a bit clumsier at this point because it would lessen her feeling of guilt, because the guilt in her chest was about to shatter her chest.

But she had to accept this pain. If she didn't do this, she would have lost to Dixerio in that fight and had her memory taken. She would have become a person not understanding anything. She would have only suffered for feeling impotent.

But regardless, she still felt painful for her own impotence now.

"Was this all because of me?"

There were two Dites in her weapon harness. They had been destroyed some time during the battle but for some reason they had been repaired. The reborn Dites were enough to endure the Haikizoku's power.

"Zuellni, you...."

Zuellni had used Falnir's power to make these two iron whips for her.

For Nina.

It didn't matter to her even if she were to sink into danger.

"Was it because of me that this situation...."

Zuellni couldn't move because of her, and thousands of students were to face the crisis of death.

"This.... Isn't what an Electronic Fairy should do."

Nina couldn't stop her shoulders from shaking with anger and sadness. The Electronic Fairy had chosen to resolve one person's crisis rather than save thousands of people. This was unforgivable.

"Will things be solved if I return this power?"

(That is not possible. A power that has been materialized cannot return to its original form.)

"Is there no way out?"

(Haven’t you been warned?)

"Ah......"

Everything was too late. Too late to begin anew. Zuellni was in a dilemma. The monster was concentrating on Grendan now but it would turn its destructive power to Zuellni after Grendan fell.

Nina herself had caused Zuellni's current crisis.

(......This is from Zuellni.)

Nina was afraid of Melnisc's words.

Zuellni maintained her smile in the gem, but Nina didn't dare look directly at the figure. She blamed herself, but she hadn't thought of suicide. She stood between life and death at that time. If she had lost her memory she would have forgotten all that she had walked through. The person she was living as now would have vanished, and this was the same as death in a certain way.

Nina didn't want to commit suicide.

(Have you found it? That was what she said.)

"Found it?"

Found what?

No. No. Not like that.

Nina wasn't viewed as someone involved at that time in the dream of Grendan. She had no authority to decide anything. She was just caught in the mess by Dixerio, possessed by Melnisc and arrived at that place by following the flow. She had no authority to decide anything. Sheniebel was only considering Melnisc's feeling and hadn't asked Nina anything.

As if Nina was just a tool.

And she was angry about that.

Her own feeling was ignored in the battle against Dixerio. Nina couldn't comprehend his theory, and he wanted to unreasonably take away her memories.

Nina only felt infuriated. She only felt infuriated towards Sheniebel and Dixerio. In anger, she had chosen to walk her current path and refused to forget her past self. And she had allowed Zuellni to come to danger for the sake of her own anger.

"Have you found it?"

Have you found the path you should take?

This was Zuellni's question.

"That kind of thing......"

She couldn't understand.

She was angry when she was in Grendan, as if the tools for drawing could only draw in black in her heart. She got caught in the mystery of this world but she wasn't allowed to do anything about it. Everything made her feel very angry. She felt she had to do something no matter what.

But her anger was reduced after she met up with Layfon and the others and had a discussion with them. Not that she wasn't angry but that anger had become more tolerable.

And right now, the effect of that anger was spread out before her.

She didn't understand what she had to do now.

"Only.... Only a little. I've decided."

She was full of regret. She felt like vomiting for unknowingly carrying such a heavy burden.

Even so, she had to keep moving forward. She would not give up the burden and escape her responsibility.

"I'll protect you. I'll take away your discomfort no matter what happens, no matter what we encounter and no matter what the battle is like."

She didn't know if Zuellni was satisfied with her answer but she had decided. She would have returned to Zuellni when she knew of Zuellni's act even if she had stayed in Grendan. If she was in Grendan, she would have regretted more. She didn't understand the purpose of her existence. It was better if the mystery of the world remained far away. Nina couldn't give up what existed before her eyes.

She had nothing else to do even if the future direction turned out differently.

Zuellni was smiling.

Though she didn't know if this smile was acknowledging, Nina felt her burden had lightened.

What could she do for Zuellni? She must act after thinking on it. She must act no matter whether the action was the right one.

(Captain, can you hear me?)

She heard Felli's voice again when she returned to the outer edge once more.

