Editing Unlimited Fafnir:Volume 3 Chapter 4 (section)

===Part 3===

"I believe that NIFL's plan of attack was the most effective against Basilisk."

In front of everyone gathered in the conference room, that was my opening line.

"What Mistilteinn lacked was a mithril shield enough to last through 'Catastrophe.' Conversely, as long as we reinforce it on this point, Mistilteinn will become a weapon capable of defeating Basilisk."

After I spoke in a strong tone of voice, Lisa immediately interjected.

"Hold it right there, Mononobe Yuu. Although that may be true in theory, Basilisk is capable of weathering even mithril instantly once it opens its third eye. Didn't NIFL give up precisely because they concluded that no amount of mithril would be enough?"

Lisa was right. If simply increasing the amount of mithril would be enough, NIFL should have mass produced Mistilteinn and deployed the bombs consecutively. NIFL did not do that because the amount of mithril required was beyond what could be achieved in practice.

"That's right. Assuming Basilisk could fire its third eye's beam repeatedly, then it would easily eliminate a mithril shield no matter how thick it was. But I believe that Basilisk has a limit."

"...What do you mean by that?"

"Including the NIFL operation, Basilisk has fired beams from its third eye thrice so far. Before this meeting, I asked someone to check and in all cases, the beam lasted approximately five seconds. Also, on the two occasions during our operation, it would clearly be advantageous for Basilisk to fire consecutive beams but it did not do so."

Hearing me say that, Mitsuki brought her hand to the side of her mouth and murmurmed:

"—Indeed, that did bother me. Is there some kind of reason why Basilisk must conserve its usage of the third eye...?"

"Normally speaking, it's due to risk, right? If there's no risk, then it would use it as much as possible without needing to hide it."

"Risk... Nii-san, you seem to have some kind of hypothesis."

Staring at my face, Mitsuki urged me to explain.

"I guess. There is a limit to the amount of dark matter we can generate each time. In the same vein, the total amount of red light that Basilisk can shoot out—or perhaps the amount of time stolen—might have a limit too."

"...It is possible. Come to think of it, this could explain why Basilisk cannot fire in succession. Perhaps the beam duration is fixed because its strength cannot be adjusted..."

"Right, the third eye probably cannot make fine adjustments. After releasing the total amount, there will be a five-second shortage of energy. I'm guessing that's the kind of trump card it is."

After listening to the explanation so far, Iris asked me:

"Then after the third eye attacks, Basilisk is in a vulnerable state? Then it can be defeated easily?"

"—Things would be a breeze if that were so, but what I just said only applies to the third eye alone. It's best to assume that Basilisk can still use its regular pair of eyes to attack normally. In fact, Basilisk managed to intercept your rain of mithril shards, didn't it?"

"Oh right... Then what do we do?"

Iris cocked her head and asked.

"That's exactly why we need Mistilteinn. That weapon was designed to withstand normal exposure to 'Catastrophe.' By adding more mithril to its shield, to allow it to survive the five seconds of exposure to the third eye's beam, it should be possible to strike Basilisk in theory."

I explained the possibility I had pictured in my mind.

"...I essentially understood what you are trying to convey, Nii-san. In other words, the insufficient mithril will be supplied through Ds' transmutations, right?"

Mitsuki asked me as though confirming.

"You got it. I believe this is the most practical plan."

"It still is not comprehensive enough to call practical. Also, it does not take in account the abnormal sensing abilities displayed by Basilisk this time. However, I believe your plan is certainly worth discussing."

Saying that, Mitsuki turned her gaze to Shinomiya-sensei.

"—I agree. Although the situation would change more or less depending on whether NIFL hands Mistilteinn over, we will devise a new battle plan based on this direction."

Hearing Shinomiya-sensei say that, Mitsuki nodded in agreement then announced to everyone:

"Then we shall adjourn for the time being. Please rest properly until you are notified of the operation, everyone."

Despite saying that, Mitsuki did not seem like she was planning to rest. Immediately, she was going to start discussing with Shinomiya-sensei.

However, she looked more cheerful than just now. Compared to helpless despair, things probably felt a lot easier when there was room to work hard despite difficulties.

—I really hope she won't force herself too much.

Looking at the side of Mitsuki's face, I worried for her. But it was several hours later when I finally came to understand that Mitsuki's unease was far worse than I imagined.