"We lost them. Returning to mobile base," Lina's voice crackled through the communicator.
Celia, supporting Lina from the mobile base, removed her headset. The failure stung less than the absence of interference against Lina's pursuit, which gnawed at her.
"Something wrong, Celia?" Sylvia asked.
"They didn't interfere. That's what bothers me," Celia replied.
Overthinking, perhaps, but cooperation with Japan's mages would be quickest. USNA and Stars' pride, plus their hidden strategic magic probe, made it risky—potentially an international crisis, even alliance collapse.
"Their skill in evasion suggests we can't trust past data. Fomalhaut's case was a fluke," Celia said.
"You're considering that?" Sylvia asked.
That was Celia's custom CAD, co-developed by Maximilian Devices and the Pentagon. Inferior to FLT's Force Silver series, it still boasted cutting-edge tech, usable only when Lina deemed a situation unmanageable, with activation locked to their stateside superior.
Lina's struggle was undeniable; optimism was futile. Sylvia nodded at Celia's resolve.
"Worst case, yes. Even with synchronization, it only boosts chances slightly. It's designed for Heavy Metal Burst—Brionac," Celia said.
Sylvia stayed silent. Another Angie Sirius—Celia's role, dubbed the "true Sirius" by some. Unlike Lina, Celia's detachment from pride struck Sylvia as otherworldly.
The day after Leo's Vampire attack, Yugen was summoned to an empty classroom by Mayumi and Katsuto, proxies for Saegusa and Juumonji. Knowing the rescued woman was Saegusa-affiliated, Yugen expected the topic.
"Saegusa-senpai, Juumonji-senpai. Meeting here to discuss last night?" Yugen asked.
"Straight to it. What were you doing, Kagurazaka?" Katsuto asked.
"Patrolling downtown, caught a lead, found a victim. Leo was there by chance, unharmed," Yugen said.
No need to hide—the Divine Assembly's actions were notified to the 28 clans and others via the Japan Magic Association. Leo's involvement could be justified through his grandfather's ties, so Yugen spoke truthfully.
"Are you moving because Shizuru-san's group was attacked?" Mayumi asked.
"Saegusa-senpai, despite blood ties, I'm a different clan now. Acting on emotion plays into their hands," Yugen replied.
Even Angie Sirius struggled against this foe. The Stars, pinnacle of modern magic, were formidable. Parasites, however, were beyond modern magic's scope, a fact Yugen wished the Ten Master Clans would grasp. While the Kudou knew traditional magic, their involvement risked chaos, so Yugen avoided mobilizing them or the Independent Magic Battalion.
"Honestly, besides my sisters, no one's handling it well, right?" Yugen said.
"That's…" Mayumi hesitated.
"Are you saying Saegusa and I are dead weight?" Katsuto asked.
"Not entirely. But modern magic rarely targets psions directly," Yugen said.
Katsuto and Mayumi could attack physically, but mental interference was limited to taboo mental magic. Humanitarian bans made sense, but against Parasites, clinging to taboos enabled their rampage. Yugen didn't deem Saegusa or Juumonji useless—their networks were valuable—but traditional magic was another realm.
"Direct psion attacks… you suspect Parasites?" Mayumi asked.
"I asked Shizuru-neesan. Despite two Defense Breaker hits, it recovered instantly and fled. That's beyond human or mage," Yugen said.
As the spell's creator, Yugen knew Defense Breaker compressed distance in the information dimension, disrupting psion pathways. This forced data surge hindered magic recovery, ineffective against superpowers, as tested. Mayumi and Katsuto fell silent, the topic heavy. After minutes, Katsuto spoke.
"If it's traditional magic, shouldn't we involve Kudou?" he asked.
"Juumonji-senpai, the exchange students are Kudou kin. Their involvement risks rumors of USNA collusion," Yugen said.
The feud between former Kudou head Retsu and his brother Ken wasn't public, known only to Chihime, Gousan, and Yugen (from Gousan as Yuto Nagano). Lina and Celia, Ken's granddaughters, acknowledged their Kudou ties, a potential diplomatic bomb.
