This wasn’t normal.
Nearly every civilian had evacuated to underground shelters, yet the city was still crawling with signs of human presence. Far too many.
Heavy footsteps rang out, deep and deliberate. At first, they could’ve been mistaken for a single person’s tread. But no, the synchronized march of several figures clad in black armor betrayed their numbers.
Akari crouched behind the wreckage of a massive building, holding her breath.
In her arms lay an unconscious Aoi.
Eyes tightly shut, she waited for the dark-clad group to pass.
Through her closed eyelids, she heard distant cannonfire. She exhaled only when the soldiers’ steps faded into the distance, then slowly opened her eyes.
Her head swam.
Blood streamed down her face, trailing from her scalp to drip onto Aoi’s arm.
She couldn’t risk heading for the nearest shelter, not when she kept crossing paths with those armored units.
All she could do was hope that FND came to retrieve them.
But…
「Aoi…」
Would he even survive until then?
The seal bracelet that kept his powers in check was gone. The malevolent energy now pouring from him looked ready to devour his life whole.
Blood ran from the corners of his eyes. His skin was pale, but burning hot, flushed bright red.
All Akari could do now was believe he’d be saved.
She had to get him into someone else’s care, someone who could help him, even one second sooner.
Cradling him against her chest, she gently removed the activation device from his wrist and secured it to her own.
Then she drew a key from her pocket.
When the time came, she’d have to fight.
「……」
Her hands were trembling.
She stared at them, surprised.
The August sky blazed above, so why did she feel so cold?
People like Aoi and Kotone could fight without flinching. But she was just a first-year high school student. No amount of mental preparation could ready her for a real battlefield.
If she came across a corpse, she’d probably lose it.
The fact that she hadn’t collapsed into sobs or screams already… that alone was something, she tried to tell herself, unconvincingly.
She pulled Aoi upright and slung one of his arms over her shoulder.
Every burn on her body screamed in protest, the pain like fire licking her raw nerves.
Dust and rubble lodged in the wounds on her hands, making her wince.
Still, she pressed on, staggering through the ruined streets.
The wind chased her, brushing against her skin and making the open wounds throb.
Every time a chunk of debris collapsed nearby, her whole body twitched.
She reached a large intersection.
Abandoned cars lay scattered across the road, some flipped over, others belly-up, none with any regard for traffic laws.
Another crash, more rubble collapsing.
She turned, like a frightened puppy. It seemed like an overreaction, but,
She froze.
There were people.
No, soldiers. Two of them, clad in armor.
Their spears shimmered with a sickly luster.
Now wasn’t the time to hesitate.
If you get killed before activating your Radiant Divine Arms, it’s all meaningless. If the enemy gets the jump on you, the first thing you do, no matter what, is activate it.
The teacher’s voice echoed in her mind.
Akari shoved Aoi against a nearby wall, letting him slide down gently.
Then she reached for her key.
She wasn’t ready to fight.
She was terrified.
But if she didn’t fight, she’d die.
That single, rational thought was the only thing keeping her moving.
「Resonate…!!」
《Ignite. Caution.》
《Connection established.》
Without hesitation, she plunged the intricately patterned key, its design a blend of crimson and blue, into the activation slot.
A synthetic female voice echoed, summoning power to her.
A sudden wind tore through the air, swirling violently around her. Wherever it passed, flames flared to life, leaving glowing footprints of fire in its wake.
Then, fire burst upward, engulfing the space around her and obscuring her vision.
In the heart of it, the flames licked her body, and with that, her outfit began to transform, forged anew by the blaze.
Before the flames fully cleared, Akari clenched her racing heart.
If she was going to fight, it didn’t matter if the enemy was stronger.
She had to win, or die.
Just as her transformation ended, one of the armored soldiers charged through the scattering embers, spear raised.
His armor was dense. So was his weapon. And yet, his speed exceeded even what Akari could achieve with her augmented senses.
She barely dodged a thrust aimed at her face. The wind it generated tore across her cheek, opening a shallow gash.
A second shadow loomed overhead.
Another spear, raised high toward the sky, came crashing down like a bolt of lightning.
She twisted to the side, letting debris cut into her skin as she ducked under the strike and prepared to counter,
「Eh— ?」
A massive hand surged toward her face.
Before she could react, she was hit full force, sent flying through the air and tumbling across the ground.
Her consciousness flickered.
Terror coursed through her body, and she fought to reclaim her scrambled sense of direction, resisting the pain that threatened to drown her.
She didn’t know what was happening.
But something deep inside screamed, ‘A spear is about to pierce you, move!’
Tears stung her eyes as she forced herself upright.
A surge of strength, desperate, wild, filled her legs. She leapt back, putting distance between her and the threat.
The ground where she’d been just moments before now lay shattered. The sound of its destruction sent a chill up her spine.
She wiped the blood from her nose and tried to step forward, but her body wouldn’t move.
It was as if she were chained in place.
Her breathing came in short gasps, catching in her throat like air folding in on itself.
Even a student of the most elite school in Japan was powerless in this moment.
Her mind conjured a vision of herself, shattered like the rubble she’d just escaped. The image sent tremors through her body.
She couldn’t make herself step forward.
Not after that terrifying display.
Not after seeing what they could do.
Her instincts screamed: Don’t engage.
(Please, just move!!)
She slammed her thigh with her fist.
But still, her body refused.
And her enemies weren’t about to wait for a frightened child to find her courage.
A spear swept through the air.
The very atmosphere twisted in its wake, warping, distorting, until it became a slash of pitch black energy that swallowed her vision.
Akari couldn’t move.
She stood frozen as the storm of death rushed toward her.
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