Editing Shinmai Maou no Keiyakusha:Volume 2 Chapter 3 (section)

===Part 8===


Nine o'clock at night--- Still ten minutes left until the appointed battle.

Toujou Basara arrived in front of the station together with Mio and Maria.

Because it was the meeting spot arranged by Hayase Takashi.

Amidst the crowd of people, Basara looked around the area, whereupon

"---Yo, you came."

Suddenly Shiba Kyouichi appeared from the flood of people. Accompanied by Takashi, Kurumi and Yuki behind him, Kyouichi confronted Basara and the girls a few metres away.

"Okay, seems we're all here--- Shall we get started?"

"H- Hey, wait! Right here in this crowded place?"

Mio raised a disturbed voice. Basara was just as surprised. It was a weekend night, so more people passed by here than on a weekday's night.

So he had thought for sure that they would move to a more appropriate place for fighting without people from here on, but

"I understand your surprise. But in the past week, we checked various places in the city. There certainly were a few good places if we just wanted to avoid the public eye. The park or forest in the western part of the city where you trained at might be the most suitable."

But, Takashi, standing behind Shiba, drew onto his words.

"The places like that park or forest each have an important earth flow, which are the spiritual foundation for the city, running through them. We would mistake the means for the end if we end up destroying them, even if it's for the sake of defeating you guys."

"I see..."

Basara consented to Takashi's words.

---The Hero Tribe could use special powers as protectors of the world.

Amongst them were powers gained from contracts with Spirits or Divine Beasts, the messengers of Gods, and the contract merely lent them power for "righteous things".

So when they recklessly harmed nature or killed innocent living beings, even if it was in the name of defeating devils, they would fall into "disgrace" from these actions and become unable to borrow the powers from spirits and such.

And above all, when they disrupted the stability of the earth flow, it was quite likely that large-scaled natural disaster would occur in the future.

"Besides, there is no cover in empty space and thus it's easier to damage the barrier directly. It would be a disaster if the barrier broke because of that." said Shiba.

"But we don't have to worry about that here. Because we'll erect a barrier of the type that shifts dimensions and even duplicates the place. There are so many buildings around here, so even if we break anything, it would be the duplicates within the barrier and only we will enter into the barrier, no average people."

"But... the risk remains that the barrier will break." said Maria.

"If we are going to fight, I believe we should at least do it in the middle of the night, where there are fewer people."

On these words,

“Oh boy… To think you, a devil, would be worried about others.” said Shiba with a sarcastic laugh.

“---We certainly considered that risk as well. The buildings around here are complex. Our Takashi and your Missy with the inherited power from the previous Devil Lord will set up the barrier together, but with just their two consciousnesses they regretfully cannot copy everything inside the width of the barrier. Therefore, ''we’ll borrow the power from the people around here''.”

“So we’re going to project their consciousness on the spatial structure inside the barrier.”

Basara, who knew of that barrier type, announced it’s function, whereupon Shiba showed a smile.

“Exactly. There are a lot of people around here right now and each of them ''feels the city'' by looking at it and hearing it’s noise. They’re basically like cameras--- They even see what we don’t. Setting up the barrier with a concrete image like that will be in more detail and above all, more stable. Also, a complicated barrier that reproduces space like that needs more concentration for the construction, so ''it’s harder for both of us to include any uncalled gimmicks''.”

Besides, said Shiba.

“No matter where and when we do it, we’ll have to temporarily cease fighting anyway if the barrier breaks. So I don’t think fighting right now in this place here is all that unfavorable to you guys.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

Mio asked frowning, whereas Shiba shrugged his shoulders.

“I mean, we’ll be unable to do anything when you purposefully lift or destroy the barrier--- in case you should get overwhelmed. Because it would endanger the nearby people.”

Spreading his arms, he laughed.

“Must be nice--- To have no responsibilities or obligations to this world. Humans, animals, the city and nature mean nothing to you, right? It’s really unfair, geez.”

“---That’s not!”

“---Mio.”

Mio inadvertently flared up on Shiba’s provocation and Basara calmed her down by placing his hand on her shoulder.

“We just have to show them in the battle now that we have no such mindset. There’s no need for you to fall for his provocation and lose your cool.”

“……”

As frustrating it was, Mio nodded.

And Basara suddenly looked at Yuki, who stood behind Shiba.

But she didn’t try to meet his look. Slowly casting her eyes down, she stood there with a sorrowful expression.

---However, Basara had no time to concern himself with her right now. Though that only applied to ''right now''.

So Toujou Basara looked at Shiba again and declared.

“Fine. If that’s what you want, we don’t mind either--- Let’s get started here.”

Then the construction of the barrier began.

First of, Takashi pierced “Byakko” into the ground and with it as a go-between, Mio cast a barrier magic.

An average person with no special power could of course not see Mio’s magic, nor the spiritual lance “Byakko”.

Thus, Mio could erect the barrier calmly.

“----”

Naruse Mio let her own mind focus. The barrier’s range was a sphere with a diameter of half a kilometer, centered around “Byakko”.

Even if it was the enemy’s weapon, the self-protective “Byakko” lent her power to erect the barrier, since it served to shield the surroundings.

At the same time Mio finished her chant--- the barrier magic, amplified by “Byakko”, activated.

The surrounding buildings were reproduced in all kinds of “substances” and “shapes”, giving the space within the barrier form.

But something disappeared in the progress.

It was the unrelated average people, who could absolutely not be dragged into this battle.

And by the time the barrier was about to be finished,

“Eh---?”

Mio suddenly raised a surprised voice. Their four opponents had been standing a few metres away--- And Shiba Kyouichi disappeared from them.

She was bewildered by the sudden happening.

“---Don’t worry. I asked my “Byakko” to shut him out.”

While Hayase Takashi told her indifferently, he pulled out “Byakko” from the ground.

“What do you mean, Takashi…?”

Basara asked doubtful.

“He’s nothing but an overseer this time. Meaning, an outsider to this battle.” said Takashi.

“I don’t want him to interfere with our battle if by any chance ''he’s swayed by some kind of whim''--- That’s all to it.”

“….I see.”

Basara mumbled back to Takashi’s words. Seeing their expressions, Mio thought.

That these two surely held some kind of sentiment towards Shiba, which Maria or Mio couldn’t understand.

''…Most likely.''

There were still plenty of points Mio didn’t know about Basara.

Compared to Yuki and Takashi, the time she spent with him was utterly lacking.

Still, Mio stood here after deepening the trust between him and her in her own way.

She ought to have done everything she could. And then,

“---It’s time. Let’s get started.”

After saying so, Takashi flashed “Byakko” diagonally into the air, then slowly turned his back to them and returned to Yuki and Kurumi.

“…….”

Realizing his intentions, Mio and the others started to take their distance as well. At the same time, the top part with the light of a nearby street light was cut off and slowly started to fall onto the ground.

And in the moment a clattering announced the impact onto the ground, everything began to move.

The battle had started.

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