Editing The Unexplored Summon Blood Sign:Volume6 Chapter3 (section)

===Part 8===

White lights passed through the air from 3 different directions.

With a solid sound, the three-dimensional Rose burst into countless Petals. Those scattering lights were hit into the randomly-placed Spots.

Sekurtiti’s voice ran directly in the back of Kyousuke’s mind.

(It begins.)

Kyousuke had the Original Green (k). Sound Range: Middle. Cost: 1.

Biondetta had the Original Yellow (s). Sound Range: High. Cost: 1.

Their enemy Claude had the Original Green (k). Sound Range: Middle. Cost: 1.

They were all slime Materials. The very first selection was nearly random, but this was actually the ideal situation. In a 2-against-1 battle, the standard tactic was to have one person with the same rock-paper-scissors style Sound Range as the enemy and one person with the superior Sound Range.

(Hm? Why did you choose different ones? It would be best for both of you to attack with his weakness.)

“There’s a reason for this.”

If they both chose the superior Sound Range, there was a chance of the enemy overturning everything by summoning a Material with a Sound Range superior to both of them. And if one of them had the superior Sound Range and one had the inferior Sound Range, the enemy could focus on the inferior one, defeat them quickly, and make a comeback in the 1-on-1 battle that remained.

Thus, the standard was superior and equal.

That was the best combination. It gave them an advantage as things were and allowed them to maintain that advantage even if the enemy shifted to another Material. It was like Kyousuke acted as a shield with his identical Sound Range while Biondetta was the attacker with her superior Sound Range.

Then their White Thorns crossed paths as they built up their Materials.

Once they built up their momentum, there would be no stopping them. Claude would never find an advantage, so the pressure would bear down on him from above and crush him.

Or it should have worked that way.

However…

(…?)

Claude quickly launched several White Thorns. The white lights were fired using the three-legged-race assistance of 3A outside the protective circle, and they collided with Kyousuke and Biondetta’s White Thorns, knocking them astray. This was meant to destroy their teamwork.

However, that should have been suicide for Claude. In a 2-against-1 battle, his opponents had a total number of White Thorns twice as high as his. So if he used a single White Thorn to intercept each of theirs, he would run out first. Interfering was fine, but he would be helpless if he lost the tools he needed to build up his own Material.

And yet the situation did not tilt in either direction.

When Claude’s White Thorns collided with Kyousuke and Biondetta’s, they expelled all of their kinetic energy and came to a stop in midair. They should have disappeared then, but they remained in place.

No, wait.

“What is that!?”

“Biondetta, Claude’s Thorns are ''still moving''. They’re just spinning rapidly in place!”

Kyousuke roared a warning, but 10 seconds had already passed. A new White Thorn appeared to replenish Claude’s emptied stock. He did not hesitate to fire it. The White Thorn hit the others and only Claude’s white lights bounced around the Artificial Sacred Ground and used their great numbers to steal away the Petals in no time. They were hit into the Spots.

Sekurtiti’s surprised voice rang in Kyousuke’s head.

(This is not looking good!)

When Kyousuke and Biondetta each launched a White Thorn, Claude caused a chain reaction with several to compete with their combined numbers.

Kyousuke had The Dead that Burns with a Curse (ov – ou – q – ye). Sound Range: High. Cost: 7.

Unable to maintain a human form any longer, this mass of flames burned with the curse it created itself and it constantly changed between 7 different colors. Whosoever was taken inside that mass producer of negative emotions would swell out from within until they burst.

Biondetta had the Jewel Flies that Draw out Dark Desire (iu – fc – ei – upm – np – sq). Sound Range: Middle. Cost: 13.

It was a storm of thousands and tens of thousands of flies, each of which was a beautiful and colorful jewel. That colorful monster’s light grasped and drew in its prey’s soul, brushing it aside would cover you with countless pathogens, and the victim was decorated with psychedelic mold.

