Side Chapter 52: The threats group up

Joseph and the others with him, having landed safely on the ground thanks to their parachutes, regrouped to discuss what they should do next.

They were hesitant to contact the government of the South American country that had requested this mission, or the government of the Federal States and they were also hesitant to contact the Bravers headquarters. After all, they had just been attacked by a Federal States government fighter aircraft.

This couldnt have been a renegade act by a pilot with radical beliefs. It was unclear as to where the fighter aircraft had taken off from, but if it really was just a renegade pilot, the base would have had enough time to contact the transport aircraft and give warning that a fighter aircraft with a dangerous pilot was headed their way.

And this guarded escort mission had been planned in absolute secrecy. Given that it had been leaked, this was certainly no ordinary situation.

I see I get it, said the Chiron Derrick, nodding. The one who leaked the information about our mission might be someone in the operations department who is close to Rikudou. So, you want to avoid contacting headquarters until we understand the situation. Thats what youre saying, right?

Yes, thats basically it. It would be a shame if we were to call for rescue, only for a bomber aircraft to come at us this time, said the Sandman Youdou, smiling with satisfaction at having successfully persuaded Derrick to follow this plan. But were saying that we suspect Rikudou himself, not someone close to Rikudou, he added.

Joseph, Youdou, and Nanamori were three reincarnated individuals who had been guided by Vandalieu and granted his divine protection. They had been trying to persuade Derrick, a reincarnated individual who wasnt like them, as well as the pilots of the transport aircraft, to follow their plan. The reasons for that were exactly as Youdou had explained.

They didnt believe that Derrick and the pilots were on Rikudous side. Even in that situation, Derrick had given orders that prioritized the survival of Joseph, Youdou, Nanamori, and the pilots, over his own.

Its true that we cant rule out the possibility that Rikudou himself leaked information about our mission, or that hes the mastermind behind this whole incident. I understand that this is the logical conclusion. But theres no reason to suspect Rikudou specifically over anyone else, right? said Derrick.

He wasnt on Rikudous side, but like Amemiya, he considered Rikudou to be a trustworthy companion.

If he knew that the one piloting the fighter aircraft had been another reincarnated individual, the Sleipnir Nis.h.i.+kaga Yos.h.i.+hiko, he would likely have believed that Rikudou was involved. But even Joseph, the one who had repelled the aircraft, didnt know that Nis.h.i.+kaga had been the pilot. And since Nis.h.i.+kaga had fallen into the sea or onto the ground, there was no evidence.

If the crime syndicate leader that they had been supposed to pick up at their destination and provided a guarded escort for wasnt there, or had never existed to begin with, that might have been another piece of evidence for Derrick to suspect Rikudou, the one who had a.s.signed them this mission in the first place.

But because this was a top-secret mission, Joseph and the others didnt know the name or face of this crime syndicate leader. And since they couldnt contact the people at their intended destination, they couldnt confirm who he was or whether he even existed.

Well, I suppose thats what anyone would think. Theres no proof, after all, said Youdou.

Especially with a story like ours. Youd think we were on drugs or off our meds, agreed Nanamori.

Youdou, Nanamori, and Joseph were Bravers who had taken time off missions due to mental problems. On the other hand, Rikudou had worked tirelessly to make up for the Bravers who had been lost, and he now essentially served as a deputy leader for the organization who brought everyone together.

Who Derrick would choose to believe was obvious, as he was unaware of what Rikudou had been doing in secret.

Hey, hey, I didnt go that far. You guys improved your abilities through your own hard work, didnt you? If youre capable of doing that, I dont consider you to be unreliable or untrustworthy, said Derrick. But Im just saying, we cant conclude for certain that Rikudou is guilty.

It was the clear choice for Derrick to believe Rikudou, but he didnt take the words of Youdou and the others lightly, either. He believed that they had their own reasons and conclusions for suspecting Rikudou. That was why he didnt insist on contacting Rikudou like he had originally suggested.

But what are we going to do now? We cant just not contact anyone. Search parties should be on their way to look for us, too, said Derrick.

I suppose so. The Federal States and this country that weve crashed in have both probably noticed that the signal of the transport aircraft is gone, after all. For now, it would be nice if we could get in contact with someone we can trust like Ulrika, said Youdou.

