Editing CubexCursedxCurious:Volume17 Chapter4 (section)

===Part 7===

However, those were not explosives.

What Chihaya had prepared were simply timer-operated smoke grenades. While making large noises, they did not cause explosions.

"Mmmfufu, don't look down on the commoners~"

"To hide trees, use a forest! Our commoner-ness really can't be underestimated!"

The task of mixing among the students, placing smoke grenades in various places inside the school, was mainly undertaken by Kana and Taizou along with the disguised Shiraho. However, Chihaya still had to help by setting up the smoke grenades in the bushes outside the school building, pretending to be returning to the classroom after PE lesson. Reluctantly leaving her shovel in the secret room, Kaidou the teacher also helped by setting up smoke grenades in places where students would look out of place as soon as they entered.

In response to this extraordinary commotion, the students in class all rushed out of the classrooms. The corridors instantly turned into noise and chaos. Although the students were hypnotized not to see the knights, they could not possibly ignore this kind of simple disturbance.

"What's going on?" "What's going on?" Chihaya and company weaved through the noisy students and ran. Just as they had planned, the school building was filled with white smoke. However, this was harmless to human health, a simple diversion.

"Is it a fire!?"

"Possibly an enemy attack! Stay vigilant!"

They could also see knights standing in the connecting corridor, surveying their surroundings, shouting to one another. Just as they had predicted and going according to plan, the enemy's attention was entirely diverted to this commotion&mdash;because they were taking things seriously, they had no choice but to handle matters seriously.

Ignoring the knights, the in-school team pretended to be fleeing students scared by the smoke, running inside the school building. Following the staircase, they ran up and reached the roof. The instant they opened the metal door at the top of the staircase, a knight entered their view, presumably in charge of guarding the roof.

"What!? Who are you people&mdash;Gwah!"

However, Un Izoey dashed forward without a word and swiftly rendered him helplessly collapsed. A perfect surprise attack, what a great help.

Then the team walked over to the fencing and looked down at the school grounds.

The knights' gazes were directed towards the school building while they hustled back and forth. Their attention was focused on the white smoke&mdash;''Conversely, this meant that their attention had been diverted from a certain place.''

In order to destroy the self-regenerating «Auschwitz-Birkenau», they had to damage the barb wire in dozens of different places at once while staying clear of the knights. This was the plan they had come up with to achieve this goal.

"Excellent! Let's do it with great gusto&mdash;!"

"Please allow me to say in fear and trepidation, the spectacular show has finally arrived~"

Sovereignty and Isuzu were standing precariously on the fencing with a large schoolbag prepared on the side.

"Do your best, Sovereignty."

"You can count on me&mdash;!"

Hearing Shiraho cheer for her, Sovereignty made a thumbs-up in return then reached into the schoolbag to take out a doll. This was borrowed by slipping into the dressmaking room. Tied tightly to the doll's arm was a pair of scissors that was likewise found in the dressmaking room.

"I hold sovereignty over every doll. Those bearing visual semblance, listen and show proof of your worship. Obey!"

"Wow, it's starting~"

"Hold it right there, let me help too. No matter how I look, I'm on the baseball team after all... And as catcher too, I'm very confident in my throwing skills!"

Taizou picked up the doll, rotated his shoulder several times, then launched the doll after a long running start. The doll struck the outer wall surrounding the school and fell down. However, the doll instantly got up and using the pair of scissors tied to it, it started to cut the barbed wire that was entwined on the wall. However, cutting a wire was not as easy as cutting paper. It took quite some time before the wire was finally severed.

Having lost tension, the wire would be expected to fall down there&mdash;However, the severed ends began to move like nematode worms, writhing in a creepy manner. The regeneration ability of rumor. However, the rate of regeneration was not so fast that the severed ends would rise up and reconnect within the blink of an eye... Hence, to render the entire wire completely non-functional, they must hurry and repeat the same action in other locations before the severed ends reattached themselves.

