Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Volume 07 - Yokohama Disturbance Chapter (II)

by Sato Tsutomu

  In the side branch, Katsuto kept overhearing reports coming in.

  The JSDF were beginning their counterattack from Sakuragi-chō, but the volunteers formed by the Magic Association were barely holding the enemy at China Street in Ishikawamachi.

  "—Have you prepared a combat uniform?"

  At Katsuto's question, the female employee looked aghast.

  "Do you mean to sortie yourself? You can't do that!"

  "You have prepared a combat uniform, correct?"

  Still, Katsuto's determined follow up question overawed the female employee into nodding.

  "But, you're the heir of the Juumonji Family..."

  "Please lead the way."

  Katsuto cut short her stuttering words.

  The female attendant stiffly rose to her feet.

  ◊ ◊ ◊

  The other scion of the Ten Master Clans joined the volunteers at China Street. Amid the enemies running to and fro, one man passed through them accompanied by blossoming crimson flowers and made contact with the unit fighting against the invasion force.

  The protective gear he wore was obtained from one of the wounded.

  Pressed against cover, his left hand tightly gripped the glowing red CAD as Masaki panted loudly.

  This was the exhaustion caused by repeated use of Rupture.

  In addition, the enemy's attacks switched from mobile armors to magic, causing exhaustion to set in earlier.

  Phantoms advanced in waves. They were called phantoms because they didn't have an actual body and were illusions created by Ancient Magic.

  Masaki didn't use the Specialized CAD in his left hand and operated the Generalized CAD on his left wrist.

  Interference strength expanded outwards.

  With only a wooden idol left behind, the phantom illusions vanished.

  In order to create a wide area interference strength and dispel all the phantoms, this exhausted a lot of Masaki's reserves.

  His "Rupture" magic was used to evaporate fluids within the target's body. If the target did not contain fluids inside its body, then that magic would have no effect.

  The enemy's response was incredibly swift. Seeing the first force of bipedal tanks fall under attacks from Rupture, they immediately threw phantom units onto the battlefield.

  Against illusions created by Ancient Magic with no physical body, Rupture held no meaning.

  Even without a physical body, the illusions still possessed attack power.

  They worked in the same way as hypnosis.

  Humans cut by the illusions would die from the red welt that appeared on their body.

  While Magicians who applied Data Fortification to themselves could nullify the phantom strikes, volunteers who were not Magicians were not so fortunate.

  Mixed in with the volunteers, Masaki could only continue to clash against the phantoms while his specialized magic was sealed, all the while desperately searching for the location of the enemy Magicians.

  ◊ ◊ ◊

  On the side of the cargo helicopters, the civilian boarding was already complete.

  "Rin-chan, it's all up to you now."

  "Mayumi, don't push yourself too hard."

  The helicopter took off.

  The soldiers in black accompanied the helicopter into the air and flew escort.

  After seeing the helicopter ascend to a safe height, the flying soldiers flew towards the coast.

  "Let's go as well. Let's find Miyuki and Mari's groups and get out of here."

  "—Got it."

  Nakura seemed to have something to say upon hearing Mayumi's orders, but ultimately chose to respectfully bow his head and return to the co-pilot's seat.

  The combat helicopter Mayumi and Honoka boarded began to ascend.

  Along the way, Mayumi noticed one of the soldiers watching them leave from atop one of the skyscrapers.

  In his right hand, he held a silver Specialized CAD.

  Honoka was facing the other direction, so she didn't see him.

  On the helicopter, Mayumi stuck her tongue out at that soldier.

  ◊ ◊ ◊

  Beneath his gray mask, Tatsuya clearly beheld Mayumi making a funny face at him.

  (...What a cheerful individual.)

  Beyond that, Tatsuya had no other thoughts on the subject.

  (Speaking of which, so Ichihara-senpai used to be "Ichihana", eh.)

  The magic that Suzune used was the other reason why the Ichihana name had been stripped.

  That magic relied a great deal on the Ichihana Family's natural innate qualities.

  Magic that directly interfered with the human body was forbidden at the time, so besides medical reasons, usage of that sort of magic was heavily restricted.

  Although he had no idea whether Suzune was aware of all the details, the truth of the matter was that she inherited the Ichihana bloodline.

  However, Tatsuya also thought.

  (If that's the case, then my magic wouldn't result in something so easy as being stripped of my number.)

  Instead of chuckling wryly, he was silently contemplating this in the privacy of his mind. Tatsuya activated the transmission device on his helmet.

  "Saegusa Mayumi-san has boarded the helicopter and is flying towards the coast at low altitude. She is expected to rendezvous with her peers and underclassmen before evacuating from the area."

  "Understood. After verifying that the VIP has departed from the combat zone, return to the main unit."

  "Understood."

  So it's finally starting, Tatsuya thought, after he cut the feed.

  Yanagi may not have said it, but the counterattack was about to begin even if he did not.

  Thus, the first priority was to ensure that Mayumi's group safely escaped.

  Standing on the roof, Tatsuya pointed his CAD downwards and simply pulled the trigger.