Not Amemiya? Come to think of it, he knew about our mission, just like Rikudou, said Derrick.

It seemed that Derrick considered Amemiya to be a suspect as well, but Youdou decided not to answer, as he couldnt provide Derrick with an explanation as to why that wasnt the case.

How is it? Have you managed to get a connection? he asked the pilots.

They had brought radio equipment with them from the transport aircraft, and the pilots were trying to contact Ulrika with it.

Its no good. It seems that it broke from the impact of the fall, one of the pilots said.

The radio equipment, a marvel of the latest magical and scientific technology, had turned into a mere box that only produced noise.

Incidentally, Derrick and the others couldnt use their phones there was a risk that their locations could be traced.

Joseph sighed. Derrick, and you two over there. Could you please pretend not to see what Im about to do?

From his pocket, he produced a mobile phone with a design unlike any that Derrick had ever seen.

What is that phone? And what do you mean, pretend not to see Are you saying we should pretend we never saw this phone? Derrick asked.

Thats right. With this phone, we can contact someone we can trust. Theres no risk of our locations being traced, either. But this is a top-secret piece of equipment. Even when the transport aircraft was in danger of being shot down, Id decided that I wouldnt use this unless absolutely necessary, said Joseph. Thats why I want you to pretend you never saw it Well, it is possible that in the worst-case scenario, the world will be in a state that it wont matter whether you keep it a secret or not, but still please do, just in case.

Youdou and Nanamori gasped.

Joseph, are you planning to use

that

?! Youdou exclaimed.

Its true that nows the time to use it, but you could have done it while the two of us drew Derrick and the pilots attention Nanamori pointed out.

Derrick sensed that something extraordinary was about to happen. Alright, I promise. You guys should promise, too, he said to the pilots.

Of course, one pilot said.

I trust the people who saved our lives, said the other.

Having gained their agreement, Joseph held up this phone. Transform!

The phone turned into a liquid that crawled up his arm and spread all over his body, forming a bodysuit.

G-G.o.dd.a.m.n! Derrick shouted. What the h.e.l.l was that?! Is this some kind of state-of-the-art power suit?!

In Origin, a world where magic existed, power suits were used for military purposes. But they were shaped more like an inner clothing layer to be worn under the wearers military uniform, not like a heavy suit of armor.

They were Magic Items that were light and flexible but provided protection similar to a bulletproof vest and a certain degree of resistance to heat, as well as a boost to the wearers physical capabilities, at the cost of only a small quant.i.ty of Mana.

These had been worn by the now-deceased Balor Johnny, his subordinates, and the Sleipnir Nis.h.i.+kaga.

But portable power suits didnt exist, as far as Derrick knew.

But what is that design? You look like a character from a tokusatsu show for kids, Derrick said with a dry laugh.

Joseph was now wearing a flashy cape and a helmet with decorations on it.

Yeah, he apparently got some inspiration from those, Joseph said.

The transformation equipment provided by Banda greatly surpa.s.sed the military power suits used in this world in terms of performance and function.

Despite that, Joseph hadnt used it yet because this design was too flashy and conspicuous. Of course, another big reason was that its technology was far too advanced for this world.

But its functions are top-cla.s.s. It has communication functions as well This is Joseph. Are you able to talk now? said Joseph, making contact with Banda right in front of Derrick. After listening for a few moments, he gave a startled gasp. So, things have progressed to this point

He learned of the attack on the Amemiya residence and the attack on Narumis group. He had a.s.sumed that he and his group were the only ones Rikudou had tried to eliminate silently, but now he realized how serious the situation was, with Rikudou having made bold moves with no regard to appearances.

If they had thoughtlessly contacted the Federal States or the Bravers headquarters, there really might have been a bomber aircraft on its way to them right now.

So What? What do we want to eat? Umm, a-anything is fine That only makes it harder to decide? But even if you say that

After conversing for a while, Joseph ended the call.

Hes apparently coming to pick us up and buy us some food while hes at it, he told Derrick and the others.

Ah, thats very helpful, said Derrick, a.s.suming that Joseph had been talking to a personal acquaintance at the local government of this country or something.

But Youdou and Nanamori had a pressing question: How?!

