Hybrid x Heart Magias Academy Ataraxia - Vol 14 Chapter 0 Prologue

Aine looked around anxiously.

It was a small alley from the main road. There wasn’t any signs of people on the street this late at night. There was only the sound of cars that sometimes passed by on the main road.

「Hey, Kizuna……we’re really, doing it?」

Kizuna responded to the upward gaze that looked like begging for forgiveness with a smile.

「Yeah. There is almost nobody who will pass through here. Though there might be residents of the buildings that use the backdoor to go through here.」

Aine followed Kizuna’s gaze and looked up on the walls of the buildings standing on both sides of the path. Most of the windows were dark. However, there were several windows that shined dimly, showing that there was a person there. She felt like someone would open the window and peek out even now.

Aine gulped, then she hugged herself and deeply closed her coat’s seam.

「The, then, someone might pass through here as expected. This……this kind of place where there isn’t any cover to hide……I」

A navy blue topcoat was wrapping Aine’s body, giving an outline of the body undulation underneath it. It was hot to wear a coat in this season, but despite that Aine’s body was shivering.

「If you hate it, then I’m fine sending you to the main street.」

「No, no way! Not that!」

Aine lifted up her face in panic, but she then looked down once more while hugging the front of her coat and shrank into herself.

「Aine.」

Kizuna called Aine’s name to press her on.

Aine’s arms let go with a face that was scared and anxious. The front of her coat was slowly opening with that.

A milky white naked body appeared from the gap of the navy blue coat.

Kizuna felt like this was a ceremony of unveiling a treasure.

A tight stomach from the valley of the breasts, the navel that was bored there. And then from the gently sloping abdomen was the conservative silver bush and Aine’s most important place that was gasping below it.

The climax of the show appeared right after the opening. However, it was still only the slight opening of the front of the coat. It was nothing more than a glimpse of Aine’s beauty, but the soft fair skin that stood out whitely inside this dark alley made Kizuna felt like his heart was suddenly grabbed tightly.

Aine’s moist red eyes were directed pleadingly at Kizuna. However Kizuna heartlessly ignored that gaze.

「Aine. Someone will come if you don’t hurry.」

Aine jerked and her hands trembled.

「Besides you’ll be at your limit soon right?」

When he told her that, her urge to urinate that she tried to ignore fiercely attacked her once more.

「It’s because……you made me……drink a lot of juice and coffee so much like that.」

Her beautiful face twisted from impatience and nervousness. She opened her hands to the left and right with eyes that looked like she would cry.

Aine’s breasts were exposed.

The tips were dyed pink like stretched up large fruits that became ripe. Those tips that looked like they would drip honey even now were slightly jutting out more than normal. It conveyed the degree of Aine’s pleasure to Kizuna.

「Put the coat here.」

Aine’s throat made a gulping sound. She stared fixedly at the palm that Kizuna held out to her.

However she looked down from being struck by despair and dropped the coat from her shoulder. And then she pulled out her arms one by one from the sleeves and folded the coat twice. After a slight hesitation, Aine made her decision and handed the coat to Kizuna.

Kizuna held the coat under his armpit and stared at Aine’s figure from up and down as though he was licking her with his eyes.

She was practically stark naked, but she was still wearing her uniform’s garter stocking and shoes. If she was wearing the coat, she would look like she was dressed normally so no one would suspect her. However if that single piece was stripped, her appearance would change quickly into the unusual just like this.

Aine hid her breast unconsciously with her right hand and her crotch with her left hand. Her cheeks reddened and she glared at Kizuna in challenge.

「So? Are you satisfied with this?」

However her voice was trembling. It was obvious she was bluffing with her all.

「Yeah. Then let’s go for a walk.」

His tone was filled with the lack of tension as though they would really just go for a stroll in the neighborhood. Aine’s blushing face went pale once more.

「Wa, walking……while I’m dressed like this?」

「Of course. There is a park ahead from here right? There will be a public toilet if we go there.」

Aine also knew about that park. It was close to her path home from the academy until the dormitory and it was used as a place of relaxation and refreshment by the students. Aine herself once also sat together with Kizuna on a bench there and chatted.

「Then Aine, you walk ahead.」

「We, we’re really……going? Like this……」

Aine asked in disbelief. But, she also understood at the same time that there was no way Kizuna would let her off.

Aine started walking with a hesitant step.

「Yo, you absolutely must accompany me. Don’t leave me.」

Aine was walking while looking back many times to check that Kizuna was there.

「Yeah. I won’t go somewhere else leaving you alone.」

Aine could only believe what he told her.