And that creepy regeneration could probably be used to determine whether their plan had succeeded or not. If dozens of simultaneous cuts damaged «Auschwitz-Birkenau» beyond its limit, truly "killing" it, the self-regeneration ability would presumably die as well. In other words, once the barbed wire stopped regenerating, when no part of it showed any regeneration movements, they could then conclude that «Auschwitz-Birkenau»'s destruction had succeeded. What they sought was that moment.

"Great~ Let's continue! Charge&mdash;!"

"Leave it to me!"

"Well then, we shall put on a grand performance too~"

After Isuzu spoke, certain objects hovered around her as though surrounding her neck.

Fourteen bells.

Like the doll earlier, all the bells had scissors tied to them.

"Move out, everyone!"

The bells flew away in all directions while Isuzu commanded.

Like the doll, the bells collided with the school's boundary walls. One of them fell into the bushes directly below. As soon as the bushes rustled, out emerged a girl identical in appearance to Isuzu on the roof. Despite being completely naked, the girl remained unconcerned and started using the pair of scissors tied to her little finger to cut the barbed wire&mdash;So did the other bells. They were the kagura bells who existed as one set of fifteen.

Nevertheless, the knights could not possibly fail to notice these movements despite their focused attention on the school building.

"Hey! What are you doing!?"

"..."

Apart from Isuzu who was borrowing half of Chihaya's voice, the silent kagura bells were unable to speak. The questioned bell only worked faster with an alarmed expression.

Chihaya silently searched the schoolbag and took out an object, shoving it to Taizou.

"Hurry and throw this over there!"

"O-Okay!"

A spare smoke grenade, but instead of being timer-operated, it was switch-operated. The smoke grenade thrown by Taizou fell in front of the knight who was just about to run towards one of the kagura bells, causing white smoke to billow upwards&mdash;It should be able to buy a bit of time.
[[image:C3 17-091.png|thumb]]

"My dolls are replaceable, so it doesn't matter, but the bells shouldn't strain themselves!"

"Yes, I will pull them back if things get truly dangerous. Please don't worry~"

Severing complete. Seeing the knight rush over, Isuzu turned her back into a bell and performed a motion akin to tugging a rope, causing her to fly back to the roof. Then she pulled another bell back. This bell had not succeeded in cutting the wire. Caught on the barbed wire, the pair of scissors was swaying back and forth.

"Wah~ They broke that doll!"

"Hurry and throw the replacement doll! Let it cut the wire!"

"Wait, Toonisuzu has been discovered! Hurry and cover her!"

"I shall do it since that is within my throwing range. Give it to me!"

Kaidou also joined in the smoke grenade throwing to provide cover. Several knights could be seen below, pointing at the roof and shouting. They were discovered. Quickening their pace was imperative.

Using the timer-operated smoke grenades as a diversion while Sovereignty's dolls and Isuzu's bells worked separately during this time&mdash;This plan was theoretically feasible. If they made use of all available manpower to cut the barbed wire, even if they failed in several locations, in the end, they still ought to be able to inflict enough damage to destroy «Auschwitz-Birkenau»&mdash;

That was what those present believed.

Meanwhile, the team outside the school was standing before the gates, waiting anxiously for the moment to arrive. The mission must not fail. Since there were no second chances and it was unknown when the knights outside would show up at the gates, the school must be liberated as soon as possible&mdash;

(...I couldn't care less whether they believe or not.)

Chihaya bit her lip.

(My pride won't permit failure after I accepted this mission with full confidence, saying I will find a way. Or having made preparations for times like these, only to be useless after all...!)

Not yet? Still not yet? Chihaya looked down at scene below with a pleading mindset, staring at the wires that were starting to wriggle after being severed. Hurry and stop them from regenerating! Hurry and destroy them!

Some of the kagura bells had completed their task successfully. Other kagura bells were cornered by the knights and returned to Isuzu's side one after another. As the main entity of the kagura bells at the moment, Isuzu was unable to leave. Worried and anxious, she watched her alter egos.