Rikudou was delivered a report that the fighter aircraft piloted by the Sleipnir Nis.h.i.+kaga had disappeared from the radar and contact had been lost.

I thought that I had a grasp over everything, and everything was in the palm of my hand but this is simply too unexpected, he muttered, putting a hand on his forehead. Just what in the world

is

this monstrosity? Is it normal for imaginary friends these days to be completely unharmed after being showered in bullets and spells, fly around at high speeds while carrying a van, and destroy my plans?

Rikudou had realized that the monstrosity that had appeared was Banda, the imaginary friend that Amemiya Mei had drawn.

He had realized this, but he hadnt realized what Bandas true ident.i.ty was. If he knew that Banda was teaching Mei death-attribute magic, he would likely have realized that Banda was the same person as the Undead, but

The only thing he knew at the moment about Banda was that he was a monstrosity and that he was very mobile.

Reports were coming in one after another.

The target is flying around, completely ignoring the air defenses of every nation. Its ignoring all transmitted communications from the fighter jets that have been scrambled and deployed No, its possible that its simply not capable of receiving those transmissions. But at the very least, its something that appears on the radar.

That might be because it is carrying a van underneath it. Banda itself doesnt react to anything other than Mana sensors. Given that, we believe it isnt a living creature; it is a kind of spirit that is made of Mana. This is corroborated by our autopsy on Balor, which shows no evidence of any person being involved in his death other than Balor himself. However, that raises the question as to why Balor didnt steal its Mana.

Based on our a.n.a.lysis of the footage It is almost impossible to damage Banda with currently-existing heavy firearms. Though its unclear as to how, the van in which Amemiya Mei is riding is also being protected by a similar armor. There have also been videos uploaded to video-sharing websites. It seems that they used the drive-through service at a fast food restaurant after visiting a supermarket, and they paid using Balors credit card.

None of these reports contained anything that Rikudou could use to think of an effective plan. The only thing he knew was that Banda was likely invincible against anything other than the cheat-like abilities of the Bravers and death-attribute magic.

But if Banda and Mei were the only enemies of Rikudou and his allies, they might have been able to deal with this threat. After all, they were reincarnated individuals, and they were protected by their fortunes.

But the Echo Ulrika, another reincarnated individual, was on Banda and Meis side. The Angel Amemiya Narumi had joined them as well, and they were now on the way to the location of the Druid Joseph and the others.

This was enough to nullify the fortunes that protected Rikudou and the reincarnated individuals on his side. When reincarnated individuals clashed with each other, their fortunes canceled each other out, regardless of the numbers on each side.

Rikudou was well aware of this fact, as this was the very phenomenon he had attempted to take advantage of in order to eliminate Ulrika, Joseph, Narumi, and the others. With the fortunes canceling each other out, the side that had made proper preparations and caught the enemy off guard would be the one to survive. But Banda and the reincarnated individuals who had been strengthened by him had overcome the preparations made by Rikudou and his allies, leading to Balor and Sleipnir being killed with ease.

Sleipnir in a fighter aircraft might be able to shoot them out of the sky No, its pointless to make a plan based on someone whos already dead, Rikudou muttered.

This is conjecture on my part, but if this Banda is a being that Amemiya Mei has created, or some kind of evil spirit or guardian spirit that haunts her, then would you not be able to defeat it by targeting Amemiya Mei herself? suggested a subordinate, despite knowing that Rikudou considered Amemiya Mei to be an important sample.

Rikudou showed no anger or irritation at this suggestion, but he didnt accept it, either. It is true that this may be possible. But that monstrosity seems to be aware of that as well. When it killed Balor, it protected her inside its own fur along with Echo, and in Africa, inside a van covered in an armor that is as hard as its own body. Targeting Amemiya Mei directly will be difficult.

His reasoning was logical, and the subordinates were convinced and stepped back. But they were surprised by Rikudous next words.

Recall the subordinates and limited death-attribute mages from Africa, and prepare for a counterattack.

A subordinate gasped. Theyre going to come

here

?!

A s.h.i.+ver ran up the spines of Moriya and the other subordinates. The existence of this headquarters was top-secret. Even among Rikudous collaborators, only those in powerful positions in society knew of it presidents of countries and chiefs of intelligence agencies.

