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==Chapter 95: Passersby En-Route==
[[Image:Horizon4C_0961.jpg|thumb]]
''Paths that must eventually be taken


Masazumi took a sharp breath at the colossal white and black bow before her.
''Paths that will arrive regardless


It was the center of everyone’s attention.
''Paths that overlap and cannot be avoided


Horizon, who was looking up at the sky with her knee bent, looked as if she was bowing.
'''Point Allocation (Above and Below)


And then, she held the massive bow in her hand, lightly treating it with her fingers as if it were a hairpin.


“Who’s she going to test fire it on?”


“Why the heck are you looking at me! What did I do wrong!?”
Masazumi gasped at the giant white and black bow standing before her.


Un, nodded Masazumi at everyone together.
At the center of everyone’s attention, Horizon looked up into the sky and bent her knee in thanks. She then picked up the giant bow and handled it as gently as she might a hairpin.


Horizon will fire one shot.
“Who should I test it on?”


However, the idiot killed the moment by forming a heart over his chest with both his hands.
“Why’s everyone looking at me!?” shouted Toori. “Did I do something wrong!?”


“H-huh? It doesn’t hurt at all! D-don’t tell me Horizon! You’re not angry with me at all!?”
Masazumi and everyone else nodded, so Horizon fired a shot. The idiot used his fingers to form a heart in front of his chest and leaned back to express the damage, but…


“That’s strange….Ah, the battery disconnected. The indicator’s pure white.”
“H-huh? It didn’t hurt! Horizon! Does that mean you don’t feel any anger toward me!?”


Sure looks that way, nodded Asama.
“That’s strange… Oh, the battery is dead. The indicator is blank.”


She confirmed that the numerous Sign Frames she sent out to scout Horizon’s surroundings have vanished.
“Oh, sure enough,” confirmed Asama while watching several confirmation sign frames appearing and disappearing around Horizon. “The confirmation process is running fairly slow. I’m not sure if you would call that life-like or what… But isn’t this great, Horizon? Now hitting and criticizing Toori-kun will be all the more worthwhile.”


“The rate of information processing has slowed somewhat. Unexpectedly, it appears to be living creatures…..still, it’s a good thing, Horizon. From now on, it’ll be worth hitting and condemning Toori-kun no?”
“Heh heh heh. Shrine maiden, do you have any idea what you’re saying? But…that makes 4. Just 1 more and we’re past the halfway mark. Isn’t that amazing!? The halfway mark! If we view the journey as the shape of a boob, then we’re on the bottom half now! Like right here on Asama! C’mon, Adele, don’t look away! Feel free to touch it! Stick your fingers in the cleavage and you’ll be blessed! Even if you’re flat yourself!”


“Huhuhu, this miko, I wonder if she understands what she’s saying. Simply put, there’s just four here. Next, I’ll get one of them, and then I’ll repeat this again and again. Isn’t it great, again and again! Because of the reverse taper, it’s below the line of the breasts! This spot on Asama! Hey, Adele, don’t turn your eyes away and feel for it! Stick your finger into the gap and your prayers will be answered! You too flat chest!”
Masazumi ignored the crazy person and looked up into the sky. She watched the Sviet Rus fleet which was still upside-down and already several kilometers away and she thought about the number of Logismoi Oplo.


Ignoring the lunatic, Masazumi gazed up at the sky.  
“So we’ve reached the midpoint of our own task.”


Overhead, the fleet of Svet Rus had already travelled far ahead for kilometers in the opposite direction.
Horizon was staring at Maska Orge and occasionally holding it up, which forced everyone to scream and run out of the way, so she was the same as always. But when counting Olos Phtonos, the Far East had now gathered 4 Logismoi Oplo.


As she regarded them, she thought of the number of Logismoi Oploi, four.
…''So the world might really be coming to an end.


“We need to approach the middle ship.”
That belated thought came to Masazumi. And…


As usual, Horizon sent everyone watching screaming and fleeing when she occasionally brandished Maska Orge over her head.
“That thing we saw below Novgorod…”
Nonetheless, including Oros Phtonos four Logismoi Oploi have been gathered in the Far East.


….which means that the end of the world may really be at hand.
What was it?


Masazumi realized after such a long time.


And then,


“What’s that below the surface of Novgorod?”
While holding off Kimi who was trying to shove double karate chops between her breasts from below, Asama used a sign frame to go over the events of the day.


