**Scene Change**
Hidden in an abandoned factory were two people.
One was a handsome young man with spiky brown hair and gray eyes.
That was Samejima Kouki, one of the survivors of the "Aloha Incident" and the possessor of one of the [Four Fiends] Sacred Gears, Táowù, or Toukotsu, the Fiend of Ignorance, which takes the primary form of a cat that Samejima calls "Byakusa."
Beside him was a beautiful young woman with light brown hair usually tied up. She had a slender, voluptuous body, with notably large breasts typically hidden by her clothes.
That was Natsume Minagawa, another survivor of the "Aloha Incident" and the possessor of one of the [Four Fiends] Sacred Gears, Qióngqí, or Kyuuki, the Fiend of Deviance, which initially takes the form of a hawk that Natsume calls "Griffon."
Natsume and Samejima were two survivors of the "Aloha Incident" who had been pursued by the Utsusemi Agency but were helped by Grigori and its leader, a certain Governor General.
Both had awakened their Sacred Gears and joined the Governor General and the witch Lavinia Reni to uncover the truth behind the Aloha Incident.
During one of their investigations, they, along with Tobio and Lavinia, went to Sae Toujou's house to find clues but ended up being ambushed, with Tobio and Lavinia being kidnapped by the Utsusemi Agency.
Both Natsume and Samejima had just escaped the trap at Sae Toujou's house and were now hiding.
Having taken cover inside the factory, Natsume, for confirmation, tried calling Tobio on her phone. However, all she heard was a message saying, "Out of the signal area."
Meanwhile, Samejima was punching the ground in frustration.
"…Not only was it a trap, but for some of us to escape while the rest are captured—what kind of mess is this? My own naivety makes me want to vomit," Samejima shouted.
Samejima, who had been building his own power to overcome the defeat he suffered at the department store, went to Sae Toujou's house this time full of confidence. But now, with the group split after the enemy so easily overwhelmed them. The same had happened to Natsume.
Tobio, Samejima, and Lavinia were all comrades, people who gave her unwavering trust. In this latest investigation, she had expected to gain useful information about the enemy's attack. That hope had been shattered.
However, Samejima was the type capable of self-reflection and could see the positive side of the situation. Reverting to his wild appearance, Samejima was, in fact, reflecting on himself. With that in mind, Samejima's generosity was vast compared to other delinquents his age.
"…Anyway, once again, we have to decide whether to go back to that house or return to the condo…"
Natsume was thinking about her next course of action.
Sounds were heard from outside the factory. The couple's nerves were on edge, focusing on hiding their presence as much as possible. For a brief moment, they watched patiently, then a small figure appeared at the factory's entrance. It was a young girl, about nine or ten years old, with her hair tied in braids.
"Why would a girl come to a place like this during the day?" asked Natsume suspiciously.
In this atmosphere of distrust, Samejima alone showed a surprised expression. He stood up and slowly approached the girl.
"…It can't be."
Standing before the girl, Samejima lowered his guard and asked.
"You, why are you here?"
Was she an acquaintance? As Natsume reluctantly revealed herself, she formally asked Samejima.
"…Who is she?"
"It's Nobu… Maeda's little sister."
Maeda Nobushige—Samejima's close friend. He was the important friend he wanted to rescue. His little sister… was she the girl standing there?
"But why are you…"
Then, as Samejima asked this, a blade was thrust into his abdomen! With a particularly heavy sound, the blade pierced through his back. From the girl's hand, there was a distorted blade, exactly like the tentacles wielded by the Utsusemi.
"…!!!"
From Samejima's mouth, pierced through the abdomen, a large amount of blood was vomited with a gurgling sound.
"SAMEJIMA-KUN!"
Rushing over, Natsume looked at Samejima's distress and realized that, despite the wound, his heart was intact. It wasn't a situation where the wound could be considered fatal. Furthermore, another figure appeared inside the factory. It was a lone young man. Upon seeing him, Samejima's eyes widened.
"…Nobu…"
While losing blood, Samejima called out his friend's name. Indeed, that young man was Maeda Nobushige. His eyes were vacant, indicating he was still under the influence of brainwashing.
