Nuclear Weapons World.
Tokyo, Japan. Chūō Ward, Ginza Avenue.
At that moment, the neatly paved concrete streets were filled with rows of main battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles in grass-green camouflage.
"Prepare to advance!"
"Start the vehicles!"
Suddenly, from the front came the broadcasted orders of Lieutenant General Hazama, the commanding officer.
[Roarrrrr—]
At once, the steel gates enclosing the "Ginza Gate" rumbled open to either side under electrical power.
Meanwhile, the Type 74 tanks, the Type 89 infantry fighting vehicles, and the military jeeps, until then idling quietly, began to roar like beasts.
"Advance!!"
The voice of the tank company captain rang out from the front ranks.
Soon, the formation began to move, row by row, driving into the darkness of the "Ginza Gate" tunnel.
At that moment, the eyes of all Japan, and indeed the entire world, were fixed on this scene.
"Captain, shall we move out as well?"
At the corner of a tall building by the avenue, Yamanaka Kōsuke spoke in a low voice to Uchiha Tekka ahead of him.
"Wait a little longer. No one knows what's on the other side of the 'Gate.' I'd wager there's at least an otherworld army waiting there. Let the Self-Defense Force tanks go in first."
Uchiha Tekka's tone was calm and unhurried.
Their mission this time was infiltration. If they were hit head-on by a large force, they would have to fight back or evade.
And the moment they did, their Invisibility Technique would shatter, leaving them exposed between both sides.
But what none of them realized was that, right beside the tank column at the front, there was already another group moving unseen.
This group followed alongside the advancing tanks, slipping along the edge of the tunnel.
Indeed—it was Louise, Saito, Tiffania, Hodolew, Tabitha, Kirche and Illococoo.
The shimmering veil of light cloaking them, granting their invisibility, was none other than Louise's newly acquired "Void Magic: Illusion," bestowed through the "Founder's Prayer Book"!
Before long, the two ninja squads also followed, merging with the tide of armored units flooding into the "Ginza Gate."
They advanced along the tunnel edges, one squad on the left and the other on the right.
The distance between them and Louise's group ahead was less than 50 m.
Yet neither side noticed the other.
Moments later, accompanied by the deafening roar of engines—the two Type 74 main battle tanks at the very front finally drove through the "Gate" into the "Special Region."
"Report: It's nighttime here. Seems we're on a slope, surrounded by mountain ranges."
Inside one of the tanks, the commander scanned the surroundings through an infrared night-vision scope, then relayed the situation over radio to the vehicles behind.
At the same time, more and more tanks rolled out of the "Gate," automatically spreading into the open ground on both flanks.
Very soon, they spotted a dense cluster of lights up ahead.
Zooming in with optics—they revealed themselves to be countless torches, an ancient army tens of thousands strong, along with hordes of monsters and wyvern riders circling in the skies!
As expected, the enemy had already assembled, ready to strike them head-on.
"Enemy sighted!"
"Prepare for battle!"
In the next moment, soldiers of the Ground Self-Defense Force burst from the armored vehicles and jeeps behind, each carrying a Type 64 automatic rifle.
They moved quickly, taking cover behind their vehicles and the rocky slopes nearby, eyes tense and fixed on the flickering torchlight in the distance.
"Those Imperial troops are finished."
Hodolew shook his head at the sight.
Over these past days, he had gained a fair understanding of the destructive power of modern weaponry.
But he could do nothing to stop the tragedy about to unfold.
Instead, he led Louise and the others directly toward the direction of the Kōan Forest.
Yet none of them realized that, though cloaked in invisibility, they were already being tracked by two pairs of eyes.
"Captain, that young lady Louise and her companions are moving east—but like us, they're cloaked in invisibility!"
Hyūga Kōryō whispered to Uchiha Tekka beside him, his Byakugan open wide, the veins around his eyes grotesquely bulging.
"Hm?"
Uchiha Tekka raised his brows, surprise flickering across his face.
"How could they be here? Were they given some mission?"
"No… something doesn't add up."
Uchiha Tekka felt utterly baffled.
According to the plan, in just two days the forces under General Golden Lion were to launch a massive invasion of Yokosuka Port.
At such a critical time, how could Louise—the one responsible for "opening the gate"—possibly be allowed to come here?
And not only that, she had even slipped through the "Ginza Gate" and crossed into this so-called "Special Zone World."
"Captain Tekka, we'll handle keeping watch over Miss Louise," came the voice of Captain Gekko in his earpiece.
"Good. Then our unit will head directly for the Imperial Capital!"
Uchiha Tekka raised no objection and agreed at once.
They had already received intelligence from the rear, information supplied by Hodolew.
Because of that, the shinobi hidden in the Nuclear World already knew more about this "Special Zone World" than even Japan itself did, even possessing simplified maps.
With the assignments decided, the two groups cut communication and immediately set off into action.
Uchiha Tekka, Yakura, and their team no longer paid attention to Louise's departing party.
They strode quickly down the slope known as "Hill of Alnus," veering westward.
Meanwhile, Captain Gekko led three chūnin in pursuit of Louise and the others.
"Hm?"
Just then, a shaft of sunlight suddenly spilled down.
Someone looked up and realized it was the morning sun rising on the horizon.
It felt strange—after all, when they had set out it had been noon, yet here the sky was only just breaking into dawn.
[BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!]
At the same time—
Both groups, Tekka's team and Gekko's, noticed the Ground Self-Defense Force tank corps behind them unleashing a fierce bombardment on the tens of thousands of Imperial troops in the distance.
The roaring thunder of the guns, the shrieking whistle of shells tearing through the air, and finally the blasts that bloomed amid the masses, erupting into fire and smoke—all of it drew their eyes.
Sure enough, it was nothing short of a one-sided slaughter.
"Move! This has nothing to do with us—focus on the mission!"
Uchiha Tekka's voice rang out as a reminder.
"Yes, sir!"
Yakura and the others responded in unison.
At once, they quickened their pace, putting distance between themselves and the Hill of Alnus, as well as the "Gate" that led back to the Nuclear World.
Behind them, the rising fire and rolling smoke painted a spectacular backdrop.
Every explosion marked the end of countless lives.
On the other side—
Louise, Saito, Tabitha, and the rest kept glancing back at the fiery blasts and deafening thunder.
To be honest, it was terrifying for them.
The thunderous reports of the main battle tanks and the massive detonations dwarfed the muzzle blasts of the Zero Magic World's muzzle-loading cannons many times over.
Only Hodolew, desperate to return home, pressed forward without once looking back.
At that moment, as the Magic faded, their figures gradually emerged from the air.
"Hodolew-san, how long will it take us to reach the Forest of Koan?" Saito asked.
"At our current pace, a little more than a day," Hodolew replied.
"Can't Louise just open a 'Gate' and send us straight there?" Illococoo—whose true form was that of a Rhyme Dragon—spoke up, pressing her lips together.
"It's best not to. Earlier, Louise's 'World Gate' was destroyed by a deity from this place. That suggests such magic might be considered forbidden here."
Tabitha answered softly, tightening her grip on the long staff in her hand.
Kirche nodded in agreement.
"Indeed. If that draws their attention, the trouble would be immense. Unless it's a last resort, we shouldn't use it!"
Then, her eyes lit up with a smile as she glanced at Illococoo.
"Aren't you a Rhyme Dragon? Why not transform and carry us across by air?"
Illococoo shook her head shyly.
"Mm… I can only carry three people at most. But there are six of us."
"We could use a levitation spell to make the other three fly."
Tabitha suddenly halted her steps and turned to Kirche.
"We need to test whether magic works properly in this world."
Her gaze swept the surroundings, ensuring they were far enough from the battlefield behind them. Then she raised her staff, chanting softly.
The next instant, her staff pointed toward a nearby tree.
In the air, a massive icicle condensed into form.
With a resounding boom, it shot forward and sheared the thick trunk clean in two. Frost spread across the severed wood, exhaling a chilling mist.
"Magic works—and its power has increased by twenty percent," Tabitha murmured in surprise.
"I see… The concentration of magic particles in the air here is higher, and they're far more active," she whispered thoughtfully to herself.
"After all, this is a world where twelve chief gods exist—like having twelve 'Brimir' equivalents?"
Kirche's face lit with joy as she gazed at the great blazing fireball burning atop her short staff.
"I think I'm starting to like this world. Come forth—my Honey, Flame!"
She flung the fireball onto the ground about 3 m in front of her.
The flames exploded, instantly tracing out a blazing magic circle on the earth.
As the glowing circle gradually faded away, a creature appeared in its place—its whole body crimson, eyes a vivid green, the tip of its tail wreathed in fire. A massive lizard, roughly 1.5 m in length.
Indeed, this was Kirche's familiar.
A Salamander Fire Lizard from some unknown world—a rare familiar in the Zero Magic World.
"Eh? But now doesn't that make seven 'people'?"
Seeing this, Illococoo sighed, then turned and shifted back into her Rhyme Dragon form.
Very quickly, Illococoo bore Tabitha, Kirche, Tiffania, and the Fire Lizard on her back, while Saito and Hodolew relied on Tabitha's Levitation spell to rise into the air, all of them continuing their journey toward the Forest of Koan.
This scene, naturally, was also spotted by the four shinobi trailing behind.
"What do we do, Captain?"
A Uchiha chūnin dispelled his invisibility and looked towards Captain Gekko, who likewise emerged from the air.
"What else? We pursue. Louise showing up here is definitely not normal—we need to find out why!"
"Yes, sir!"
The others in the squad answered in unison.
[Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!]
With no more hesitation, they all launched their Body Flicker Technique.
Meanwhile—
On the side of the Zero Magic World, within the base at the Gate of World—
Shiki sat in what had once been Major General MacArthur's office, his face dark as he listened to the Den-Den Mushi spew curses at him.
Sitting on the sofa across from him, Budo silently listened, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Because on the other end of the line was none other than Minister Kong of the High Command.
"Huff—huff—anyway, you bastard, if you dare to slaughter officers of the Auxiliary Corps again—even a single one—you can pack your ass back to Starfish and stay there! I'll have Kaidō replace you to take on the Nuclear World!"
At last, Kong had vented his fill.
Leaving that final bellow, he didn't even wait for Shiki's reply before slamming the line shut.
The Den-Den Mushi instantly reverted, its eyes closed once more in slumber.
"…"
Shiki gnashed his teeth, his face flushed red with rage, yet he dared not talk back. All he could choke out was two words: "Damn it!!!"
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