What on earth could it be now?
Starting from the morning, there had been Futayo and Kimi’s training, the special student general assembly, the second meeting with Yasuhira, the three nations meeting, the sabotage by the Sanada Ten Braves, and the Battle of Novgorod.


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“…Huh? How much were we cramming into one day?”


While restraining Kimi who had suddenly thrust both hands like a blade below her breasts, Asama took stock of today’s events on the display screen.
'''Gold Mar:''' “After saving Ga-chan’s life and flying into a falling floating city, I feel like the main character in an adventure book.”


There was Futayo and Kimi training together since morning, the general meeting of the special student council, the second meeting with Yasuhira, the conference of the three states, the treachery of the Ten Heroes of Sanada and the Novgorod battle…
'''Me:''' “Yeah, I feel like I got through it all pretty peacefully though… Oh, but I also think I ended up scoring all my points with guys and old men this time!”


“….Eh? How many events did we go through for today alone?”
'''10ZO:''' “Do old men not count as guys? Anyway, peaceful really is best. I seem to recall getting kicked by an ally while fighting Lord Shibata…”


・金マル：
'''Silver Wolf:''' “That was a strategy! A strategy!!”


『Which novel hero is Nai-chan, diving in to the falling floating city like that to save Ga-chan?』
'''Scarred:''' “Hee hee. Lady Mitotsudaira, I will heal you properly later, so could you prepare by removing all your clothing in one of the medical room’s beds? You too, Master Tenzou.”


・俺：
'''Mal-Ga:''' “There goes my doujinshi sensor! Today turned out to be a great day after all!!”


『Ah—It’s surprisingly calm so I’m not really worried….But I realize now that the men and old geezers like me more! 』
'''83:''' “It was not a great day. Curry and flour should be made into roux, but it was all wasted.”


・十ZO：
'''Sticky King:''' “Heh. But Noriki managed to make himself useful, so that’s good.”


『Geezers and men? But peace is good enough. I got kicked by my own friends when I clashed with Lord Shibata…..』
'''Obscene:''' “That’s right! Next time it’s our turn to break through the enemy ship’s defenses!”


・銀　狼：
'''Worshiper:''' “Wait, is that something we take turns doing…?”


『That was strategy! Strategy!!』
''We’re as chaotic as ever,'' thought Asama as Hanami gathered a few pieces of information.


・傷有り：
The most important was what they had seen at Novgorod. As part of the Shinto forces, information on the Age of Dawn was of great importance, especially when it involved the previously inviolable Novgorod.


『Huhu, Lady Mitotsudaira, you’ll have some proper medical treatment afterwards so please lie on the bed in the treatment room and remove your clothes in preparation alright? You too, Lord Tenzou.』
She might get asked to write up a report, but she decided it would be best to make her father the investigator at Kantou IZUMO or Musashi IZUMO. As someone involved in the operation of the Musashi, she could not visit IZUMO or the main Shirasago Shrine so easily. On the other hand, that would mean she could not leave the Musashi for the time being, but…


・●　画：
…''What a pain…


『Production censor, rise—! Today’s the last of the last of the good days!!』
She approved the documents Hanami produced. She wondered what had been erased from that relief of the people celebrating something. Also…


・83 ：
…''The Double Border Crest…


『That’s not good— the curry and wheat flour that was to be made into sauce have been treated poorly.』
Why had the Prince of Orange been taken away by that? And what did he mean when he said they tried to become friends with the Princess at an academy Lord Motonobu had made?


Also, why had the crest appeared behind Masazumi and the others? Its disappearance might have been because it had been blocked by the defense spell she had prepared, but that was another unknown.


・粘着王：
“Hmm… Ah, hey! Stop groping me, Kimi.”


『Hu, at that rate, you might as well let Noriki actively join in.』
“You can’t go get lost in thought all on your own again. …Discuss it with the rest of us.”


・いんび：
''She has a point,'' thought Asama just before defense barriers appeared across the Musashi.


『Yeah! Next we’ll break the defenses of the enemy ships!』
An emergency alarm sounded and “Musashi” made an announcement.


・礼讃者：
“A fleet is appearing from secondary stealth above us! It is headed from west-northwest to south. It belongs to…”


『In my opinion, this is possibly a sequenced system.』
It belonged to…


Chaos as usual eh…., thought Asama as Hanami gathered the myriad reports together.
“Hashiba! Over!!”


The longest one was, as expected, what they had seen in Novgorod.


Information from the earliest eras was an important matter for Shinto’s power.