Kana checked the situation busily and said:

"Quite a few spots have been cut...! Still not enough!?"

"It should be almost done...!"

Chihaya glanced at Shiraho. In a connected call with the team outside the school, she had the cellphone pressed against her ear. Returning Chihaya's gaze, she moved the receiver away slightly and shook her head:

"Not yet, apparently. They are shouting and screaming like monkeys, saying they can't get in."

Just a little more. Definitely, just a bit more&mdash;

However, wails were heard at this time.

"Hey! We're out of smoke grenades!"

"In other words... Ah~ The final doll has been&mdash;! Sorry, I can't carry on anymore!"

"Can we send the returned shrine maidens out again?"

"We could, if they severed the wire successfully and returned with their scissors. But right now, the alert level is truly...!"

The enemy had apparently figured out by now that the white smoke in school were simply diversions on the level of smokes and mirrors, originating from neither fire nor explosions. They could also see that gradually, the knights were no longer losing composure and were beginning to handle the situation at hand calmly. In other words, they had started to focus on protecting «Auschwitz-Birkenau».

In addition, there was one more problem, namely, the barbed wire's self-regeneration ability. Now was no longer the time to confirm the operation's success through the wire's movements. Once too much time had passed, the parts that had been severed successfully earlier would reconnect, rendering prior efforts moot.

"Gah...!"

Chihaya leaned forward in agitation. Currently next to the barb wire encircling the school, trying hard to cut the wire&mdash;There was one more kagura bell farthest from the roof, on the far end of the sports ground. Chihaya recognized her, it was Musuzu. Since Musuzu's location was hidden behind the Knights Dominion's tents, right under their noses, she had surprisingly evaded detection so far. At this rate, once that part was cut, surely&mdash;

However, Chihaya saw at that moment&mdash;

A knight on the sports ground suddenly discovered Musuzu and started to dash towards her at maximum speed. Unlike the other knights, this knight did not seem like someone that could be handled by Musuzu, who could not even chant norito prayers at the moment. A girl wearing a visor-like helmet&mdash;



Meanwhile, Haruaki's team was also in great anxiety.

Noon, in front of the school gates. This was the operation start time they had agreed with the in-school team at the end of their strategy conference.

A number of minutes had already passed since noon&mdash;

"Still not opening!"

Fear roared and knocked on the school gates with a slam. Konoha shoved Fear way with her shoulder and swung a karate chop, but the metal bars remained unscathed.

Probably drawn away by the commotion inside the school, not a single knight could be seen behind the school gates. Besides, white smoke was rising from all over the school's premises, making for poor visibility. It was impossible to check out the situation inside the school from their vantage point, hence Haruaki's team could only rely on sound.

"They seem to be very preoccupied! Hey!"

Haruaki yelled into the cellphone whose call had persisted for a while now.

'You're unbearably noisy, human. As usual, you are experimenting with audio rape again, testing out which wavelength can cause vibrations in my ear, thus making me pregnant, aren't you? What a nuisance. Let me tell you some good news, if you were to dial 110<ref>110 is the emergency telephone number in Japan, equivalent to 911 in North America or 112 across much of Europe.</ref> before firing off obscene sound waves, I expect something universally beneficial to occur for sure. Putting that aside, are you people still unable to open the gates?'

"That's what I wanted to ask your side!"

There was no time to complain about her usual scathing tongue. Haruaki retorted in a roar and heard a dialogue of "not yet, apparently" in the background. Surely, they must be trying their hardest on the other side too.

When was it going to open? Was it really going to open?

Just at that moment&mdash;

'...How troublesome.'

'The final bell was discovered by the enemy. A female knight wearing a strange helmet.'

Haruaki gasped.

"It's over... That's Sleif!"



Dainsleif bit her lip as she dashed forward.

They had fallen for it, diversionary tactics. Back in their home country, attacks would not come as surprise no matter how large in scale, but here in Japan where even firearms could not be carried freely, especially inside a school&mdash;How could someone possibly detonate explosions?

