Chapter - 21

Arisuin grabbed Ikki's arm and rushed onward.

"Eh? E-Eh!?"

"Just run."

Without listening to Ikki's complaints, Arisuin dashed towards the washroom they were headed for. Maybe he couldn't hold it anymore?

Just when Ikki thought that―he heard an explosion, glass breaking… and gunshots accompanied by screams.

Two men wearing black combat uniforms and gas masks entered the washroom where Ikki and Arisuin were hiding.

「Good, all that's left is this men's room. I'll go search the stalls. You wait here.」

「Bah, why do we gotta check them one by one?」

「H-Hey!」

The man with the frivolous tone ignored his partner, aimed the muzzle of his M4 assault rifle towards the stalls, and swept the room with full-auto fire. By the time the gunshots stopped, all the stall doors had been blasted to ruin. Nobody there could come out unharmed, but blood didn't flow from any of the half-destroyed stalls.

「You see? Nobody's in.」

「Don't do stuff the lazy way! We're supposed to take the customers hostage, dammit!」

「I just wanted to fire a gun. Ain't it okay, since there's no blood anyway? So they're empty. Hahaha.」

「…If Bischof-san kills you, it won't be my problem.」

The sound of disturbing laughter followed the two men's exit, leaving only debris and a burnt smell in the restroom, but from the shadows cast by fluorescent ceiling lights, Arisuin and Ikki popped their heads up as if out of black water. After confirming that their enemies had left, Arisuin raised himself from the shadows.

"Hmm, looks like they're gone."

In his hand, a dagger shined with dark gray radiance.

"That's my Darkness Hermit. Quite handy, right?"

"A power to manipulate shadows? It's certainly useful."

"Well, in a brightly lit field without any obstacles to make those shadows, it's not quite so good."

Ikki had guessed the same. This power was better suited for assassins than for knights.

"But if someone found out that you used your Device outside campus, you'll get in trouble."

"Harsh situations demand risky moves. I didn't have a choice here. It's okay if you don't tell anyone though."

Arisuin offered his other hand to Ikki, and when Ikki grabbed it, Arisuin pulled him up.

"I won't say anything. Thanks for saving us. Just who were those guys?"

"Rebellion."

Ikki's eyes widened at Arisuin's unhesitant reply. Rebellion was the world's most infamous crime syndicate. They called Blazers humanity's new chosen breed while deeming all others inferior, and they wanted to destroy society so they could build their own paradise where the chosen few ruled over the common people.

"How do you know they're Rebellion?"

"I was dragged into something like this where I used to live, and the equipment is exactly the same. More importantly, I'm worried about Shizuku."

"Yeah, but there's something we have to do first."

Ikki took out his student datapad and dialed an emergency number he registered beforehand. The call immediately connected and the familiar face of Hagun Academy's board chairman, Kurono Shinguuji, appeared on screen.

「I'm aware of it.」

Kurono immediately dispensed with explanations. It seemed the problem was already known outside the mall.

"That helps a lot. Then please give Ikki Kurogane, Stella Vermillion, Shizuku Kurogane, and Nagi Arisuin permission to use their Devices outside campus."

「Very well, I authorize you four to use your abilities off school grounds.」

"Great. That takes care of the most critical thing."

After Ikki finished, Arisuin spoke up as well.

"Chairman, can you tell us what you know of the situation?"

「The culprits are Rebellion, about twenty to thirty units, all equipped with weapons. Their objectives are ransom money and the goods and cash in the mall. Long story short, this is their periodic fundraising.」

"Have there been casualties?"

「A few people were banged up while escaping the uproar as it first occurred, so just some light injuries. Still no dead or heavily injured. According to images we took from security cameras, Rebellion has gathered about fifty hostages in the food court.」

"Food court… where we had our crepes?"

Ikki nodded.

"Yeah, that drafty plaza."

"I can reach that far with my Shadow Walk. We can get there immediately."

"Then we'll first move to a place with concealment and observe the situation. Stella and Shizuku are probably there too."

Those two would never abandon the hostages and run away. They should've mixed in with the hostages while hiding their magic power.

「I think you already know, but the safety of hostages comes first. Don't go overboard.」

Acknowledging Kurono's advice, Ikki turned off the datapad to make sure it made no noise.

"Okay, let's move."

"Leave it to me."

Arisuin clasped Ikki's extended hand, and they immediately sank into their shadows. Connecting shadows with one another like waterways, Shadow Walk could only be manipulated by Arisuin, the user of Darkness Hermit, so Ikki held his breath and swam through like Arisuin did.