The previously inviolable Novgorod was thus all the more vital.
Futayo looked up to the night sky.


While a record may be requested, her father had already taken on the role of researcher at Kantou IZUMO and Musashi IZUMO.
The lingering reverberation of cannon fire seemed to remain in the Musashi as Hashiba’s fleet seemed to look down at them while facing east. They were passing right overhead.


As someone involved with the operations of Musashi, it would be difficult for her to travel to IZUMO and the main shrine at Shirasago.
The large ship supporting the front group was the Tottori Castle with its sand barrier.


Then again, she also couldn’t leave Musashi now.
They apparently had no intent of harming the Musashi.


…..It was really troublesome…..
But the glasses boy seemed to know where they were headed.


Asama thought as she acknowledged the data that Hanami brought it.
“They’re returning to P.A. Oda to resupply before beginning the invasion of Mouri in earnest. Since Date is waiting in Kantou to the north, they can’t send Kantou’s materials to Mouri using the Azuchi Castle. So they’ve chosen to rush over for supplies using the Tottori Castle which functions as an important base in the invasion of Mouri. …And this doubles as practice for their big return from Mouri.”


Looking at the surface of Novgorod, just what is the mark left by the shavings from the relief that was blessed by the people?
“I see,” said Futayo just before the flying Weiss Hexen spoke with a grim note to her voice.


….Twin-boundary crest….
“Hashiba is there!”


Just why was Oranje spirited away by that thing?
Hashiba was looking down at them from the Tottori Castle’s port side deck. And…


Also, when he said,
“Is that Fukushima Masanori and Katou Kiyomasa of the Ten Spears? Also…”


“The Empress and her friends are in the academy that Lord Motonobu created,”
A few other people were visible behind those two. Two of them had multiple sets of wings and held Technohexen ''schale besen'' that looked like cannons. Meanwhile, back on the Musashi…


What did he mean by that?
“Horizon-sama!?”


And finally, what is the meaning of the thing that appeared on Masazumi’s back?
Futayo looked directly in front of her.


While she may probably be able to get rid of it with the defensive spells she prepared, but on that point…
Horizon was raising Maska Orge. She aimed it at Hashiba overhead, raised her eyebrows, and gained a sharp look in her eyes.


“U—n…..hey, don’t grope me Kimi.”
''So this is the princess’s wrath,'' thought Futayo.


“Don’t brood there by yourself. Share it with us please.”


Good point, Asama thought.


Suddenly, from various places on Musashi, defensive barriers sprang up.
The transformation was instantaneous.


Emergency situation.
The face-like grip cover raised its jaw and the absent bowstring was supplied with ether light. But instead of a simple line, it was overheated ether that flickered like a flame.


“Musashi” broadcasted that point.
There were two reasons why Maska Orge was functioning now despite being out of fuel before.


『Over, fleet has appeared from secondary stealth cloaking! Heading west-northwest to south. Registration is— 』
The first was Aspida Phylargia which had activated at the same time.


That was
The second was Toori’s ether supply lines which surrounded Horizon like a cape. And…


『Hashiba!—Over!!』
'''“Owner: Horizon Ariadust: Confirmed.”


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'''“Individual Emotional Expression: Normal Drive – Overdrive: ––––––: Combat Proof Able: Resolving Self Evolution”


Futayo looked up at the night sky.
'''“Individual Emotional Expression: Overdrive: Power: Fully Supplied Externally”


Looking down on Musashi, which was still reverberating throughout with the echoes from the last of the bombardment, the Hashiba fleet headed east.
'''“Horizon-sama: Please Release the Third Safety ‘Soul Activation’ ”


That was a trajectory that would take them overhead this point.
“Judge,” confirmed Horizon.


The capital ships supporting the vanguard groups erected their “Tottori Castle” with defensive barriers of sand.
And then she thought, ''What is wrath?


There was no sense of harm from them.
…''It is…


However, their destination was, according to the glasses person,
She could remember something. It was a past situation much like this one.


“To advance the Mouri assault on a full scale, they’ll return once to P.A. Oda for resupply. As the Date have created a diversion from Kantou’s north, Kantou’s supplies cannot reach the Mouri in Azuchi Castle. That is why the assault forces dare to use the Tottori Castle at their positions while a large quantity of supplies are swiftly brought back— They have already trained for a large counter-response from the Mouri.”
At the Battle of Mikatagahara when they had been pursued from Northern Edo to Oushuu, they had faced Hashiba like this. At that time, they had been saved by a great many people.


