Editing Apocalypse Witch:Volume1 Chapter1 (section)

===Part 4===

How did they reach that point?

That bloated broadcast station was 200 stories tall.

It was bound to have a solid security network of guards, cameras, and sensors, but security was surprisingly lax at one point: the orange-dyed rooftop.

“No one would ever expect someone to enter a 200-story building from the very top,” laughed strawberry blonde Marika with translucent armor covering her body.

There was of course a heliport on the station rooftop, so they would have the bare minimum of control equipment. The entire station could function as a largescale broadcast tower so they did not have to use an external one and they could use the distortion in that signal to detect any approaching aircraft.

But.

What if?

“If you fly straight up along the building’s wall, the radar can’t detect you,” said Karuta after being carried up to the top. “Although a normal plane or helicopter would definitely crash into the building if they tried it.”

At 200 stories, they were more than 1000m up. The oppressive equatorial heat was swept away and replaced by a light chill. The nearby planter even had lovely alpine plants growing in it.

''“If you ask me, we won’t be accepting interviews at TV stations.”

He suddenly recalled what his old friend had said.

''“Won’t Crystal Magicians like us be more like special forces? Y’know, we’ll be wrapped in a veil of mystery that gathers the public’s attention without having to show off to the media. But we’ll be able to go see the movies based on Crystal Magicians and laugh at how inaccurate they are. Heh heh heh.”

“…”

Come to think of it, hadn’t that flipbook in the corner of his stuck-together textbook been an imagined scene from those movies he dreamed of?

Karuta narrowed his eyes, let out a white breath, and whispered under his breath.

“Power up.”

The back of his purple blazer swelled out unnaturally and pale Crystal Girl Aine appeared from within.

“Aine, prepare your weapon. We’re up against one of the Problem Solvers, so we can’t hold back in the slightest. When I give the signal, you give this your all from the very first move.”

“Understood.”

Aine swung her right hand and what looked like a crystal katana appeared there. The base had a jitte-like fork with a laser gun on the short end.

“You too, Marika.”

“Leave it to me.”

There were sensors on the rooftop exit, but they would mean nothing before long.

They did not even need to cut the sensor when the entire station would be flooded with alerts.

Karuta and Aine pressed against either side of the door while Marika headed to the boxes lined up where they would not get in the way of the heliport. Those were the large exterior air conditioning unit, the water tank, and the gear boxes for the many elevators.

“Now we have to wait for that Student Council President.”

They took their positions and waited for things to begin.

And begin they did.

The bright guide lights for helicopters all went out.

As soon as the TV station building blacked out, Aine’s sword sliced through the door’s hinges like a hot knife through butter and Karuta kicked the door in. Marika jumped into an elevator shaft through a different entrance.

The Student Council President’s voices reached them through the vibration of their Crystal Blossoms.

Omotesandou Kyouka’s job was to use gas line explosions to destroy the normal cables and the transformers outside the broadcast station and then to observe the TV station using binoculars.

“Elicia is using the third VIP elevator from the left. Um, it should be stopped at the 190th floor.”

“Got it.”

“The power should be back up in about five minutes, so make contact before then!”

Karuta and Aine ran down the dark emergency stairs to reach the elevator in question. He would have to use the crystal girl to neutralize anyone they ran into along the way, but fortunately, that was not necessary. That was probably thanks to the highest area being used for the executives, so it was nowhere near the actual production area. There were very few people this high up.

“It’s about to begin.”

Utagai Karuta clenched his teeth as he left the emergency stairway and ran down a hallway.

The fear in his mind was joined by an odd heat.

“It all starts here!! Aine, we’re about to challenge Elicia ‘Saurus’ Luxverg, one of the world’s strongest with the Problem Solvers! You need to be ready too!!”

“Yes, Sacri-sama.”

They arrived at the 190th floor’s elevator hall.

Aine’s sword sliced through the metal door and Karuta helped pry it open.

And on the other side…