"Ugh, damn it." Struck in the abdomen by Ellen, Tohka felt a sweet taste rise in her throat and almost spat out a mouthful of blood. The last time she'd been beaten this badly was during Apocalypse. The anti-spirit effect of this woman's weapon might have been somewhat crude, but it also depended on whose hands it was in. If it had been Origami—no, even Mana—it wouldn't have been a big deal. But in Ellen's hands, the effect was frighteningly potent.
"Hmph." But right then, Tohka merely let out a cold laugh. Then, under Ellen's startled gaze, she suddenly threw her arms around her.
"You—what are you doing?" Surprised by Tohka's sudden embrace, Ellen was momentarily caught off guard. She could have easily driven her weapon through Tohka at any moment, but the order she'd been given was to capture her alive. So, seeing Tohka this desperate, she hesitated.
"Hehe… have you ever heard of a bomb riding on someone's face?" While Ellen was still a little dazed, Tohka wasted no time. The Raiden Queen armor covering her body instantly detached and forcibly clamped itself onto Ellen.
"What?! What are you trying to do?" That armor wasn't a full-body suit like Tony's, so Ellen could still move. But with it latched onto her, her movements were now sluggish. If it really had been a full-body suit, it wouldn't have fit over Ellen anyway, since she was already wearing a Realizer Unit. Besides, Tony's armor in this world wasn't nearly as overpowered as in the comics, so it wasn't necessarily stronger than a Realizer Unit.
"Boom." At that moment, Tohka gave a sharp push to separate herself from Ellen, then calmly muttered one word as she pressed the detonator in her hand with all her strength.
"Boom." With Tohka's action, not only was the detonator crushed into powder by her grip, but a tremendous explosion erupted in the night sky, turning darkness to blazing daylight.
"Hmph." But just then, a cold snort echoed through the air. Ellen emerged from the explosion, covered in blood, and with her propulsion units she rocketed straight at the now free-falling Tohka.
"That should be enough… looks like she really did take a lot of damage." Seeing Ellen's condition, Tohka finally let out a sigh of relief. Her self-detonation attack had clearly done its job, leaving Ellen with serious injuries. Tohka could see that woman's entire body was laced with bleeding wounds. So, when Ellen reached her, Tohka didn't resist. Even if she wanted to, she wouldn't have had time. As for the other her, she was trying to come out but Tohka forcibly suppressed her.
"Bang." Just then, Tohka felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck, and darkness swallowed her vision as she passed out.
"Phew, all right. Target Princess captured. Commencing return." Catching the unconscious Tohka, Ellen exhaled heavily, then reported into her headset. This fight had been anything but easy. Just a second slower to react and she might not have died, but she would have been rendered completely incapacitated. Even so, Tohka's sudden desperate attack had left her covered in injuries. Cuts, burns—some she couldn't even identify—her body was a mess. But at least it was done: she'd captured Tohka.
"Is that so? Though judging by your condition, you took quite a beating yourself." Just then, a male voice came over her earpiece, clearly noticing Ellen's state.
"I am the strongest. This Spirit just exceeded my expectations. Next time we fight, this won't happen again." Ellen's tone was flat as she answered.
"Very well. Since the target has been secured, return immediately. You need your wounds treated, and after such severe injuries, you'll need several days to recuperate." The voice didn't press further and instead urged her to withdraw.
"I understand. Returning now." Knowing full well the state of her body, Ellen didn't hesitate. She instantly boosted her speed to maximum and flew back toward their base. At the same time, a formation of girls in Realizer Units soared into the air, surrounding the building in tight formation. DEM clearly understood that capturing Tohka wouldn't make retreat easy.
"Damn it—Tohka's been captured! Why didn't we send people to help? Those bastards aren't the type to show mercy!" Back on-board Ratatoskr, Shido was the first to shout at Kotori as soon as he saw Tohka fall unconscious. Even though their relationship wasn't exactly the same as in the original story, they were friends, and he couldn't just stand by.
"Don't be anxious. Your body should be almost recovered, right? Looks like this time we'll need you to act." Kotori took the pink lollipop out of her mouth and turned to look at a certain door nearby.
"Huh?" Shido blinked, then followed her gaze. The door at the end of the hall opened, and out stepped a figure he knew all too well.
"Mana—you're all right now?" Seeing her, Shido couldn't help the note of joy in his voice. Mana had been recuperating all this time, and he hadn't seen her. But now that she was here, it meant her condition must have stabilized.
"I understand. My body is mostly recovered." Mana nodded firmly.
"Good. It's clear Tohka had her own plans. Otherwise, just one person would never have been enough to take her down. All you need to do is coordinate with the other Spirits on Tohka's side. You don't have to be the vanguard." Kotori gave her the instructions immediately. After all, Tohka had several other Spirits on her side, and none of them had acted yet.
"I understand."
"..."
Down below, the atmosphere had grown tense. Miku and the Yamai sisters all stood absolutely still, each with the cold barrel of a black rifle pressed to the back of their heads.