I see, Futayo nodded.
“…!”


Soaring in the sky, the Weiss Hexen called in a sharp voice,
This was a hopeless feeling.


“The Hashiba are here….!”
It was an emotion created by loss but different from the one directed at the things that were lost.
The port deck of the Tottori Castle.
From there, the Hashiba stood, looking down this way.


And with that
If this was wrath, then at whom was it directed?


“Fukushima Masanori and Katou Kiyomasa of the Ten Spears. As for the rest—”
At Hashiba? Or at herself for being so worthless? Or…


Numerous figures could be seen behind the silhouettes of the two main persons.  
“Horizon, use that wrath to change yourself, okay? Use it to change your somewhat imperfect self so you won’t ever lose again. And to show you’ve done that, fire. And, Horizon, you know who to fire at, don’t you?”


Two were overlapped with wings and bore the cannon-like Schalebesen.
His voice gave her a push forward.


And opposing them atop Musashi,
“At those who say we admit we will lose everything if we use this in a predetermined, desperate, or hopeless situation. At those who have forgotten how to resist destiny.”


“Lady Horizon!?”
“…Judge!!”


She was staring ahead of her.
''That cleared my thoughts,'' realized Horizon. She had held a question in her heart ever since the Battle of Mikatagahara.


Horizon deployed Maska Orge.
“People are a combination of resistance and recovery, of sorrow and joy. But…”


Futayo looked pointedly up with her eyebrows raised at the Hashiba drifting overhead.
She asked that question.


This is the princess’s wrath then? She thought.
“When is the right time for us to live and to die!?”


<center><span style="font-size: 300%;">●</span></center>
At the very least, her current self desired a certain answer. It was something like the process of elimination. Those who had left had held something in their hearts:


The change occurred in an instant.
“Resistance against destiny!!”


She raised the face-like grip cover to her chin.
'''“ ‘Soul Activation’ Safety Release: Confirmed”


The un-stretched began to glow with Ether energy.
A massive number of sign frames opened around Horizon as she pulled back the bowstring.


That wasn’t just a simple line.
The black sign frames were a mixture of crosses and torii. They were initially blank, but a small figure appeared for just a moment and then…


It was flame-like, superheated Ether.
'''“Logismoi Oplo Control OS: Phtonos-01s: Third Stage: Update: Confirmed”


There were two main reasons why Maska Orgi could function even when it has insufficient fuel.
'''“Welcome to the Genesis of Emotions.”


First, Aspisa Filargyria was deployed at the same time.
…''What is this?


The other reason is that Toori’s Ether supply line covered Horizon like a cape.
As if to answer her emotion, the white and black bow grew taut and the string erupted with flame-like light.


And then,
“————!!”


'''『OWNER: HORIZON ARIADUST:—ACKNOWLEDGED』'''
Horizon’s voice sounded loudly as she fired Maska Orge toward Hashiba.


'''『SOLID STATE EMOTION DISPLAY: NORMAL DRIVE      OVERDRIVE:__________:COMBAT PROOF FORMATTED: SELF-PROGRESSING SOLUTION』'''


'''『SOLID STATE EMOTION DISPLAY: OVERDRIVE:OUTPUT:EXTERNAL COMPLETE』'''


'''『LADY HORIZON: NO 3 SAFETY RELEASE “SPIRIT DRIVE”:KINDLY PLEASE』'''
The wrath was invisible.


Jud, Horizon nodded.
But it flew in a straight line up toward Hashiba who looked down from the deck.


And then Horizon wondered.
“…!”


What is wrath?
It scored a direct hit. Or it looked like it did. However, there was a light.


…..That was—
Right in front of Hashiba and along the path between her and Horizon, light scattered on a large scale.


There was something she remembered.
Ether fragments spread out like an umbrella and hopped across the ship’s surface like sparks, but Hashiba stood perfectly still at the center of that light.


A concept in the past similar to the situation now.
She was unharmed.


At the Battle of Mikatagahara, they were pursued from the north of Edo all the way to the Oushuu side. In that state, they went toe to toe against the Hashiba.
Horizon gasped and held Maska Orge tightly in her left hand.


During this time, plenty of people came to their aid.
“I can’t believe it…Maska Orge was dragged down to the Muneshige Cannon’s level on the very first shot!”


“…..!”
“Master Muneshige! Master Muneshige!!”


Helplessness.
'''KageV:''' “Marfa! Why are you falling to your knees!? Marfa!”