Kudou involvement could recruit them but risked global fallout. Cooperation might ease tensions, but USNA's military and Japan's coordination were issues. Yugen aimed to unify domestic efforts against Parasites before escalation, prioritizing Vampire elimination after resolving preliminary issues.
"As Kagurazaka acting head and Divine Assembly First Seat, I request Saegusa and Juumonji's full intel networks, including Saegusa's Defense Force section," Yugen said.
"Yugen… is Kagurazaka angry at Saegusa's recent actions?" Mayumi asked.
"Not angry—disappointed," Yugen corrected.
Having shared Spirit Mirror Carvancle with Yotsuba, losing Defense Force intel wasn't a blow. Mitsuya's global military data was faster and more reliable. Saegusa's stubbornness, driven by Koichi's fixation on Maya, was futile against Yugen's sisters' countermeasures.
"I ask you to rein in other clans, especially Kudou," Yugen said.
"That sounds like you're targeting Kudou," Katsuto noted.
"I haven't told you, but at the Nine Schools, I met His Excellency Kudou. He tested me with killing intent. Friendly? Hardly," Yugen said.
Both were stunned. Yugen had brushed off Retsu's killing intent, a world-class mage, during their meeting. His Kudou visit years ago respected Gousan's face. Retsu was now in Kanto, and the Independent Magic Battalion would likely involve Kyoko.
"Will you handle it alone, Yugen?" Mayumi asked.
"Not quite. Leo's involvement means I'll need his circle's help. The enemy's no mere human," Yugen said.
Even "mere humans" like the Stars posed issues. Lina alone was manageable, but her backing complicated matters. Yugen's proposal was tabled for consideration, which he accepted—no need to push. After Mayumi and Katsuto left, Erika, Tatsuya, Miyuki, Himeri, Honoka, Sana, Leo, Mikihiko, and Mizuki entered.
"Talk done, Yugen?" Erika asked.
"Yeah. Cooperation's uncertain, though," Yugen said.
Juumonji was pre-coordinated via Juumonji, but Saegusa's cooperation was doubtful. The group—Course 1's Yugen, Tatsuya, Miyuki, Himeri, Honoka, Sana; Course 2's Leo, Mikihiko, Erika, Mizuki—knew Tatsuya and Miyuki's identities, avoiding friction. Sana learned from her father, Aoba.
"Details later, but as Kagurazaka proxy, I've requested Mitsuya, Yotsuba, Rokutsuka, Chiba, and Yoshida aid for the Vampire case. Defense Force explanations go through me, and Tatsuya's restrictions are temporarily mine. Annoying," Yugen said.
"You're complaining in a similar position?" Tatsuya quipped.
Everyone but Tatsuya agreed Yugen was the strongest, though he denied it, stopping resistance to move forward.
"No Molecular Divider mages yet, so there's that," Yugen said.
"The former Sirius spell? So, Stars are our foes," Tatsuya deduced.
"Correct, Tatsuya. Cooperation would be ideal, but their goal is neutralizing the two strategic magics from Halloween of Scorch and Aurora. We're incompatible," Yugen said.
His admission as one caster shocked many. Tatsuya stayed poker-faced, but Miyuki looked worried. Yugen's New Year's display made strategic magic guesses plausible, yet the truth stunned.
"I knew you were exceptional, but is Tatsuya-kun similar?" Erika asked.
"Military restrictions bind me. Can't say more," Tatsuya said.
"Don't want details. That's enough. Secrets keep piling up… I wanna crash at someone's place," Erika groaned.
Smirking, Yugen pressed on. All had learned psion control from him, and Leo faced the Vampire. Yugen briefed them, and Mikihiko asked, "You suspect the Vampire is a Parasite?"
"Near certain. My eldest sister's spell disrupts psion circuits as a side effect. Instant recovery points to superpower-level, verified by tests," Yugen said.
Pre-possession, they were elite modern mages. Transcending that made them dangerously beyond military mage scope. Yugen, Defense Breaker's test subject and self-repair spell tester, endured Shizuru's lecture afterward.
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