d the surroundings.

Everyone knew her style, and right now this troublesome premonition had become a detailed image, emerging in the minds of the spectators.

"She'll definitely charge out from somewhere."

"Not only that, but she might be on her way right now."

"The level of pollutants lowered already too, so we're probably not wrong."

"We knew it a long time ago, but our Captain is really impatient."

Everyone present nodded agreement with Sharnid's comment.

"So, we don't have any leisure to help the battle plans of Zuellni and the City Collective."

Felli said this. Layfon nodded his head along with Sharnid and Harley. The two of them had said something similar when they had run into Layfon, and they definitely wouldn't dissent.

Of course, Layfon didn't have any disagreement.

"We can confirm that Captain has run out to that monster. But even so, we can't brainlessly charge out."

"Why do you say that?"

Layfon raised a question to Felli's opinion.

"Because of the flames targeted here that the monster shoots out from its body. It seems that it's not releasing ordinary flames. You could call them filth monsters with a form of heat. The enemy is that kind of inexplicable being."

"Doesn't make sense."

Sharnid was confused.

"What's a 'form of heat', what does that mean in the first place."

"The meaning is, the flames given off from that monster's body choose what they want to burn themselves."

"Hah?"

"That monster's surroundings have already formed a sea of lava. But, the the sea of lava isn't spreading out in a circle, but continuously spreads towards here."

"Ehh?"

"In other words, while the heat that the monster gives off turns the ground into lava, it closes in on this City Collective. Moreover, this kind of thing is happening without any sort of special means guiding it here."

"Nnn."

"In that case, we can surmise that this heat has the consciousness to be able to choose its target to burn."

"It's not that beast manipulating it?"

"If it were truly like that, the situation would be easy."

"?"

Though everyone had doubts towards Felli's words, the expression on her face told the audience that she wouldn't give the answer.

"....In any case, our primary mission right now is to find Captain. Afterwards, we can make the next decisions...."

Just as Felli said these things.

"Ah...."

Noticing something, Layfon made a sound.

Something had suddenly appeared floating in front of them.

◇

Schneibel turned around, feeling that something had drawn close.

"So it was you."

Schneibel narrowed her eyes as she looked at the thing there. Such a relatively small existence used a solemn expression to look at its mother.

It was Zuellni.

"How incredible, to do this kind of thing while keeping it hidden from me."

"Surely you don't think that way, mother-sama."

Zuellni used a toneless voice to speak to the mother of all Electronic Fairies.

"Right now, my child, you only need to let me take care of everything. Those are my true thoughts."

"If I could, perhaps it would be fine to do as you say."

"Precisely. If ‘they’ have no way to seize Grendan, I've told you many times to just give up on them."

Schneibel's speech indicated Dix and Nelphilia.

"It's definitely not easy to do that in my position."

"The Academy City is to train personnel, a place to let people pursue their possibilities. In fact, it was the city that you chose, and I also expressed my complete approval for that. But, not everyone can obtain what they want. You should be able to understand this just by looking at your compatriots, right?"

"........"

"How few many of the Electronic Fairies that were born with you became cities.... there's no way you wouldn't know that, right?"

The half-bird, half-man Schneibel had a strange, lonely feeling of beauty, and at the same time was a being who had experienced history, her body having a motherly dignity.

These all impressed themselves on the Electronic Fairy Zuellni.

But, she didn't succumb to this majesty, but rather endured the gaze of his mother from where she stood.

"Of course I know."

"Then humans are also the same. In the end, possibilities are only possibilities, and education cannot ensure the coming future. Not all humans will be able to grasp success."

"So there's no reason to protect all of humanity?"

Zuellni said Schneibel's words a step ahead of her.

"Precisely."

"I never thought of that."

As if to stop Schneibel who was nodding in satisfaction, Zuellni spoke.

"Nothing will happen in the future for sure, and regardless of what kind of possibility it is, success can't be guaranteed. Similarly, being defeated once won't doom a person's future. Everything about a person won't be decided because of one fact."

"What are you saying?"

"I believe in all possibilities. I believe that youths filled with desires will bridge the gaps to the possibilities in their heart, and I believe that the girl entrusted with my weapons will find herself again."

"........"

"Moreover, I have a reason that I cannot forgive mother-sama."

"What is it?"

"You used the possibilities that I believe in."

In Zuellni's eyes as she said this was a sharp gaze completely different from her size. She glared at Schneibel.

"You used that young heart and tried to create this situation."

"You speak the truth."

Schneibel accepted without any appearance of disagreement.

"Beginning since the time that one appeared, my battle plans were decided. The plans that I decided on from the beginning were to use that person's heart, and then use the hearts of the people opposing her. I do not mean to say that I only made that kind of decision after he came to your city. It was only coincidence that it would happen in your city."

Schneibel didn't seem to be lying at all, and she only casually recounted the facts.

Even as an Electronic Fairy and a moving city, Zuellni felt that Schneibel didn't recognize her values at all.

Schneibel didn't mind a number of sacrifices to reach her goal. Regardless of whether human lives were sacrificed or the lives of her children.

And even if these sacrifices included Zuellni before her, her attitude wouldn't change at all.

She didn't have any doubts that her actions were right.

"Just let the Antalk girl die."

Schneibel said.