Kizuna was right nearby even though she was doing a perverted act like this. He would help her if something happened. When she thought that, she felt like she would be able to endure even this abnormal nervousness and fear.

The small alley immediately ended and she arrived at one side of a two-way road for cars. The traffic light was green but she hid herself at the corner for the moment and carefully looked around to check if there was any passersby.

Fortunately there wasn’t anyone. But the traffic light changed while she was doing that. A headlight of a car was approaching from afar. She hurriedly pulled back her face and crouched on the spot and made herself smaller. She prayed that the approaching sound of motor would pass without stopping. The time felt excessively long.

Before long the motor sound and road noise passed over her along with dazzling light.

She sighed in relieve and heavily stood up. The light became green once more so she turned around. Kizuna wordlessly nodded.

Aine daringly leaped into the street. She hid her breasts by hugging her body and made a small run to cross the street.

After she crossed, she immediately entered a small path. It was the street of a residential area where two cars could only just barely pass one another. However the chance of somebody passing through was high.

──Wi, will it really be alright……I’ll be ruined if someone found me like this. I won’t be able to go to the academy anymore. But…….

Her heart was beating hard with tension and fear. However, was her heart beat caused only by that?

The sound resounding inside her chest couldn’t be differentiated from the sound of a throbbing heart.

「Nn……」

A trickle of something seeped out from within Aine.

──Ge, geez. Really me…….

「Aine, what’s the matter?」

She closed her thighs strongly and forcefully closed her entrance that wanted to open. Kizuna tilted his head slightly seeing that.

「Perhaps you can’t hold it in anymore.」

She was also in a pinch from that, but right now the reason Aine closed her thighs was something else.

「I, it’s nothing……let’s hurry」

Aine hurriedly made a small run.

Because she moved in a hurry, the sensual honey overflowed and trickled down Aine’s thigh, creating a stain on her stocking.

And then the vibration from moving up and down intensely stimulated her bladder.

The urge to urinate that she almost forgot due to the fear and tension attacked her once more.

She wanted to rush into the toilet in the park for even a second faster.

──A bit more, just a bit more!

She told herself that and fought her urge to pee that almost crossed the limit.

Kizuna ignored that impatience of Aine and walked slowly without any care in the world.

「Ki, Kizuna. Walk faster……tsu」

She lowered her voice and pleaded, but Kizuna’s walking pace didn’t change. He intentionally walked slowly. Aine resented him, but she had no time to care about that. If it was like this then she could only quickly go to the park even if she had to be alone.

Aine reached the next corner with a small run and checked for signs of people.

There wasn’t anyone.

After she crossed the next crossroads, it would be her destination park at the front.

Hope and sense of achievement welled up in Aine’s heart. Her eyes that unconsciously smiled,

「!?」

They caught sight of a silhouette that appeared from the crossroads.

From the appearance, it was a male in the later half of his twenties. Judging from the white coat he was wearing, he might be a staff of the lab. Most likely he had just gone home temporarily and now he was returning back to the lab again. He turned the corner while keeping his gaze on the smartphone in his hand, walking toward Aine.

──Wha, what do I do!?

She turned around looking for help, but Kizuna was walking leisurely at some distance away. Aine turned forward and stared at the approaching person.

If he lifted up his gaze from the smartphone──

*Prickle*, fear was cutting apart her heart.

Her heartbeat sped up and cold sweat was dripping down.

──A, a place to hide, somewhere,

A car was parked a few meter ahead.

There was no time to hesitate. She immediately dashed and leaped into the cover of the car to hide. She held her breath and waited for the passerby to pass.

Was she seen when she moved to hide? Did the person hear any sound that made him suspicious? Such worry caused Aine’s heartbeat to intensify.

As the footsteps drew closer, Aine’s heartbeat also got louder.

She became worried if her heartbeat would be heard by the passerby. Aine pressed on her heart from above her chest and curled into herself.

The footstep passed right beside her.

She couldn’t bring herself to look at all. She only stared on the ground and waited until her fear left.

But, what if she was discovered?

Cold sweat was dampening Aine’s whole body.

What if the person looked back for some reason and saw her?

Such thinking whirled around inside her head and she almost fell into panic.

──Ki, Kizuna.

Her shoulder was tapped.

「Hiiih……!?」

She kept crouching. Her back jerked.

「A……a……」

Tears were overflowing.

When she fearfully looked back, Kizuna was smiling there like usual.

「You got through that well.」

「Yo, you……」

Aine raised the corner of her tearful eyes and stood up.

She was going to complain to him, but then perhaps because her extreme tension relaxed instantly, her endurance broke. Warm water was trickling down her thigh.

