Editing BlazBlue:Spiral Shift - Hyokujin no Eiyu (section)

===Part 4===

A rough sound echoed through the office at night.

“You gotta be kidding me! What the hell is going on!?”

With a swung of his fist slamming down on his own desk, Kagura yelled at the man standing in front of him.

The man who was being shouted at reflexively cramped and took a step back as he was hit head-on with a sense of intimidation that can almost be seen as violent. He was wearing the uniform of a Librarium guard and had just arrived from Headquarters as a messenger.

Kagura's fists that swang downwards were still shaking with anger. Thereunder a cracking noise was heard that came from the desk broken in half.

“I'm sorry, but it's an imperial decree of the NOL Headquarters.”

Perhaps seeing himself in the destroyed desk, the guard desperately appealed in a thin, trembling voice.

"Imperial decree?"

Kagura's eyes stared at him. It was enough to make the guard freeze like a weak frog, unable to even speak.

Without a second thought, Kagura kicked his now broken desk with even more strength this time. There was a loud cracking sound and naturally, the desk completely shattered. But that didn't stop Kagura from shaking his head wildly and growling in frustration.

"Are they fucking kidding me!! What are they thinking... haven't we killed enough!??”

Instead of Kagura, who couldn't keep his cool anymore, Hibiki, his secretary, picked up a document that had been thrown on the floor after Kagura's rampage. It was an order brought by the guard in form of just a piece of paper.

It stated that they should quickly take down Wadatsumi Castle, the centerbase of the Ikaruga Federation.



A deep forest spread out in the territory of the Ikaruga Federation. The frontline base of the Novus Orbis Librarium stretched out in the middle of it.

It was on the evening of the day after the nightmarish event that Jin and the 9th squadron returned to the city aboard their Ars Magus Vessel.

Against the backdrop of the western sky, where the sun was swelling up, they descended to their familiar base, a place they would consider their home at this point.

The inside of the base was looking rather hectic, even though there was no siren sounding for the sortie.

Several soldiers are gathering supplies and spare equipment, which are usually left spread out in just one place to some extent. In another area, a large number of weapons were being spread out and inspected, while in a communications tent, hurried guards were busily coming and going, occasionally bumping into each other.

It was different from usual. That much was obvious at first glance.

One of the guards jumped out from the side of the vessel and hurried towards the commander's tent. Quickly, Jin grabbed his arm and forcibly stopped him.

“What's going on?”

"Huh? Oh, the 9th squad. You still hadn't heard? We got an imperial decree this morning."

"Imperial decree? From NOL Headquarters?"

This is something they indeed haven't heard. Grimwood stepped forward with his beloved axe in his hand.

The guard who had been halted by Jin was slightly pressured by him and Grimwood, but he told him quickly.

“I haven't heard the details either, but I'm told that we are to take down 'Wadatsumi Castle' immediately."

“Huh...?”

Jin couldn't help but reply in an absent-minded voice. The guards words didn't enter his head as quickly as they should have.

After escaping from Jin's hands, the guard man bowed his head, holding a piece of paper with the message on it.

“I'll hurry up now.”

With that, he hurriedly ran to the battalion commander's tent.

Jin couldn't help but look away with a look of confusion on his face.

There is a civil war going on right now. In order to bring it under control, they will eventually seize the leader of the Ikaruga Federation. For that reason, he could understand why they were attacking Wadatsumi Castle.

But what he didn’t know is the time.

The war situation is not in any way dominated by the Librarium. In fact, just yesterday, they lost a large number of soldiers at Sector Seven's laboratory.

It's not like they have a formation in place to take down Wadatsumi Castle. It was too abrupt, too far-fetched for a plan.

Even so, it is said that it is a direct command from NOL Headquarters, which is the pinnacle of the Librarium, and by extension, its ruler, the Imperator.

"Foolishness... It's too sudden no matter how you look at it. The schedule should still be ahead."

With his thick eyebrows furrowed and deep wrinkles etched, Grimwood stared into the void and muttered in a hushed voice.

There was no time to lose. He ran up to Karenjina with an urgent look on his face.

“Let’s get in touch right away.”

With that instruction, Grimwood ran deeper into the base.

Jin and the others hobbled to the tent of their squad, carrying the expedition's luggage.

Grimwood knows that there is “something” behind this war. Karenjina also knew from what Grimwood had told her. The other soldiers in the squad seemed to have heard of it too, judging by the expressions on their faces.

Now, Jin knows.

The story he had heard last night around the small campfire was going around in Jin's mind like a signal.



— To end the war.

This was a rather important confession, but Grimwood's words were confusing to Jin.
　
Feeling the heat from the small fire on one cheek, Jin looked up at the large man in front of him with a dubious expression on his face.