However, «Auschwitz-Birkenau» was still intact, its effects had not disappeared. Since it was capable of self-regeneration, it should not be too late to salvage as long as further cuts in the wire were prevented.

"Hence&mdash;I shall not allow you&mdash;to succeed!"

Behind the tent, the nude girl holding a pair of scissors to cut the wire on the fence&mdash;no, a vile Wathe&mdash;looked back in alarm. Sleif did not even draw the sword at her waist. After all, it was just an ordinary sword. Right now, she felt as though the act of sword drawing would be a waste of time. She did not want to slow down her running speed even for a millisecond.

If all she wanted was a blade, her own body was enough.

Raising her hand in a spear hand strike, Dainsleif accelerated while maintaining a forward leaning posture. Within a breath, she was going to enter into attack range. Presumably in a last ditch effort, the nude girl hastily worked at cutting the wire. Just as Dainsleif was about stab her hand into the girl's back&mdash;

"&mdash;!"

She shivered in that instant as a chill ran along her spine. Instinctively, she spun around and chopped with her hand, deflecting the deadly dart aimed at her neck, flying at her helmet gap like a bullet. While catching the dart's glint from the corner of her eye, she glared at the source.

Then with superhuman vision, she caught sight of the dark-skinned girl sitting on the roof fencing, whose leg was extended in her direction.

(From the Lab Chief's Nation... The Hunter!)

But compared to her, the vandal here needed to be taken care of first. Dainsleif gritted her teeth and looked back, only to see&mdash;

The pair of scissors falling to the ground with a thud, as well as two dangling ends of barbed wire.

And then there was the small bell crossing over her head, flying towards that roof.

Hatred, fury, chagrin, humiliation.

Driven by these emotions, Dainsleif roared as loud as she could:

"...Curse you all&mdash;!"



Instantly, on the roof...

Long before any other sound...

A high-five between a certain pair could be heard loud and clear first&mdash;

"Oh."

"Ufufu~ ...Oh, umm, deliberately pretending to make a face that seems to be saying 'I raised my arm intending to do a high-five, got a problem with that?' but immediately switching to an iron-clawed attack to hide your embarrassment, that's truly your style, Chihaya-sama. How magnificent, but you really need to hold back. Unyoni, it really hurts&mdash;"

"H-Hurting you is exactly what I want!"



Next&mdash;

Haruaki heard two kinds of sounds at the same time.

One was the sound of Konoha personally bifurcating metal bars with a slice of her hand.

The other was the sound of Fear's punch sending metal bars flying.

Fear turned her head back, causing her silver hair to flutter.

"Opened... It's opened, Haruaki!"

"Great!"

However, he then heard Shiraho sigh deeply from the other side of the phone call.

'Sigh... How regrettable. Truly how regrettable.'

"H-Hey, did something happen?"

Did mutual annihilation happen? Despite destroying the barbed wire successfully, did someone in Isuzu's group fall to Sleif&mdash;?

'Looks like my Sovereignty has a chance of making contact with the perverted human again. Until just now, I didn't need to worry about that, at least. Listen carefully, if you dare hug Sovereignty, I will kill you.'

"...Huh?"

'Because you are a natural-born pervert, believing single-mindedly that hugging is the first step towards getting someone in bed, also believing single-mindedly that saying hello is the first step towards penetration, you are mentally removing a girl's panties by the time she crosses your mind. Warning you beforehand is only natural... Oh, stop it! Don't strip Sovereignty's panties!'

Haruaki could hear Sovereignty's perplexed voice going 'Eh? Eh?' in the background. Imagining the scene, he made a wry expression.

The operation had gone off without a hitch.

They were finally able to storm the school.

Struck by an excessive sense of relief, Haruaki decided to play a small joke on Shiraho in a rare moment.

"Then I won't hug Sovereignty. I'll hug you instead. Wait for me."

'Eeek!' The last thing Haruaki heard before the call disconnected was a truly acute scream that Shiraho had never emitted before. Silently, Haruaki felt rather hurt by the response.

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