The emotion behind the reason for the separate loss of her feelings.
“Hey, Horizon. Why are you doing so much damage to our side?”


If this is wrath then who should it be aimed at?
“Just to be clear, the Muneshige Cannon blew through an enemy ship the other day. Yes, so it isn’t entirely useless.”


The Hashiba?
Horizon gave Toori a thumb’s up.


Or the spineless ones that made up her own side.
But Urquiaga interrupted while looking above them.


Or,
“Hey, look at Hashiba. Do you see what that monkey girl is holding?” He sounded like he doubted his own eyes. “Isn’t that a Logismoi Oplo!?”


“Horizon, you will use wrath to change yourself? Because imperfect as you are, you’ll never again be undefeated. And so to demonstrate this, release it, Horizon. We’ll use wrath--”


His voice came from behind her.


“Whether it be convention or despair, we’ll make use of the situations in which are helpless. We’ll bear the fact that we have lost everything and we’ll say this— To those who have forgotten how to fight back against fate.”
Beyond the wind and as they passed each other by, Hashiba finally relaxed.


“……Jud!!”
Wings grew vertically behind her like an iron fan and a single glowing feather grew from them. She also held something in her left arm:


It’s clear now, thought Horizon.
“Aspida Phylargia!?”


The doubt within her ever since the Battle of Mikatagahara.
Fukushima of the Ten Spears heard that question and lightly shook her raised hand to say “no”.


That doubt was,
“Well, that’s casual. …But then what is that!?”


“People fight back and recover and go through sadness and joy. But….in whatever way we live, isn’t it true that we all still die…..!!”
As Asama asked that, Maska Orge’s light finished scattering.


At the very least, she’d wanted an answer.
And then the Tottori Castle accelerated. It whipped up the wind as if to say they would be giving no more answers.


That was a process of elimination.
“—————”


Those who’d gone still remained in the heart however.
And it left while Hashiba got up off the deck.


“….Fight back against fate!!”
She wobbled a bit, so the others quickly rushed in to support her.


'''『SAFETY RELEASE “SPIRIT DRIVE”: ACKNOWLEDGED』'''
They apparently had their own issues to deal with.


At the area where Horizon drew the bowstring back, a huge Sign Frame appeared.
But that was all.


The small figure of a cross and bird was displayed for an instant on the first blank of the jet black Sign Frame.
The Tottori Castle reentered stealth and the other ships followed.


After that,


'''『—LOGISMOI OPLOI CONTROL OS: PHTONOS-01s: THIRD PHASE: UPDATING: ACKNOWLEDGED』'''


'''『WELCOME TO THE GENESIS OF EMOTIONS』'''
They were gone.


….This was—
Novgorod was no longer in the sky, the Sviet Rus and Mogami fleets had left into the northeastern sky, and Shibata’s fleet was moving toward the southern sky. The Musashi alone remained in the chilly sky.
 
“Um.”
 
Horizon opened her mouth on the academy bridge.
 
Everyone else was speechless, so she grabbed at Toori’s sleeve.
 
“About Hashiba-sama just now…”
 
She asked a question.
 
“Why?” she said. “Why did she have something so Logismoi Oplo-ish?”
 
“I’m not sure what to say about that ‘-ish’.”
 
Asama and then everyone else tilted their heads, but then Masazumi spoke up.
 
“Maybe there are Logis-more of them than we thought…”
 
Everything completely froze over.
 
 
 
In a white sky, Fukushima sighed while the winds from the surrounding stealth barrier washed over her.
 
Out of the many coming battles, they were focusing on the history recreation of the invasion of Mouri, so their leader Hashiba had opted to temporarily return in the Tottori Castle.
 
The Azuchi Castle was still waiting in Edo, but it was stuck there due to the Date clan. On the other hand…
 
…''This is a nearly humiliating waste of time and effort.
 
This would give Hexagone Française some extra time to prepare. And that may have been why…
 
'''Taki:''' “Yeah, sorry about that, Hashiba group. I’m thinking maybe I should have sent the Shirasagi in to push back Date. What do you think, Fuku?”
 
'''First Spear:''' “N-no, Takigawa. We have no right to criticize thy battlefield decisions.”
 
'''Taki:''' “Umm, then Hashiba? You there?”
 
Fukushima grabbed the ''lernen figur'' displaying Takigawa and pointed it toward Hashiba. But…
 
'''Taki:''' “Hashibaaaa?”
 