"Kukuku…"
The laughter of a third person echoed through the factory. The new figure was a man in his late twenties wearing a business suit. The man spoke with a smug smile.
"A few days ago. Samejima Kouki of the 'Four Fiends.' Nice to meet you too, Minagawa Natsume."
Natsume had no memory of him, but upon seeing him, despite his fatal wound, Samejima's face instantly twisted with rage.
"…Doumon."
This man was Doumon Kazuhisa from the 'Utsusemi Agency.' Seeing Samejima's current condition, Doumon smiled even more broadly. He spoke cheerfully.
"Why? For what reason? To make that kind of face. Why should Maeda Nobushige be with a monster mimicking his little sister? The reason is simple. That girl, she's an Utsusemi that took the form of Maeda Nobushige's younger sister."
Standing beside Maeda Nobushige was the girl who appeared to be his younger sister. She was… an Utsusemi!
"An Utsusemi… with the form of Maeda-kun's imouto-san? Such a thing is possible?!"
Natsume raised a stunned voice. It was a natural response. Until now, they had only been attacked by variations of existing plants and animals. What was brought here, unexpectedly, was an Utsusemi that had gone so far as to take the form identical to a person, something beyond their imagination. Seeing Natsume and Samejima's reactions, Doumon laughed with delight.
"Fufufu, you think such a technique to create monsters mimicking living things didn't exist? Such ideas would be conceived by ants. This is my hobby."
"…Demon."
Feeling displeasure from the depths of her heart, Natsume spat out the word. What Doumon had done was an abominable idea. Creating Utsusemi that mimicked the relatives of their classmates was a deviation far too excessive from ethical behavior. No, at this late hour, there was no point in doubting whether the people responsible for this event were capable of such things. Doumon snorted with amusement.
"Well, I won't deny that. Now, with that wound, it won't be long for Samejima Kouki. The remains, that corpse can't be left alone. The fiend within that Sacred Gear, if the owner dies, it will automatically disappear until it's reborn in a new host. That's what our comrade, the (Black Angel), who fought with the creator of this system, said. So, if possible, we must force the Sacred Gear to reside within his body."
In reality, their vulgarity knew no bounds. They were nothing more than accessories for the Sacred Gears to them.
Until the end, they were interested in nothing but the power possessed by Natsume and Samejima. If it was for the sake of acquiring that, no matter the sacrifice, no matter the means, they would do it without hesitation. For those who desired revenge against the Clans, with eyes and spirits clouded by it, they had crossed the final line of what could still be considered human.
"…I won't let you."
Natsume stood in the way, becoming a shield for Samejima, who was lying on the ground.
Looking at Samejima's cat, Byakusa, it extended its tail to touch its master's abdomen.
Touched by the tail, it began to cover the damaged area… Though it wasn't certain if this was medical treatment or such, it was certain that the independent avatar-type was operating in some way on its master. It wasn't known what kind of result it would produce, but even if it was an unskilled operation, being stuck to him was entirely incapable of escaping, so the white cat had no choice but to cling to him.
In this case, what Natsume could do now was keep Doumon's attention until Byakusa's action could be completed. Seeing Natsume's action, Doumon sighed.
"Either you're ignorant, or you're reckless… I don't hate that, though."
From his pocket, Doumon produced several talismans, which he threw into the air while speaking words of power. Then, the talismans moved autonomously and formed the shape of a pentagram. Swelling from the earth's surface, a form took shape. Before Natsume's eyes, five clay dolls appeared. Doumon stood beside the clay dolls, smiling fearlessly.
"…Since I have a taste for thoroughly demolishing such courageous dispositions."
Doumon waved his hand horizontally, and with that, the two clay dolls in front rushed forward.
"Do it, GRIFFON!"
Receiving Natsume's instructions, the hawk circling the factory's ceiling at high speed flew toward one of the clay dolls. However, with that attack, the best it managed was to scrape a small portion of the tough clay doll, failing to destroy its massive body. Doumon mocked the result.
"Weak! Something of that degree, my doll won't crumble from that!"
However, Natsume sent instructions to Griffon with her hand. Without saying a word, Natsume had mastered the ability to give orders to her partner with hand gestures.
This wordless approach was to prevent her tactics from being read. It also ensured effectiveness in situations where she couldn't speak.