◇

Time turned back to just a while ago. Just a little while before Delbone contacted Felli.

The Heaven's Blade successors were in chaos.

"Hey, what's going on?"

"What's the strategy? Has she found the enemy's weak point?"

"Hey hey, old woman, this isn't the time to joke."

"What's the situation? Hurry up with the report!"

Voices filled with frustration swept through the outer edge area, but this voice failed to reach the other's ears. The flakes beside them remained silent and helpless on the ground.

The Psychokinesists were still here. They also heard the Heaven's Blade successors' voice but they couldn't believe their senses. Delbone was dead. No, in Delbone flowed the same blood as theirs. Delbone was like a grandmother to them. She was their idol. For such a person to suddenly die, they couldn't calmly accept it, handle it and analyze it. Either way there were too many Psychokinesists who were blood related kin of Delbone's. They were shocked at having lost their pillar of spirit and strength. This feeling was overlapped with sadness for having lost the person they loved, and this was attacking the Psychokinesists.

The Heaven's Blade successors were confused for having lost the information. They could only protect their assigned area with the strength that they were so proud of. But the holes in the boundaries between these areas were increasing and this meant the number of enemies that could move around freely in the city was also rising.

They were the strongest Military Artists in this world.

But their real substance was a soldier's.

They had been assigned to the battlefield and had been fighting according to the situation itself, but they didn't have the ability to grasp hold of the directions of every soldier and command them accordingly.

Delbone was the most suitable to command judging from her ability and so she had been doing this job. The Heaven's Blades couldn't complete their mission now that they had lost her. Cracks had appeared in their coordination after losing Delbone. The cracks were even larger than what Felli was sensing. The live-bullets pierced through these cracks and accurately appeared in front of the Military Artists.

The live-bullets that had successfully entered the city were like the one that appeared at the orphanage. They were like bugs that opened their legs and unfolded their wings. Something that looked like an egg grew on the soft looking part of the body, and another creature crawled out of the egg that was then split out. Every live-bullet carried around 20 to 30 of these things. This meant ten live-bullets in the city would create around an army of 200 skeletons.

One hundred live-bullets were two thousand.

One thousand live-bullets were twenty thousand.

Though an individual skeleton didn't mean a lot to Grendan's Military Artists, the increasing number of live-bullets that slipped through the Heaven's Blades' defense would eventually gather up when the city's assaulting speed slowed down.

The army of skeletons led by the huge bugs, those that the Military Artists had failed to destroy continued to increase in number and at last formed a huge organization numbering more than one thousand. They began to ignore the attacks of the Military Artists as they headed straight for their goal.

The center of the city.

Their goal was Grendan's palace.

And the Heaven's Blade successors didn't know this was happening behind their backs. Only Barmelin and Tigris, the two who were shooting down the live-bullets from inside the city, had noticed the changes.

"This is getting troublesome."

Tigris had a difficult expression on his face. The army of skeletons was forming small groups in their progress under the standing point of the tall building that Tigris was on. If groups were also forming in other places then the number of enemies wouldn't be just one thousand but over ten thousand. Though the Military Artists were battling the newly formed groups, the situation would still be very bad if the number was over ten thousand. There wouldn't be any ways to stop them if they cared nothing for their fallen comrades.

"It seems they plan to defeat the Queen, such a bold move."

Of course, Tigris wasn't worried about the Queen's safety. It was not possible for the Queen to die, but she would get distracted when trying to defeat this group of monsters. Right now, she was concentrating on using the smallest and most accurate amount of Kei to destroy the huge monster. It was very difficult for her to control her huge amount of Kei. The Heaven's Blades were the same. The lowest bar for the Heaven's Blade successors was that they couldn't fully exhibit their large amount of Kei without their Heaven's Blades. And the Queen's Kei far surpassed theirs.

The city would sustain a fatal injury if she casually attacked with her full strength.

"But the other side would win if we can't defend comfortably."

This was true.

The Heaven's Blade successors and the Queen were all very strong, so strong that they could laugh at the Military Artists of any city.

But this didn't mean they weren't human.