"We're here."

After swimming in the darkness for a short while, they reached a place overlooking the food court, the shadow of a pillar in the third floor atrium that gave a bird's eye view of the whole area. Leaving Shadow Walk and reconnoitering, Ikki and Arisuin confirmed Kurono's info. Hostages were gathered below, encircled by about ten people wearing the same black combat uniforms they saw before.

"Ikki, there."

In the direction Arisuin was pointing, Shizuku's figure was visible among with the hostages.

"But I don't see Stella-chan."

"…No, there she is beside Shizuku, the one with the large hat. She's famous as a knight so she's concealing herself."

"Now that you mention it, she's appeared in newspapers, right? But the situation's not too good."

"Yeah, the hostages are placed too close to the criminals. If we break through recklessly, the hostages will definitely get hurt. And besides, the number of Rebellion troops doesn't add up."

"Maybe they're acting in squads? We have no choice but to wait for now."

Even if Rebellion was acting in squads, the ratio of hostages to Rebellion troops was a little too high, which would be a problem for the troops if the hostages tried to escape. There might be opportunities using that oversight, so they decided to stay put and keep watching for the time being―but the situation changed in a way they couldn't have imagined.

「Don't bully my mother―!」

Suddenly, a boy around the age of a kindergartner rushed toward a gun-toting Rebellion soldier.

Oh no!

This was bad, but they were in no position to stop the boy, who screamed and threw the ice cream he held at the man, splattering the man with white. That couldn't possibly bring a man down, but it was more than enough to provoke.

「You braaaat!」

The soldier screamed in rage and kicked the boy―who wasn't even tall enough to reach his waist―in the face without hesitation.

「Ahh, Shinji!」

A woman in her twenties, probably the boy's mother, dashed out from the ring of hostages. Her abdomen was large, but she moved so quickly that one wouldn't think her pregnant, and she desperately moved between the boy and the soldier.

「Out of the way, woman! Don't butt in!」

「I'm sorry, I'm sorry, he's still just a child! Please forgive us!」

Another Rebellion soldier looked toward all the noise.

「Hey, what the hell are you doing!?」

「This fucking brat got ice cream on my clothes! I'm gonna kill him!」

「What's the matter with you!? How many times have I told you not to touch the hostages, dammit!? You can go die by yourself, but if you piss off Bischof-san he ain't stopping till he kills a dozen people. Don't get us involved in your mess!」

「Shut up! There's a lot of 'em so it won't matter if we shoot one or two!」

After that, the soldier turned around and pointed the muzzle of his rifle towards the boy and woman.

「No, please! Spare us!」

「You people might as well be pigs in our utopia, but you dare dirty an honorary citizen like me? You'll pay for that with your life!」

He put his finger on the trigger without any hesitation, and a lead bullet burst out from the barrel. To block it, the pregnant mother covered her child with her back. How futile. The bullet would penetrate the woman's body and hit the child behind her too.

But the bullet never reached the mother―because Stella's flames burned away even the specks of dust that flew from the muzzle.

Part 7[]

「It's best if I go out by myself… I would've been found out sooner or later… It's alright. If they know who I am, they won't kill me right away… That's why you should keep hiding and make preparations just in case.」

After stopping Shizuku with these words, Stella scorched the bullet by casting fire into its path, and the Rebellion soldiers fell into confusion at the sudden threat.

"A Blazer!?"

"Shit!"

They turned towards Stella reflexively and fired their rifles at her in unison. A storm of bullets shot forth.

"Empress Dress."

Stella's feathered robe of flame vaporized all the bullets before they even reached her. But―

"Aiiieeeee!"

―the hostages started to panic because of the sudden gunfire. M4 rifles didn't have perfect accuracy. At this rate, the hostages would also end up being hit.

"Everyone settle down!!!"

A voice filled with dignity rang out above the sounds of gunfire and screams, and caught the attentions of everyone present whether they liked it or not. The hostages who were preparing to flee froze, and the Rebellion soldiers tensed up like scolded children.

"I don't want to fight you all, so please calm down and listen to what I have to say."

That takes care of the panic for now.

Stella felt relief as she spoke. In Japan, she was merely a high-schooler, but she was also a princess of the Vermillion Empire. She knew quite a bit about the international crime organization Rebellion, including how it organized its units. Even though Rebellion was widely known as an organization of Blazers, in truth the majority of its members were non-Blazers referred to as 'Adherents'. In the new world order that Rebellion wanted to create, the 'Apostles', who were Blazers, were actually a minority. Rebellion units were composed of this small group of Blazers commanding the non-Blazers as soldiers.

