Editing Apocalypse Witch:Volume3 Chapter1 (section)

===Part 8===

We will now begin an underwater operation based on data received from Karuta-kun and Marika-san.

The dual attacks from the surface and underwater have revealed that the underwater route is the more difficult one. Marika-san’s group will have successfully arrived within Second Grimnoah by now.

The biggest problem we must overcome before recovering Second Grimnoah are the anti-air lasers from the lion-shaped Sparkle on the middle school’s roof.

That is why we are gathering volunteers to make a largescale attack along the underwater route. The team will be made up of the first 200 to volunteer. All other students will provide a diversion along the surface route.

We only had wishful thinking before, but now we have actual experience to tell us the anti-air lasers are not fired into the ocean. So you will actually be safer approaching the enemy along the underwater route than providing a diversion on the surface where you will be constantly targeted by the lasers until the operation is complete.

Once we have our 200 volunteers, the underwater operation will begin.

Think carefully about whether you want to fight on the surface route or the underwater route.

That is all.



Once the briefing held via their Crystal Blossom communications was complete, the entire airport was bustling with energy.

Yamane Deiri and Nekoumi Hirosuke were chatting in the large lobby.

“Hey, which one are you choosing?”

“Underwater, I think. I don’t like the idea of constantly dodging lasers with no end in sight.”

“Right? Underwater might be more dangerous, but it’s better to have some say over how it ends.”

“B-but they’re only taking 200 for that team. If we don’t hurry up, we’ll miss our chance.”

“Heh. And the missing students are girls from our class, so let show off by swooping in and saving them.”

The 12-year-old blonde girl named Natlena Blast looked up at Karuta while listening to that conversation and sipping at a can of hot milk she had bought from a vending machine.

“Wh-what will you do, Senpai? Hot – are you going to choose the underwater route, um, because you’re worried about Amaashi-senpai? Hot, hot.”

“…”

“Y-yeah, I guess you would. She is another one of the Four Living Gods, so of course you’re worried about her! I-I will volunteer too. It would be a problem for me too if you were defeated here. We still haven’t dealt with those string pullers who pushed my sister to do what she-”

She was cut off by a loud bang echoing through the lobby.

Utagai Karuta had slammed his fist against the nearby wall, so all the boys and girls walking through the lobby looked over to see what this was about.

“What is wrong with all of you?”

That was enough to surprise or even frighten them.

So why did none of them realize how strange the things they were saying were?

“Why aren’t any of you saying you don’t want to do this!? Listen, we’re talking about the real Threat here. This isn’t just the decoys from Iceland. After all that fighting, we still haven’t heard a single report of one being destroyed. They’re on another level entirely!! And even if we do defeat them, the others might devour the remains and grow into larger customized models. Doesn’t this scare you? This isn’t about duty. It isn’t about whether the surface route or underwater route is better. ''Aren’t you afraid to be fighting the real Threat''!!!???”

This was Omotesandou Kyouka’s trickery.

She had only provided them with two options: the surface route and the underwater route. And then she had pointed out that the underwater route was safe from the lion’s anti-air lasers. By creating a limited number of spots for the underwater route and making it first come, first serve for volunteering, she had tricked them all into joining the attack on the Threats occupying Second Grimnoah.

She had told them the truth.

But she had not told them the ''whole'' truth.

''What guarantee did they have that the lion-like Sparkle was the most frightening one out there?'' With that many Threats all over the ship, there might very well be an even stronger and less manageable Threat there. In fact, they had lost contact with Marika, Imi, and Tayori. They needed to assume those three had been attacked by some kind of predator, but Kyouka had not touched on that at all.

But he did not see the President as the only villain here.

He had feared this possibility before, but now he was certain of it.

The students of the second ship had grown numb to the fear. They were still drunk on their success at the Crystal Beach, so they were assuming that things would ''work out somehow'' this time too. So they did not question it. They did not bother reading between the lines and noticing the gaps in the information presented to them.

“Hey, Yamanen, what did you see at the Crystal Beach?”

“You have to ask? Sure, they were only decoys, but we kicked the Threat’s ass!”

“''34 of us died in that one battle!! That was a miserable defeat for us''!!!!!!”’

Karuta shouted louder than an alarm clock.

Had that woken them up?

But this was how they should have been viewing it all along. It was normally a huge deal when just one student at your school died. The school would try to keep the media away, send counselors running around, and deal with all sorts of problems ranging from protecting the students’ privacy to dealing with students who stopped coming to school.

So how could they take this in stride?

34 of them had died. More if Riho and Sanae were included. An entire class’s worth of students were dead due to command mistakes by Karuta and the rest of the Four Living Gods. If they could calmly analyze that and accept it as the unfortunate result of an unpredictable situation, then the entire school’s senses had clearly numbed over. To a devastating degree.

They should have been criticizing him, blaming him, and rejecting his humanity.

They were all handling it too well. It was creepy. How could they accept it just because there was a reasonable explanation?

“Even if we’re the strongest and even if we have the regeneration and barrier, we still die when the time comes. We’re only human.”

He repeated that obvious definition once more.

He criticized those boys and girls who only had the one life to live.

“So think this through!! There aren’t just two options in this world – there are options surrounding you in all 360 degrees! You don’t have to stick with the Four Living Gods no matter what. If you’re scared, then say so! No one’s going to blame you if you want to run away and hide!! Why are you acting like simple cogs in the machine, doing whatever you’re told!!!???”

Silence fell.

He felt a powerful pressure that told him he was at odds with everyone else in the large lobby.

The world’s strongest’s public mode had collapsed.

“Just consider your options again before making a decision.”

Had his words gotten through to them?

He clenched his teeth before saying one last thing.

“Because this is your life.”