Their bodies would be exposed to the pollutants if this city was destroyed. They would die once they inhaled a certain amount of pollutants in the sky. If the army of skeletons managed to interrupt the Queen's concentration and she then attacked recklessly and ended up destroying the city too. The Heaven's Blade successors that were fighting in this dilemma on the defense line had no time to resolve this crisis.

No. Maybe they could.

But this was a very dangerous bet. The Heaven's Blade successors could give up defending and instead, used an attack that far surpassed this monster's regeneration ability to completely annihilate it. But it wasn't possible to estimate the amount of time needed for this strategy to work.

And the city would sustain the greatest harm in the time of the Heaven's Blades giving up their defense.

To kill or be killed. Should they risk it? Even the Heaven's Blades were hesitating, not to mention the ordinary citizens of the city.

But the person who had reached her limit had appeared beside Tigris.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Barmelin howled. "So annoying. Super annoying! Go die. Die in pieces!"

"Idiot. Don't do something stupid!"

But it was too late. Barmelin tossed away the cannons in her hands, took up her Heaven's Blade Swattice and shot out a pillar of light. One shot after another. Each shot punched a hole in the monster that was covering Grendan and allowed the people in the city to glimpse the outside.

"Really!"

Tigris forced himself again to protect the area she had abandoned. Layfon's fight was destroying quite a number of live-bullets in the sky but that was only one part of many places. It wasn't complete.

External Kei variation - Meandering Haze. Scattered Luster.

Tigris' arrows instantly smothered Grendan's sky.

This was the action he took alone to protect his and Barmelin's areas. Either way, his move only worked for a few minutes. Barmelin, who had gone on a rampage, continued to shoot pillars of light at the monster during this time. Numerous holes opened in the monster's body and sealed up again, but other new holes then appeared. This scenario repeated itself again and again. But this was the same as doubling Tigris' burden, and this burden wasn't lifting. Tigris had confidence he could keep up with it, but he wasn't so sure now that his burden was increasing.

Was it the burden on his spirit?

No. His body.

Perhaps this was the first fatal weakness in the coordination of the Heaven's Blade successors. This weakness appeared because they had lost Delbone, their commander.

The defensive formation was losing shape. Barmelin lacked self-control in her attack. Tigris' body was reaching its limit because of his old age.

"Uurgh."

The limit came after shooting a few more shots. Intense pain came from the Kei vein around his back, and it was running through his organs because of a chain reaction. The elder vomited blood.

"Old man!?"

"Quick. Stop. We can't destroy the balance of the defense."

It already took most of his strength to say those words. In the next moment, he pushed Barmelin away, sending her flying.

"Ah!"

The defensive line collapsed above them. The live-bullets fell to attack the two of them. Tigris had no more strength left to avoid them.

"Old man!" Barmelin said as she restored her cannons to stop the live-bullets' invasion.

"Tsk!"

The buildings around them were destroyed in the split second that the rain of bullets fell. Barmelin was moving as she tried to find a new standing point, shooting continuously with the cannons and defending.

"Old man!" she said as she moved.

But Tigris had not climbed out of the debris no matter how many times she called.

The other Heaven's Blade successors couldn't have not noticed this change. But they didn't do anything. All they could do now was increase their area of protection even if just by a little. None of them wanted to scold Barmelin. They might have done the same thing as her.

"Damn. Does this mean two down?" Ruimei howled in anger. The other Heaven's Blades too. Delbone's mission had failed and death would come.

And Tigris had faced death just then. He had confidence to hold out for a few more days if he was only shouldering his own burden, but the live-bullets slipping through the creaks were becoming a number that the Military Artists behind him failed to handle. This was already happening.

"We can only do this now."

"No."

Reverse stopped the impatient Cauntia.

"This isn't the time to bet with such a risk."

"But we'll all be eliminated if this continues. We'll all die."

"......"

Reverse gritted his teeth under the mask at his lover's sigh.

"Be patient. You must be patient! We can only be patient now! Psychokinesists! How much longer are you going to space out! You must act now that Delbone-sama is not here!" Kalvan shouted.

"Ah, really.... This is bad."

Troyatte's lips twisted because of his teasing smile. The balls of light that burnt the sky continued to expand.

"Psychokinesists! Hurry and report!"

Sadness coloured Kanaris' dance.

".........."

Lintence lit a cigarette in silence.

