Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Volume 04 - Nine Schools Competition (II)

by Sato Tsutomu

  Number 14 and Number 16 were both consumed by static.

  Both of them followed their comrade to hell.

  "Stop issuing orders to your tools. Why not take up the sword yourself?"

  Before the words traveled over the phone, a slightly mocking laughter could be heard.

  Nevertheless, the men didn't seem to have the strength to rouse themselves to a fury.

  That was a distance at which the naked eye couldn't even make out if someone was there.

  No one present had the ability to use magic against someone who was both unidentifiable and out of range.

  One man sprinted for the land line.

  The others frantically brought up the wireless phones within their terminals.

  Yet, the land line only bleeped back a disconnected signal,

  Nor were the wireless phones working either.

  "Don't bother. Right now I'm the only one you can speak with."

  The same voice traveled along the original phone.

  "How is this possible? Even the wireless signal... How did he..."

  "All I did was converge the electronic waves. As to how I did this, there's no need for you to know."

  They understood perfectly well the meaning behind his words.

  Still, all those words did was solidify their sense of dread.

  "Now, let's cut to the chase."

  With this diabolical declaration, the man clutching one eye was surrounded with static.

  The man's face twisted in utter despair.

  His face remained twisted — as he turned into ashes.

  Since the sprinklers had already inundated the room thrice with water, there was no longer any spontaneous combustion.

  The men watched with frozen expressions their comrade who was denied even a funeral pyre.

  One man desperately made for the exit.

  Static swarmed around from behind him as his outline came apart and he vanished.

  The last three remaining members of the No Head Dragon's eastern Japanese branch finally realized that their lives were held in the palm of a demon.

  They couldn't help but arrive at this epiphany.

  "Wait... Please wait a second!"

  The man who served as the chief of the eastern Japanese branch seized the phone and shouted into the speaker.

  "For what?"

  He hadn't actually thought his words through.

  He didn't believe his opponent was going to let him go.

  No one who could eradicate men like mere numbers possessed a merciful disposition.

  Still, contrary to expectations, a response came down the line.

  "We, we swear to never interfere with the Nine Schools Competition again!"

  "The Nine Schools Competition ends tomorrow."

  "Not just the Nine Schools Competition! We will leave the country tomorrow! We will never again step foot into this country!"

  "Even if you leave, others will still come back, right?"

  "No Head Dragon will abandon Japan completely! Not just eastern Japan, but western Japan as well!"

  "Do you have the power to make such a promise, Douglas Huang?"

  The moment the opposing side called out his name, the man's heart almost stopped from the blow. Even so, Huang desperately kept speaking.

  "I am the boss's confidant! The boss can't simply ignore my words!"

  "In what way?"

  "I once saved the boss's life! You owe the man who saved you a favor, that is our custom!"

  "So you plan to use that 'favor' to bargain for your life."

  Two looks shot towards Huang.

  They contained the hatred and killing intent reserved for traitors.

  However, Huang didn't have the time to worry about that.

  "Didn't you plan to use that favor to win back your life from your boss?"

  "No! The boss wouldn't abandon me even if I didn't do that!"

  "So you claim you have that much influence?"

  "Indeed!"

  "By what do you make this claim?"

  "That..."

  "No Head Dragon — the headless dragon. That name does not originate from your own organization, but was applied to you by other organizations because your leader never appears before the subordinates. Even those that require personal punishment are first rendered unconscious before being taken to a private room. Quite the thorough process indeed."

  Huang was consumed by a fear that was altogether different from the terror that came from death or being disintegrated.

  He knew too much about his situation.

  Whose tail did he tread on this time.

  "Since you have so much influence, surely you must have seen the leader?"

  Regardless, he didn't have time to contemplate this.

  In order to live, he must follow the path that this demon had pointed out to him.

  "I have been granted an audience."

  "What is your leader's name?"

  Huang shut his trap.

  That was the deepest secret within the organization.

  The terror and loyalty that have been engraved upon his soul through the passage of the years overrode the terror before his eyes.

  But only for a moment.

  "James!?"

  Another one of his companions disappeared from this earth.

  A destruction so complete that he wasn't even permitted to die as a human being.

  This reminded him of the blasphemy that their leader used to execute the damned and sent a similar chill up his spine.

  "So that was James Zhu, eh. My apologies to the Interpol agents pursuing him across the globe."

  "Wait..."

  "Is it your turn now, Douglas Huang?"

  "Please wait! ...Our boss's name is Richard Sun!"

  "And his public persona?"

  "...Sun Gongming."

  "Address?"

  Hong Kong's upper class residential sector, name of the office building, frequented nightclubs, Huang held nothing back.

  "...That is everything I know."

  "And my questions come to a close. Thank you very much."

  "Then, you believe me?"

  "Ah, you are undoubtedly one of No Head Dragon's leader, Richard Sun's confidants."

  Brought to the brink of extermination, Huang's entire body seemed to sag as his expression sang of his deliverance.

  This recently revived hope,

  "Gregori!"

