Baka-Tsuki - User contributions [en]

Horizon:Volume 8A Chapter 21

2022-06-10T04:01:32Z

2600:1700:B6E0:2760:444A:77F6:B79C:15E0: /* Chapter 21: Multiple Presences at the Fork in the Road */

==Chapter 21: Multiple Presences at the Fork in the Road==
[[Image:Horizon8A_553.jpg|thumb]]
''It is there

''It is not there

''It has a form

''It is formless

'''Point Allocation (Yes-No)

Mitotsudaira sensed danger as she ran.

The battle – or the situation – was splitting into two different locations.

The fox was up ahead and the wolf was behind them.

“The Far Eastern proverb is ‘a tiger at the front gate, a wolf at the rear gate’, but it seems we have swapped the tiger for a fox.”

'''Vice President:''' “Our wolf is more associated with the Yellow Gate.”

'''Art-Ga:''' “I could release some doujinshis that associated her with the ‘rear gate’, if you know what I mean.”

Mitotsudaira wanted to put a stop to that conversation, but the situation was too dangerous for that. Because at this rate…

“Sensei is getting away!”

'''Uqui:''' “This is not good. How about we earn what points we can just by reaching the finishing line?”

'''10ZO:''' “That would mean a failing grade for Neshinbara-dono and anyone else knocked out of the fight!”

''In that case,'' thought Mitotsudaira before she heard her king’s voice from behind.

“Nate, move out ahead,” he said. “It looks like Samurai Girl is dealing with Yoshi-foxy and I’m sure someone will deal with everything behind us. That leaves only you to go after Sensei right now.”

“B-but what about you and Horizon?”

“Asama-sama is with the middle group, so she can keep us safe.” Horizon nodded to her while grabbing her king by the collar. “Do not worry about us and go ahead.”

“Why do your assurances only make me more worried?”

She decided to check just in case.

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Are things going okay back there? Hassan can’t use his curry right now, so I’m the only one who can deal with my mother.”

'''Sticky King:''' “That duel showed just how crucial curry is to Musashi’s defense!”

'''Laborer:''' “Someone other than me will have to deal with it. But I guess that goes without saying.”

They were telling her to go. So…

“My king, Horizon. Try to get along, okay?”

Horizon nodded while still holding him by the collar.

“Not to worry, Mitotsudaira-sama.”

That worried her plenty, but it also seemed wrong to treat this situation as normal. However…

“Okay, my king.”

“Judge. Do everything you can.”

He had made his order, so she nodded.

“I’m off.”

The wolf created a forward burst of speed with Excalibur in her right hand.

Asama watched as Mitotsudaira moved out ahead.

…''Hitting Sensei with an attack is not going to be easy.

But they were sharing this battlefield. Their individual results might seem small, but they were sure to accomplish something great together.

That applied to them all. For example, the silver wolf was not the only one who had gone out ahead.

“Futayo!”

Futayo had not lost sight of her target.

Oriotri was out ahead of her. She was about to arrive at the tall building that acted as a windbreak toward Musashino’s stern.

Once she crossed that building, she would be at the stern. Then she would run across the rope passageway to Okutama.

Futayo still had to travel along the roofs, so that would let Oriotri pull out ahead.

…''Not good!

But she had to get past someone else to continue after their teacher. And not someone she had expected.

“Mogami Yoshiaki-dono! I am honored!”

“You should really be on your guard even as you flatter me.”

An attack arrived even as Yoshiaki spoke. She swung the large metal fan in her right hand.

…''Here it comes!

It was a void.

An area of nothingness covered a diameter of several meters ahead of the fan’s swinging path.

Multiple such areas appeared. Futayo did not understand at first and assumed they were wind projectiles.

“Hold on,” said Masazumi from her shoulder. “Those are tearing into the roof.”

She was right. The roofs and eaves of the longhouses were torn away, allowing her to see inside.

'''Tonbokiri:''' “That is not good. Damage to the student longhouses is not so bad, but damage to ordinary homes would mean plenty of complaints directed at the Student Council.”

'''Asama:''' “Wouldn’t the students complain to?”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Or are they too afraid to complain? Y’know, cause of Masazumi’s reign of terror.”

'''Vice President:''' “My what!?”

“Ha ha ha. I think they are saying you are doing a good job.”

“Are you sure?” she asked gloomily, but Futayo knew it was best to keep a positive outlook in life. And anyway…

“Don’t get distracted,” said the fox.

Another void appeared. And…

“How about this?”

She was approaching. No, Futayo was running forward, so Yoshiaki had simply slowed down.

…''But that still means she is approaching!

Futayo had to push her back because the others were behind her.

They were at risk if Yoshiaki was trying to target them. Not many of that group could fight at close range. Three-Punch Boy could not hit women and the ninja had recently started to use projectiles like boomerangs.

That meant Futayo had to hold her back.

“What did I say about getting distracted?”

The fox rushed in with a sighing relaxation.

She moved to Futayo’s right with what looked like a slight step.

“–––––”

Except she moved in a split-second. The high-speed movement easily shifted her to the next wide block over.

“Here goes.”

Yoshiaki was on her way to the others.

She had slipped past Futayo. But Futayo noticed something about this new arrangement.

“An opening!”

Her opponent had her back turned behind her.

“Bind – Tonbo Spare!”

The roof broke and the fox jumped.

…''Not bad!

After slipping past her so easily, Yoshiaki had honestly thought this opponent would continue on ahead and let the rest of her class deal with her.

But as soon as her back was turned, the girl attacked.

Yoshiaki did not consider that unfair. This battle had no defined rules. ''It’s supposed to be a final exam or something like that, I think.

But that girl’s power was real. Yoshiaki had needed to jump aft to let the horizontal line of power pass below her feet. And then…

“That’s more like it.”

A wind blew in from behind, accurately targeting her blind spot.

Shinto acceleration spells were continuous, making 180 degree turns difficult. And this opponent had to be aiming for the moment she landed. So…

“How about this?”

Yoshiaki’s tails swung through the air as she danced. She used the swaying of her body for something.

“–––––”

She used a fox’s physical copy technique. And she made nine copies all at once.

Yoshiaki prepared for battle in midair.

She swung her fan behind her to send a void toward the approaching Musashi Vice Chancellor.

She had nine physical copies.

The enemy had just the one blade. She might lose one copy to that, but she would still have eight attacks left. That was too much to dodge and she doubted that Tonbo Spare had anything resembling rapid-fire. So…

“How will you escape this one?”

The answer was already evident as the enemy leaned forward to accelerate and thrust out the tip of her spear.

“Extension device!”

From Futayo’s shoulder, Masazumi had the perfect view of the enemy’s incoming attack.

…''Ahh!

As Yoshiaki fell through the air and prepared to land, she multiplied to nine, forming a wall of bodies.

But Futayo lightly twisted her body and thrust out her spear in response.

“Extension device!”

She held Tonbo Spare near the butt end as it extended to its maximum length.

“…!”

The blade pierced her opponent, but not just one of her. It skewered three of them.

Then the void was released.

But Yoshiaki’s barrage was short three and Futayo used that as an opening.

“Ohh!”

Futayo stuck her foot out toward the gap created by the three she had diagonally skewered.

Several sign frames appeared at her knee and then her knee twisted around.

…''Ohh?

This seemed slow to Masazumi. The movement seemed to play out in slow motion even with so many acceleration spells activated.

That was an illusion.

While Futayo twirled, something like wind blew through on either side of her.

That was the void.

It felt like time had slowed just for them, but Masazumi soon realized what this was.

“The ideal movement!”

“Not quite,” said Futayo as she stopped facing forward.

The six remaining enemies had already landed, but…

“That is fine by me!”

Futayo ran forward.

Yoshiaki mentally gulped.

…''I did not expect to be skewered like dango!

The girl had instantly calculated out where those three’s positions would align. Yoshiaki had not meant to leave an opening, but each of the copies were individuals. They each had their own positions to think about and they had been busy attacking, so they had left openings to the front and back or on the sides.

Their actions must have been too uniform. So…

“How will you handle this one!?”

After landing, Yoshiaki took a step back and sent out sextuple voids.

A moment later, she saw the Musashi Vice Chancellor throw her arms in the air as if cheering.

“Masazumi!”

Without warning, she chucked the Musashi Vice President toward Yoshiaki.

…''That is a new one!

Yoshiaki was oddly impressed by this.

Weapons came in many forms: swords, spears, bows, guns, and on and on. But…

…''Time to add “a person” to that list!