Rikudou had even kept his distance from the Balor Johnny and Sleipnir Nis.h.i.+kaga the only thing they knew was the email address displayed on their devices when they received their orders from him.

But there was a large hole from which their information had leaked the Metamorph s.h.i.+houin Mari.

They will come. Black Maria used some method that we failed to foresee to return to being Metamorph, and she and the experimental subjects with her have rendezvoused with Amemiya. The improvements to her body and the experiments involving her were carried out here, Rikudou said.

The experimental subjects that had been turned into limited death-attribute magic users were still uncompromised, but Rikudou and his subordinates had a.s.sumed that they had full control over Metamorph, and none of them had ever even considered the possibility of information leaking through her. It was possible that they had talked about the location of this headquarters and its layout in front of her.

But we cant even be sure that Metamorph remembers it! And there is no guarantee that she has ties to that monstrosity! one subordinate said desperately.

No, we should prepare for the worst. I cant imagine that the monstrosity will be taking the children on a picnic and going home after this, said the Shaman Moriya Kousuke. Rikudou-san, lets gather our collaborators at our headquarters as we planned. Theyre certain to have noticed the abnormality of this situation, but they likely havent realized how serious it is We cant have them abandon us now.

Rikudou nodded in agreement. Thats what I intend to do. And lets proceed with preparations for our last resort. Now that an unexpected threat has appeared, we will likely be forced to abandon our initial safe plan.

After stocking up on food and snacks from a supermarket in a certain African country, as well as buying hamburgers, fried chicken, and pizza at a drive-through, Bandas group flew across the ocean to the continent of South America.

Fighter aircraft threatened them along the way, but Banda shook them off with his sheer speed and unmatched mobility, and then landed where Joseph and the others were waiting.

Derrick and the two pilots were petrified in shock and fear at the sight of Banda, but they became quiet after Joseph and the others explained things to them.

Jesus. To think that Rikudou was really a traitor who was pulling the strings of Murakami and the others, and Balor and Shaman are with him as well I cant believe it. Its a big surprise that Narumis daughter can use death-attribute magic, but Rikudous betrayal is so shocking that I dont care about that right now, said Derrick.

Derrick, I feel the same way, but its the truth. Well, I

do

care about Meis magic, though, said Narumi.

Derrick and Narumi were both surprised and crushed by the truth that had been revealed to them by Ulrika. Even Derrick, who had only half-believed Joseph and the others, was unable to deny it.

The Avalon Rikudou Hijiri had been one of the leading members of the Bravers who had supported Amemiya Hiroto ever since he founded the Bravers, just like the now-deceased Endou Kouya and Minami Asagi.

Rikudou had never stood out back then, but through the battle against the Eighth Guidance, he had become Amemiyas right-hand man. Now, he was responsible for a diverse range of things he directed the operations of the Bravers; coordinated activities with the United Nations, the governments of various countries, investigation organizations, and intelligence agencies; and made media appearances.

Him betraying the Bravers was fatal to the organization. Amemiya and everyone else had spread out across the world on missions a.s.signed by Rikudou and almost been killed, not suspecting him of a thing.

And it was also fatal to the world.

This is the end of the Bravers, huh, said Derrick, crestfallen. Theres no way this scandal can be covered up Its a huge crime. Calling it a scandal would be an understatement.

Well, I would say that its the end of a lot more things than just the Bravers. After all, even if Rikudou is the mastermind, there are people helping him and making their armies obey him, said Bandas voice coming through the Vans speakers, attempting to cheer Derrick up.

Thats precisely why well be blamed even more, even if we suppress Rikudou and the others. Theyll blame Rikudou and theyll blame the Bravers for their negligence that led to all this. Theyll throw us to the wolves without blinking an eye if it means that theyll distract even the smallest amount of public investigations away from themselves. After all, one of ours

is

the mastermind.

Rikudous collaborators included important figures in political and business circles and ma.s.s media all over the world. If they were to conspire in order to save themselves, Derrick, Narumi, and the rest of the Bravers would all be helpless.

In that case, Ill do some punis.h.i.+ng, at least for the people of the Federal States, said Banda.

It was Rikudous collaborators in the Federal States that had deployed military Golems to attack the Amemiya residence and a fighter aircraft to shoot Joseph and the others out of the sky. It was their actions that had led up to this point.