Every single Rebellion soldier here was an Adherent, so the Apostle leading them was probably somewhere nearby.

There should be only one Apostle for an operation of this level. I really didn't want to move rashly before he comes out though.

Showing herself in this situation was a major disadvantage. With that in mind, Stella once again cast a sharp glare towards the soldiers.

"I'll represent the hostages here and negotiate with your leader."

"W-What the hell's this girl saying!? You, how dare―"

It seemed like the soldiers hadn't recognized her yet, so Stella removed the hat she borrowed from a store.

"I am―"

"Oh dear oh dear~? It looks like we have one hell of a VIP mixed in here."

A voice interrupted Stella before she could reveal her identity. Looking toward that voice, she saw a man standing with a group of around ten fully-armed soldiers. When their eyes met, the man smiled, twisting the tattoo drawn on his face.

"Well, if it ain't the Vermillion Empire's second princess. Hehehe."

"Full black clothing and a gold-decorated overcoat… an Apostle's robe. It means you're the boss of these fools, right?"

"Hehehe, so pleased to make your acquaintance. Yes, that's exactly right. I go by the name Bischof. The honor is mine, Princess."

The man―Bischof―bowed respectfully towards Stella, then turned towards his subordinates encircling the hostages and gave an offended expression.

"Hey, what the devil are you bastards doing? Can't you even babysit properly?"

"Tha―"

"Didn't I tell you to wait? Didn't I tell you not to touch the hostages? Didn't I?"

"W-We tried to stop him! But that bastard Yakin wouldn't listen!"

"Ya~kin. Was it you causing this mess?"

"N-No wait, th-that brat dirtied my pants and―"

"Huh!? You went nuts just because of… no."

Bischof turned around with a thoughtful look.

"…Hehehe."

"Bischof-san?"

"Ahh, Yakin. That must've been a disaster. I sympathize, really."

Bischof's attitude changed suddenly and he patted the soldier who had ice cream spilled on his pants, then pulled out a gun and pointed it at the boy who the mother was protecting.

"Rest easy. I'll balance the scales for you, my honorary citizen."

Stella spoke up in shock.

"W-What are you doing!?"

"What? Ain't it obvious, Princess? I'm gonna have this kid take responsibility for what he did. Responsibility is important, no?"

"Didn't you say you weren't going to touch the hostages!?"

"Well… that would be true if they stayed still, but this brat didn't. Ahh, he ain't an adult yet so we can't judge him too hard, but… what the kid did was still a sin. He trampled the dignity of this honorary citizen here, so he has to pay with his life. Penance for sin, forgiveness for penance, that's my motto, you see!"

Bischof suddenly squeezed the trigger a little. He was really going to shoot, so Stella didn't hesitate to manifest Lævateinn.

"Haaaaa!"

She leapt forward and slashed at Bischof. Seeing that, Bischof smiled.

He baited me!?

But no matter! She wouldn't give him time to summon his Device. Bischof was only holding a handgun. There was no way he could block Lævateinn with something like that!

Stella slashed the man along his gun, but―Bischof stopped that slash with only his index and middle finger.

"Wha―!"

"Hehehe, oh dear. You're fast and strong like the rumors say about A-Ranks. But alas, you don't know how wide and terrifying this world can be."

Stella couldn't hide her surprise. A slash with all her might had been completely blocked with only the fingers of one hand. That was no human technique; the finger and the arm should've been torn off together. Even if the slash had somehow been blocked, the arm would still be burnt by Lævateinn's flames. But Bischof was completely unaffected by both force and heat, stopping her sword casually.

How? Faster than the answer could come, Bischof's right hand struck Stella's abdomen.

"Guh… uh…!?"

It was an offensive power that completely shattered her Empress Dress. Stella collapsed with just one hit.

How? He didn't look like that strong a Blazer…!

What was with this crazy attack power? Stella almost fainted in agony, but she looked up at Bischof and realized the secret behind his attack.

"Those… r-rings!"

Bischof was wearing a ring on the middle finger of each hand, and they emitted an ominous red light. They might look like simple accessories at first glance, but―

"This is my Device, Judgment Ring. Its specialty is dealing with "sin" and "penance". The left absorbs all attacks towards me, while the right converts it into a magical power and returns upon my enemy. Hehehe, in other words, the stronger my enemies, the stronger I become."

"…I see, so I was hit by my own full power."

His explanation was credible since she couldn't stand up.