She had seen people use a corpse as a shield to escape on the battlefield, but never before in her long life had she seen someone throw a living VIP at their opponent.

“That seems like a bad idea!”

…''A bad idea, huh?

Yoshiaki’s comment sent Masazumi’s thoughts in a philosophical direction.

''In one sense, I agreed it’s a bad idea. In another, this feels like par for the course in our class. Then again, that doesn’t mean it isn’t a bad idea, but if this counts as participating in the battle, maybe I can get a higher score than just for reaching the finishing line.

''Anyway, Futayo must have a plan. She’d better. Please tell me she does. Oh, who am I kidding? She probably expects me to save myself here. I guess this is it for me.

“Oh?”

She spoke up for a reason. Futayo was running up after her.

And she swung her right hand.

“There!”

She threw Tonbo Spare toward Masazumi.

…''You fool!

Yoshiaki failed to instantly grasp Tonbo Spare’s path.

She had first worked out whether the thrown spear would hit Musashi’s Vice President.

It would not. But the enemy had made another move while she was checking that.

“Can she move more nimbly without the spear and VIP!?”

Musashi’s Vice Chancellor ran full speed toward one of Yoshiaki’s copies and performed a certain action.

She jumped over or circled around the launched void before it could expand, and…

“Ohhh!”

She tackled the copy.

She slammed her shoulder into the fox with her shoulder blade and back behind the blow. She had essentially moved to the side of the copy after it had swung its arm to launch the void and then she had forcibly knocked it from the ground.

With a loud sound of impact more than a crash, the copy vanished.

…''She just powered through that!

This girl had too freestyle a fighting style. But at the same time…

“How delightful!”

Yoshiaki provided her assessment while thinking back to the Siege of Odawara.

Kani Saizou was a good girl. She was earnest and honest and she had attacked with everything she had. She had also admitted to it when she lost.

That girl had clashed with this one at the Kantou Liberation.

Kani had lost in the end.

''Does that mean,'' thought Yoshiaki, ''that Kani’s earnestness and honesty failed to reach the Musashi Vice Chancellor?

…''No.

The Musashi Vice Chancellor must have been much like Kani once.

She would have been trained.

Yoshiaki could guess she had been taught her fighting style by Honda Tadakatsu and the automaton named Kazuno. That meant the Peerless in the East and an automaton capable of singlehandedly battling a god of war.

But they had only taught her methods.

Methods were easy. You taught people what they could do and the theories behind that and, even if they could not copy the movements exactly, they would learn to replicate them in their own way.

But you could not copy your memories, experience, and decision-making to a pupil. So you had to teach them the movements in some foundational patterns that would let them select the best option on a case-by-case basis.

The records said the Musashi Vice Chancellor had dueled Tachibana Muneshige during the Battle of Mikawa.

She had drawn on all the movement options she had learned through training and used them to their fullest to emerge victorious over him. Muneshige, on the other hand, had been born an ordinary citizen and he had been trained by Tachibana Gin who excelled at multirange combat, so the foundation of his combat was in breaking down those formal “kata”.

During that battle, the Musashi Vice Chancellor must have been much like Kani.

She would have fought by following the kata she had learned from her father. In fact, the records confirmed it.

But she had changed at some point.

She had grown so ill-mannered in her fighting. She still started from a foundation of decision-making and movements built up through training, but now she broke the rules she had mastered to move ever onward.

She must have made different breakthroughs at England, the Armada, Magdeburg, and Novgorod.

Had she made even more progress at Sanada by battling a Celestial Dragon who was immune to ordinary human methods?

If so…

“How wonderful.”

Because…

“You are one possible result for all those growing children.”

The girl who had lost to this one – no, all of the children who had lost to her – would be working to catch up to her. So…

“I will play along.”

Suzu sensed two of the Yoshiakis disappear.

Was a tackle a specific technique, or a genre of them? Either way, Futayo blew away the two Yoshiakis in her path after throwing Masazumi as a distraction.

Yoshiaki was down to four copies.

And according to Tenzou…

“With physical copies, all of them are real! This is dangerous!”

But Futayo seemed to define the one closest to their middle group as her primary enemy. That was the one she had thrown Masazumi and then Tonbo Spare at.

…''Will it hit her!?

Yoshiaki avoided the blow by deflecting it. And she deflected it out to the right instead of up into the air.

Then the four Yoshiakis moved simultaneously. They surrounded Futayo, raised their fans, and swung them.

“Watch out!”

Several voids were launched.

But just beforehand, Suzu heard a shouted warning. It came from Futayo.

“Masazumi!”

Masazumi’s decision was a simple one.

While she flew through the air, she saw Futayo move out ahead of her and lift her knee.

…''Oh, now I get it.

So Masazumi raised her right leg. She stuck out her shoe’s sole as if kicking it toward Futayo. And…

“Understood!”

Futayo sent the bottom of her own foot toward Masazumi.

Masazumi’s guess and Futayo’s foot were both accurate.

They pushed off of each other’s right foot and Masazumi held Tsukinowa to her chest.

“Oh.”

Thanks to Futayo’s excellent sense of balance, the force of the kick on the sole of her shoe passed straight up her spine. Or so it felt.

And Masazumi knew that Futayo’s jumps were just as powerful as Yoshitsune’s Hassou Tobi. So…

“––––––”

They flew apart from each other, one forward and one back.

Yoshiaki laughed deep in her gut.

…''Fascinating!

The Musashi Vice Chancellor had thrown someone and then used them as midair footing to launch herself again. The Yoshiaki copy that had taken a step back in the lead was forced to catch the flying Vice President, preventing it from attacking with a void. At the same time, the Vice Chancellor crashed back-first into the copy approaching from behind.

“…!”

It began to vanish.

But the Vice Chancellor was already moving by then. She sighed, and…

“There!”

She grabbed the wrist of the disappearing copy and aimed the metal fan at another copy.

When the void was released, it scored a direct hit on the copy to the left, causing it to disappear.

Meanwhile, the disappearing one lost the last of its strength and vanished.

“–––––––”

The Vice Chancellor used the force of her swinging left arm to turn toward the lead copy holding onto the Vice President.

Only that one and the one to its right remained.

The one on the right ran alongside them and the one in the lead took a step back without letting go of the Vice President.

The Vice Chancellor responded by controlling her orientation with the many sign frames spilling from all over her body. She turned her gaze toward the lead copy.

When she saw it was holding the Vice President, she gasped in surprise.

“Only cowards take hostages!!”

“You threw her at me!!”

Then Yoshiaki saw some light.

…''Oh?

It came from her chest. A sign frame had appeared above the Vice President’s shoulder.

The anteater Mouse there bowed to her.

'''<Explosion Spell – Transfer – Activate – Confirm.>

The corners of Yoshiaki’s mouth rose just as the sign frame exploded.

The lead Yoshiaki was blown away, leaving only the one on the right.

Futayo reviewed the situation.

The lead one was gone. Masazumi appeared as the smoke from the blast faded.

Masazumi was moving. She had fallen onto the roof and she was wiping away the smoke from the explosion spell behind her.

She had to wipe away some tears caused by the smoke, but she was fine. So…

“––––!!”

Futayo moved in.

She curved a bit to the right to reach the final Yoshiaki there.

She had one chance at winning this.

…''She will need to adjust for the change in vision after the copies’ destruction!

There had been several Yoshiakis, but now they were gathered into just the one again. Her vision, hearing, and other senses were being narrowed back down to just the one.

There would be a delay before she managed that. So…

“I can use that!”

Futayo had no weapon. Nor did she have Masazumi’s weight. She would have to attack with her shoulder.

…''By tackling!

Narumi was chasing after the others when she saw Yoshiaki’s decisions and the other movements that followed.

First, Yoshiaki swung her right hand. But she swung it backwards instead of at the Vice Chancellor rushing in at her.

She launched the void toward unoccupied space.

That seemed meaningless, but the gouging power would likely eat through the air. So while the space seemed empty, there was wind there to be devoured.

“––––––”

Yoshiaki was sucked in toward the absence of air. With the sound of a bursting vacuum, her track suit was torn, but she managed to take a large step back.

That put more space between her and the Vice Chancellor.

It was not much, but Narumi judged it was enough for Yoshiaki. Because…

…''It gives her time to recover from the sensory confusion caused by the copies!

That meant the fox would be back to normal.

There was no more opening there.

She turned to face the Musashi Vice Chancellor who was defenseless now that her attack had been dodged.

And she swung her large fan as a counterattack while the Musashi Vice Chancellor prepared to take another step.