Even if they were able to protect themselves through information manipulation and political maneuvering, Bandas punishment would await them.

Are you gonna

meh

them? said Mei, who had been eating snacks but reacted to the word punis.h.i.+ng.

Banda paused his conversation with Derrick to concentrate on Mei instead. Yes, Im going to

meh

the bad people who messed up your house, Meh-kun, and the ones that tried to do scary things to Uncle Joseph and the others.

Vandalieu didnt intend to destroy their souls, but his intention to destroy their bodies wasnt a lie.

Mei wants to

meh

them too, Banda!

Hmm, it might be a little too early for you, Meh-kun. And its something that needs to be done late at night. You wont be able to wake up in time for breakfast, you know?

Aww. I wont, then.

Youre such a good girl, Meh-kun.

A tentacle suddenly appeared inside the car and patted Meis head to praise her for listening.

I think Im going to go crazy. Im surprised you guys are all fine with this, muttered Derrick, looking away from the happy and cheerful Mei and turning to Ulrika, Joseph, and the others.

Incidentally, the two pilots, who were also in the vehicle, were trembling as they imagined what kind of fate the bosses of their organizations would meet.

Fine with it, you say Well, because its fine. But we were just as shocked as you when we learned that Rikudou is a traitor, said Youdou.

If youre talking about Banda, its because its Banda. If its his tone of speech thats bothering you, I think its because Mei-chan is here. You wouldnt say that youre going to kill somebody in front of a small child, would you? said Ulrika.

And Derrick, you were looking fine just a second ago when you were eating your food, said Joseph.

They were already accustomed to Bandas appearance and behavior. They had been surprised that he had decided to procure food supplies at a supermarket and a fast food restaurant, but that was all.

Hey Uncle, you guys are being flamed less than I thought. Or rather all the comments are about Banda, said Hiros.h.i.+, showing them the screen of the mobile phone that he had brought with him from his house.

There were several video postings of Banda, as well as threads of comments discussing what he might be.

A mysterious monster, filmed from a cruiser s.h.i.+p!

An alien appears in a high-cla.s.s residential district and sucks out a humans brain!

Has the Eighth Guidance returned at last?!

A monster buys a mountain of fried chicken and pizza in Africa!

The aliens name is Johnny Yamaoka.

And so on.

What a mess Could it be that you did this on purpose?! Derrick exclaimed.

No. But if I make myself invisible, the parts of me that I used to improve the van will also disappear, so I cant do that, replied Banda.

I see.

Its not that I dont want to support you people at all. Joseph and Ulrika are my companions, and Meh-kun and Hiros.h.i.+ arent entirely uninvolved, either, said Banda.

Banda thought that the fierce criticism directed at the Bravers because of Rikudou was something that they had brought upon themselves. But he found it aggravating and illogical that Joseph and Ulrika would be criticized as well. And it would be even more aggravating if it were to also affect Mei and Hiros.h.i.+s lives.

And he couldnt allow only the Bravers to become the villains while the accomplices who had cooperated with Rikudou got away and continued on with their carefree lives.

And I would like to say this specifically to Meh-kuns mom Were in an emergency situation until all of this is dealt with, but once its over, Id like you to do your best to not bring the troubles of work into the house, said Banda. If you can promise me this I will help you.

It would be difficult for the children to rejoice and be happy if their parents were in a miserable situation.

Considering that, the happiness of Amemiya Hiroto and Narumi was an obligation for him. At the very least, they would have to not be so miserable and unhappy that they could not hide it from their children.

Thus, Banda wasnt against lending them his strength.

Ill do whatever it takes to protect Hiros.h.i.+ and Mei, even without you telling me. Im their mother, after all, said Narumi.

She had learned that Mei was able to use death-attribute magic, but she didnt see that as a problem in and of itself. To begin with, she never believed that the death attribute itself was evil.

The problem was what the people of this world would try to do with a new death-attribute mage but Narumi was determined to do whatever was needed to protect her children from all that.

Im sure Hiroto feels the same way. Even if he doesnt, Ill make sure to convince him, Narumi said.

Its a relief to hear that, said Banda.

