Setting up a barrier.

I turned the key and the engine on my bike stopped. Desperately needing to catch my breath, I put my head on the handlebar. Immediately remembering that I didn't quite have the time to do that, I got off and reached for the bike stand, but there was none. It probably broke off when we fell.

So I just laid the dormant motorbike on the ground before heading towards the house.

'Rest comes after getting out of this mess.'

During my rather slow walk, the attention of the girl heading the survivors' group fell on me. They were headed inside where Rune instructed them to go. Luha rushed to me as soon as our eyes met.

"It took me less than 10 minut-." Before I could finish bragging, her hands patted all over my body. She tried to inspect my body for damage. For at least a minute before she stepped back.

"Are you fine, Mao-kun?" She asked with her eyes turned up.

"Of course I am… There's no need to be worried!" I assured her but she looked unconvinced.

"You know, I saw the live feed of you falling and there's a lot of blood slathered on you." Whoops, I guess I forgot to turn my camera off.

I looked down. My black uniform was starting to turn brown.

"This is the blood of the enemy." I lied. Most of it was my blood, but I already stopped any surface-level wound from bleeding, so for the time being I was fine.

"If you say sooo."

"Ehhh whatever… I'll survive. Ah, speaking of blood, you should avoid touching any of mine." High in mana might cause disorientation.

"I wasn't planning on touching it if that counts."

"It does." With that our chitchat ended, and I turned my attention back towards the issue. "Get everyone inside the bunker and send the grandparents out. I'll stay here on guard after getting the shield."

Luha nodded while running inside with the 16 people. I should hurry up too before more motorbikers come along.

I headed over to our little shack. I pulled the door open and the familiar scent of manure filled my nose. Well, there was the scent of blood to complement it so it wasn't all that bad.

Right amidst all the equipment there was the one thing I was looking for.

A little dome. One that looked like that instrument you tapped and heavenly sounds came out of. I went up to it and without wasting any time pressed the button right in the middle.

The dot in the centre lit up and a beam of light shot through the roof. It didn't penetrate it, just went through it into the sky.

The beam hit an altitude and then spread out around the farm. The shield got set up. We were safe.

I sighed before heading out and falling onto the ground. Tired would be the tamest work I could use to describe my bodily state.

It was that easy.

"Rune, can you put Yuuno on the line." I still had to confirm a thing or two.

"She isn't here." Rune said. Made sense. Knowing Yuuno, she probably left for this place.

"Ah. I'll just call her separately."

I cut his call and rang her phone up.

"Wassup? You okay?" She responded almost immediately. There was a lot of wind noise.

"Of course I'm okay."

"Why'd you call me then?"

"How long does your thing last?" I spun it around my hand a little.

"Eh?"

"The shield."

"Ah, that? About a good rainfalls worth, so maybe 8 hours?" She sounded pretty sure.

GREAT!

"What can it withstand?"

"I uhh- made it for hard rain and thunder so maybe I don't know… A bazooka as strong as several lightning strikes?"

"That's more than a gun, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, that's good enough." I had full certainty of our safety. I fell back and threw my hands to the side.

"Did you set it up?" Yuuno figured.

"Yep."

"Good job. It'll last."

"By the way, when are you getting here? I can hear that wind in the background."

"Ah, this? Well, yeah I am coming to you because you're too weak to deal with the situation yourself… I'll be there in a while. It takes the bus about six hours, and I left 30 or something minutes ago. Legit going of the coordinates and my gut feelings. These people really made this place impossible to find."

"Apparently not. With all the terrorists in here."

"True true. Well, I'll be back in a bit so you stay safe in there okay?"

"Nhnn."

The call ended as I cleared every window on my lens up. All I could see was a large force field dome and the sky.

"Why'd you call me? And what's with all these kids? Are you planning on setting up a fair her-" JiiJii started him mouth.

"Terrorists at school. Kids in gym bunker. Ran out of time. Needed safe spot. Got them home. Set up Yuuno's barrier." I said in one go while sitting back up.

His face was serious. Well, more serious than usual. With that amount of detail, he didn't even try to doubt me.

"How are the villagers?" He asked.

"They seem fine now… But I don't expect them to remain like that now that everyone at school is safe, the terrorists will eventually turn their attention outwards, looking for prey."

"So the village is in danger?"