After the hawk performed numerous feinting maneuvers in the air, it dove at once. After gaining speed and hardening both wings, it managed to cut the shoulder of the opponent's arm.
With a direct hit like that, the clay doll broke apart with the arm different from the one targeted and cut! With a sudden strike, Griffon was sent flying to the side after taking the blow from the arm! Griffon, having been knocked into the factory's interior, crashed into a pile of abandoned material.
"GRIFFON!"
Natsume let out a scream! The clay doll grabbed the hawk from the pile of scrap material. Griffon had gone completely limp, making her realize how powerful that surprise attack had been. Seeing the hawk caught in the clay doll's hand, Doumon let out a loud laugh.
"Look at that, it's caught. In that condition."
The man gestured with his finger. Acting in concert, the clay doll put strength into its hand; the hand holding the hawk…
*Gushari*
Along with Doumon's words, a heavy sound echoed through the factory. From the clay doll's hand, a large amount of red blood gushed and dripped onto the ground. Seeing that spectacle, Natsume's entire body trembled.
"GRIFFON!!!"
In Natsume's screaming voice, Doumon, whose facial expression was one of someone reaching the peak of excitement, laughed.
"FUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Both the Sacred Gear you rely on and the boy who's your partner are in tatters. Come on, what will you do next, huh!? Will you fight me with your own body? Whether it's you or him! Isn't it the case that without your Sacred Gears, you're just an ordinary human?"
The clay dolls were steadily closing the distance. Having lost the hawk that was her partner, frustration, sadness, and fury mixed within Natsume as tears streamed down, while she stood there, guarding her companion Samejima.
"…Run…"
Samejima let out a faint voice, but she couldn't proceed as advised. Natsume decided. To achieve victory for all of them. For all of them to keep living, her mind chose to demolish the current state of affairs. Therefore, Samejima couldn't be abandoned. Nor Tobio, nor Lavinia, nor even Griffon… none of them could be abandoned! For all who survived, to help all her classmates, to reach a resolution where everyone could be smiling, those were her truest feelings, and that was what she had decided.
To succumb to this. Or be killed by this…!!
Even if she was alone, that wasn't her fate…!! She herself, her best friend, and her classmates—she would end up rescuing all of them from this absurd situation!
"…I won't be defeated by the likes of you!! As long as we, without a single one of us perishing, surely take back all our classmates!! I'll defeat you, no matter the incomprehensible reason you have for forming a group like this!"
With tears still falling, Natsume let out a heartfelt scream. At that moment, from within her, a single loud "DOKUN" sound was produced. Doumon's pleasant smile and expression changed completely.
Looking behind Natsume, his eyes widened in astonishment. Prompted by that look, Natsume glanced fleetingly behind her. There, an electrical phenomenon was being released from the white cat's entire body, sparking. While emitting a static sound, electricity coursed through Byakusa's body. Furthermore, as if acting in concert, Samejima's chest, as he lay there, was pulsing grandly enough that the "DOKUN DOKUN" sound could be heard.
"…Byakusa-chan?"
Natsume showed a confused look, but another mysterious phenomenon occurred. A strong wind began to roll through the factory's interior. It gradually strengthened, forming a whirlwind enveloping the body of one of the clay dolls. Indeed, surrounding the clay doll that had crushed Griffon, a powerful wind was born.
"…Griffon?"
Before Natsume, who asked this, something happened! From Byakusa and Griffon, who was in the clay doll's hand, an intense glow was released, exploding immediately! Natsume had covered her eyes from the excessively bright light, and after the light subsided, the sight of things left her speechless. Standing in front of Samejima was a massive white beast.
By the clay doll, half of whose body had been blown away, a four-legged monster was floating in the air. The white animal, despite having the form of a cat at least three meters in size, had protruding fangs like those of a saber-toothed tiger. Additionally, there were numerous long tails growing from it, all of which had a sharp, conical tip. Its entire body emitted sparks. As for the massive four-legged beast floating in the air, its size exceeded two meters. It had two pairs of wings on its back, and its head, resembling a hawk's, had horns. However, the form of a beast was combined with that of a bird, much like the griffin seen in fantasy productions, with the upper half of the body being a hawk and the lower half a monstrous lion.