As Takigawa called out to her, Hashiba crouched down by the deck railing and grabbed her hood as if holding her head in her hands.
 
“…”
 
Seeing the silent and unmoving Hashiba, Takigawa asked Fukushima a question.
 
'''Taki:''' “What’s she doing?”
 
“Testament,” began Fukushima.
 
'''First Spear:''' “She is feeling shy after everyone saw such an uncool side of her.”
 
<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
    | [[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 94|Chapter 94]]
    | [[Horizon:Volume 4C Chapter 96|Last Chapter]]
}}
</noinclude>

Latest revision as of 19:12, 1 January 2017

Chapter 95: Passersby En-Route[edit]

Paths that must eventually be taken

Paths that will arrive regardless

Paths that overlap and cannot be avoided

Point Allocation (Above and Below)


Masazumi gasped at the giant white and black bow standing before her.

At the center of everyone’s attention, Horizon looked up into the sky and bent her knee in thanks. She then picked up the giant bow and handled it as gently as she might a hairpin.

“Who should I test it on?”

“Why’s everyone looking at me!?” shouted Toori. “Did I do something wrong!?”

Masazumi and everyone else nodded, so Horizon fired a shot. The idiot used his fingers to form a heart in front of his chest and leaned back to express the damage, but…

“H-huh? It didn’t hurt! Horizon! Does that mean you don’t feel any anger toward me!?”

“That’s strange… Oh, the battery is dead. The indicator is blank.”

“Oh, sure enough,” confirmed Asama while watching several confirmation sign frames appearing and disappearing around Horizon. “The confirmation process is running fairly slow. I’m not sure if you would call that life-like or what… But isn’t this great, Horizon? Now hitting and criticizing Toori-kun will be all the more worthwhile.”

“Heh heh heh. Shrine maiden, do you have any idea what you’re saying? But…that makes 4. Just 1 more and we’re past the halfway mark. Isn’t that amazing!? The halfway mark! If we view the journey as the shape of a boob, then we’re on the bottom half now! Like right here on Asama! C’mon, Adele, don’t look away! Feel free to touch it! Stick your fingers in the cleavage and you’ll be blessed! Even if you’re flat yourself!”

Masazumi ignored the crazy person and looked up into the sky. She watched the Sviet Rus fleet which was still upside-down and already several kilometers away and she thought about the number of Logismoi Oplo.

“So we’ve reached the midpoint of our own task.”

Horizon was staring at Maska Orge and occasionally holding it up, which forced everyone to scream and run out of the way, so she was the same as always. But when counting Olos Phtonos, the Far East had now gathered 4 Logismoi Oplo.

…So the world might really be coming to an end.

That belated thought came to Masazumi. And…

“That thing we saw below Novgorod…”

What was it?


While holding off Kimi who was trying to shove double karate chops between her breasts from below, Asama used a sign frame to go over the events of the day.

Starting from the morning, there had been Futayo and Kimi’s training, the special student general assembly, the second meeting with Yasuhira, the three nations meeting, the sabotage by the Sanada Ten Braves, and the Battle of Novgorod.

“…Huh? How much were we cramming into one day?”

Gold Mar: “After saving Ga-chan’s life and flying into a falling floating city, I feel like the main character in an adventure book.”

Me: “Yeah, I feel like I got through it all pretty peacefully though… Oh, but I also think I ended up scoring all my points with guys and old men this time!”

10ZO: “Do old men not count as guys? Anyway, peaceful really is best. I seem to recall getting kicked by an ally while fighting Lord Shibata…”

Silver Wolf: “That was a strategy! A strategy!!”

Scarred: “Hee hee. Lady Mitotsudaira, I will heal you properly later, so could you prepare by removing all your clothing in one of the medical room’s beds? You too, Master Tenzou.”

Mal-Ga: “There goes my doujinshi sensor! Today turned out to be a great day after all!!”

83: “It was not a great day. Curry and flour should be made into roux, but it was all wasted.”

Sticky King: “Heh. But Noriki managed to make himself useful, so that’s good.”

Obscene: “That’s right! Next time it’s our turn to break through the enemy ship’s defenses!”

Worshiper: “Wait, is that something we take turns doing…?”

We’re as chaotic as ever, thought Asama as Hanami gathered a few pieces of information.

The most important was what they had seen at Novgorod. As part of the Shinto forces, information on the Age of Dawn was of great importance, especially when it involved the previously inviolable Novgorod.

