After the New Humanity Front's bombing threat video cut off, the Sky Lounge of Tokyo Offshore Tower erupted into chaos. Trapped at 2000 meters above sea level, many non-mages scrambled to escape, understandably.
"No choice," Yugen muttered.
To ease the burden on tower security, Yugen cast Meteor Snowlight infused with Azusa Yumi's emotional interference, calming the panic. Guests lined up orderly as security's voices carried through. Watching this, Yugen handed Honoka a device.
"What's this, Yugen-san?" Honoka asked.
"Flight device. For emergencies. Shizuku has her own, and we've got ours tuned, so don't worry," Yugen replied.
Honoka lacked a personal flight device, but its activation sequence was tuned by Tatsuya for her. A proper one would come later, but surviving this was priority. Shizuku, with family concerns, was tasked to accompany Honoka.
"Yugen, Miyuki, Minami, be careful," Shizuku said.
"Don't overdo it," Minami added.
They sensed his intent but left without pressing. Yugen glanced at Hayama before turning to Miyuki and Minami.
"Miyuki, Minami, let's go," Yugen said.
"Yes," Miyuki replied.
"Understood," Minami said.
The trio approached Hayama, and Yugen spoke first.
"Hayama-san, how much do you know about the situation?"
"Roughly the same as you and Tatsuya-dono. Preventing the tower's destruction is ideal, but…" Hayama trailed off.
"Does that apply to 'those people' too?" Yugen asked.
Yugen had suspected the Senate placed insurance with the Yotsuba, but learning Hayama doubled as their agent from Tadatsume was new. Miyuki frowned but stayed silent. Hayama nodded, confirming, then made a request.
"Yugen-dono, it's not your place as a Kagurazaka, but could you assist?"
"With the urgency, I can't ignore this. I'll take it on," Yugen replied.
"Understood. Minami, protect Miyuki-sama and Yugen-dono. That's the mistress's order," Hayama said.
"Y-Yes! Understood!" Minami replied.
Hayama left after relaying the message. The terrorists' "one hour" claim seemed unlikely to hold. They needed to head to the first basement's management center.
"Yugen-san, how do we get down? Not the elevator, right?" Miyuki asked.
"No way. The quickest method," Yugen replied.
They moved to the inner side of the tower's outer wall. Yugen aimed Odin at it, casting a spell. A circular image appeared, showing the outside scenery.
"Jump through, and we're out. Ready?" Yugen asked.
"Yes," Miyuki replied.
Yugen leapt through Mirror Gate with flight magic active. Miyuki and Minami, the latter with a pre-given flight device, followed. They emerged 2000 meters up, like parachute-less skydiving, but with no time to enjoy it. Yugen deactivated Mirror Gate, and they descended, adjusting flight magic to ground level. Yugen offered a hand to Miyuki and Minami, who landed slowly. Minami, new to high-altitude landings, nearly collapsed.
"S-Sorry," Minami stammered.
"Your reaction's normal. Let's hurry," Yugen said.
Passing the deserted first floor, they descended to the basement. Yugen crouched at a landing, using Osiris Sight to scan below.
"Five in the first basement's management center. Second to 34th and 36th basements empty. Thirty-five on the 35th, but the mages meant for emergencies are near comatose," Yugen reported.
"Five New Humanity Front members?" Miyuki asked.
"Not all 35 on the 35th are regular humans… A shootout nearby suggests serious organization… Hm?" Yugen paused.
Sensing faint psion ripples at the coast and detecting earthquake waves via Auditory Enhancement, Yugen reacted swiftly.
"Both of you, crouch now!" he ordered.
"An explosion?" Miyuki asked.
"No, an earthquake," Yugen corrected.
The shaft's backup system minimized tower damage, but whether the quake was natural was unclear. Worse, the elevator stopped at the 181st floor with Shizuku and Honoka inside.
"With Shizuku's magic, she could safely bring everyone down, but restarting the elevator's faster," Yugen said.
Using his admin code, Yugen restored the elevator to independent operation. The tower had one main and three backup power systems, one now active to normalize the elevator.
"Only us, the New Humanity Front, and the 35th-floor mages and guards remain. We move in five minutes," Yugen said.
"Yes. Impressive work, Yugen-san," Miyuki said.
"It's nothing," Yugen replied modestly.
No precautions for such a hyper-building would've been reckless in a magic-filled world. Yugen had pushed Gozo to join the project. After confirming Shizuku and others reached the first floor, they moved.
Approaching the management center quietly, Yugen used Osiris Sight. Two of the five now held rifles, likely due to a perception mage sensing him. Their repositioning confirmed it.
Yugen walked toward them. They aimed rifles, deeming him a threat, but Minami's single-layer barrier nullified the shots, redirecting bullets back. With no one left above ground, negotiation wasn't needed, but Yugen wanted their motives. A third man, the gas-masked speaker from the monitor, emerged, introducing himself as "Camper."
"Well, well, Yugen Mitsuya… My apologies, Yugen Kagurazaka now," Camper, aka Hiroshi Misaki, said courteously.
"No one was waiting. I don't know you," Yugen replied, eyeing Misaki warily.
His gaze recalled Tsukasa Hajime's attempt to recruit Tatsuya for Blanche last spring, coveting his Pseudo-Cast Jamming.
"Once of the Ten Master Clans' Mitsuya, yet cast out as your siblings awakened. We deeply regret your lost talent," Misaki said.