Its entire body was enveloped in wind.
Byakusa and Griffon had transformed into these…? No other phenomenon was likely.
Seeing this condition, Doumon became extremely perturbed.
"…What is this…!! These are… the (Four Fiends)!? In their original forms!"
A cutting wind was heard. Passing by Natsume and Samejima, something small moved at high speed. Looking around, it was the numerous tails of the white beast, continuously moving through the factory's interior, finally descending upon a clay doll! The clay doll took a defensive stance, crossing both arms, which was easily broken, as the white tails—the spears—pierced through its entire body! Instantly, releasing an apparently massive electrical phenomenon, the clay doll was fried from within! Its entire body smoking, the clay doll crumbled, worn and powerless. Seeing that sequence of movements, Doumon shouted.
"—Toukotsu! Truly, this is Samejima Kouki's…!!"
Before he could finish speaking, a sudden gust enveloped the factory's interior! The large winged animal was flapping its two pairs of wings on the spot! The pile of scrap material was lifted, and even the factory's roof was torn off by its vigor.
Besides Natsume, anything not tied down was also launched into the sky. As for Samejima, one of the white beast's tails was wrapped around him, holding him. The moment Natsume confirmed Samejima's safety, countless sharp, wave-like things attacked a clay doll. In less than a second, the clay doll's entire body was covered in multiple scars, as if it had been slashed. Shortly after, the clay doll crumbled into fragments across the ground.
"This is the Kyuuki!! How unpleasant! That it would happen at the same time…"
Seeing Griffon's transformed body, Doumon was muttering so much, only to then let out a scream when he realized a change in himself.
"GUAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!! M-My arm is AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Indeed, from below the elbow, his left arm was severed. That arm fell to the ground nearby. In all likelihood, it had been hit by the wind blades Griffon had just unleashed. Because of that, the arm was cut off. Doumon crouched in place, writhing in shock from the pain of losing his arm.
"…These are the true forms of Griffon and Byakusa-chan…?"
Natsume was far from unimpressed by the transformations of her own hawk and Byakusa. In fact, that hawk and cat transforming into such large animals… Borrowing Doumon's words, it was possible these were the original forms of the "Four Fiends." Simultaneously, as they desired it, they felt it too.
They were in a completely different dimension compared to the Utsusemi. Considering that even those clay dolls produced by Doumon, a user of special abilities, were so easily massacred, it demonstrated how powerful they were.
The transformed Griffon descended toward Natsume's position. Griffon, which had behaved like a spoiled child before, approached Natsume. Seeing that, "Ahh, this child is Griffon," Natsume said with relief. Even though its form had changed, its mind was the same. Naturally, she was able to turn and accept this new appearance. Certainly, Byakusa and Griffon, due to their masters' situation or possibly due to resonating with their complex feelings, had apparently increased their power in an instant.
"Ohh, so something interesting was indeed happening."
Natsume's eyes turned to the source of the voice, and at the warehouse door stood a young boy, around thirteen years old, with dark hair and blue eyes, wearing a combination of a school uniform and ancient Chinese attire.
In his hand was a sort of spear, or rather, Natsume could identify it as a halberd from ancient China due to her history lessons.
Natsume's eyes were in pure shock at seeing the young boy standing there casually.
"GET OUT OF THERE, KID!"
Doumon shouted as he grabbed his severed arm and rushed toward the exit.
Activating his power, several golems appeared around Doumon and charged toward the boy.
"Get out of there!" shouted Natsume desperately.
"Get out? That's child's play," said the boy calmly.
Natsume saw the boy raise his halberd as it was bathed in a white aura that gave a sense of life.
And with a single swing, all the golems were completely annihilated, to Natsume's astonishment.
Doumon's eyes widened in perplexity at what he had seen.
The boy raised the halberd as it was bathed in that white aura again.
"…Wait."
It was Samejima's voice. Turning to him, his distress wrapped in Byakusa's tail as emergency treatment, Samejima stood up. Despite the amount of blood he had lost, he shouldn't have been moving. Yet, anxiously standing despite the intense trembling in his knees, the delinquent took one step, then another, slowly approaching Doumon, one step at a time.