She might get asked to write up a report, but she decided it would be best to make her father the investigator at Kantou IZUMO or Musashi IZUMO. As someone involved in the operation of the Musashi, she could not visit IZUMO or the main Shirasago Shrine so easily. On the other hand, that would mean she could not leave the Musashi for the time being, but…

…What a pain…

She approved the documents Hanami produced. She wondered what had been erased from that relief of the people celebrating something. Also…

…The Double Border Crest…

Why had the Prince of Orange been taken away by that? And what did he mean when he said they tried to become friends with the Princess at an academy Lord Motonobu had made?

Also, why had the crest appeared behind Masazumi and the others? Its disappearance might have been because it had been blocked by the defense spell she had prepared, but that was another unknown.

“Hmm… Ah, hey! Stop groping me, Kimi.”

“You can’t go get lost in thought all on your own again. …Discuss it with the rest of us.”

She has a point, thought Asama just before defense barriers appeared across the Musashi.

An emergency alarm sounded and “Musashi” made an announcement.

“A fleet is appearing from secondary stealth above us! It is headed from west-northwest to south. It belongs to…”

It belonged to…

“Hashiba! Over!!”


Futayo looked up to the night sky.

The lingering reverberation of cannon fire seemed to remain in the Musashi as Hashiba’s fleet seemed to look down at them while facing east. They were passing right overhead.

The large ship supporting the front group was the Tottori Castle with its sand barrier.

They apparently had no intent of harming the Musashi.

But the glasses boy seemed to know where they were headed.

“They’re returning to P.A. Oda to resupply before beginning the invasion of Mouri in earnest. Since Date is waiting in Kantou to the north, they can’t send Kantou’s materials to Mouri using the Azuchi Castle. So they’ve chosen to rush over for supplies using the Tottori Castle which functions as an important base in the invasion of Mouri. …And this doubles as practice for their big return from Mouri.”

“I see,” said Futayo just before the flying Weiss Hexen spoke with a grim note to her voice.

“Hashiba is there!”

Hashiba was looking down at them from the Tottori Castle’s port side deck. And…

“Is that Fukushima Masanori and Katou Kiyomasa of the Ten Spears? Also…”

A few other people were visible behind those two. Two of them had multiple sets of wings and held Technohexen schale besen that looked like cannons. Meanwhile, back on the Musashi…

“Horizon-sama!?”

Futayo looked directly in front of her.

Horizon was raising Maska Orge. She aimed it at Hashiba overhead, raised her eyebrows, and gained a sharp look in her eyes.

So this is the princess’s wrath, thought Futayo.


The transformation was instantaneous.

The face-like grip cover raised its jaw and the absent bowstring was supplied with ether light. But instead of a simple line, it was overheated ether that flickered like a flame.

There were two reasons why Maska Orge was functioning now despite being out of fuel before.

The first was Aspida Phylargia which had activated at the same time.

The second was Toori’s ether supply lines which surrounded Horizon like a cape. And…

“Owner: Horizon Ariadust: Confirmed.”

“Individual Emotional Expression: Normal Drive – Overdrive: ––––––: Combat Proof Able: Resolving Self Evolution”

“Individual Emotional Expression: Overdrive: Power: Fully Supplied Externally”

“Horizon-sama: Please Release the Third Safety ‘Soul Activation’ ”

“Judge,” confirmed Horizon.

And then she thought, What is wrath?

…It is…

She could remember something. It was a past situation much like this one.

At the Battle of Mikatagahara when they had been pursued from Northern Edo to Oushuu, they had faced Hashiba like this. At that time, they had been saved by a great many people.

“…!”

This was a hopeless feeling.

It was an emotion created by loss but different from the one directed at the things that were lost.

If this was wrath, then at whom was it directed?

At Hashiba? Or at herself for being so worthless? Or…

“Horizon, use that wrath to change yourself, okay? Use it to change your somewhat imperfect self so you won’t ever lose again. And to show you’ve done that, fire. And, Horizon, you know who to fire at, don’t you?”

His voice gave her a push forward.

“At those who say we admit we will lose everything if we use this in a predetermined, desperate, or hopeless situation. At those who have forgotten how to resist destiny.”

“…Judge!!”

That cleared my thoughts, realized Horizon. She had held a question in her heart ever since the Battle of Mikatagahara.

“People are a combination of resistance and recovery, of sorrow and joy. But…”

She asked that question.

“When is the right time for us to live and to die!?”

At the very least, her current self desired a certain answer. It was something like the process of elimination. Those who had left had held something in their hearts:

“Resistance against destiny!!”