He was truly relieved by this answer; he had imagined that in the worst-case scenario, he might even need to make alterations to the Amemiyas brains.

Banda dropped cylindrical lumps of metal that landed with loud thumps in front of Narumi and Derrick.

These are the prototype versions of the power suit I gave Joseph, he explained. They dont have any design elements added, and their functions to improve the wearers physical capabilities and act as a magical medium are considerably inferior, but they should still be far beyond any ordinary power suits that are currently available. Ill lend them to you, so please make use of them.

No design elements?! Thank G.o.d for that! said Derrick.

Th-thanks, said Narumi as she picked up her power suit a simple piece of transformation equipment.

Her mind began pondering what Bandas true ident.i.ty might be. He was teaching Mei death-attribute magic Could it possibly be him?

Meanwhile, Amemiyas group was moving away from the ruined city, along with the Metamorph s.h.i.+houin Mari and the three others who were with her.

Amemiya and the others had found it very difficult to believe that Rikudou had betrayed them and was researching death-attribute magic, of all things. But the words of Mari, who had been captured and brainwashed by Rikudou, were convincing, and they could not deny what she told them.

She had explained in minute detail exactly what she had done while disguising herself as Rikudou and acting as his body double. This testimony served as plenty of proof of the truth. As for physical proof, the most significant was the Ares Sugiura attempting to kill her right before their very eyes.

And in the building that had supposedly been occupied by terrorists were the corpses of the Sahadeva Da and the Artemis Katherine.

Believing what Mari was telling them, Amemiya and the others were moving away from the ruins because Rikudou and his collaborators might be aware that his plan had failed. It was possible that they would bomb the ruins to cover up the evidence and kill Amemiya and everyone else.

Indeed, some time after Amemiyas group left the ruins, the noise of an explosion came from the direction of the ruins, and a pillar of smoke rose into the sky.

That must be the local government. I know theres n.o.body living there, but theyve really gone all out, spat the t.i.tan Iwao, who was driving a jeep. By the way, where are we going now? Wheres the main base of Rikudou and his allies? The Federal States? Or is it on the South or North Pole?

If I recall, Rikudou bought an entire ghost town district in the Chinese Republic to use as a maneuvering area. Is that where it is? asked Amemiya, who was in the pa.s.senger seat.

Mari, who was in the back seat, gave an unintelligible m.u.f.fled noise in response.

Sorry. Take your time to eat, said Amemiya.

Mari was eating the portable rations that Katherine and Da had been carrying.

When Ares destroyed her head, she had already created a spare head in advance. Capable of thinking with just her soul, she had quickly replaced her destroyed head with the spare one to survive.

Seeing this, Amemiya and the others a.s.sumed that she was essentially immortal, so they listened to what she had to say. The special forces members who had been a.s.signed on this mission with the Bravers also a.s.sumed that she was immortal, which was why they had quietly listened to her explanation without protest. As a result, they all believed her.

But Mari wasnt as immortal as they thought. She was able to use Metamorph to create spare brains or hearts for herself, but the materials she used to do so was her own flesh and blood. She created them with Metamorph, using her own blood, bones, fat, and muscle.

It wasnt that someone had made an entirely new head and just given it to her.

On the surface, it had appeared that she was completely unharmed after Ares destroyed her head. But in reality, her bodys weight had decreased by the same amount that her head had weighed.

Naturally, if this happened two or three times, Mari would have nothing left to create new organs with, and she would simply die.

She had kept that fact hidden and maintained a composed appearance because she hadnt been able to trust Amemiya and the others at least, not until they heard what she had to say and believed her.

Now that they believed her and she could trust them, she had revealed her weakness. Now, she was eating as much as she could in order to restore what she had lost.

And so, Yukijoro and Gabriel, who were in the back seat with Mari, replied instead.

Rikudous main base isnt in the Federal States, nor is it in the North or South Pole. It seems that there were research facilities there, but they have been abandoned, said Yukijoro.

The ghost town in the Chinese Republic was bought just to draw attention away in case he was ever suspected, said Gabriel.

Yukijoro, Gabriel, and Bokor were all wary of Amemiya and the others, and refused to leave Maris side. They were afraid that if they did, they would be separated and kidnapped off somewhere else.

Thus, the back seat of the jeep was considerably cramped.