Claude had the Long Red-Haired Journal that Drips with Hatred (ov – an – le – rx – n – a – b – er – ju). Sound Range: Middle. Cost: 15.

Taking the form of a giant floating book, the bizarre journal continually spat out long and sticky hair from between its pages. It was a predator that increased its page number by crushing its victims inside itself.

“Sorry, Sekurtiti. I’ll be putting a bit of a burden on you!”

(Do not worry. That is what it means to work together!)

Kyousuke’s focus on supporting Biondetta had worked against him, so he was in real trouble now. Even with the superior Sound Range, the enemy could overcome that by force when the Cost difference was at 10 or more.

They were fighting on a flat parking lot, so it was difficult to pull off any tricky tactics.

“This isn’t good. …Sir!”

Biondetta made an immediate decision. She had her Material smash the ground at their feet and they all fell straight down. When their footing was destroyed, a new Artificial Sacred Ground would open where they fell. Claude had been the one to use the Incense Grenade, so the new Artificial Sacred Ground would be in reference to where he landed, but it would still help to have a new set of Roses appear.

Toy Dream 35 was a city of tall buildings rising from the ocean. Their next footing was a transformer substation more than 20 meters below. They did not have to worry about physical injury thanks to the protective circles, but they still had to refocus their minds for the fall.

However…

(Wah!?)

Sekurtiti’s voice exploded in Kyousuke’s mind. Their vision had spun around. Gravity had reversed. He glanced over and saw 3A holding the Blood-Sign in one hand and using her other hand to hold the windlass pike she used as a spear. The special steel made the spear into a nice spring and she had started her fall with it stabbed into the ground. And what did that accomplish?

There were giant swings that functioned as a variant on bungie jumping. Instead of falling straight down, you passed below the bridge like a swing and moved to the other side.

This was the same.

Claude was supported by 3A and the Blood-Sign, so he swung below the broken platform instead of falling. And that allowed him to “land” upside-down on the bottom of the parking lot.

“This isn’t over yet. You picked this fight, so don’t be showing your backs just yet.”

This was not at all the reset that Kyousuke and Biondetta had hoped for.

Tossed about by the rapid gravitational change, Kyousuke was unable to land on his feet and fell onto his back. Biondetta did the same, with her black knee socks and thighs fully visible below her mini-yukata. Before he could even get up, Kyousuke thrust out his Blood-Sign, hit a White Thorn, and just barely managed to break the new mass of Roses. He avoided the fatal Cost difference of 10.

(Is this a monorail?)

Sekurtiti was right.

Kyousuke had been busy subconsciously performing complex calculations to control his White Thorns, so it took him a moment to grasp the situation. They were not just on the bottom of the destroyed parking lot platform. It was a railroad. They had fallen onto the bottom of a cargo monorail loaded with containers and tanks. It had cartoony images of Orihime and Hikoboshi drawn on it for the Tanabata Fair.

In this upside-down world, it felt like they were standing on the roof of a train as the fight resumed. As the Materials grew stronger, larger, and more powerful, each of their attacks had more weight behind them.

The metal containers were easily torn apart and stray shots caused the cylindrical tanks behind them to explode. Gravity was only reversed for the summoners and Materials, so the steel shrapnel became a storm of razor-sharp guitar picks that poured into the ocean below.

(What about the driver!?)

“Don’t worry. This is a Toy Dream 35 freight train, so it’s probably self-driving.”

It was Claude who responded to Kyousuke’s comment.

“Tch. I was hoping the explosions would cause the train to stop. No, maybe the initial destruction of the parking lot severed the control signal cables. This is the problem with self-driving trains. Or maybe this has to do with summoners and Materials not showing up on cameras and sensors when an Incense Grenade is in effect.”

“…?”

“The limit is 10 minutes, but you’re making this awfully attractive.”

Claude clicked his tongue just as the scenery changed. The sea and sky vanished. By the time Kyousuke realized they had entered a tunnel – no, a building – it was too late to do anything about it.