"Even if she is defeated, the group of Haikizokus inside her will choose to self-destruct, right?"

Zuellni asked this, and her voice shook.

"You are correct."

"You never considered her life or death from the beginning, did you?"

"It's up to the Antalk girl herself whether she lives or dies. But, there's nothing in those soldier's eyes that would let her think of a plan to live on. The moment it appeared, I had already prepared the greatest destructive power that I could, and had prepared the best method. This is all I can think of."

She was speaking of the flaming beast.

Grendan and Schneibel had always prepared to greet the battle, but there was truly far too little information on what kind of being the enemy was.

They only knew a small bit, which was that if they ever lost to that beast, this world's destruction would not be far.

In this kind of situation, what Grendan and Schneibel could do was gather as much fighting power as they could.

Grendan's way of thinking was to prepare strong, pure Military Artists.

However, Schneibel's target was to prepare a destructive weapon.

Those were the many Haikizokus inside Gildred Antalk, and Nina Antalk had been the one to succeed his mantle.

"Did you begin preparing everything from the beginning?"

"I knew long ago that Gildred's flesh was slowly approaching its limits. I was continually preparing the next successor for this. The Antalk family was something I prepared when that city was being created, a family that exists for this moment. Nina Antalk is only one of them."

"........"

"Because she succeeded in merging with the Electronic Fairies, a new possibility appeared for her body - that is a fact. I also took some slight actions for her to come to you where she could run into those two people, after she left the city."

"You really...."

"But the developments afterwards were all up to the possibilities you speak of. Come to think of it, should our current situation be called fate?"

"You're guiding people to the possibility of death...."

That was why Zuellni used such a sharp gaze to stare at her mother.

"You used the people of my city. Even if only for this fact, I wouldn't trust you. And I will not hesitate to work as hard as I can to save the people of my city."

"....There's a limit to doing stupid things."

"I'm only protecting the possibilities of the people of my city. I won't forgive anyone who obstruct their possibilities, even if it's mother-sama."

"....Then what can you do about it?"

"........"

"You who has dedicated all of your function as an Electronic Fairy to the city - what more can you do? The action of using En to move the city already surpasses the limits of your strength."

"I already did it."

"What did you say?"

"I said, I have already completed what I can do."

Though Schneibel showed a perplexed expression listening to Zuellni's repeated words, She also noticed a small change after it.

It was gone.

The Psychokinesis flake that had been blocked by her wing had disappeared.

"Zuellni, you-"

Of course Schneibel knew who owned that Psychokinesis flake. Zuellni definitely also knew.

When had that Psychokinesisis flake gotten free?

Starting from when had that flake been sending the conversation here to its master?

"A possible crisis will bring a new possibility."

Seeing Schneibel scowling, Zuellni spoke.

"But by now, can it still be in time?"

Nina had already rushed out. Though it was a long path to reach the flaming beast, the beast didn't seem to be moving from where it was. Then, Nina definitely would reach that place first. Even if there were someone who wanted to stop her, they wouldn't make it.

"What I can do is tell the existence of possibilities to others."

Zuellni, who said this, believed in the mentioned possibilities inside her heart without the slightest doubt.

◇

"What should I say, it seems funny because it's too much like something she would do."

Though Sharnid said this, of course he didn't laugh much. Not only this, but his expression was extremely solemn, and due to his tightly clenched teeth even his jaw looked warped.

Next to Sharnid, Layfon was running.

"I'm pretty annoyed, actually. If not for this situation I wouldn't have to be carrying Harley."

"Uwah!"

On Sharnid's back was Harley, desperately suffering through the extraordinarily high movement speed of Military Artists.

"Felli, what's the situation?"

Layfon asked Felli who was being carried in his arms.

(I've captured traces of Captain from the position of the flake. Her location of departure has already been determined. Right now it is very easy to predict her goal.)

Felli was also uncomfortable because of the high speed, and she buried her face in Layfon's chest. Using the flake to speak was because she wasn't able to open her mouth to talk.

Layfon and Sharnid were advancing at that fast of a speed to the place that Felli had just mentioned.

A Psychokinesis flake had appeared by Layfon and the others.

When they learned that it was one of Felli's flakes, she had spoken up.

The information obtained from this flake was the conversation between the Electronic Fairies Zuellni and Schneibel just now.

And now, Layfon and the others were running.

"I heard not long ago that the situation had become strange. But still, the situation develops worse and worse."

"You're right."

Though he didn't know what to say, Layfon still nodded his head.

"What 'Warriors Guided by Fate'? I don't like an ending where the hero doesn't come back alive."

"Same for me!"

Though Layfon hadn't read this story, he still had the same feeling.

"As I thought, isn't it more correct to put life and death more clearly, and then bring the hero back alive like a good supporting role?"

historical

"I get what you mean!"

Layfon replied loudly back, and they came to the place that had been brought up in discussion before.

Grendan's outskirts. Though the city's interior had already crumbled and was as hazardous as a place could get, all of Grendan was currently already in that kind of state.

But even in this kind of condition, it still stood in the forefront of humankind.

If one charged straight at the flaming beast from here, it would undoubtedly be the shortest distance.

"Let's go!"

Sharnid put down Harley, restoring his Dite while shouting out.

"Yes!"

Putting down Felli, Layfon also replied to him.

Then, they charged onto the battlefield.