"I see, so this is hell," he said in a low voice as he breathed out thin, green smoke. The cigarette turned into pieces after he held it tightly in his palm. Lintence took a step forward.

(Ah, you people are so noisy.)

A faint voice filled with disapproval echoed throughout Grendan.

He noticed it. The flake that had fallen helplessly on the ground and was blown far away by his attack now exuded a faint light and returned to his side.

Delbone's flake had taken back its light.

But the voice coming from it was not Delbone's,.

"Who are you?" Ruimei asked.

The other Heaven's Blades heard this question too. The network supported by Psychokinesis had returned. He had never heard of this voice from the Psychokinesists that he knew. There wasn't a clue in his brain of the owner of this voice.

This voice sounded young. It wouldn't be strange that the voice belonged to a young person, but then it wasn't strange for him to take note of person with strength that could overtake another's flake.

(Is it important who I am? Compared to that, what's with this tragic scene when you're all a group of adults? Can't you shut up and do what you should be doing?)

The voice coming through the flake was faint but it had clearly hit the faces of the Heaven's Blades.

"You......" Ruimei said with gritted teeth.

(Sorry. Please excuse us.)

The voice after that was also faint but it was clearly filled with worry. It wasn't that girl before, but a voice of a more mature woman.

(I'm Elsmau Fora, a person who has inherited Delbone-sama's Heaven's Blade, Quantis. The official procedure hasn't been completed, so please treat this as a brief ceremony in the special circumstance that is the war.)

There was a need to provide necessary information in this situation though everyone else was a bit flustered.

(First allow me to report to you the current situation. There are around ten thousand and five hundred enemies that have infiltrated Grendan and they are heading straight for the palace. The defensive line has been spread out but it's only a matter of time before it collapses. And the death of Heaven's Blade successors Delbone-sama and Tigris-sama has also been confirmed.)

Two Heaven's Blade successors had died.

Silence fell to them after this notice.

(The battle resumes.)

The girl's voice once again shattered the silence.

(Heaven's Blade successors are to continue to maintain this situation. Break through one point and investigate the monster's weakness.)

"Who will open the hole?" Cauntia asked.

"It's already hard enough to maintain this situation. The number of enemies will increase in the city if we show any more weaknesses."

(Another person has already been selected to replace your lack of strength.)

"What did you say!?"

(As I said, you only need to do what you have to with your most effort. You are not children anymore. Don't complain and just follow orders.)

"Don't you get ahead of yourself......" Ruimei howled but a voice drowned him out. It was laughter.

"Ahhahahahaha! Great. No. Incredible. Ahhahaha! You're right. We're shamed."

The laughter came from Troyatte.

"Troyatte!"

Troyatte ignored Ruimei's reproached and continued to laugh.

"As she said, old man. We're all adults. How long are we to fiddle around for? If you're feeling like a child being scolded, then show her that you're the adult."

"Um......"

"You're right. Let's believe in that person," Reverse said.

"Tsk, fine."

Ruimei nodded reluctantly.

Everyone else also followed Reverse's suggestion.

"Hey, don't take all the good things yourself."

"Uh? Ah, sorry."

"My Reverse is a real good man compared to you. Of course!" Cauntia said happily.

"So noisy," Barmelin said.

(Annoying adults.)

That voice had been faint from start to finish, and that was how it was left to the adults.

She sighed deeply in the shelter.

It was Felli.

(They're the Military Artists with the highest status in Grendan. You should have respected them more.)

(I'd give them however much you want if that can change the current situation.)

Felli answered Elsmau's complaint coldheartedly. She was surprised that Elsmau was Delbone's successor and the Psychokinesists, Fermaus, of the Salinvan Mercenary Guidance Gang. She was also surprised that she was female. Felli never thought this would happen.

Felli's experience was rich as a Psychokinesist. Elsmau's Psychokinesis interfered with her and rendered her helpless when Haia captured her. Felli had never stomached that part down.

But this time she had to put aside her anger, surprise and regret. She should concentrate everything on the crisis before her.

(But do you think your strategy would work?)

(We'd only encounter the same result if we did it the same way as that person did.)

(Even so......)

Delbone had successfully connected Felli and Elsmau before her death. This meant together, the two of -->>

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