  One corner of the building burst into flames before abruptly disappearing.

  Besides the guided missile launcher that fell to the ground, nothing else remained.

  Modern day weapons would not detonate because of such a trivial impact.

  The same occurrence happened five times.

  After double-checking that there was nobody else taking aim at the helicopter, Tatsuya turned his head.

  Only to find a man holding a sword standing there.

  "—Who are you?"

  The question came from the man before him.

  To be able to climb up here — and not using any orthodox method at that since he took the odd approach of leaping between the walls of skyscrapers. He was definitely a man of considerable skill.

  "JSDF 101 Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion Special Lieutenant, Ooguro Ryuuya."

  "What?"

  The man — Inspector Chiba Toshikazu, didn't expect Tatsuya to frankly answer his question.

  Tatsuya's sudden reply along with that unheard of unit designation caused Toshikazu's stance to waver slightly.

  Tatsuya lightly stepped off the rooftop.

  Rather than jumping in Toshikazu's direction, he flew off the building.

  Tatsuya's left hand tapped his belt.

  His body was released from gravity's control.

  The CAD in his right hand keeping Toshikazu at bay, Tatsuya soared to a height where bullets could not reach.

  ◊ ◊ ◊

  The volunteers from the Magic Association were forced to retreat step by step.

  The enemy's amphibious unit was plainly their main force.

  The unit advancing to the north was a mixed unit of APCs and bipedal tanks though the primary force composed of APCs, but the enemy force assaulting the Magic Association branch was composed of special bipedal tanks designed for close combat along with multiple Magicians alongside.

  Wild beasts that looked like dogs turned into fiery bombs. They were chemical congregations created by Ancient Magic to mimic the monster called the "Wazawaito".

  Just when they thought that was all there was, a one legged crane-like bird dispersed flam
ing ash and vanished. They were chemical congregations also formed by Ancient Magic that imitated the form of monsters called the "Hitzukata".

  Ancient Magic from the mainland swarmed the volunteers.

  The enemy was no longer an army of "unknown nationality". Abandoning all pretense at hiding their identity, they were applying unique magic and bipedal tanks with enchanted defenses to crush the volunteer unit's formation.

  The Magicians from the Magic Association quickly retaliated with modern magic that was swift to cast with instantaneous effect, but they simply couldn't handle the overwhelming enemy numbers.

  "Damn it, retreat!"

  "Fall back and reestablish a new defensive line!"

  It sounded like their morale had not broken, but in the face of such force, the only ones who could say so were the ones who fell back within the new protective line.

  "Do not retreat!"

  At this time, a roar shattered the volunteers' cowardice.

  The avian chemical congregations that spewed fire were smashed to the earth and faded into ash.

  It was as if they had been swatted aside by a giant hammer.

  "Arise, ye who wield magic. Protect our homeland from falling into the clutches of these wretched invaders!"

  Ahead of the volunteers, a bulky figure walked before them.

  It was Katsuto, fully armored in protective gear and helmet like the samurais of old.

  Katsuto raised his arm and swung it forward.

  Although the swing was not made with great force,

  But at the same time as the swing, one of the enemy's bipedal tanks collapsed.

  The implication of this action was blatantly clear in everyone's eyes.

  The same thing happened once more.

  The mechanized weaponry with magically fortified defenses were being destroyed like toys.

  A thunderous roar sounded all around him.

  That was the triumphant shout of the volunteers who were previously in an inferior position.

  Katsuto hid the feelings of shame deep in the pits of his heart.

  He was not childish enough to believe in absolute justice.

  Nor did he only seek personal advancement like an adult.

  But he was very clear on the role that fell to him.

  The enemy didn't take very long to recover their wits.

  They were not very clear on exactly what Katsuto did.

  Still, even the dullest of their men knew that Katsuto was the one who launched the magical attacks.

  The bipedal tanks leveled their weapons at Katsuto with the churning of treads. Not one, but three tanks attacked as one unit. Apparently, the enemy was nothing more than inept soldiers who could only rely on their equipment.

  However, the result was that none of the three bipedal tanks could advance a single a meter, nor could they fire a single bullet.

  The only thing Katsuto did was to simply reach out with his right palm.

  That alone was enough to render the bipedal tanks into scrap.

  Multi-Layer Barrier Magic "Phalanx".

  This magic was not only used to block the enemy's attack.

  Its true value lay in its ability to annihilate the enemy and it existed for this purpose.

  The magic behind Phalanx lay in constructing multiple barriers, so even if the initial barrier faltered, the one behind would simply replace it, to be continued ad infinitum.

  The barriers were in constant motion within set boundaries.

  The barrier was not set in front of oneself, but rather dozens of barriers were sent crashing at high speeds into the enemy.

  This was the true usage of Phalanx on the offensive. The offensive barrier that possessed the sole function of being impermeable to all attacks could even be spread out within another person's magic. The magic barrier that set matter as its target possessed an interference strength that simply disallowed any other magic to exist.