So where are we supposed to go? Just so you know, this jeep cant drive across the ocean, said Iwao.

Bokor gave a cheerful laugh. We know that! For now, we must simply move so that we are not captured, and wait for G.o.d and the saintess to descend. I am sure you will know when the time has come.

G.o.d and the saintess Banda, the one who gave you your powers, and my daughter Mei, huh, said Amemiya.

Yes, G.o.d and the saintess.

Bokor and the others had already explained everything about Banda and Mei how they had met them in their dreams and been saved by them. Although it was not quite as shocking as Rikudous betrayal, it was still enough to leave them dumbfounded.

But in a way, it made sense. If contact had been made through dreams, a method that couldnt possibly be prevented, then that was why it had gone unnoticed even by Rikudou, who was clever enough to have concealed his true ident.i.ty for all these years.

Youre free to regard Mei as a sacred being, but that doesnt mean Im going to stop being her father. I just want you to understand that, said Amemiya.

Bokor laughed once more. Of course. We do not intend to deny that you are the father of the saintess, nor do we intend to take the saintess away from you!

You seem like youre enjoying yourself quite a lot. Why is that?

Is that how it looks? I apologize if I have caused any discomfort. My laughter is a side effect of their tampering with my brain.

Sorry for asking such an insensitive question.

Not at all, do not pay it any mind. I am not bothered by you.

Amemiya had wondered if the constantly laughing Bokor was speaking on the behalf of Mari and the others because they were less wary of them now, but it seemed that this was not the case.

Ah, these three have some delicate issues, and it might be best not to ask too many questions about them. Well, its my fault for being so busy eating, said Mari.

No, dont worry about it. It was my fault for being so inconsiderate, said Amemiya. More importantly, how do Mei and the others plan to get here?

Weve told Banda the place, so theres nothing to worry about. I adjusted the frequency to contact him.

Does he have an antenna on him?

The communication is through magic, not radio waves. He told me in my dreams.

Do you know why hes attached himself to Mei?

No. Ive only ever conversed with him in my dreams, after all.

I see

Over a year had pa.s.sed since Mei began mentioning Bandas name. Amemiya felt a great anxiety over the realization that there had been an unidentified ent.i.ty constantly in his daughters presence, and that it had been watching his familys private life.

n.o.body could blame him for wanting to forget that for a moment.

By the way, whats with that appearance of yours? Youve made yourself look very young, Amemiya said, trying to distract himself.

Ive just used Metamorph to return to my younger self. Theres no reason to make an effort to look old, is there? said Mari. You know, Im personally very surprised that youve accepted the truth more easily than I expected. I remember hearing you saying, The death attribute is something that mustnt exist, on multiple occasions when I was acting as Rikudous body double.

So that was you back then, too My best friend really was just an illusion, it seems, Amemiya sighed. I still do feel that way about the death attribute. But thats only because I dont want tragic things like inhumane human experiments to occur for the sake of using the death attributes power. Its not like I will never accept the existence of already-existing death-attribute mages like you or people like Bokor and the others.

Amemiya believed that it was best for the death attribute to not exist, for the sake of preventing any further tragedy. But he wouldnt tell an already-existing death-attribute mage that it would be best for them to not exist.

In the same way, he might say that false charges shouldnt exist, for the sake of preventing tragedy, but he wouldnt kill the policemen and victims who had resulted in the false charges and cover up the evidence in order to make it so that the charges didnt exist.

Im sure you dont want to create any more death-attribute mages at the cost of more miserable tragedies, either Amemiya suddenly stopped mid-sentence. What in the world is that?! he shouted, pointing at the sky.

Something with black wings was flying towards them at a great speed.

He gradually became able to see it more clearly It had a black body that contrasted against the blue sky, and was carrying a black van with its six jointed legs. It was completely ignoring the laws of aerodynamics.

The other Bravers and special forces members noticed it as well, and were unsure whether they were supposed to try and flee or open fire.

C-could it be that this is Banda? Amemiya stammered.

Without a doubt, it

is

Banda! Everyone, dont shoot Banda or that van! Mari shouted.

Oh, G.o.d! G.o.d has descended! said Bokor.

And so, all of the threats to Rikudou were gathered in one place.