  Was swiftly crushed with the annihilation of his last remaining comrade.

  "...Why!? We took no lives. We didn't even kill anyone!"

  ◇◇◇

  "...We didn't even kill anyone!"

  A rather logical defense sprouted through the other side of the phone.

  But that was merely the result.

  They conspired to commit mass murder, but their plans were derailed by Yanagi, Sanada, and Fujibayashi.

  Yet Tatsuya didn't point this out.

  "And why does that concern me?"

  "What...?"

  "How many you have slain or let live means nothing to me!"

  Tatsuya had reached the end of his tether in playing out this lifeless performance, so he was no longer disguising his voice.

  He had already obtained all the intel he wanted, so there was no need to play out this farce any longer.

  "You dared to touch that which cannot be touched.

  You dared to sully my scales.

  For that alone you all deserve to perish!"

  "...You demon!"

  "You are the ones to thank for unshackling the demon, Douglas Huang. Consciousness may be the force that propels strength, but emotions take that strength one step further."

  Next to the speaker, Tatsuya lightly laughed at himself.

  His laughter mixed with the evening wind and accompanied the cold words of damnation that devoured all hope.

  "You have touched upon my last remaining emotion and thanks to you, I finally unleashed the 'Power of the Demon'."

  "You say the Power of the Demon
...? This magic, it cannot be, Demon Right!?"

  That statement became Huang's last words.

  Huang's voice cut off from there.

  The entity that made up Douglas Huang was utterly extinguished from this world.

  Chapter 13

  The last day of the Nine Schools Competition dawned.

  The only event slated for today was Monolith Code. The first match for the elimination round would begin at 9 AM, and the second match held at 10 AM. At 1 PM, the consolation match for Third Place would be held, followed by the final match at 2 PM.

  The awards and closing ceremonies would begin at 3:30 PM, with the Nine Schools Competition officially coming to a close at 5 PM.

  The competition officially ended at that time because there was still a banquet to be held at 7 PM.

  Differing from the meet and greet before the opening ceremony, the banquet after the closing ceremony was the real opportunity for the schools to mingle and interact with one another.

  Also, this banquet annually saw the birth of several couples in long distance relationships.

  This was not only a chance for high school students to meet one another, but also an excellent opportunity to interact with famous figures in the magical community. Year 3 students especially took care to take advantage of these two areas as much as possible.

  Yet, for the four schools that advanced to the elimination round, those details could wait until after the event.

  None of the schools were in any hurry.

  Everything that could be done had been done, so both the players and the auxiliaries were calmly waiting for the beginning of the competition.

  First High's pavilion was no exception. Centered around Katsuto, who was calmly sitting there with his eyes closed, there were plenty of anxious individuals or those struggling to contain their excitement as players and members all waited for the summons to the first match.

  There were the three players, Juumonji Katsuto, Tatsumi Koutarou, and Hattori Gyoubu along with the three technicians that accompanied them. Isori was also among their number.

  Off to the side, the brass could be seen centered around the Student Council members like Mayumi, Mari, Suzune, and Azusa.

  Kanon headed the Year 2 and 3 players.

  Those that were unable to enter the pavilion waited eagerly in the supporting stands for the players to appear.

  Nonetheless, regardless of where one cast their eyes, Tatsuya's figure remained elusive.

  ◇◇◇

  "Is it OK if you don't go to support them?"

  "......There's still some time left."

  Hearing Fujibayashi's question, Tatsuya gulped down his food and replied.

  Based on his instructions last night, Tatsuya reported to Kazama's room after breakfast.

  However, the owner of the room had disappeared for some secret rendezvous in the morning. While he was waiting, he sat down and accepted Fujibayashi's invitation to a second breakfast. —He was a developing teenager with a ravenous appetite, so sandwiches with a few sweets were nothing for him.

  Within the boundaries of decorum, they chatted as they gathered up the plates. At this time, Kazama returned with Sanada and Yanagi in tow. He returned a vague salute to Tatsuya and Fujibayashi, who both stood and saluted him, before waving them to take a seat. Kazama sat directly across from Tatsuya, Yanagi took a seat next to Fujibayashi, and Sanada grabbed a chair next to Tatsuya. (Tatsuya already heard from Fujibayashi that Yamanaka had already returned to Kasumigaura Base — which had already been upgraded from station to base.)

  "Good work last night."

  After briefly exchanging greetings, Kazama spoke up.

  "No, I should be the one thanking you. I apologize for troubling everyone with personal business."

  "This is hardly a personal matter for you. Speaking of which, I was also attacked."

  "Also, we obtained critical combat data last night. Beeline range roughly 1200 meters. It is very rare to obtain data for long range magic that successfully sniped human targets at this range. For someone like you who excels in extreme long distance precision attacks and OTH (over the horizon) sniping, this distance may not be satisfactory, but I am very pleased with this observation data."

  Yanagi and Sanada both reassured Tatsuya when he stood up and bowed.