But just as she made the attack with her left arm…

“…!”

She was blown away.

The Asama Shrine Representative had sniped her in the back from the middle group.

…''She…did it!

Suzu sensed the perfect hit.

She had noticed Futayo and Masazumi’s combo play make short work of Yoshiaki’s copies and now she knew why.

“It was to hide…this.”

Throwing Masazumi had been to draw Yoshiaki’s attention in that direction.

And Futayo had done something when Yoshiaki had adjusted herself at the end there.

After her final attack was dodged, she had prepared for her next move but not actually made it.

By staying still, she had kept Yoshiaki from moving out of Asama’s sights.

And focusing on Futayo had required the fox to turn her back on the middle group.

That was Futayo’s reason for continuing to fight even after losing her weapon. She had made that tackle to prove she could still fight.

…''It was all…so she could distract her from…us over here.

Asama only had to make use of that opportunity. And…

“Hit!”

She had done so.

But once Suzu thought about it…

“W-wait, isn’t that…overdoing it?”

Yoshiaki was nowhere to be seen at the site of the direct hit. Only a wisp of ether light smoke remained.

'''Worshiper:''' “Was that even an anti-personnel attack?”

'''Scarred:''' “Master Tenzou? Does a physical copy count as personnel?”

'''10ZO:''' “Well, the last of the physical copies is considered to be the original person again.”

'''Me:''' “Then let’s test it out on Tenzou! Asama! Lend me your bow!”

'''Asama:''' “I-I can’t do that. You need special permission to use it!”

'''Art-Ga:''' “You would’ve given it to him if it didn’t?”

Futayo took a breath on the roof.

She relaxed and then released her Soaring Wings spell.

…''I can’t catch up to Sensei from here.

But she had done her duty. They had achieved a great feat as a group here.

“Mogami Yoshiaki has been-”

The word “defeated” never arrived.

Masazumi raised both hands while walking toward Futayo on the roof. Then she placed her hands on Futayo’s shoulders.

…''Nh?

Something about this felt wrong. The feeling was a lot like a chill.

“Futayo!”

Then she heard Masazumi’s voice, but not from the girl standing in front of her.

It came from a hole created by one of the voids.

“I’m down here!”

She did indeed see Masazumi down in the broken building.

…''What does this mean?

“Too bad,” said the Masazumi smiling with her hands on Futayo’s shoulders. She spoke with Yoshiaki’s voice.

There was no need to question it because a glowing mist scattered and that Masazumi disappeared.

Track suit Yoshiaki stood there instead.

“That was indeed a close one.” She placed her hands below Futayo’s arms now. “The anteater on the Vice President’s shoulder used an explosion spell. It could have been an impact spell, a repulsion spell, or anything really, so why an explosion? To hide the scene behind me with the blast.”

In other words…

“I knew you had to be preparing something behind me.”

''I screwed that one up,'' thought Masazumi with a hand on her forehead in a dusty storeroom.

Her mistake had been the selection of spell. She had tried to be clever, but that had felt unnatural.

Which may have been why she had been dropped into this hole created by a void when the blast hit.

Yoshiaki had used the empty space to cushion against the blast. Still, Masazumi had thought Yoshiaki must have taken some damage and that her own absence would not change much really. However…

“I didn’t expect her to transform into me!”

Futayo had set up a checkmate against the Yoshiaki on the right, but that had not been the final one. It was only a decoy.

And now, up on the roof, Yoshiaki spoke with a fan over her mouth.

“The thing about foxes is, we will feign injury to lure the hunter away from our nest. You fell for exactly the same trick.”

Masazumi wanted to complain, but it was a solid tactic. Yoshiaki had taken Masazumi’s place to ensure her own safety, almost like she was using camouflage magic.

“Ko ko,” she laughed. “You seem to fight well against an honest opponent who fights by physical means, but you appear to have difficulty with illusions.”

That was true.

At Mikawa, the Armada, and most every battle since, they had generally fought powerful nations and fighters who used their strength and skill to stand in their way. If anything…

…''The duels in England were the closest thing to this.

“You understand, don’t you?” said Yoshiaki. “''This'' is my specialty. Musashi has a long way to go if you would fall so easily for a fox’s illusions.”

She lifted up Futayo and then hugged her tight.

“Caught you! Finally, one of the big ones!!”

'''Art-Ga:''' “Nice. Public humiliation is exactly the kind of scenario I’m looking for.”

'''Asama:''' “W-well, this was a Chancellor against a Vice Chancellor!”

'''Uqui:''' “We all work together and ''this'' is how it ends?”

'''Bell:''' “U-um…are you ready…t-to work together…again?”

'''Horizey:''' “Why, Suzu-sama? I did not take you for the bloodthirsty type.”

'''Still Got It:''' “Oh, come now. Forget about me and I really will hit you with this ship.”

'''Almost Everyone:''' “Ahhhhhh!!”

Mitotsudaira got Oriotri in her sights just before the rope pathway.

She was running across the top of the tall building at Musashino’s stern and her quarry was about to cross between the ships.

…''At this pace, I should catch up in Okutama’s nature district!

She had the greater speed. She was out of breath by now, but…

“I can still carry out my king’s command!”

''Okay,'' she thought while preparing to run down the vertical wall.

“Eh?”

A shadow was cast from behind her.

It was still morning and they were traveling east to Kantou, so the bow was pointed east. Any shadows would be cast aft, but…

…''What’s tall enough to reach the top of this building!?

She knew who to blame without needing to look back.

“Mother!”

The Reine des Garous smiled when her daughter contacted her for once.

'''Still Got It:''' “My, my, Nate! What has you missing your mother so much in the middle of class? Is there a problem you need help with!? I can answer anything you might need to know about reproduction, home medicine, and stamens and pistils! So don’t be shy and raise your hand! C’mon! Do it!”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Mother! What are you doing right now?”

The Reine des Garous thought as she ran. She placed her right index finger on her lips and tilted her head.

…''Oh, that stall ahead on the left smells nice.

She paid with a ''signe cadre'' and snatched up some chicken skewers from the underground food stall, all while continuing to run. She held the skewers between her fingers to partake of their chickeny goodness.

'''Still Got It:''' “Nate, I am busy consuming a drink at the moment.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' You mean chicken, don’t you!? Chicken skewers!? If you got that one level down on Musashino, it must have been from Hattori Hen-zo, run by an Iga ninja! You didn’t destroy it, did you!?”

'''Still Got It:''' “My, my, Nate. I think I cleaned them out for the day.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Mother! First you destroy the Musashi and now you’re depriving the rest of us of chicken!? Do you think you can get away with these atrocities!?”

“Hm,” thought the Reine des Garous. And…

'''Still Got It:''' “Nate? But I’m not a Musashi resident.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Have you ever heard taking responsibility for your actions!? Also- uh, oh.”

'''Still Got It:''' “Uh, oh?”

Just as she tilted her head, the transport ship held in her raised left arm shook like a ringing bell.

The ship had crashed into something up above.

Unno spat out her water while watching from atop Sanada Academy.

Terrestrial Dragon Kakei Torahide glared over at her while resting his elbow on the edge of the roof to watch the same thing.

“Gross. Clean that up.”

“Yeah, but…did you see that!?”

She pointed over at Musashi’s 1st central ship, Musashino, where the vertical transport ship had hit the bridge-shaped bridge.

Not just hit, crashed into.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 8A Chapter 20|Chapter 20]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 8A Chapter 22|Chapter 22]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 8A Chapter 20

2022-06-10T02:46:50Z

2600:1700:B6E0:2760:444A:77F6:B79C:15E0: /* Chapter 20: Greeter at the Entrance */

==Chapter 20: Greeter at the Entrance==
[[Image:Horizon8A_523.jpg|thumb]]
''It goes without saying

''But this should be

''Thoroughly inspected before

''Sharing the joy and pain

'''Point Allocation (The Efficient Type)

Mitotsudaira saw Urquiaga and Narumi’s teamwork.

Urquiaga was on the left and Narumi on the right.

They were attacking from behind, but there was one crucial factor here.

“Which one will attack first!?”

One was a half-dragon and the other the Date Vice Chancellor. Urquiaga had the greater momentum, but Narumi had the greater skill. Narumi was not using Unturning Centipede this time, but…

“That should be fine with her,” said Horizon.

Just one step after landing, those two shifted to an attack.

They did not even wait for Oriotri to look back.

Narumi made a short dash to come up alongside their teacher when she saw their teacher had a hand on the hilt of the sword she carried over her back.

