After casting the divination twice more and walking for about ten minutes, Erika and Mikihiko caught the sound of two sets of running footsteps. One set fleeing, the other pursuing. Most likely a fugitive and a tracker.
The two exchanged glances, then broke into a run simultaneously without a word. Erika sensed the air of conflict; Mikihiko felt the agitation of the spirits. Though their senses differed, their intuition aligned perfectly: We found them.
Erika took a slight lead, with Mikihiko following close behind. As she ran, Erika drew an unsheathed blade from the slender case slung over her shoulder. Instead of a cutting edge, the entire blade was etched with activation sequences—a weaponized device crafted by the Isori family. It was a substitute for her "Orochimaru," gifted to her by Kei Isori because her main weapon was too conspicuous for city use. While not on par with Orochimaru, it possessed a function to assist with inertia control.
Mikihiko, meanwhile, gripped his staff with his right hand, leaving about two hand-widths of length at the end, and swung his left hand diagonally downward. From his sleeve, he snatched a fan-like object. It was a pseudo-iron fan, constructed of thin, narrow metal strips connected by a skeletal frame. Each strip was a charm engraved with spells and magic circles. The metal ribs formed a line to conduct the caster's Psions, and a cord extending from the fan's pivot connected to a Psion signal oscillation unit hidden beneath his sleeve.
This, too, was a type of CAD. It was a new auxiliary tool for Ancient Magic, constructed by technicians from the Yoshida family based on Tatsuya's advice to replicate the two-stage activation process—talismans and chanting—via a CAD.
Two silhouettes crossed paths ahead. One concealed their face and body within a hooded coat; the other hid their face behind a mask covering the eyes. Both appeared to be women.
"Miki, take the one in the coat. I'll hold off the masked one!"
Based on Leo's testimony, the figure in the hooded coat was the suspect. However, anyone hiding their face behind a mask at this hour was inherently suspicious. Above all, the large knife the woman held, and the way she wielded it, triggered Erika's instincts even from a distance.
Erika struck at the masked woman using only a hardening spell on her blade, foregoing self-acceleration. Her slash, even without magical acceleration, possessed a speed difficult to evade with raw physical ability alone—unless one was among the handful known as masters.
The woman's knife work was first-class, but not master-class. She should have been able to block Erika's strike, but dodging it should have been impossible.
—If she were merely human.
Both Erika and Mikihiko trusted in each other's skills. They would not commit the inelegance of interfering in the other's duel, even if one of them were at a disadvantage.
While keeping tabs on Mikihiko's situation, Erika focused entirely on fighting the masked woman. It was an awkward battle; attacks she thought had connected were deflected, and counterattacks came from angles she hadn't anticipated. Yet, she had managed to avoid taking any fatal hits herself.
(She's tough...)
Just as her opponent raised a gun, aiming the muzzle at Erika, Erika struck the barrel aside.
(Got you!)
The masked woman, having her gun knocked away, fired a small lightning orb. Erika stepped back to evade it, then immediately charged the magician before the muzzle could be raised again.
However, just as Erika stepped into range and prepared to swing her blade downward, a shockwave blasted up from the ground beneath her feet, sending her flying into the air.
"Ghh!"
She lost consciousness for only a fraction of a second from the impact. She immediately righted herself and glared at her opponent, but no follow-up attack came.
"Why...?"
The masked magician was clutching her right shoulder with her left hand. Just before being blown away by the opponent's magic—whether it was acceleration or movement magic—Erika's blunt blade had struck a hard blow against the enemy's shoulder. Still holding her shoulder, the magician looked toward where Mikihiko and the vampire were fighting.
Or to be precise, she was looking past them—toward a boy straddling a motorbike, pointing a silver CAD at the vampire. His face was hidden by a helmet, but Erika, maintaining her combat readiness despite her hazy consciousness, knew exactly who he was.
"Tatsuya-kun...?"
Erika, Mikihiko, the vampire. Despite keeping friend and foe within his field of vision, Tatsuya's gaze was drawn irresistibly to the masked magician's golden eyes. Likewise, the masked magician's eyes were fixed on Tatsuya.
(Tatsuya!? Why are you here!?)
Though shocked, the masked magician aimed her left hand at Tatsuya. Her fingers moved as if forming a seal, and signs of magic activation appeared instantly.
However, those signs dissipated before they could rewrite the world. Agitation flashed through the golden eyes. Three distinct magic sequences were formed, and three times they scattered into nothingness.
"Ah!?"
Mikihiko cried out. The reason: the vampire had fled. Tatsuya, shielding himself behind the bike, shifted his gaze away from the masked magician. It was only for a split second.
(Now!)
The masked magician did not miss that fleeting opening. Her next move was not magic. If it had been magic, Tatsuya's "sight" would not have missed it even if he wasn't looking directly at her. Perhaps she realized that. The handgun gripped in her limp right hand spat bullets into the ground at her own feet, muzzle pointing down. Sparks flew, instantly transforming into a blinding flash. Five muffled gunshots followed, and the flash of light completely swallowed the masked magician's figure.
Tatsuya aimed his magic at the magician herself, attempting to activate "Partial Decomposition" on her legs.
But there was no resistance from the target's physical data. The information body that should have reflected a physical form was hollow—surface only, with no substance. Only color and outline were recorded; information regarding material, mass, and structure was missing.
(Parade, is it?)
Tatsuya aborted the spell and lowered his hand. In the park where the flash had faded, neither the masked magician nor the vampire remained. Tatsuya looked in the direction the magician had likely fled and offered a wry smile.
(This line of work really doesn't suit you, does it, Lina?)
To think this, even while witnessing the fact that the Commander of Stars had fought on equal footing with Erika—a mere high school student—proved that Tatsuya was, after all, far beyond the level of a high school student himself. He knew full well that Erika possessed the skills of a master swordsman, yet he still considered the match-up a sign of Lina's unsuitability.
(Author's Note)
Erika gets a chance to shine...
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