“...End the war? Yeah, I guess so. There's no reason to oppose it. It's what we're fighting for."

In order to end the war with a victory for the Librarium, he will go to war when ordered, no matter if it is late at night or early in the morning. It is his duty as a soldier.

“I didn't realize you were so green, you idealistic giant."

Jin said in a dumbfounded tone, as if he was making fun of him.

But Grimwood's question was in this serious tone, you could only take it for honesty.

"Well, listen. Jin, if this war were to end, when do you think it would be?"

The large man, his face painted in two colors, the darkness of the night and the burning orange of the fire, was not offended by Jin's agitated tone, nor did he waver in the slightest.

It seems that he had some serious intentions. Reading that, Jin once again, inhaled deeply into the night air.

In the middle of the forest, a decaying laboratory nearby, their friends sleeping exhausted around us, and a burning twig.

The exhaustion that was weighing him down was no longer in the forefront of his mind. He was more concerned about what Grimwood was trying to tell him.

Jin thought quietly in the silence of the night.

“...We have been ordered to annihilate The Ikaruga Federation. Peace negotiations and surrender are unacceptable. Therefore, if the war is to end, it will be when we take the head of Ikaruga’s former head, Tenjō."

Grimwood nodded deeply, "Yes, that's the general gist.”

“But as you know, Wadatsumi Castle, where Tenjō is located, is protected by a special battle formation. If you want to invade it, you have to break the encirclement first and the castle must have an adequate number of troops.”

After all, their leader, Tenjō, is there. If they lost them, they would be defeated. It would not be a half-hearted defense. An easy invasion would cause considerable damage to both sides. In order to defeat Tenjō and win the war, careful preparation and information gathering are essential. However, at this point, the Librarium was probably not prepared to do so.

“I don't have any proof, but I have a feeling that the Librarium is not really planning to bring down the castle. It's more like they're deliberately not dropping it."

If the Librarium really wanted to attack the castle, it would be ready and able to bring it down immediately. However, the Librarium will not do so.

It's not that they were not prepared to attack. It's that they not dare to do so.

Jin slid his gaze across the room and pondered. It's not that he didn't feel what Grimwood was talking about. He often felt uncomfortable with the attitude of the Librarium towards the civil war.

In the past, this would not have been much of a concern for him. He thought it didn't matter what the Librarium had in mind.

But now, that he remembered his little verbal agreement with that certain girl, he felt a little differently.

If the war drags on like this, that girl might end up being a soldier in this war someday. She admired Jin and even followed him to become a guard of the Librarium. Surely, she would aspire to fight in the same way and same war.

He wanted to avoid that.

He didn't want to dip her feet in this shallow, trivial quagmire.

"Even if you're right, why don't they drop the castle and try to end the civil war? What benefit would that be to the Librarium?"

Jin glared at Grimwood with a sharp stare.

There is no reason to continue a war when there is no profit in it. Something has to be done.

Grimwood thought for a few seconds and opened his mouth.

“Jin. You're the next head of the Kisaragi family, right?”

“That's how it's supposed to be, yes, and?"

"The Duodecim exist for the sake of the Imperator. One question, have you ever met the Imperator?"

Why did he suddenly bring up the subject of the Duodecim and the Imperator? Jin shook his head as he wondered.

“No, we've never met."

Then Karenjina, who realized Grimwood's intentions, jumped in front of the big man and held out her hands as if to stop him.

"Grimwood, no more!"

Grimwood stopped Karenjina’s words with a hand as she tried to stop him. The bright, youthful grass-colored eyes that looked at Jin were filled with a glint of light that matched their gentle hue.

"I will tell you now. The head of the Ikaruga Federation, Tenjō Amanohokosaka...

They are the head of the Novus Orbis Librarium, the Imperator.”

For a moment, Jin could not understand Grimwood's words.

He thought he must have a dumb look on his face right now. He couldn't find any words to say, but tried to say something. He opened his mouth halfway and was appalled.

“It's... That's not right. That can't be..."

The words he finally managed to squeeze out were such a cliché.

The Ikaruga Civil War began as a rebellion by the Ikaruga Federation against the Librarium.

The head of the Federation and the ringleader of the rebellion is Tenjō.

And the Imperator is the supreme head of the Librarium who ordered to take it down.

If they are the same person, then who is the Ikaruga Federation opposing and who is the Librarium being revolted by?

Grimwood nodded firmly.

"Yes, there's something fundamentally wrong here. This war is a farce. That's why we think there is 'someone' who is deliberately causing this war and in addition, is working in the dark to take away all forms of convergence.”

"Someone."

The one who established this crazy war and is stalling its end without giving either side a decisive victory.