The hilt stuck up from the left side of her back, so if she drew it and swung with her right hand…

…''The attack is directed at me on her right.

That was fine. Narumi ejected a mandible sword into her left hand. Then she repeated the process twice. She drew three of the swords out past her elbow, attached them to her elbow in midair, and swung them.

“Triple Slash.”

Then she reattached her original arm and drew a mandible sword with that as well.

…''For the real attack.

The Triple Slash had created an opening for this final attack.

Just then, she heard a noise. Their teacher had produced a solid clang while running out ahead.

It came from her sword, yet she could not have struck anything with it. Which could only mean…

“– – – – – –”

Narumi reflexively twisted her body to the right.

She kicked off the ground for a midair spin.

Something else happened immediately afterwards.

It came from their teacher.

Her speed suddenly dropped. But instead of braking by bracing her feet against the ground, she entered an immediate skid that made her pitch forward.

Narumi did not need to check and see what the previous clang had been.

…''The tip of the scabbard.

Their teacher had not been preparing to draw her sword. She had instead pushed it down so the tip tore into the ground.

The first two strikes of the Triple Slash had not hit.

She had not even needed to dodge. By lowering her speed, the distance between them had dropped. Then she had used the skidding from the scabbard’s tip to send herself just barely airborne. So…

“…!”

Narumi placed her hopes on Urquiaga while twirling through the air. No eye contact or verbal signal was needed. She knew he would handle this. So while she twisted around…

…''I need to get the timing right.

When she had predicted their teacher’s skidding, she had known she too had to reduce her speed. Hence the spin. The midair spin delayed her by about two steps. From there, she only had to launch another mandible sword to automatically change her movement from a backhand blow to a tornado slash.

She could slice into her opponent. She knew the timing was dead on. And…

…''The third one!

The third strike of the Triple Slash would reach her opponent, even if it was not a clean hit.

She knew Urquiaga would use that as a feint to make his own move, so she poured all of her strength into her next move.

The follow-through of the backhand blow made for a horizontal slash.

Mitotsudaira and Futayo, who was picking up speed, saw what happened next.

Urquiaga struck with his right arm that doubled as his right main wing. He swung it toward Oriotri.

His arm was both large and long. He generally kept the elbow bent to balance his upper body, but when stretched out, it grew to nearly 2m long.

He pushed that arm out instead of swinging it. The blow also carried all of the speed he had built up.

Narumi’s third strike was also going to reach Oriotri. It was swinging in low toward her legs from behind.

Would she dodge or deflect the attack to her feet? Either way, Urquiaga’s attack would reach her while she was dealing with it.

A solid sound rang out.

Narumi’s third strike had hit the long scabbard lowered from their teacher’s back.

Their opponent had chosen to defend.

That caused her to freeze up for the instant of the blow, so she could not make another move right away. And then…

“…!”

Urquiaga’s right punch flew in.

Narumi had set everything up perfectly for her attack.

Their teacher had chosen to defend, which made the next step simpler.

Urquiaga only had to hit with his attack. And even if he did not, Narumi was still here.

She drew another sword from her high-speed spin and swung the blade from her right shoulder.

Narumi made sure to visually confirm the enemy’s position. Her intuition had already told her what she needed to know, but it was still worth checking.

The teacher was no longer there.

…''Huh?

When she looked back, all she saw was Urquiaga.

The teacher had vanished between them. The woman was not to the right or left either.

…''Where did she go?

That silent question was followed by two sharp but solid sounds.

Then she saw Urquiaga’s fist fly through empty air. That meant his attack had not hit, so…

“––––”

She looked up.

Sure enough, their teacher was performing a layout backflip high in the air.

That was not a move made when running forward. And even if you did pull it off, you would not gain that kind of height.

But Narumi did not question how she had done it.

…''The third strike!

That final strike had swept low toward the legs. Their teacher had caught that on the scabbard lowered from her back, but what if she had meant it as more than just defense?

She had performed a midair backflip to avoid the attack coming at her from behind.

That would normally not be possible, but some extra initial speed could make all the difference there.

She had used the momentum of her skidding to kick herself upwards and then she had caught the blade on her scabbard. The mandible sword had been given plenty of force by a prosthetic arm, so what if she had caught that to boost the initial speed of her flip?

“…”

''Not bad,'' thought Narumi.

She did not mind because she could follow her opponent’s moves.

Their teacher was going to land in the middle of Narumi’s horizontal slash. So…

…''I will get this hit.

That had been an impressive evasion, but Narumi knew that meant they had driven their opponent to the point of requiring such a fancy move.

Their teacher was only moving from one improvised move to another, so…

…''I will hit her as she lands.

She did not mind if it was blocked. This time, she was aiming for the torso instead of the legs. Just to be safe, she used a snap of her wrist to give it a somewhat downwards twist. That would push her opponent into the ground, thus preventing her from using the blow to escape upwards like before. That left just one thing.

“–––––”

Narumi made an immediate decision.

Futayo saw Narumi let go of her mandible sword.

She suddenly threw her weapon, which could be seen as abandoning the fight.

She had forcibly twisted her wrist to send it rotating up over the half-dragon’s head.

But Futayo had just one thought upon seeing it.

…''Well done!

Three actions overlapped a moment later.

The first was Narumi kicking off the ground to move a step away from Oriotri.

The second was their teacher landing.

With an exclamation of surprise, she dashed forward.

And the third…

“Kh.”

Something flew down toward where Narumi had just been and where the half-dragon still was.

They were a pair of mandible swords – two of the three Narumi had used earlier.

…''Did Sensei knock them upwards when she made her flip earlier!?

Futayo had heard a solid sound then, so that must have been the tip of the scabbard forcibly catching at the two blades. That had guided the two swords toward the path Narumi and the half dragon would be taking.

At the same time, Narumi had thrown a sword over the half-dragon’s head.

“…”

With a solid clang, the two blades scattered through the air.

Then Narumi shifted to the right and the half-dragon to the left. Their speed had already dropped, so their teacher pulled out ahead.

“Narumi, Urquiaga,” she said. “You two make a lot of moves and weave your attacks together well, but that tends to fall apart when someone forcibly intervenes. So watch out for that.”

That applied to Futayo as well.

She was reminded of the training she used to receive from her father and Kazuno. They had always given her some advice after defeating her. Whenever her father gave some advice, Kazuno would generally correct him with, “Incorrect. What Tadakatsu-sama did was also a poor lesson for you, so just assume that he got lucky this time, Futayo-sama.” Her father would then insist “N-not true! It’s all about getting a feel for it! Don’t think – feel!” Kazuno would then roll up her sleeves and chase after the man.

…''That really takes me back.

She had not been taught by anyone since before they left for Novgorod, but she had a feeling that instance was not strictly the same thing as training. So…

“Please train me!”

She moved forward.

The surrounding city was changing. They were leaving the area full of business and government buildings and entering a residential district with lots of student longhouses. The city grew a lot shorter here and there was more foot traffic, so their teacher made a great leap.

She landed on the rooftops.

Mitotsudaira was concerned about something while she accelerated.

A middle group was forming and following behind her leading group. They were primarily the noncombatants. In gym class terms, these were the ones who were satisfied simply finishing the race.

The ones like Neshinbara and Ohiroshiki were low prior- ''No, I shouldn’t think about my classmates that way.'' But regardless, some of that group created their usual “main formation”. However…

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Tomo.”

Mitotsudaira asked Asama a question while she ran.

'''Silver Wolf:''' “You have Umetsubaki ready to fire.”

So…

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Why are you back in the middle group?”

'''Asama:''' “Eh?”

Mitotsudaira listened to Asama’s response.

'''Asama:''' “What are you talking about? That’s usually where I am when I use my bow. I use Persona-kun’s shoulder. Yes.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Hm, I guess you’re right. Then can I ask about something else?”

'''Asama:''' “Ask away.”

“Judge,” said Mitotsudaira as she smiled and did so.

'''Silver Wolf:''' “You can use your ether detection to tell when Sensei’s reinforcements are approaching, can’t you?”

'''Asama:''' “No, no, no. The ether detection is triggered by far too many things on the Musashi, so that would be a challenge.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “But you have a general idea, don’t you?”

Mitotsudaira was certain of it now.

…''This is dangerous.

But just to be sure, she asked anyway.

'''Silver Wolf:''' “Tomo?”

Yes.

'''Silver Wolf:''' “I take it she actually went through the visiting procedure, didn’t she?”

'''Novice:''' “Hold on! I don’t like the sound of this!”

