Editing City Series:Volume4b Chapter 9 (section)

===Part 3===

'''7:01 PM

The moon was out.

That pale yellow and somewhat waning light was directly above the city of Osaka.

The moonlight was endlessly wavering.

The heated air at the surface was producing a shimmering effect.

The year-end city was trying to warm itself even if the sky was cold.

The strongest shimmering was located above Osaka Castle in the center of the city and it produced turbulent air.

Osaka Castle had been the site of countless battles in the past and it had been repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt.

The only lights illuminating it were the reddish-brown streetlights shining on the cherry trees lining the inner moat.

That unfocused light lit up the castle from below, giving it a different look from the day.

It was a frightening look.

Three people were approaching that frightening form from straight ahead.

Osaka Chancellor Nanba Souichirou.

Nagoya Chancellor Yamashita Taeko.

Koto Chancellor Yuuki Yuuki.

At the plaza in front of Otemon Gate, they left Saki Seiji and Iwai Sanzou who had come to see them off and then they ran toward main castle tower.

Since starting a minute before, they were sticking together and none of them were out of breath.

They were surrounded by darkness. There were tall stone walls, trees, and lawns.

Taeko spoke to no one in particular while second in line.

“The wind sure is picking up.”

“That is because the city lights have begun to come on,” replied Souichirou in the lead.

He wore an armored shell built for mobility.

It looked like armor missing most of its parts and it supported and strengthened the wearer’s movements.

Both his prosthetic and the mobile shell produced quiet mechanical sounds as he moved.

“Listen. As I said before, this battle will-…”

“Act as a trigger to bring the east and west together whether we win or lose, right? …But do the two from Tokyo know that?”

According to those on guard duty, their enemy was only the Tokyo Chancellor and Vice Chancellor. The two of them had been on the way to the main castle tower.

Of course, those two would know nothing of what was occurring at the center of Osaka.

So Souichirou narrowed his eyes a little and did not answer Taeko.

He sped up.

“Whatever the case, I want to win this.”

“Well, we did leave everyone waitin’ in the parkin’ lot. …I’d love to win and then go listen to the outdoor concert of Beethoven’s 9th.”

A powerful gust of wind seemed to blow Taeko’s carefree voice away.

“Is it gonna rain?” she asked while looking up into the night sky.

Yuuki also looked into the night sky while following behind the other two.

She stared at a certain point in the sky.

And at the same time…

–''Yuuki – Savate Tech – Take – Sprint – Hit!

She moved out ahead.

“Ah! Hey! What’re ya in such a hurry for!?”

Yuuki ignored Taeko and kept going.

A small form followed behind her.

“!?”

It was a Dog God.

It hurried its small body to pursue her.

It was about a meter away from her.

But Yuuki did not even glance toward the Dog God.

–''Yuuki – Spear/Throw Tech – Multi-Take – Throw – Hit!

She opened Housei in her hand.

She used centrifugal force to spin the giant staff and then threw it into the air.

–''Yuuki – Steel/Military Tech – Multi-Take – Suzaku Ver. 40 Link – Hit!

Her right false eye, Phoenix, connected with the heavens.

A moment later, lightning struck Housei as it flew through the sky.

It was a white light.

The sound arrived afterwards.

Housei fell while wrapped in light.

Yuuki ran.

The giant staff fell with enough force to stab into the ground, but she snatched it from midair.

To negate the falling centrifugal force, she powerfully spun Housei in one hand.

The afterimage of the ether light surrounding it drew arcs just like neon lights.

With each arc of light, her vermilion uniform shined in the darkness and her black hair flew.

She appeared to be dancing.

Taeko sighed while following after her.

“Yer too much for me.”

“In what way?”

“In that ya can do anything even if yer not aware of it.”

“Awareness can be harmful in some things,” said Souichirou without even looking their way.

Taeko smiled bitterly.

“That’s true enough…”

Meanwhile, they reached a fork in the road.

Heading north would take them to the inner moat and east would take them to the main castle tower.

Yuuki chose the tower route.

Souichirou and Taeko turned in that direction a moment later, but…

–''Taeko – Mind Tech – Auto-Take – Detect Presence – Hit!

“There’s an enemy here!”

“But the report said those two were at the tower!”