“The cargo terminal station? …Sir!”

Everything exploded before Biondetta could say anything.

(…!!!???)

Sekurtiti’s thoughts no longer formed words. First, the freight train lost control thanks to the exploding tanks, slammed into the terminal station, and was smashed to smithereens. Then chemicals and fire scattered in every direction, spreading the flames to the other freight trains waiting in the station. The conflagration spread in no time at all.

(Setting a fire in the pharaoh’s tomb!?)

The silver lining was that the trains were self-driving and thus unmanned.

And the scorching hell could not harm the summoners thanks to the protective circles or the vessels thanks to the Materials.

The Artificial Sacred Ground was established in relation to Claude, so Kyousuke and Biondetta had to pay careful attention to what their floor would be.

“!!”

The container and tank cars weighing several tons each were blown away like paper boxes in the wind. They rolled across the station. To the summoners, even that was only a terrain effect that caused the White Thorns and Petals to bounce around wildly. The whirling flames created a mirage and blowing black smoke blinded them, but their task remained the same: move faster, more often, and stronger than their opponent.

The White Thorns that should have disappeared after being hit would instead remain in place thanks to their rapid spin, the next shot would be launched, and Claude would send a great number of Petals into the Spots all at once. The first thing Kyousuke and Biondetta had to do to combat this was to avoid any interference from Claude. No matter what anyone said, their superior numbers gave them an advantage. As long as the initial interference did not affect them, none of Claude’s unique tactics could fill that gap. They would eventually win.

Salvation and vengeance.

Their paths had split, but Kyousuke and Biondetta still worked in perfect unison. They did not act separately to surround Claude from multiple directions. Kyousuke bounced his White Thorns off of Biondetta’s and Biondetta bounced hers off of Kyousuke’s so their paths would slither around like a living creature. They continued to escape Claude’s lock as they grazed the Petals and knocked them into the Spots.

A question from Sekurtiti entered Kyousuke’s head.

(Hm? What is that?)

A change soon occurred.

Of course, Kyousuke, Biondetta, and Claude’s Materials were complexly changing every few seconds and the first two were slowly filling the gap by avoiding Claude’s interference, but this was a different change.

(Oh, that’s right.)

Sekurtiti’s words continued.

(She is part of the Summoning Ceremony battle, but she is outside the protective circle. Claude’s vessel is the bird of prey, not her. So…)

3A.

That small girl aimed his Blood-Sign in place of his missing right arm, but she did not receive the benefit of the protective circle. Containers and tanks were exploding within the freight terminal and the building was full of scorching flames and black smoke. True to her name, 3A was strengthened in some severe ways, but this was still too much for her to bear. She had seemed like a cold snow spirit, but now her face was covered in sweat, making her look like a hunk of ice melting on a grill.

“Nee hee☆ In that case…”

“No, Biondetta! Wait!!”

Her silver Blood-Sign doubled as a bold-action sniper rifle. Kyousuke quickly yelled at her when he saw her shifting her grip and center of gravity while launching a White Thorn.

“Claude, that girl isn’t going to last long. If you put down your Blood-Sign and let yourself be defeated, we can reach an agreement. We’re after the Founder’s Gallery and the White Queen. We don’t have anything against you!!”

“…”

The blond man’s one eye wandered a little.

But not enough to make that decision.

He once more squeezed the grip near the bottom of his Blood-Sign.

“3A.”

“Yes?”

“You only have to do as much as you can, but give it your all. If you can’t go on, abandon me and get out of here. Even if I’m trapped in the Artificial Sacred Ground, I can destroy the ground to reset everything. Use some acrobatics to escape without setting foot on the ground below and then wait for a chance to counterattack.”

“Understood.”

(Kh… Even after all this, we can’t stop them!?)

Shiroyama Kyousuke’s internal temperature did not rise from simple anger. Instead, it dropped to icy levels.