Neshinbara interrupted from the rear group just as they passed through the gate to the residential district where there were actually people on the streets. They would be traveling on the roofs from here, so Mitotsudaira searched for some footing up above.

“–––––”

That was when she saw something.

A beam of light shot in from behind. That was Ex. Collbrande. It flew to her from Mary back in the middle group. She snatched its hilt from the air.

“Sensei’s reinforcements have arrived, haven’t they!?”

Excalibur had reacted to a threat.

It came in the form of two pieces of destruction.

From the front came several bursts of air that tore into the roofs near Futayo before disappearing.

And from behind…

…''The ground!

The crust block sprang up from below and someone emerged from below, wearing a yellow track suit.

“Mother!?”

Suzu sensed the enemy force from Persona-kun’s shoulder in the middle group.

…''I don’t believe it.

No, she had to accept that this was really happening. But it still seemed ridiculous. Her response was closer to exasperation than surprise or anger. After all, the ground behind them had launched skyward and someone had jumped from below.

“Oh? I was trying to hit your middle group from behind, but they were faster than I thought.”

…''M-Mitotsudaira-san’s…mother!

Hexagone Française’s Vice Chancellor was lifting a crust block with her right hand while inexplicably wearing a track suit. And to the front…

“Ko ko. Kids these days have so much energy!”

It was a fox.

A nine-tailed fox in a track suit stood on a roof.

“Mogami Yoshiaki-san!”

''This is bad,'' thought Neshinbara. ''Very bad. How is it bad? By being really, really bad. Because…

“Sensei! Are you trying to fail us!?”

“Hm, I just want you to put some real effort into it.”

“That doesn’t answer my question!”

Still, this was a very dangerous situation.

They were well aware how absurd the Reine des Garous’s physical abilities were. The rear group was primarily the indoorsy types, so they would do little to stop that woman from catching up.

“Fine. I’ll do it.”

Noriki had stuck with the rear group as their guard, so he bumped his fists together and then turned around while still running.

“Can you really do this, Noriki-kun!?”

“I don’t have much of choice.”

Everyone watched as he took a fighting stance.

Just then, a sign frame appeared next to him.

His classmates and the Reine des Garous watched curiously as he nodded toward it and then smiled back at them all.

“Ha ha ha. Ujinao’s mad that I was thinking of hitting a woman. Guess I can’t do it after all.”

“Then how are you supposed to attack Sensei!?”

“I’ll just ask her again if it comes to it.”

He answered with a smile, so Neshinbara silently removed Noriki from the list of fighters. Then Suzu gasped and looked back.

“Sh-she’s…coming! The mother…the mother is c-coming!”

'''Horizey:''' “That is not inaccurate, but try to calm down.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “What even is my mother at this point?”

Still, it was true the Reine des Garous was running toward them.

Her rooftop movements looked carefree, but she was moving quite quickly. ''This is bad,'' thought Neshinbara again.

“Ohiroshiki-kun! You be our shield! Now go! Buy us what little time you can!”

“I was afraid you’d say that!”

At any rate, Neshinbara knew what their teacher was doing here. The rear group would always take a command or support role, but this was a way of getting them to fight as well. But…

“You could have eased us into it a little more than this!”

He decided to try asking.

'''Novice:''' “Mitotsudaira-kun! What is your mom doing!?”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “D-don’t ask me!”

'''Horizey:''' “Neshinbara-samaaaa!”

“Eh?”

…''Th-this was my question!

Just then, someone grabbed the back of his neck.

“Eh?”

He was lifted up and dangled down, so he looked up and saw the Reine des Garous’s face.

“Caught you.”

“Oh, uh, h-hi.”

She held him with her left hand and held something else up with her right hand, all while continuing to run.

The thing in her right hand was a wolf made of ether. It was panting and wagging its tail in excitement.

“This is one of my forest’s wolves. When one catches you, they’ll suck you dry.”

“Of our life force, you mean!?”

'''Four Eyes:''' “Can’t even give an amusing reaction to that, can you?”

''Shut up,'' he thought.

“Now, play nice, you two.”

The Reine des Garous pressed her arms together, bringing the large wolf toward Neshinbara, and then she tossed them both to the ground.

“Gwaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh…”

Mitotsudaira heard a scream that started off powerful but gradually faded away.

Neshinbara was being loved on by a wolf behind her mother.

'''Art-Ga:''' “I took a peek while fighting, but it’s clearly just playing with him, isn’t it?”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Judge. I took a peek while fighting too and it’s definitely just playing with him.”

'''Four Eyes:''' “Excuse me, but could I get a photo of that? A video would be even better.”

The sign frames that opened told Mitotsudaira more or less what was happening, but then she heard Horizon’s voice.

“I shouted his name to warn him of the danger, but I never imagined he would mistake it for part of our running gag.”

“Eh, he would have been taken out sooner or later anyway. He’s obsessed with famous people.”

Then they received some last words from the obsessive.

'''Novice:''' “E-everyone…d-don’t worry about me.”

'''Almost Everyone:''' “We weren’t.”

'''Worshiper:''' “The thought never crossed my mind.”

'''10ZO:''' “Worrying would be dangerous given the situation.”

'''Art-Ga:''' “You didn’t even manage to buy us any time.”

'''Novice:''' “Wait! Did you really think I failed to accomplish anything before I was taken out!?”

Everyone exchanged a glance while running and ultimately turned toward the 1st Special Duty Officer. The ninja made a “why me” gesture and Mary tilted her head.

“Master Tenzou?”

“Judge. I will find something useful Neshinbara-dono did!”

Mitotsudaira thought she heard a sarcastic “good luck” in Naruze’s voice from the sky, but maybe she had imagined that.

'''10ZO:''' “D-do not worry, Neshinbara-dono. I-I know what you set up here?”

His statement became a question since he did not in fact know, but the Secretary seemed to believe him. He managed to give a thumbs up from behind the happy wolf.

'''Novice:''' “Good…so it wasn’t for nothing.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “What are you saying you did?”

'''Novice:''' “Eh?”

Silence fell over the divine transmission.

'''Four Eyes:''' “Did you only say that to feel better about yourself? Surely you aren’t going to say you were buying them time. That excuse was already rejected.”

'''Novice:''' “No, um, well.”

“Mother!? The Secretary hasn’t been defeated yet!”

“Okay, fine,” said her mother while creating three more wolves from the ground. They finally silenced the Secretary, but…

'''Horizey:''' “Well done, Mitotsudaira-sama! You prevented his sacrifice from being in vain and revealed the process by which she creates the wolves!”

''But that’s all it accomplished,'' she thought before noticing her mother lightly skipping along and blowing her a kiss.

“With that, I have taken out your chain of command!”

Everyone thought about what that meant. And after around 5 seconds, they all reacted just like Neshinbara had earlier.

“Eh?”

'''Uqui:''' “He was our entire chain of command!? Really!?”

'''Laborer:''' “A frightening thought.”

'''Musashino:''' “Thank you very much for visiting my ship today, Reine des Garous-sama. However, your assertion just now is extremely concerning, so please refrain from repeating it in the future. Over.”

'''Vice President:''' “In his defense, other nations’ Secretaries often are the ones who put together their strategies.”

'''Silver Wolf:''' “That is a defense of what my mother said, not of the Secretary.”

'''Horizey:''' “Anyway, this is a dangerous situation, but what is our next move?”

The Reine des Garous saw Musashi’s princess turn back her way while carried by a silver chain.

…''Oh, dear.

That was her daughter’s king’s wife. That made her the head of her daughter’s household. As a Loup Garou, her daughter would find a female pack leader more comfortable. The Reine des Garous wondered if she would have made Anne a part of her “pack” had she been healthy.

But after the princess raised a hand in greeting, she raised her voice.

“Shirojiro-samaaa!”

That was Musashi’s Treasurer. Thanks to the records and seeing him at the Siege of Odawara the other day, she knew he fought using money. She had heard he had received the ultimate udon punishment, but he must have been pardoned.

He was not a threat to the Reine des Garous, but she still had to be cautious. He had used money sniping at Odawara and if he were to use that here-

“Oh?”

Sensing a shadow overhead, she looked up.

She saw the bow of a transport ship.

It was dropping toward her from directly above.

“Yesssss! I’m so glad we called it in from its original route!”

Heidi and Shirojiro stood on the rear deck of the vertically-oriented transport ship.

They had used one of the supply ships from the Udon Kingdom. It was one of the one-way ships that was to be abandoned after making its delivery, so they had planned to use it as a mobile warehouse in Edo or thereabouts. However…

“Any ship capable of flying near the Musashi needs solid armor and anti-ether spells!”