"You really shouldn't jump in when you don't know what power your opponent holds, dear princess~."

"…Aren't… you the one… who made me do it?"

"Hehehe, oh, you're quite right. Against the Crimson Princess, I really couldn't afford to be picky with my tactics. I'm so sorry about that. But well, I'm impressed. You, the princess of another country, could've stayed nicely hidden, but you chose to shield some brat. It's truly touching. Is this what they call noblesse oblige? I, Bischof, am truly in awe, so I'll tell dear Princess Stella a way to save that kid."

"What… way?"

"There's a very simple method, you see, a method of repentance everyone knows: apologizing after doing something wrong. But your highness, you must apologize in the kid's place―kneeling while stark naked! Ha ha ha ha!"

Part 8[]

At Bischof's demand, Ikki boiled with anger. He wanted to leap out from the hall above and cut the man to pieces, but―

…No!

If he did so, it would result in chaos, and the hostages would suffer casualties. He had to avoid that at all cost.

"Hehe… of course, I won't force you. How could I ever order a princess around? I won't mind if you refuse. But if so, I'll have this brat take responsibility as planned."

What a filthy man!

Ikki bit his lips hard to suppressing his anger. Bischof thought that Stella couldn't accept that demand, so he gave her the option just to humiliate her. But Stella's reply was exactly as Ikki expected.

"…I understand."

Stella dispelled Lævateinn and released a sigh of surrender while concealing her vexation.

"In return, promise me the hostages won't take a scratch."

"Of course. I, Bischof, am a man known for not breaking his word, so rest assured. Well, the ransom money and our successful escape must also be guaranteed."

"…As you promised, then."

After confirming, Stella stood up. Her knees were shaking, probably from the damage she took before, but her hands removing her clothes were shaking not from pain, but from agitation.

"Wow, haha! This is awesome, an imperial princess strip show!"

"What a nice idea! It's just like Bischof-san to think of it!"

"Yeah, strip strip strip! Hahaha!"

Stella's face was dyed red in shame. She had no choice but to expose her naked body in front of these scum, so she took off her clothes one piece at a time.

Her cardigan fell, and her beautiful shoulders were exposed.

Her skirt slid down to her feet, and her slender and alluring legs were bared.

Her blouse buttons came off one by one, and her small navel could be seen from the crevice.

And finally she only had her white-string undergarments left.

"Man, crazy. That's one hell of a bust. Is this really a high school girl?"

"I can't get enough of this!"

"Bischof-san! Can we take pictures?"

"You're too noisy, you horny bastards. Hehehe, the real show starts now."

Taking that unbearably filthy voice to heart, Stella's body trembled. At that moment, Ikki saw something glittering on Stella's cheeks.

Tears.

The moment he saw that small sparkle from her eyes, Ikki heard a ripping sound and felt something tear apart. That was the sound of his lips being bitten open, and the reason suppressing his anger coming undone.

―Stella!

But Ikki could not move from his spot.

"Ugh!"

He felt as if his body was tied to the ground. When he turned his neck, he could see Arisuin's Device Darkness Hermit stabbed into his shadow. Arisuin had stopped Ikki's actions with a Noble Art that arrests a target's movement,Shadow Bind.

"Calm down. What were you about to do, jumping in at a time like this?"

"But if I don't go now, Stella will…!"

"It's alright. I have a plan. Shizuku's making her move, so just wait a little bit."

Ikki couldn't believe those words.

"Shizuku…?"

"Yes. She's making a water barrier while hiding her magic power."

Hearing that, Ikki looked toward the hall again and tried to search for the presence of magic, but―

"…Is that true? I don't see anything."

"Well, of course. Shizuku might be inferior to Stella in overall scores but when it comes to magic control, she's unquestionably this year's number one. You could say Shizuku has A-Rank ability in that area alone."

Ikki's face showed clear surprise at Arisuin's explanation. According to that status, Shizuku could do things using a quarter the magic power that any other Blazer would need. Furthermore, Shizuku Kurogane was a technique-type Blazer.

"If someone of Shizuku's level hides her magic power, no one could detect it."

Arisuin showed his student datapad to Ikki, having apparently left it on but silent. A mail from Shizuku was visible.

「setting barrier now will signal when complete」

It was a short message that she probably typed while not looking at the terminal as a precaution, but the meaning was easily understandable.

Shizuku!

Ikki called out his sister's name joyfully in his heart. As if responding to his call―

"Shouha Suiren―!"

The water user Shizuku Kurogane raised a barrier to separate the hostages from the Rebellion soldiers. That was her signal.