Number-stripping typically stemmed from lacking ability or ethical issues. Yugen's declaration months after reincarnation to not inherit the Mitsuya name or business was kept internal. To outsiders ignorant of the Kagurazakas, it seemed Yugen was exiled for his extraordinary power. In the original, other factions schemed against non-humans, but that was irrelevant now.
"We can offer you a fitting position and reward. Moreover—" Misaki began.
"Is that all, Camper? Or rather, Hiroshi Misaki?" Yugen interrupted.
Yugen drew Odin, decomposing the men's rifles and knocking them out with Direct Pain. Misaki, shocked, shouted.
"Why?! Aren't you bitter? With such power, cast out from the Ten Master Clans!"
"That's just your assumption. What do you know about me without the real facts?" Yugen retorted.
Misaki knew only that Yugen abandoned the Mitsuya name. If he had conflicts with the Master Clans Conference, he wouldn't shine at the Nine Schools, nor would other clans try to recruit him.
"…Do it!" Misaki ordered.
From a corridor corner, a dagger-type integrated CAD flew, using Dancing Blaze, a Stars technique. Yugen found it odd for a non-state-sanctioned group like New Humanity Front to use it. Minami blocked it with a barrier, but two women used Cast Jammer to dispel it. Misaki touched the fallen men's backs, and the women touched his shoulders, sending multiple integrated CADs at Yugen.
"Not my place to say, but know your limits," Yugen said.
Aiming Odin, Yugen erased Cast Jammer and the CADs with Decomposition. As Misaki's group faltered, Miyuki's Zero Niflheim froze them instantly. Miyuki stood beside Yugen, her spell at work. Thinking the trouble was over, Yugen sensed Resonance Destruction on the 35th floor. He dispelled it with Gram Dispersion, but the physical law alteration damaged the deepest shaft.
"They've done it now," Yugen muttered.
"What happened?" Miyuki asked.
"I'll explain later. Miyuki, Minami, evacuate now. Minami, protect Miyuki," Yugen ordered.
Repairing a single shaft was easy, but a hyper-building's delicate balance meant fixing one strained others, requiring all shafts—essentially the tower—be restored. Tatsuya's Regrowth might barely manage, so Yugen had to act. Keeping Miyuki here was too risky, so he prioritized her safety.
"What about you, Yugen-san?" Miyuki asked.
"I'll head to the deepest part to fix the tower. I know you want to follow, but bear with me. Oh, our ride's here," Yugen said.
Sensing the anomaly, Tatsuya appeared, likely briefed via Miyuki. Yugen turned to him.
"Tatsuya, take Miyuki and Minami out. I'll handle this, so don't worry," Yugen said.
"Got it. Don't come back, and I'll dive in myself," Tatsuya warned.
"Onii-sama?! …Yugen-san, be careful," Miyuki said.
"I know. I'm off," Yugen replied.
Taking Tatsuya's concern as care, Yugen ignored the frozen Misaki and ran. Via the elevator shaft, he reached the deepest part with the shafts and hydraulic dampers. Several pillars were cracked; left alone, the tower would collapse in minutes. Yugen stowed Odin, drew Valkyrie, and aimed at the ceiling.
Only one spell fit: Divine Magic Amaterasu: Five Elements Cycle – Heavenly Radiance. Its scale dwarfed past uses, but Yugen didn't hesitate.
"Can't face the world if I can't fix one tower," Yugen said.
Pulling Valkyrie's trigger, an eightfold activation sequence unfolded, forming the Yin-Yang Five Elements Seven Heavens Array for Heavenly Radiance.
"Eidos change history acquired. Tower structure and material data obtained. Integrated tower data complete. Yin-Yang Five Elements Seven Heavens Array set to entire tower structure," Yugen declared.
Unlocking Valkyrie's limiter, Yugen's vast psion density and Kaleidoscope's immense calculation field built the spell instantly. Spirit power activated gravity control to halt the tower's collapse.
"Here we go—Heavenly Radiance, activate!" Yugen shouted.
His resolute spirit infused the spell, enveloping the tower in dazzling light. When it cleared, the tower stood unscathed. Minami, watching outside, gasped.
"This is Yugen-nii-sama's power… Is this humanly possible?" she said.
Though briefed on Yugen and Tatsuya's abilities, witnessing Yugen restore a hyper-building stunned her. Miyuki, gazing worriedly, lit up seeing a tired Yugen emerge from the entrance, rushing to embrace him.
"Yugen-san! Welcome back!" Miyuki cried.
"I'm back. Don't cry… Sorry for worrying you," Yugen said.
Being hugged by his increasingly alluring fiancée was thrilling, but suppressing his rising desire was tough. He felt acclimated to this world. Tatsuya and Minami approached.
"Good work, Yugen. I've arranged for New Humanity Front's pickup. You okay?" Tatsuya asked.
"Yeah, fine. Tatsuya, they used Stars' magic. I'll report details later, but it's not just 'his' doing," Yugen said.
Beyond the Yotsuba, Hiroshi Misaki's involvement meant contacting the Mitsuya, who managed the Third Lab, and reporting to the Kagurazaka and Ueyama families. Endless troubles weighed on Yugen.
Note: Work kept me busy, lowering updates. Also, game motivation spiked. New Humanity Front using Stars' magic aligns with the novel's hint of other numberless joining radical groups, suggesting a connection. One more epilogue-like chapter before the Old Capital Rebellion Arc.
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