“Judge.” Shirojiro crossed his arms. “Honda Masazumi! Here is a free service to thank you for releasing us!”

With that, the ship shook. They knew exactly what the vertical shaking meant.

A direct hit.

“Yes!”

Heidi snapped her fingers at the transport ship bull’s eye.

“We did it, Shiro-kun! Perfect aim! We’re bound to get some reward money for this!”

But then she noticed something.

…''Huh?

This wasn’t right. Because…

…''Why did our descent stop?

After a direct hit, the ship should have at least broken through the surface. Yet they had not lowered a centimeter since hitting. Then what was going on?

“Eh!? Wait!”

The ship swayed backwards. Or so it felt.

That was inaccurate.

It was moving forward. The transport ship was running forward while still oriented vertically. And with a skipping tempo.

Heidi could guess what had happened.

“Sorry, everyone!” She laughed from the transport ship’s rear deck. “The Reine des Garous is running toward you while holding the ship!!”

Narumi watched it all from a few breaths behind the others.

She was about two blocks to the right and a bit behind them.

From that distance, she could see more clearly what was happening.

“She really is carrying the transport ship while she runs…”

Narumi was the type to just accept things, but even she trailed off in disbelief this time.

The Reine des Garous was running along the street in one of Musashi’s residential districts and she was holding a 300m transport ship overhead. And yet…

…''Why isn’t she breaking through the floor?

Martial arts were the only possibility.

Did it take being an embodiment of strength to pull this off, or was it a simple matter of her species’ superior muscles and bones? Narumi did not know, but…

“I don’t like this.”

A fellow Vice Chancellor was doing this. Of course, there were plenty of things Narumi could do that this opponent could not, but the gap between them still felt massive.

“Kiyonari.”

“You need Unturning Centipede,” he said from the other side of the Reine des Garous. “Never hold back against this class’s opponents, even in your imagination.”

“Fair enough.”

She felt a strange urge rising from the bottom of her chest, but she used his words to suppress it. That was why she appreciated him. Back in Date, she would have faced this battle like it was nothing, but now she could face these battles with the importance they deserved. She felt like she had changed a lot, but…

“It isn’t a question of when, because I have to do it right here and now.”

She might never fight this woman again, but if she did poorly during their one and only battle, she would only be creating a bad memory for herself. So…

“Watch this, Reine des Garous. Watch and see how we respond to your absurd strength.”

“Everyone is already responding,” he said. “Those that predicted it are already on the move.”

And…

“Only she can launch a proper counterattack here.”

Suzu sensed a powerful attack.

300m transport ships were a familiar thing on the Musashi. They would fly between the Musashi’s ships even during combat and they could be used for transporting personnel, defense, or offense if need be. There were specialized warships and aerial ships that functioned as castles, but Suzu thought the transport ships were the real hardworking MVPs. However…

“H-here it comes!”

A transport ship was oriented vertically and skipping this way. No, the Reine des Garous was supporting it from below and running this way, but something of that size had never felt so real to Suzu. She felt bad for ramming or luring their previous enemies with or toward these things. She decided to go for something less frightening next time.

But the skipping was picking up speed. And…

“Okay, I hope you’re ready now!”

Joy was the only emotion Suzu sensed in that carefree voice. ''Oh, Mitotsudaira-san’s mom…isn’t a bad person.

…''O-or wait? Does this make her…even worse?

But just as the transport ship’s movements sped up, Suzu raised her voice.

“Asama…-san!”

Narumi could not detect any haste in the Asama Shrine Representative’s movements.

There was no hesitation or delay in them either and it all flowed together as naturally as breathing.

Narumi finally understood why that girl was with the middle group.

The Asama Shrine managed visitors from the outside, so she would have known that the Reine des Garous and Mogami Chancellor were visiting.

So just in case, she had chosen the middle group this time. From there, she could snipe the enemy whether they came from the front or the back.

…''That’s why the Mito Lord questioned it earlier.

She stood on Persona-kun’s shoulder while attacking with her Umetsubaki divine weapon, so she could not use her direction fixation spell. However…

“With the ground below and the transport ship above, the target has no way of avoiding this.”

She aimed for the Reine des Garous.

“Hit!”

The shot flew perfectly straight.

Heidi could feel the result of Asama’s shot. First…

“Ohh?”

She floated up. She definitely felt herself rise up to knee height. And then…

…''We’re sinking!?

She fell back down. The fall was exactly what she had expected to happen during the initial crash.

The bow of the transport ship had broken through the surface. So…

…''Did she take out the Reine des Garous!?

“You deserve a reward for that, Asama-chi!”

She shouted with her hands down on the deck, but there was no response. She realized why after looking down.

“–––––”

Persona-kun with Asama on his shoulder and the others were all running. At full speed.

They were clearly running away from here, but based on how far the transport ship had sunk, Heidi could only assume the Reine des Garous had been squashed. However…

“Huh?”

A light shined behind her.

She looked back but could not see past the stern armor. Still, she knew what that light had to be.

It was ether light. And from a powerful spell. Since it was directly behind her and Shirojiro…

'''Circle Be:''' “Is that light below us from Asama-chi’s arrow!?”

'''Asama:''' “Oh, did it self-destruct like I wanted!?”

It had not hit. It had done well for a non-homing shot, but if it had not hit, then what had happened?

…''We floated up a bit at first.

That must have been the Reine des Garous tossing the transport ship up.

However, that was not enough to dodge Asama’s arrow. And now the ship had broken through the floor. Heidi could only think of one possibility.

…''Did she abandon the ship and dodge to one side or the other?

No, that did not explain one thing.

Why were her classmates fleeing directly away, like they wanted to put as much distance between them and the ship as possible?

A thought occurred to her and then something happened.

She heard a straining and another odd sound. And…

“Whoa!?”

The transport ship was moving. Forward. While breaking through the surface city’s floor.

The Reine des Garou was holding it from below the deck and dragging it forward.

…''She broke through the floor herself when she tossed the ship!?

She was at some risk up top since she could not use her hands or dodge, so she had gotten creative. She had gone down a level. So now she was running underground while carrying the transport ship that stuck up through the deck.

She knew the path ahead was perfectly straight, so she didn’t need to see.

The transport ship tore through the surface like a giant shark fin.

“The bill for all this destruction had better not go to us!”

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 8A Chapter 19|Chapter 19]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 8A Chapter 21|Chapter 21]]
}}
</noinclude>

Horizon:Volume 8A Chapter 19

2022-06-10T00:46:39Z

2600:1700:B6E0:2760:444A:77F6:B79C:15E0: /* Chapter 19: Announcer from the Viewing Platform */ This isn't dialogue in the scene

==Chapter 19: Announcer from the Viewing Platform==
[[Image:Horizon8A_501.jpg|thumb]]
''Are you free during the break?

''Do you have work to do?

''Or what?

'''Point Allocation (It Depends)

“So Musashi will be passing south of here today?”

Unno was using a water scoop to water the wooden planters on Sanada Academy’s roof.

Her injuries had yet to fully heal.

This was meant as exercise to assist her recovery and Mochizuki was helping her.

“Unno-sama, spreading your arms as much as possible while carrying the bucket would work toward the rehabilitation of your shoulders. As would not moving your wrist when swinging the water scoop. …As for Musashi, this is the third day since they left Sanuki, so we should see them between the southwestern mountains at around midday.”

“Why did I think it was a good idea to have you manage my rehab? …But why is Musashi coming this way all of a sudden? Weren’t they better off over there?”

“I doubt that information would be useful to us,” said Mochizuki while removing some weeds from the planters.

“How do they get weeds up on the roof?” asked Unno.

“This type has extremely small seeds which can be carried by the wind or birds. It is also possible the seeds were in the soil to begin with.”

“I see,” said Unno as she tapped the water scoop against her head. “Feels like I’m useless outside of combat and Shinto.”

“I apologize. I just happened to know that one is all.”

Then a few Terrestrial Dragons rose up from the forest in front of the academy. They were around 80m long and they began whispering among themselves while looking Unno’s way.

“Because Unno-san is the athletic type, you see.”

“She’s hopeless when it comes to cooking, isn’t she?”

“Should we help her out? Invite her to our next party?”

“You are very popular, Unno-sama,” noted Mochizuki.

“When you’re that big I can hear you whispering!” shouted Unno.

The dragons cried out in surprise and sank back into the forest, making Unno sigh.