  "Just so. Also, Internal Affairs and Public Safety were both exceptionally pleased with our gift last night. You successfully completed your mission, so don't worry if it was a little personal."

  Accepting Tatsuya's salute, Kazama left it at that.

  "......However, is the intel surrounding the leader of a criminal organization that valuable?"

  Last night, he intentionally reached out to the criminals with a mocking tone despite the fact that this behavior ran against his personality because those were Kazama's orders.

  "That's because this is no simple criminal organization."

  "............"

  "Tatsuya-kun, how familiar are you with the 'Sorcery Booster'?"

  At Tatsuya's wordless interrogation, Sanada opened his mouth.

  "I've heard the name before. That is a breakthrough Magic Amplifier introduced by criminal organizations within the past few years. To be honest, I find this highly suspicious......"

  "Magic Amplifiers do exist. On some level, referring to it as a 'breakthrough Magic Amplifier' is absolutely correct."

  "Speaking of which, is it possible to amplify magic to that degree?"

  While he didn't believe that this was the kind of situation where Sanada would discuss groundless rumors at length, Tatsuya still found it difficult to dispel the "dubious" first impression.

  Even though Magic Sequences were a "signal" that included processes from the Magician that were ultimately sent to the target Eidos, they were not wholly unrelated to the amplification process.

  However, the processes from the Magic Sequences shifted in the information dimension, so the signals from the Magic Sequence did not progress from the Magician to the Eidos directly.

  The first question of the day...... originated from exactly where was the Magic Sequence constructed by Magicians amplified.

  "This is not amplification in the classical sense. Let me think...... Allow me to put it this way, this doesn't merely provide a blueprint for the Magic Sequence, it's a CAD that possesses a self-restoring blueprint built into the Magic Sequence that assists in the construction process. Through this, Magic Sequences of this scale are rendered possible by surpassing a Magician's original capacity."

  "That...... Rather than calling it a 'Booster', the term 'Memory Capacitor' may be closer to the mark."

  "Possibly."

  Maybe Tatsuya's comment hit the nail on the head, because Sanada burst into a chain of laughter.

  "......It's hardly surprising if the terminology doesn't match its purpose. No Head Dragon is one of the primary distributors of this Booster. This tool runs into a little trouble when procuring raw materials, since legal corporations are unable to manufacture these things. Even nations run a significant risk if this is brought to light. In reality, No Head Dragon monopolized the supply for Sorcery Boosters."

  "Then, do we need the leader's intel to procure Sorcery Boosters?"

  "Negative. We need the target's intel in order to permanently halt the production and distribution of these Boosters.

  This is not something that should exist in the world in the first place. I would never use it, nor do I want anyone in the force to do so. —Tatsuya-kun knows how the Induction Stone in the center of the CAD is produced, right?"

  Induction Stones refer to the component that transforms psion waves into electric signals and vice versa. Tatsuya was bewildered at the abrupt change in conversation and nodded in assent.

  "Induction Stones are created from a crystallization of neurons chemically synthesized from the molecular level. Since the differences in structure may impact the conversion ratio, the emphasis is placed on the structural composition rather than the physical characteristics of
the neurons. That being said, currently there are no reports of successful developments of Induction Stones without relying on artificial materials."

  Hearing Tatsuya's response, Sanada nodded in satisfaction.

  "You are correct. However, the Booster's core contains an Induction Stone that is not forged from artificial neurons."

  "Then what is it......"

  "A human brain."

  Sanada's answer silenced Tatsuya.

  "To be precise, it's a Magician's brain."

  "......But when they used neurons from animals, the remaining psion particles in the brain should interfere with the user's ability to achieve induction. This should also be true when using a human brain."

  The reason Tatsuya was struck speechless did not arise from the unethical nature of their discussion.

  He was well versed in the cases at the dawn of CAD development where they conducted experiments on animals and humans.

  The results from these experiments that blatantly ignored ethics, conscience, and beliefs established the technique for chemical synthesis of Induction Stones.

  Nevertheless, No Head Dragon managed to overturn these conventional beliefs.

  Tatsuya was astounded by this turn about.

  "They are completely different from normal Induction Stones. Each Booster is specifically designed to use one type of magic, so the type of magic differs based on the specs for the Boosters. Still, scaling on some level could be achieved. Based on our estimates, remnant thoughts left over from the production process may play a role in altering the type of magic. By creating the same powerful emotions during the production process, similar Boosters can be created."

  "......Such as introducing massive pain to the brain to provoke overwhelming fear, am I correct?"

  "Most likely."

  "......It's the same concept as curses."

  "I agree. Boosters may have been born from the same basis as curses. Even though we use magic as weapons and added Magicians to the military hierarchy, our goal was to create a prototype unit rather than using Magicians as mere parts. I am a Magician as well. Along with Captain Sanada, Captain Yanagi, Lieutenant Fujibayashi, all units and personnel in the unit are basically Magicians. Generators are still tolerable, but creating and disseminating things like Boosters is absolutely unforgivable."