“ ‘Soul Activation’ Safety Release: Confirmed”

A massive number of sign frames opened around Horizon as she pulled back the bowstring.

The black sign frames were a mixture of crosses and torii. They were initially blank, but a small figure appeared for just a moment and then…

“Logismoi Oplo Control OS: Phtonos-01s: Third Stage: Update: Confirmed”

“Welcome to the Genesis of Emotions.”

…What is this?

As if to answer her emotion, the white and black bow grew taut and the string erupted with flame-like light.

“————!!”

Horizon’s voice sounded loudly as she fired Maska Orge toward Hashiba.


The wrath was invisible.

But it flew in a straight line up toward Hashiba who looked down from the deck.

“…!”

It scored a direct hit. Or it looked like it did. However, there was a light.

Right in front of Hashiba and along the path between her and Horizon, light scattered on a large scale.

Ether fragments spread out like an umbrella and hopped across the ship’s surface like sparks, but Hashiba stood perfectly still at the center of that light.

She was unharmed.

Horizon gasped and held Maska Orge tightly in her left hand.

“I can’t believe it…Maska Orge was dragged down to the Muneshige Cannon’s level on the very first shot!”

“Master Muneshige! Master Muneshige!!”

KageV: “Marfa! Why are you falling to your knees!? Marfa!”

“Hey, Horizon. Why are you doing so much damage to our side?”

“Just to be clear, the Muneshige Cannon blew through an enemy ship the other day. Yes, so it isn’t entirely useless.”

Horizon gave Toori a thumb’s up.

But Urquiaga interrupted while looking above them.

“Hey, look at Hashiba. Do you see what that monkey girl is holding?” He sounded like he doubted his own eyes. “Isn’t that a Logismoi Oplo!?”


Beyond the wind and as they passed each other by, Hashiba finally relaxed.

Wings grew vertically behind her like an iron fan and a single glowing feather grew from them. She also held something in her left arm:

“Aspida Phylargia!?”

Fukushima of the Ten Spears heard that question and lightly shook her raised hand to say “no”.

“Well, that’s casual. …But then what is that!?”

As Asama asked that, Maska Orge’s light finished scattering.

And then the Tottori Castle accelerated. It whipped up the wind as if to say they would be giving no more answers.

“—————”

And it left while Hashiba got up off the deck.

She wobbled a bit, so the others quickly rushed in to support her.

They apparently had their own issues to deal with.

But that was all.

The Tottori Castle reentered stealth and the other ships followed.


They were gone.

Novgorod was no longer in the sky, the Sviet Rus and Mogami fleets had left into the northeastern sky, and Shibata’s fleet was moving toward the southern sky. The Musashi alone remained in the chilly sky.

“Um.”

Horizon opened her mouth on the academy bridge.

Everyone else was speechless, so she grabbed at Toori’s sleeve.

“About Hashiba-sama just now…”

She asked a question.

“Why?” she said. “Why did she have something so Logismoi Oplo-ish?”

“I’m not sure what to say about that ‘-ish’.”

Asama and then everyone else tilted their heads, but then Masazumi spoke up.

“Maybe there are Logis-more of them than we thought…”

Everything completely froze over.


In a white sky, Fukushima sighed while the winds from the surrounding stealth barrier washed over her.

Out of the many coming battles, they were focusing on the history recreation of the invasion of Mouri, so their leader Hashiba had opted to temporarily return in the Tottori Castle.

The Azuchi Castle was still waiting in Edo, but it was stuck there due to the Date clan. On the other hand…

…This is a nearly humiliating waste of time and effort.

This would give Hexagone Française some extra time to prepare. And that may have been why…

Taki: “Yeah, sorry about that, Hashiba group. I’m thinking maybe I should have sent the Shirasagi in to push back Date. What do you think, Fuku?”

First Spear: “N-no, Takigawa. We have no right to criticize thy battlefield decisions.”

Taki: “Umm, then Hashiba? You there?”

Fukushima grabbed the lernen figur displaying Takigawa and pointed it toward Hashiba. But…

Taki: “Hashibaaaa?”

As Takigawa called out to her, Hashiba crouched down by the deck railing and grabbed her hood as if holding her head in her hands.

“…”

Seeing the silent and unmoving Hashiba, Takigawa asked Fukushima a question.

Taki: “What’s she doing?”

“Testament,” began Fukushima.

First Spear: “She is feeling shy after everyone saw such an uncool side of her.”




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