“I really hope they’re actually doing their jobs. We’ve got some visitors coming for training, right?”

“Led by Katou Kiyomasa of the Hashiba Ten Spears, yes.”

Mochizuki looked southeast.

She gazed over the mountains, past the plains, and beyond the blue sky.

“Can you see it?” asked Unno.

“I have been able to for a while now. The Azuchi is there off the coast of Satomi.”

Mochizuki crouched low as was her habit when viewing a target.

“Which one is our enemy, I wonder.”

“That is a very Sanada question to ask. Some might have asked which is our ally.”

Unno thought about what that meant.

“Ha,” she laughed bitterly. “We supposedly paved the way to a new Sanada, so I’ve got to work on that.”

“Testament.”

Just then, the door to the roof was kicked open.

They looked over to see a large man burst out and stomp on the floor several times.

“Dammit, dammit, dammit! What the hell!? Summer break was supposed to be my big summer debut. I was supposed to go to a training camp to get my mechanical horse license, meet a cute girl there, and ask her out. ‘Yes, I’ve developed a bit of a fear of girls lately thanks to some recent violence including a heel to the face. Ha ha. Oh, me? I’m Sanada Nobuyuki, Chancellor of Sanada Academy. I’m the herbivore type. Cause I live in the mountains. Ha ha ha.’ Then I flash her my pearly whites and it would’ve gone perfectly, but now the Azuchi is visiting for a training camp!? And if that wasn’t bad enough, the Musashi is coming back!? Papa is gone now and I can’t possibly suck up to both of them at the same time! Please come back, papa! Let me live on easy street!!”

''Could you keep all that to yourself?'' wondered Unno while Mochizuki gave her a silent look that suggested she was thinking the same thing.

Then the herbivore type noticed them.

“Wh-what are you doing here!? Were you eavesdropping on me!?”

“It’s not eavesdropping when you shout it at us. And if anything, you’re the whiner type.”

“Is that any way to speak to your Chancellor!?”

A few Terrestrial Dragons stood up in the forest out ahead and waved their front legs side to side while glaring at him.

Then they sank back down into the forest.

“Damn them! I deserve more respect!! Listen, respect means you speak to me politely and do what I say while I sit down and eat like this!”

The supposed target of respect used his athletic ability to sit in an imaginary chair and then blew imaginary smoke from his mouth.

“Excellent.”

“Anyway, shouldn’t you be preparing for the Hashiba training camp?” asked Unno.

“What are you doing here?” added Mochizuki.

“Wh-what do you take me for!?”

“A survivor whose survival is honestly baffling.”

“Add that he is someone who is untouchable…while at home, Unno-sama.”

“D-dammit, you have to hit me where it hurts, don’t you!?”

Mochizuki opened a sign frame, grabbed it between two fingers, and tossed it to Nobuyuki.

“Wh-what’s this? A love letter!?”

“Wow, I’ve never seen Mochizuki give anyone that look before.”

“I am sorry, Unno-sama, but I could not help myself.”

“You two! Stop moving from one comment to another so fast! I can’t keep up! And what is this!?”

“Very well,” acquiesced Mochizuki while continuing to weed the planters. “I wrote up a list of things Sanada’s Chancellor should really get done today. As an automaton, I would appreciate it if you added ‘go to sleep and never wake up’ to the very end.”

“Oh, so you’re saying you’ll come wake me up instead!?”

“Yeah, he’s a survivor all right,” thought Unno as she glared at the man holding up the sign frame in both hands.

“Hey!” he shouted back at them.

“What is it now?”

“Thanks!” he smiled. “Papa and the others left me in charge, but I’m no good at thinking things through! I’ll use this to guide me for now, so give me another one when I’ll need it!”

“Is that any way to ask for a favor?”

“I’m the Chancellor, remember!?” He ran back down toward the hallway. “Wait for me, cuties at the training grouuuuund!”

Unno sighed at the very un-ninja-like pounding of his feet. And…

“What now?”

“If he comes to complain again, I recommend throwing that at him.”

“Good point.” Unno relaxed her shoulders. “How does he have so much energy during summer break?”

“That is his natural state, but it does make me want to avoid him.” Then Mochizuki noticed something. “Oh, Unno-sama, your arm is moving well.”

Sure enough, she could move her arm more than she thought. The movement was more light than smooth. She kind of felt like her arm was still being supported by a sling, but…

“At least he helped rid me of my excess tension.”

She waved the empty water scoop and stopped it in midair. It was pointing southwest.

“I wonder if Musashi has as much energy as ever.”

“Okay, it’s getting hot and we’ll be entering Kantou soon. You should be busy once we arrive, so let’s get your last retest out of the way.”

Masazumi wore her summer uniform as she listened to their homeroom teacher’s voice up at a windy spot.

Everyone was gathered on Musashino’s bow deck. And…

“Um, Sensei, we’re actually still busy this morning, so I would appreciate it if we could get this exam done sooner rather than later.”

“Huh? I thought you were free this morning.”

Augesvarer raised her hand in response while Kimi combed her mussed-up hair.

“Not only are the supplies still coming in, but the empty cargo containers from Mouri have already arrived. Then again, we’re lucky they arrived this soon.”

“That plus what we received from Sanuki should give us full use of the next 58 hours instead of just 24 hours.”

“That’s true,” said Asama while opening a few sign frames. So many different nationalities of ship are passing through the Musashi’s barrier, so I have to continue the docking procedure even as we travel.”

“Sorry about that, Asama-chi. This is making us a lot of money, so I’ll thank you later.”

“Yes, yes,” said Asama.

Masazumi knew that girl had not been anywhere other than the Student Council rec room and Suzu’s Bath for the past two days. In fact, most of them had been doing that.

…''This is a huge burden on us all.

“I won’t say I’m sorry, though. Because we have a good reason for all of this,” said Masazumi. “It means a lot to enter Kantou early. Staying in the Udon Kingdom like that would have been nice too, but we have a safer and more justifiable reason to return to Kansai.”

“Are we using the Swedish Chancellor?”

“Hmm. We would need a signature for that, so we can’t be so open about it.”

But…

“We have a number of last resorts here, which means we have other options.”

And…

“We need Hashiba’s help as well.”

“Hashiba’s?” asked Mitotsudaira.

She had a hunch she knew what Masazumi was thinking. If they would be returning again to the west from Kantou, then they would have to use something in Kantou.

They would have to use their political position and their physical supplies for that. So…

…''I can make a pretty good guess.

But she did not know how that could be used to send them back to Kansai. Their preparations for that must not have been complete. At any rate…

“We can work on that as our own problem later,” said Mitotsudaira. “Sensei, what kind of exam will this be? And,” she added. “Naomasa and the Tachibana Couple are in Satomi, so what about them?”

“Hm, we’ll figure something out for them, I guess.”

That woman was as irresponsible as ever, which did not seem ideal for a teacher.

“I ate a bit too much last night, so I’m in the mood for some exercise.”

“Exercise?”

They all tilted their heads and she smiled.

“Judge. So let’s make this a quick and simple exam.”

Such as…

“I’ll run to the academy and you win if you can hit me just once on the way. We can take a break there once it’s over.”

Oriotri watched their reactions.

They did more than just tense up.

Asama hid a yawn with her left hand while raising her right.

Several pieces of metal fell from the sky. They were transport pallets made by modifying reinforced bamboo launchers for use in battle.

They contained the silver chains, Tonbo Spare, Umetsubaki, and…

“Master Tenzou.”

“I’m tired, so let’s say this is enough, Margot.”

“I hate that Unturning Centipede was destroyed, but I can still transfer in the mandible swords and the legs.”

All of the pallets popped open and they all retrieved their weapons from within.

“–––––––”

Then they all came at her at once.

There was no hesitation and no one had signaled the beginning of the battle. But once they had clearly-defined winning and losing conditions, they made their move. Behind them, Neshinbara already had a sign frame open and was sending instructions.

…''Did he guess this would happen and worked out some strategies on the way up? If so, well done!

Oriotri dashed back and started to jump, but…

“Oh.”

She noticed a shadow overhead and then Raging Beast dropped down at her from directly overhead.

The crash was a series of metallic impacts and wooden splintering.

Adele raised her right arm to say Raging Beast had been successful launched from the engine division.

“We did it! I’m glad I had it ready for launch at any moment just in case something happened in Kantou!”

She ran forward to find the engine division had done outstanding work. Raging Beast had actually landed on its feet.

The legs were held together for landing and not even their teacher’s gorilla-like strength could have saved her from that metallic stomp.