  Although there were disadvantages in that the firing range was limited and it could only be used against existing phenomena, this magic that combined attacking the enemy, anti-object, and anti-magic properties had powerful applications at short distances in group combat.

  Defensively, there were multiple barriers being erected simultaneously.

  Offensively, multiple barriers with a single characteristic could be fired successively.

  As befitting the name "Phalanx", this was a magic that combined offense and defense together.

  Fire and thunder came crashing down on Katsuto.

  Ancient Magic attacks that had to go through various procedures and could not affect the Eidos without physical phenomena changes were the easiest opponents for Katsuto.

  In the air, he erected heat resistant and lightning resistant barriers to protect himself and the volunteers surrounding him.

  Along with the escorting soldiers at the front, he sent the enemy Magicians flying.

  The advent of a single person completely turned the battle around.

  ◊ ◊ ◊

  Exhausted by constantly having to deal with phantom attacks, Masaki changed his mind.

  He stopped hunting for the enemy's Magicians and decided to massacre all the enemies around him.

  Until now, he was afraid of dragging the average citizen into the crossfire so he had relied on magic that targeted individual enemies, but if the situation continued progressing the way it had, more and more citizens would suffer. —He was not going to deny that he was getting enraged.

  Masaki set the area where the enemy was most densely congregated in three man squads as the square shaped execution site.

  Each side measured 15 meters. Just in case, he kept a 2 meter buffer zone (until now, there was no sign that the enemy forcibly entered the nearby buildings).

  He operated the CAD on his left wrist and activated the magic.

  Unrelated to physical obstacles, this was a power that devoured cover in order to alter the phenomena.

  The initial change was gradual.

  The enemy soldiers would only feel a slight increase in body heat.

  However, this would quickly turn into burning hot pain that led the victim to roll around on the floor. Thirty seconds later, their eyes would turn murky and they would be rendered a corpse.

  This was Heat Magic that relied on the oscillation of fluid molecules, "Kyokan Jigoku".

  The Magicians of the Ichijou Family specialized in Dispersal-Type Magic that evaporated fluids, but that certainly did not imply they could not use any other magic.

  With apologies to his friend, Masaki actually suspected the veracity of the "Cardinal Code Hypothesis". If the Four Great Systems and Eight Major Types of Magic were flawlessly interconnected, then weren't they by nature the same entity? This was his gut speaking and not a logical theory. He felt that using systems to categorize magic was simply a matter of convenience.

  Currently, the magic that Masaki was using, "Kyokan Jigoku", could be described as an inferior version of "Rupture".

  Compared to "Rupture" that could instantaneously evaporate fluids, "Kyokan Jigoku" required time (nothing more than 30 seconds to a full minute) to increase fluid temperature. By paying the price in sheer firepower, this magic expanded the range from "target object" to "a wide area".

  Within the summoned cauldron of hell — needless to say, this was a metaphor — rapid destabilization spread throughout the square shaped area.

  "Kyokan Jigoku" was a magic that directly affected the human body within the targeted area. Thus, it was very difficult to affect Magicians who applied Data Fortification to themselves.

  On the other hand, that also meant that Magicians were the only ones who could survive the execution site.

  (Found you!)

  There were many enemies, but Masaki's instincts told him that this Magician was the one who was responsible for the illusion magic.

  He charged out from behind the building and sprinted into the "execution site" that was suddenly wide open.

  The guns pointed in his direction
were silenced by allied covering fire.

  Once more, he raised the handgun-shaped Specialized CAD at the Magician who attempted to flee.

  He pulled the trigger before the other man had a chance to turn around.

  A crimson flower blossomed.

  Masaki eliminated the enemy Magician before he even had time to surrender.

  ◊ ◊ ◊

  Small thunderbolts danced wildly across the street as the enemy gunfire came to an end.

  Miyuki's company still encountered sporadic resistance from the enemy, but they no longer saw any bipedal tanks or APCs coming to reinforce the enemy.

  After Mikihiko's lightning magic rendered the enemy infantry impotent, the five of them gathered under the cover of one of the large buildings.

  "Saegusa-senpai appears to be coming by helicopter to pick us up. Unlike the ones used for the civilians, this helicopter is specifically reserved for our evacuation."

  Receiving Mayumi's communique, Miyuki relayed the details to everyone else.

  "As expected of Saegusa, how generous."

  Erika was moved in a rather odd direction.

  "I think this has nothing to do with generosity... It must be so that the upperclassmen can safely escape."

  "Even so, that's something worthy of thanks."

  "Indeed. Thanks to that, we also have a chance to evacuate."

  Mikihiko, Leo, and Mizuki were only able to chat so leisurely because the enemy attacks had gone silent.

  "Ah, is that them?"

  Even without Erika pointing this out, the distinctive sound of a propeller could be heard. Originally, they picked a location that wouldn't take very long to walk back from. Besides the time spent lifting off and setting down, this was a negligible distance for a helicopter. Yet after a few moments passed, the helicopter still hadn't arrived. Plainly, the noise was traveling down from above, but there was no sign of the helicopter.