Chapter 33

"What the hell is going on!?"

Tsutsun不良, Kashiwa Sōji, whose right arm and left leg were in casts, was astonished by the bizarre sight of the ceiling shifting.

At the same time, he moved closer to Akari, who was sleeping beside him, ready to protect her at any moment.

"What the...!?"

His shock continued.

Suddenly, a large golden lion burst through the door and entered the room.

The room where the two were being held captive was about 20 tatami mats in size. However, the overwhelming presence of the golden lion made Sōji feel as if he were facing it at point-blank range.

"Damn... Am I going to die in this incomprehensible situation?"

While hiding Akari behind him, Sōji cursed his misfortune.

However, his life was not yet over.

"Are you the students who were captured?"

"Uh? Y-Yes, that's us..."

"Your friend seems to be injured, and the girl is unconscious. Is she okay?"

"Y-Yes, she's fine."

The golden lion, without any hostility, spoke to them casually and even seemed concerned about their well-being.

"Um, well..."

"I apologize for startling you. But rest assured, I am here to help you."

"Help us, you say?"

As the golden lion spoke, Sōji's confusion reached its peak.

"Um, uh... Who are you?"

Even in this situation, Sōji desperately tried to think and asked the golden lion questions to understand what was happening.

"Hmm... Well, given this situation, I suppose I have no choice. If you promise not to tell anyone, I will reveal my true identity."

"...I understand. I won't tell anyone. I promise."

To reassure Sōji, the golden lion began to explain.

The person the golden lion revered as its master was someone Sōji knew. The one who had sliced through the building was also one of the master's servants. And his childhood friend, Shizukana, had been saved by the golden lion's master and was already under protection.

The moment he heard these facts, it was clear that this day would be the most shocking of Sōji's life.

◇

The combatants waiting on the first floor all looked up at the skewed upper floors in disbelief.

"No way... right?"

"The branch has been cut..."

With wide eyes, they stared at the white-haired little girl who had caused this situation.

If the slash had been aimed horizontally at the first floor... They shuddered at the thought of such a worst-case scenario.

"Those who can fly or climb walls, help with the evacuation of the upper floors! Be on high alert for the golden lion that flew in. Hurry!"

In this situation, Tōi, who was in charge of the first floor, gave orders to the combatants who were trembling in fear of the little girl.

The combatants, regaining their composure, re-armed themselves, and those with the ability to reach the upper floors headed for the rescue.

"Well then, Melt, let's get to work."

"Whaaat! That kid is definitely Rank A! It's impossible, we can't win!"

Melt stopped Tōi, who was about to approach the little girl.

"But there's no one else who can handle this. We have to be prepared."

Hearing Tōi's words, Melt looked at the combatants who were still on standby.

They had all re-armed themselves but were hesitant, their spirits completely broken by the sight of the building being cut in half.

"Ugh..."

"I really need your help. I can't handle it alone."

"O-Okay..."

With a lazy response, Melt took off her jacket, and Tōi felt relieved.

To the onlookers, it might seem like a casual outfit, but Tōi knew that this was Melt's serious mode.

"For now, we need to avoid the path of that slash."

"Right, one slip and we'll be cut in half... Huh?"

However, a white crow landed in front of them, blocking their path, and gave them a look that seemed to say, "I'll take care of you."

"This crow looks dangerous too."

"Indeed. Since it's come to this, we have no choice. We'll deal with the crow first while keeping an eye on the little girl. 'Toy'!"

Tōi snapped his fingers, and the cars parked by the roadside and the trees transformed into 11 dolls.

"Let's go!"

At Tōi's signal, the tree dolls, which were lighter than the car dolls due to their wooden composition, rushed at Shiro at an unimaginable speed.

"Kaaaaaa!"

However, the tree doll's punch was easily shattered by Shiro's roar. Then, Shiro flew over the tree doll's head, releasing a shockwave that quickly destroyed three of them.

"I see, you have the ability to generate shockwaves. But how about this!"

Realizing that the tree dolls were ineffective, Tōi sent the mechanical dolls made from cars at Shiro.

However, the mechanical dolls could not catch Shiro, who could avoid attacks from the air and fly at an extraordinary speed.

"But you can't defeat my mechanical dolls either."

As Tōi had deduced, Shiro was unable to deal effective damage to the mechanical dolls.

The dolls created by 'Toy' could continue to function as long as they maintained their human shape, regardless of the damage they received.

Thus, Shiro's shockwaves, which only had moderate power, were not enough to stop them.

"Kaa"

In this situation, Shiro calmly observed the mechanical dolls.

Then, dodging a large swing, Shiro landed on the arm of one of the mechanical dolls.

"What are you doing!?"

Tōi was puzzled by Shiro's mysterious action of landing on the enemy's arm. However, the answer was soon revealed.

"The arm! It's breaking apart!"

In the next moment, the mechanical doll's arm shattered into pieces.

"Destroying what it touches? No, it's a destruction caused by resonance. You must have the ability to manipulate vibrations!"

From the information about the shockwaves and the destruction of what it touched, Tōi accurately deduced Shiro's ability.

As Tōi had deduced, Shiro had destroyed the mechanical doll's arm using vibrations.

"However, since you had to land on the arm to destroy it, it seems this ability can only be activated through direct contact."

The technique's power was significantly reduced when transmitted through the air, so it could only be activated by direct contact. Tōi had not only understood the technique but also its weakness.

"It's still troublesome, but not impossible to handle!"

"Kaa!?"

Shiro landed on the mechanical doll's arm again, but this time only a few parts were damaged, and the arm was not completely destroyed.

"Kaa, kaa!"

However, Shiro quickly realized why the destruction was prevented.

The mechanical doll itself was emitting subtle vibrations, which weakened the effect of the vibrations Shiro had created.

"While I can't completely nullify it, this should be enough to defend against it!"

With Tōi's skill, making the dolls vibrate was a simple task.

"Kaa..."

In this situation where her technique was sealed, Shiro quietly observed the mechanical doll.

"Now, the situation is... What!?"

Then, Shiro released a 'flying slash' at the mechanical doll.