"Yes, simply put." I answered.

.

.

.

"Boy, get me that hoe."

"Why?"

"I'm going out there to fight." Bullshit. Are you serious?!

"WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? WE JUST GOT TO SAFETY!"

"Villagers got each other's backs. Get me the hoe."

"UGGHH!" It was exasperating, dealing with this old man. I didn't want to do it. Even if he had the hoe, I could just stop him from going. Just let him live in his youth's fantasy for a bit.

I complied and grabbed the man's hoe. It was as heavy as I remembered. Reluctantly, I handed the hoe over to him.

JiiJii hit the top as the actual sharp edge went flying off. The hoe turned into just a stick. A black stick that would balance perfectly.

"What?"

"What do you mean what? This is my weapon… The earth's mightiest spear. Gae Bolg." The old man's back straightened. His height jumped from a 5'4 to a 6'3. I never took him for tall, maybe because he was so skinny. But when propped up like that, the man was a pole. And the spear in his hand also grew in length.

What's up with this day?!!

"Who even are you?" I asked after looking at a man who didn't resemble even a shard of his former self.

"Not him- we." Obaa-chan leaned over from a beam behind us. "The protectors of the country, the warriors who only know of battle. We are the people that represent our military might.

After all the people of our little group are samurai."

I looked at her as if she was joking. No response. She was serious as serious as could be.

"Why are you going out to save them if they are warriors? Can't they just save themselves?"

"I mean- we are only like 30. How many terrorists are there?" JiiJii swung his Gay whatever it was around.

"Rune, how many are there?" I dialled up again.

"200ish I think."

"There are a 200 terrorists." I told JiiJii. Wait… Isn't that more than the entire school's population?

One terrorist for each person in the village (including the students) is about what it added up to. What was going on?

Nothing made sense.

"Are they armed?"

"Yeah."

"We can't do it without backup after all. And I'm their leader."

"Leader, huh?" I realised how little I knew about the old men. Was that why Yuuno warmed me not to underestimate the guy the day I came?

He tried to pull out his intercom.

"You can't call them to come either." I informed him.

"Eh?"

"Intercoms not working and it'd take way too long."

"Tch." Obaa-chan and JiiJii headed over to the edge of the barrier. "I'll go outside then, Obaa will stay here and take care of the kids."

The old woman slapped JiiJii's back to pump him up- "Come back safely."

She had no doubt in JiiJii's capabilities.

"I will. There's nothing to worry about."

"Where do you think you're going?" I was the first to retaliate. Everyone was going too fast.

"Outside. Are you blind and deaf? I told you a second ago and you can clearly see me going out."

"I didn't do all of this crap so that you can just go outside to die you geezer. I don't care if you're the leader or not, you're staying in the damn house." Do these people even know the crap I just went through? I still had bullets in my body for damn's sake.

"You don't tell the head of the house what to do." This conservative.

"You don't get to go outside. Military Head's Son's order." I used the authority.

"Last I checked the Military Head's Son had no authority."

"Just stay here."

"Stop me then."

"Why would I waste my energy?"

I looked at the top corner of my lens. It read 34 minutes.

"The military will be here in 30 minutes and everything would be solved. There is no reason for you to go outside and get yourself killed."

"You're wrong." He sighed. "In ten minutes this place is going to turn into a bloodbath."

As if I didn't know that. I was just hoping that he didn't.

"Are you sure that you're going?" My tiredness levels were way too high to let me argue with the man.

"Yes."

"Then I'm coming with."

"!!" The two old people got into stance.

"What are you going to do about it? I am the Military General's Son. I have no need to listen to your orders. You don't have authority over me. You can't even hold that grades thing now that the school has gone to shit."

"You aren't going out. You look half dead." JiiJii argued back.

"Mao-kun please, you're our responsibility."

"No, I'm not. You two are my responsibility. You're practically my grandparents. What child doesn't look after his parents? Even if his granddad is a cranky old loser with samurai fantasies who forces him into labour."

I ran outside the forcefield. It was one way.

"Stop me."

"MAO!" I heard Obaa-chan yell but JiiJii put his hand on her shoulder.

"Tch… I could never get my reigns on you damn it." He stepped outside too. "If you think you have what it takes, let's go. I'll teach you your place."

Just a little more before I can rest.