Claude had announced he would stay true to his methods and wear down the girl’s life for his own purposes. Or perhaps it was for the White Queen who held his soul and would not let go. In that case, Kyousuke would stay true to his methods too. He would save human lives. He would stop thinking about anything else.

(What are you going to do, Shiroyama Kyousuke!?)

He answered with a single word.

“Sekurtiti.”

With an explosive noise, the floor between Kyousuke and Claude collapsed. But this time it was not to change their footing for a reset like when Biondetta had done it. The summoners and vessels were using the paranormal to fight, but the stage itself was part of the normal world and thus obeyed the proper laws of physics.

He wanted one thing: a lot of oxygen.

As that basic element arrived from outside, the indoor terminal’s flames were activated.

They gained explosive force.

Much like a backdraft, flames and shockwaves swept across the indoor space. But it was the oxygen that mattered most. Even if it had been invited in from outside, if it was all used as fuel, the problem would be an overall dearth of oxygen.

Kyousuke was fine, Biondetta was fine, and Claude was fine.

But what about 3A who did not have a protective circle?

“Not bad for someone who acts like he’s so well behaved!!”

“I prioritize human lives above all else. ''Nothing else matters.'' It doesn’t even matter if someone collapses here as long as they can be revived later.”

The snow spirit girl’s head wobbled.

She slowly shook her head.

“I’m…fine.”

No, she tried to shake it.

“I am…3A. I will…loyally fulfill…my chosen master’s…”

But she was outdone by her own momentum and her tiny body crumpled to the side. Her index and middle fingers left the tip of the Blood-Sign.

“…”

Claude Magentarain’s Blood-Sign lost control.

Only now did the eyepatch man remember something: the people who truly need help no longer have the strength to even voice the words “help me”.

Hadn’t it been the same when he had first met 3A? An old acquaintance had changed their name to Doctor S and was working behind the scenes, so he had stopped by to greet them, found they were not in the high-rise building they used as a base, and ran into this girl who had robotically attacked him.

He could have killed her if he had thrown an Incense Grenade and summoned a Material.

But he had not.

His hesitation had allowed the girl’s blade to stab deep into the right arm he used to protect his vitals and he had ultimately lost his dominant arm. But in that moment, he had seen something: 3A herself had been more shocked than anyone that he had not killed her and had instead let her injure him.

When she had asked a trembling question, hadn’t he given this answer?

''“Of course I did. The people who truly need help no longer have the strength to even voice the words ‘help me’.”

The pain did not matter. The fear of losing his dominant hand had disappeared.

Why was it he had felt the need to tell her this first of all?

''“I guess I’ll just have to save you. Even if you can’t put down that blade, I’ll make sure you can at least use it for something other than killing. Oh, it isn’t that hard. Thinking that’s all you can do ends up restricting your possibilities and binding you. You need to reach for things that don’t seem at all like your thing and you need to expand your horizons. For example…oh, I know. Why not start collecting stuffed animals or mascot characters? Try holding something other than a blade and you’ll find it feels pretty nice in your hand.”

(I see…)

Claude gave a self-deprecating smile as he lost the support for his Blood-Sign.

Even here, she still could not say “help me”. Had she been that intent on clenching her teeth and helping Claude win after giving up her killing blade? Even after he had told her to only do as much as she could and even after he had given her the option of abandoning him, vanishing into the shadows, and polishing her assassin’s blade as she waited for a chance to strike back and save him?

(That kid’s still gonna take a lot of work.)

And Shiroyama Kyousuke would not hesitate against someone who was careless with human lives, no matter their reasons.

Time began to move once more.

A White Thorn ricocheted complexly around.

A Divine-class was summoned. Sound Range: Low. Cost: 6. It was a 3-headed goddess from Greek mythology and the ancestor of all witches. That goddess ruled over the moon, the night, and the underworld. Most importantly, she gave power to women and granted them the strength to protect themselves. And she bared her fangs against the enemy summoner.