“It’s another one! There were 3 of them to start with!!”

With that shout, Taeko jumped to the side.

She faced north, toward the inner moat.

She had sensed the enemy’s presence there.

That girl with a giant false arm attached to her left shoulder disappeared behind the stone wall in an instant.

But neither Souichirou nor Yuuki pursued her.

They did not even turn in her direction.

But Souichirou did call out to her.

“Give it your all and do not worry about us!!”

His shout lasted an instant.

The two figures ran toward the central circle in front of the tower.

They entered a garden with a pond.

And…

–''Souichirou – Mind Tech – Auto-Take – Detect Presence – Hit!

He said nothing.

But he did look to Yuuki and the Dog God as they ran away.

–''Souichirou – Gym Tech – Take – Stop – Hit!

His prosthetic legs and the heels of his mobile shell creaked as he slid to a stop on the gravel.

He too had noticed the enemy he needed to fight.

“Koto Chancellor, I leave the last one to you!!”

Yuuki did not respond.

She continued running.

She passed through the central circle and ran up the zigzagging stone steps.

She was not out of breath.

Her pace remained steady.

She simply ran and looked up while sticking in her headphones.

She looked to the roof of Osaka Castle’s main tower.

–''Yuuki – Mind Tech – Auto-Take – Detect Presence – Hit.

She found the enemy.

And at the same time…

–''Yuuki – Gym/Savate Tech – Multi-Take – Great Leap – Hit!

She jumped.

She used the railing running down the center of the stairs as a stepping stone and she jumped up to the entranceway’s roof.

–''Yuuki – Gym/Savate Tech – Multi-Take – Great Leap – Hit!

And without a running start, she jumped up to the left and onto the second floor’s roof.

She continued from there.

–''Yuuki – Gym/Savate Tech – Multi-Take – Great Leap – Hit!

:–''Yuuki – Gym/Savate Tech – Multi-Take – Great Leap – Hit!

::–''Yuuki – Mind Tech – Take – Ignore Pain – Hit.

:::–''Yuuki – Gym/Savate Tech – Multi-Take – Great Leap – Hit!

She grimaced at the pain from her ankle.

But she ignored even her own body’s pain.

She took a breath and continued up.

Her feet could be heard kicking off the roof tiles.

With each jump, her vision grew higher and the wind stronger.

The city of Osaka gradually spread out below her.

She was high up.

But she continued jumping regardless.

–''Yuuki – Gym/Savate Tech – Multi-Take – Great Leap – Hit!

She saw the roof of the main tower.

–''Yuuki – Gym/Savate Tech – Multi-Take – Great Leap – Hit!

She arrived there.

Yuuki stood on the waves of roof tiles and looked ahead.

The night sky was spread out before her.

After climbing so high, the sky was at eye level.

It was the dark sky of a winter night. The moon seemed to ripple in the wind and the shimmering heat.

There were dark clouds low in the sky.

They were likely due to the ether supply from Suzaku Ver. 40. The vibration of the air had produced the clouds.

“…”

She looked down at her feet.

The Dog God was swaying with its front paws caught on the edge of the roof.

It had somehow managed to climb this high.

She looked away without helping it the rest of the way up. She confirmed where it was she stood.

She was on the southwest edge of the roof.

It was a poor place for a battle without railings.

She looked up and walked forward.

She walked up the sloped roof.

And…

–''Yuuki – Sight Tech – Auto-Take – Spot – Hit.

She saw someone standing on the very top of the roof.

She knew who it was: Tokyo Chancellor Nakamura Hisahide.

He was staring down at the city.

But he already had headphones in his ears.

What should he do?

What did he want?

His music eloquently answered every question.

He moved his eyes to look across the city of Osaka.

“So you’re here.”

He spoke into the wind.

But instead of speaking again, he took a single action.

He smiled.

It was not an audible laugh.

Nor did his body shake.

He simply glared down at Osaka’s nightscape, put a powerful smile on his lips, and raised both arms.

Flames burst grandly from his hands.

This was the fire of the Flame High.

It roared and lit up the heavens from below, but he did not stop smiling.

His eyes were now looking at Yuuki instead of Osaka.

Killer intent filled those eyes.

And his mouth produced more words.

“Now, it’s time to become king!”

With that, Nakamura won the initiative.

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