"…That guy, he's mine. I'll be the one to finish him."
Samejima, looking at Maeda Nobushige, who had lost consciousness during the recent battle, clenched his fist after letting out a sigh.
The aforementioned Doumon, trembling under the boy's pressure, fell to the ground, unable to move from the spot. Samejima grabbed Doumon by the nape and forced him to stand.
"Eiiiiiiii!! Forgive me, please!!"
Doumon let out an unpleasant scream. Samejima, with his face twisted in rage, relentlessly punched him with a clenched fist! Doumon was struck hard by it, collapsing prostrate on the ground. After delivering the single blow, looking at Maeda, Samejima uttered a few words.
"…Nobu, for now, I'll let you off with this single blow."
Saying no more than that, Samejima lost consciousness and collapsed. The boy caught him skillfully. Held in the young boy's arms, Samejima smiled contentedly, despite suffering a mortal wound.
"Who are you?" asked Natsume, fearful of the person before her.
"My name is Cao Cao. Don't worry, I'm an ally," said the boy, smiling calmly.
Looking at Samejima, the wielder of the Holy Spear smiled.
"So he survived to that extent…"
"What do you mean?" asked Natsume, not understanding.
"The independent avatar-type Sacred Gear seems to have applied life-saving treatment to protect its master. The bleeding has stopped. Well, that doesn't mean the lost blood doesn't need to be replenished…"
Natsume's eyes widened when she heard a new voice, and turning around, she found a young man her age, with tanned skin, amber eyes, and brown hair.
Natsume blushed slightly at the sight of the handsome young man before her, but what surprised her was that the young man somehow resembled Tobio.
"Who are you?" asked Natsume, surprised.
"Alexandre Ikuse," replied the young man calmly.
Natsume's eyes widened when she heard the surname of the young man before her.
"Ikuse… the same surname as Tobio," said Natsume, perplexed.
"Oh, you know my younger brother?" asked Alexandre, though he already knew the answer.
Natsume's eyes only widened further.
"…The bleeding stopped? Even with an open wound in his chest?" said Cao Cao, looking at Samejima.
Alexandre merely shifted Natsume's shocked attention to Cao Cao.
"Yes, look at his back. The white cat's tail is attached. The (Four Fiends) is repairing its master's body."
As Alex said, the fatal wound extending from the front to the back had been obstructed by Byakusa's tail. Indeed, the tail had dissolved and was assimilated into Samejima.
Alex continued speaking.
"Originally, the Sacred Gear was something generated by the body. So, it's not surprising that the independent avatar-type body is compatible with the master," said the Hakuryuukou calmly.
While Cao Cao nodded, Natsume turned to Alex.
"So you're Tobio's brother," murmured the girl.
"You know of me?" asked Alex curiously, receiving a nod from Natsume.
The girl remembered that Tobio had told her he had an older brother, and though they had seen little of each other, Natsume could tell that the young Ikuse had great respect and admiration for his older brother.
"Where's Tobio?" asked Alex seriously.
Natsume's eyes widened as she turned to Alex.
"He was kidnapped," said Natsume desperately.
Alex's eyes narrowed at this, but before he could speak, both he and Cao Cao felt a sinister energy sweep through the entire area.
"What is that?" murmured Cao Cao, stunned by the immense dark energy.
[Alex, that's…] Albion began in Alex's mind.
"Yes, that aura—a Longinus has gone out of control, or rather, Tobio has fallen into the madness of his power and triggered the Balance Breaker," said Alex seriously, as Cao Cao's eyes widened in shock.
"Balance Breaker…" said Natsume, not understanding.
"Either way, Tobio's life is in danger," said Alex seriously.
Natsume's eyes widened at this.
"No…" murmured the girl in shock.
"What are you going to do, Alex?" asked Cao Cao, frightened.
All Cao Cao and Natsume saw were two massive white wings, with four blue light feathers on each, shining with an oppressive power that made both of them tremble.
The [Divine Dividing] had manifested.
"I'm going to save my brother," said Alex seriously.
He had finally arrived to reunite with his brother, and something like this had happened.
Someone dared to threaten his family's life.
And Alexandre would ensure they regretted it.