Grimwood frowned sternly and said with a hint of indignation.

“The Ikaruga Civil War is not a “war”, it's a “farce” where “someone” is delaying the end of the war for some purpose. The war will not end even if we continue to fight as instructed by our superiors. “Someone” else's goal will be accomplished here."

And when "someone's" purpose is complete, the farce will be thrown out, having served no purpose. The pain, suffering, and sorrow will be thrown away, leaving them scattered on the stage.

"So I'm going to destroy that 'someone's' purpose."

If the reason for continuing the war is the purpose of some unknown person, then once that purpose is lost, there will be no reason to continue the war. That was the simple point Grimwood was trying to make.

Simple, but impractical.

It has not been proven here that Tenjō and the Imperator are really the same entity, nor have they identified the "someone" who wants to prolong the civil war. If there is someone, they don't even know if they have a real purpose as Grimwood says.

And yet, if nothing is done, the war will continue as it is. The death toll will be even higher than it is now. Maybe even unwittingly supporting someone else's shallow desires.

“It's up to you whether you believe what I say or not. I'd absolutely like to borrow your power, but I won't force you."

Grimwood calmly told Jin, who remained silent. He huffed and puffed, then he slapped himself hard on the chest with his wide hand.

“If you trust me, I'll tell you how to end the war.”

Let's give a blow to "the one" who is taking advantage of this situation. We're no puppets.

With that said, Grimwood grinned.

Jin looked back quietly. After all, he had not said whether he would cooperate or not this night.



"To end the war."

Jin kept thinking about the conversation he had had with Grimwood last night.

Back at the 9th squad's tent, with nothing better to do, he sat in a chair in the corner and continued to stare at a point in the sky and think. He didn’t think he could trust Grimwood's story in its entirety. but that didn’t mean that he could fully trust the Librarium. In the first place, Jin doesn't trust anyone, because he can't.

So the important thing here is not who or what to trust. It's what Jin himself decides he should do.

(What Should I do... What the hell for? Now it is to end the war, right?)

"Lieutenant Kisaragi?"

When he was suddenly called out, Jin looked up with a gasp.

Honoka was coming right next to him. From the expression on the boy's face, it could be inferred as he gently peeked at Jin that he had a very grim look on his face.

“What's wrong?"

He asked, and Honoka held out a plastic cup. There was warm black tea inside, and a faint scent of lemon.

"...Nothing."

Honoka smiled in relief as he took the cup and sipped it, then passed the tea around to the other people in the tent.

(It's the war.)

If it had not been for this civil war, the boy would not have been sent to this place.

He took a small sip of tea, which was a little astringent.

Then he heard a crunching sound as the entrance to the tent was flung open. Immediately, Grimwood came stumbling in with a hurried and clumsy gesture.

“Is everyone here?”

At the sound of Grimwood's taut voice, everyone in the tent turned and stood up. Jin recognized his voice and his mood immediately. It was work.

Grimwood's face twisted grimly as he waited for everyone's eyes to focus on him.

“Listen up. A new operation is about to begin. The target is Wadatsumi Castle. We will push the front line right up to the castle."

"Wadatsumi Castle? Wait, is that the imperial decree we just heard about?"

Taking a step forward, Karenjina spoke up.

Grimwood looked towards her and nodded.

“All units are being mobilized for a large-scale invasion. The commander-in-chief is Colonel Kagura Mutsuki."

Jin's eyebrows rose at the familiar name. He knew immediately that this was not Kagura's idea of a plan. Even so, he felt he could hear the rage of Kagura, who had been thrown into command as commander-in-chief.

Grimwood sighed loudly.

“The operation starts in six hours. Everyone be ready."

“Six hours? Are you serious? Even though it's such a big operation?"

Honoka was the one who asked back in an upturned voice, the other soldiers were just as dazed by this surprise. How much preparation can be done in just six hours? And it was night. This was a poorly lit encampment.

"Six hours."

Grimwood repeated once more with a pained expression on his face. Taking the upset in stride, Karenjina shook her head weakly.

"That's crazy and will absolutely fail!"

Jin agreed with her on that. He doesn't see that deep thought that went into this mission. What's the advantage of launching from this base in six hours?

They didn't even know where the Federation troops were camped beyond the forest. They also needed to find out if there were any enemy soldiers in the forest. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed to him that this was just an operation to force a breakthrough by putting all the manpower they have at their disposal immediately. This can't be called an operation.

In the first place, the idea of going through this vast forest in the middle of the night was out of the ordinary.

But while everyone knew it was crazy, everyone already understood. This operation was an imperial decree from NOL Headquarters.

A mere piece placed on the battlefield has no veto right.