''Come to think of it, maybe this is bad?

“Sensei! Are you all right!?”

After checking, Adele ran toward Raging Beast. She heard her classmates’ footsteps running up behind her, but as she approached first…

…'’Eh?

Their teacher was waving from between Raging Beast’s legs.

She was perfectly fine. In fact…

“Oh-”

The following “no” was erased by the impact to Adele’s hastily-raised spear.

Their teacher had burst from between Raging Beast’s legs and swung her sword up from below. The very end of that attack had caught at Adele’s spear, lifting her feet from the deck.

“––––––”

She was launched backwards.

Adele suppressed her voice in the air.

She had been sent airborne by an attack. That much was fine. ''Well, no, it’s not.'' But it wasn’t right to be thrown from the deck when just the tip of a sword caught you.

…''But last time, she managed to spank me with it, so I’ve improved a lot to actually defend myself!

Yes, she had gotten her defenses up this time. She had only been lifted from the deck, so she only had to stick the landing and continue her pursuit.

They had a lot of fast people, so she could continue on with them and avoid a similar mistake again.

…''Like the 1st and 5th special Duty Officers!

“Okay, Mary-dono, let’s go for it!”

“My king, Horizon, I will carry you with my silver chains!”

Adele suddenly felt very lonely. In fact, she felt like those two had become a lot slower than her. Did that mean she was their class’s top sprinter because she was single? No, there was still the Vice Chancellor.

…''But she acts almost entirely on a whim.

At any rate, she wanted to keep her motivation from dropping quite so rapidly. ''I’m doing a good job here. I nearly crushed her with my mobile shell and I blocked her counterattack.

That just left landing.

“Nailed it!”

Just as their teacher slipped past Raging Beast and prepared to dash away, Adele pursued, quick on her feet. She knew she could catch up and launch an attack from behind.

Defeating their teacher would be difficult, but even if she failed at that, she could still buy some time for the others to catch up. So…

“Here I go!”

“Adele!” shouted Asama from behind.

''What is it?'' she wondered while looking back.

“Watch out, please.”

Hassan flew in from behind her with a giant plate held overhead.

He had probably been aiming for Oriotri, but he ended up on the same path as her.

“Ah.”

They collided.

Everyone saw Hassan added to the defeated list.

He was lucky that his plate was not broken and Masazumi brought a hand to her chin while carried over Futayo’s shoulder.

“That’s the last thing Balfette needed after last night. Because-”

“Because she was hit with ‘a plate’ after being ‘up late’?” Horizon easily predicted the answer but then hit herself in the head. “I do apologize, Masazumi-sama. You were making such a clever pun based on how similar those two pairs of words sound – yes, you must have spent the last three days and three nights coming up with it in the hopes of bringing yourself closer to the rest of us – and yet I went ahead and ruined it for you. Now, if anyone is having trouble figuring out why such a lame pun is funny, allow me to explain-”

“Enough analysis.”

But when they all ran over, they found Adele collapsed with the large curry plate resting on her head.

“If you ask me, this looks like the corpse of a curry villain from a children’s TV show,” said Ohiroshiki.

“If so, it’s gonna explode in a few more seconds,” said Toori.

“How heavy is that curry anyway?” asked Mitotsudaira.

“Around 7kg including the plate,” helpfully supplied Hassan.

“Oh? So her head was crushed by 7kg?” said Horizon. “That means Adele-sama was taken out by curry, but that is probably how she would have wanted to go.”

“Hey, quit standing around and come after me!”

Their teacher’s voice got their stopped feet moving again. Asama sent Adele a healing sign frame and Neshinbara sent her some instructions. Then it was time to move from Musashino’s bow to the warehouse district below.

“Let’s get to it!”

Their teacher had already descended the stairs from the bow.

The class rushed after her.

'''Novice:''' “Hassan-kun has an impressive record against some truly monstrous foes, so losing him and his curry hurts a lot.”

'''10ZO:''' “Yes, I was thinking that his curry might be capable of defeating Sensei.”

'''Unturning:''' “Does Musashi think curry is like a sacred sword or something?”

'''Uqui:''' “Narumi, can you eat a sacred sword? You cannot. Does it have mild and spicy varieties? It does not. Can it satisfy an entire family? It cannot. Thus, curry is superior to a sacred sword and it is rude to curry to compare them.”

'''Unturning:''' “I appreciate the valuable lesson.”

'''Gold Mar:''' “Anyway, we’re going on ahead!”

Naito and Naruze leaped into the open air from the top of the stairs.

They had already filled their wings with air, so they only had to flap them.

“Go!”

They soared upwards with brooms in hand.

“Should we summon Weiss Fräulein and Schwarz Fräulein!?”

“I think these are good enough for catching up and shooting her. And,” said Naruze. “We’re not stupid enough to challenge Sensei to close-quarters combat. We’ll move out ahead and snipe her from beyond her reach. Even if we can’t hit her, we can at least slow her down.”

“Then…”

“We’ll set up shop at the academy before she arrives.”

“Judge,” said Naito while placing the broom between her legs. She activated its spells, placing the acceleration spells around it.

“Okay, let’s go.”

She pointed toward the academy, but…

…''Oh?

Something grazed her cheek at high speed. She knew what it was: a large bullet made of light.

“That’s a slowdown bullet used for mock battles.”

“Indeed it is,” said a male voice while deep laughter echoed down from above. “They’re also known as decay spells used to stop violators. …This is part of my job, so let’s do this, Zwei Fräulein.”

Naito looked up to see a familiar face. No, two familiar faces.

“Almirante and Wild Kamelie!”

“If you don’t Verwandlung, I won’t either!” The woman that flew in already had an attack Magie Figur open. “Your teacher asked me to do this. Sorry if you fail your exam cause of me!!”

Mitotsudaira saw a battle beginning in the air.

She was currently racing through Musashino’s city. She was pursuing their teacher while her king and Horizon sat in silver chain chairs. However…

“Sensei, you asked for help!?”

“That’s right,” said a voice from up ahead. “It wouldn’t be much of a final exam if I didn’t up the ante a little!”

Their teacher’s voice was already growing distant. The provisional council building was located toward the bow and the business and government buildings were spread out aftward from there. The mansion used by the Knight’s League was there as well, but…

…''None of it helps us stop Sensei!

That was why Naito and Naruze had gone on ahead, but those two had been stopped by enemy reinforcements.

'''Novice:''' “This is the reverse of the usual route, which poses a problem. She normally pulls out ahead in Okutama’s nature district, but we catch back up in the residential district. Because we can travel on the roofs. But Musashino has more government buildings than residences and has less foot traffic, so she can run right through the city.”

That was bad. Because…

'''Sticky King:''' “We normally end at Asakusa or Shinagawa, but this route is shorter by a ship or two!”

'''Obscene:''' “That means an initial head start can make all the difference. We’re in trouble!”

'''Vice President:''' “Um, is that true?”

“Judge,” confirmed Mitotsudaira while moving out ahead. She pulled her king and Horizon in close, so they were effectively sitting on her shoulders. “The residential and business districts let us use the roofs and they cover the center of Musashino back to the stern, along with the bow of Okutama. Sensei’s speed will drop there, but she can speed up on the rope pathway between the ships and she can make a last spurt in Okutama’s nature district right at the end.”

“With a distance this short, her stamina is irrelevant and the multiple opportunities to speed up are a problem. In that case…”

“I will take the lead!”

Futayo did exactly that.

Narumi was among the leading cluster.

The Vice Chancellor was on the left, the Mito Lord was in the center, and Urquiaga and Narumi herself were on the right.

They ran down a straight path leading directly to the residential district. And if the teacher was going to lay on the speed…

“Soaring Wings!”

A burst of acceleration!

“Kiyonari!”

“Judge,” he said while accelerating.

That aerial half-dragon was plenty tough, but he also rivalled the fully-equipped Technohexen in speed.

Narumi crouched down and jumped onto his arm.

Half-dragons held their arms out front when flying, so he naturally ended up holding her as he flew.

…''I was always comfortable with this.

She could entrust this flight with him. He even bent his elbow just enough to give her more of a seat.

Then he shot forward. His initial speed was blazing fast. He instantly passed the Vice Chancellor and Mito Lord at low altitude.

“Here we go,” said Narumi.

Go they did.

<noinclude>
{{HorizonNavbar
| [[Horizon:Volume 8A Chapter 18|Chapter 18]]
| [[Horizon:Volume 8A Chapter 20|Chapter 20]]
}}
</noinclude>