Chapter 81

"Hey, some of the surveillance camera feeds have stopped."

"I'm sorry. It's probably due to the hasty installation causing malfunctions."

"Malfunctions, you say?"

"Yes, it's a temporary malfunction, so it should be fine after a while... Ah!"

Before Toujou could finish listening to his subordinate, he kicked him in the abdomen, rendering him unconscious.

"I don't need incompetence. Hey, which squad do you belong to?"

"Team Alpha."

"Alright, take the remaining four members of your squad and go check the room where Hanazono Risa and Hiruhai are being held. If there's even the slightest anomaly, report it immediately."

"R, roger!"

The designated subordinate, having heard Toujou's orders, immediately left the surveillance room and took action.

Toujou, without even looking at him, mentally compared the positions of the cameras that had stopped transmitting with the layout of the hideout.

(The cameras appear to have stopped randomly, but it's a bluff. The cameras along the route from the confinement room to the exit have also stopped. All cameras are wired offline. Hacking from outside this surveillance room is impossible; it's likely that external interference using electromagnetic or vibration waves has occurred... We've been outmaneuvered.)

From his formidable observational skills and intuition honed in the field, Toujou was already certain that the enemy's attack had begun.

"If they infiltrated from the ground, the traps should have been triggered... Stopping the cameras means they bypassed them."

The kidnapping mission from the security team was a boring task for Toujou. Dealing with an opponent who wasn't armed with firearms or in an armored vehicle was a trivial matter.

"Hahaha! I thought I wasn't being complacent, but this is quite an interesting opponent."

Thus, he felt his heart race at the thought of an opponent who could launch a preemptive attack without his notice.

"To all personnel, the enemy's attack has already begun. Report any anomalies immediately."

"This is Team Bravo, patrolling the west side outdoors. A large number of crows are flying overhead."

"This is Team Charlie, patrolling the east side outdoors. I also confirm a flock of crows overhead."

"Crows... I should have taken into account the habits of the animals in this area."

Recalling the unusual number of crows flying around while driving to the hideout, Toujou felt a strange sense of unease but continued to listen to his subordinates' reports.

"Huh? Team Alpha, respond."

After listening to the reports, Toujou felt suspicious that there was no response from Team Alpha, whom he had sent to the confinement room, and tried to communicate, but received no reply.

"Annihilated."

The annihilation of Team Alpha. Toujou, with his extensive experience from the battlefield, confidently whispered this.

The lack of a report suggested that they were taken out in an instant.

"Even though they were the elite I personally gathered, to be taken out in an instant... fascinating!"

With a suspicious smile, Toujou, ignoring the silent radio, headed towards the confinement room.

However, someone stopped him.

"Ah, I found you!"

"…!"

Midway down the corridor leading to the confinement room, a white-haired girl named Rin, holding a keychain, spotted Toujou and said this.

"…So, the unease I felt in the car wasn't a mistake!"

Seeing Rin, Toujou was certain that the girl was a formidable opponent and immediately fired his assault rifle.

"Juu-da!"

The keychain in Rin's hand instantly transformed into a katana, slicing through all the incoming bullets.

"No way! Are you kidding me!?"

Toujou was more shocked by the girl's skill in effortlessly slicing through bullets fired at supersonic speed than by the transformation of the keychain into a katana. He was so captivated by the sight of the bullets being sliced with blinding speed, creating sparks, that he continued to pull the trigger of his assault rifle with a full smile.

"Oh, this is fun!"

The bullets aimed at vital points were all sliced, and none reached their target, rolling on the floor. Seeing this, Toujou, holding his empty assault rifle, was trembling with excitement.

"Hahaha, hahaha! So, you find this fun! I'm having the time of my life right now!!"

Toujou, who had once witnessed a boy manipulating gravity on a battlefield in Pakistan, experienced a shock that made him question his entire worldview.

Living in a mad world and believing he knew everything, Toujou's common sense was shattered in that instant.

"I never thought I'd meet someone like this in such a boring job. Indeed, what happened back then wasn't a dream!!"

There were still unknown realms in this world. To uncover the truth about powers beyond the norm, called supernatural, Toujou spent ten years and used every means at his disposal.

Finally, he accepted this mission in exchange for the truth about those powers, having found someone who could provide the clues.

However, he never expected to encounter a glimpse of that truth during the mission, and he lost control of his emotions completely.

"Amazing. I feel the same as I did ten years ago."

While changing the empty magazine, Toujou spoke with a full smile.

"Miss, what's your name?"

"Um, I'm Rin!"

"Got it, I'm Toujou. Nice to meet you!"

As he spoke, Toujou finished changing the magazine and aimed his assault rifle.

"Yep, nice to meet you!"

Seeing this, Rin readied her katana.

Amid the smell of gunpowder, the two were about to engage in a fierce battle.

◇

"We have to find Rin quickly!"

"No can do, it's dangerous. If we go back, we might be found by Toujou."

Risa and Hiruhai, who had escaped from the cell, followed Rin's lead and reached near the building's exit.

However, after Rin suddenly said, "I forgot something, I'll go get it," she vanished at an incredible speed, leaving the two behind in the corridor near the exit.

"I don't care about my own danger! We have to bring Rin back quickly!"

While Risa was panicking, Hiruhai was trying to understand the situation with a serious expression.

(That girl, Rin, is not ordinary. That's why there's no need to worry. The fact that we were left here means we would have been a hindrance to her.)

Rin, the white-haired girl who had led them without encountering anyone in the enemy-filled hideout and then vanished at an incredible speed, had shown unusual phenomena in the cell. Hiruhai, convinced that Rin was not ordinary, considered the meaning of being left behind.

(Still, it would have been easier to leave us in the cell without cutting the ropes. The fact that she led us here means this place is the safest, right? There's not much information, but it's best not to move from here.)

Having reached this conclusion, Hiruhai tried to calm the agitated Risa and decided that staying put was the best course of action.

"Ah... It's okay, don't worry. I just received a report from a subordinate who arrived here. The girl is safe and has been taken to a secure location."

"Report? Did she have a communication device?"

"Yes, this watch is a small communication device. And we should stay here. My subordinates will come to pick us up soon."

Hiruhai showed the high-end watch on his wrist and spoke, but it was all a lie.

He made up a plausible story to keep Risa in place.

"…I understand. I don't believe your words, but I'll stay here for a while."

"Huh? You're surprisingly obedient. I thought you'd ignore my words and go look for her."

"I can understand that Rin is not ordinary. I was a bit flustered earlier, but I can distinguish between what I can and cannot do. I know that going to look for her would be a hindrance and that I am powerless in this situation..."

"…Impressive insight. You live up to being Kurenai's daughter."

Hiruhai was amazed that Risa, with limited information and a sense of unease, had reached the same conclusion as him.

He was also certain that Risa had realized his words about the subordinates coming to pick them up were a lie and decided to wait quietly for the situation to change.

(Still, I'm powerless in this mad world... But why is it so unusually quiet outside?)

Just as Hiruhai felt this sense of unease, a loud destruction sound echoed, and the concrete wall near the exit was shattered, with Toujou's unconscious subordinates rolling in.

"What the...!?"

"What's happening!?"

While Hiruhai and Risa were shocked, the concrete wall on the opposite side of the corridor was also destroyed, and an armored vehicle, likely blown away, entered. At the same time, a large number of crows invaded the hideout.

"No... I'm too powerless..."

Caught between the smoking armored vehicle and the crows pecking at the unconscious subordinates, Hiruhai quietly whispered this.

『General Edition』 is about to end!