「Ah……ku!」

It leaked out slightly but, she desperately tightened and held back once more. The amount of cold sweat oozing from her whole body increased and leaked out as big drops.

She was able to endure somehow, the next moment when she thought that,

──Ah, no, no good!

「Tsu!」

She got out from behind the car’s cover and ran in full speed toward the park. Her heart was painfully raging inside her chest due to her running momentum. But right now she couldn’t care about that.

It was right in front of her. Just ten more meters.

──I did it!!

When she rushed into the park that was surrounded by plants, Aine yelled inside her heart.

She would reach the toilet in just a few more seconds.

It was a public toilet, but it was still a clean and hygienic toilet. There was also a changing room that was equipped with amenity.

Aine touched the door that was made from cloudy glass.

──Eh?

The door didn’t open.

Even though the sensor should detect her and opened the door automatically.

「N, no way. Open it! Open up!」

She hit the door with her palm.

Cold sweat was trickling down her neck and back.

When she looked around in fluster, she noticed the electronic paper pasted beside the door after this late.

『Out of use because it’s in the middle of repair』

「Lies!? ……After coming, this far!!」

──Where is another toilet!?

She thought that only for an instant.

「──ah」

Warm drop was trickling down from her crotch.

──I can’t, anymore……the, limit,

The water drop became a stream and made a sound from falling on the ground.

Aine put both her hands on the glass and her body trembled in the posture where her waist was pushed out. The momentum of the flow couldn’t be stopped anymore even by Aine herself.

──Aa……it’s coming out. I did it.

The flow of warm flow sped up and the sound it made on the ground turned louder.

──No, moree……it’s embarrassing……I want to disappear.

Tears were trickling down Aine’s cheek.

She had been tormented by unusual shame and tension all this time since she was told to take off her clothes. She let go of what she had been holding back and now she was tasting a supreme feeling of liberation.

The experience that was just too out there made Aine drunk with pleasure that she had never felt before. Even though she was being bullied, even though she was being shamed, she was enveloped in an indescribable euphoria.

Even the excitement that Aine was feeling inside her body reached a height that she never felt until now. Even the tips of her breasts were getting painfully hard to show that.

She let out everything that she had held back in her bladder and let out a deep sigh. At that time, someone grabbed her butts that were sticking out.

「Ah……」

When she looked over her shoulder, there was Kizuna opening up her butts while bringing his waist near.

A familiar sensation was touching the mouth that was gushing out warm liquid just now. ‘Ah’, Aine spoke in panic.

「Wa, wait! Right now it’s dirty from my pee so……in the first place doing it in this kind of──」

Kizuna thrust his pointed end into Aine’s entrance in order to shut down Aine’s entreaty.

「Aguuh!?」

──Aa, it, it entered……it entered inside, in this……kind of place.

A thrilling pleasure rushed up Aine’s back.

「Do, don’t……. Kizuna.」

She spoke words of rejection incoherently. However Aine was the one who knew best that her body was rejoicing.

And then Kizuna pushed inside in one go. He reached the deepest wall from the entrance in a single breath.

Aine’s body bent backward reflexively.

「──!?!!!!-……AaAAAAH♥!!」

It felt like a spear called pleasure pierced inside her body and penetrated until her brain.

Her sight was flickering, her consciousness was getting further away.

──I, I’m co……ming──

Aine’s body reached the climax in the blink of an eye. The strength of her knees left her and her body almost fell.

「Aine, get a hold of yourself.」

Her breasts were grasped from below to support her body. Aine looked back at Kizuna with vacant eyes.

「Wa, wait, Kizuna……I, I just, co-──」

Kizuna pulled back his waist, and then he pushed inside once more.

「-GUuuh!?」

The sense of climax assaulted Aine once more.

Her hazy consciousness became clear as though it was hit awake instantly. The next moment she was struck back into a tempestuous chaos once more.

She was made to taste climax with each thrust. She didn’t know of anything anymore. She couldn’t keep a hold of something like her sanity. Anything else didn’t matter anymore. She didn’t mind even if she was seen by people or she wouldn’t be able to go to the academy from tomorrow. As long as Kizuna was there for her. Right now in this instant she became one with Kizuna, as long as she could feel Kizuna, if she was able to be together with this wild pleasure, then anything else didn’t──

At that time, the sensitive part that was enveloping Kizuna sensed a slight change.

──Ah, Kizuna’s inside is rising.

A sweet feeling was overflowing from inside Aine’s chest.

──Come, come-, come-! Kizuna’s, inside me-!

The thing that Aine had been eagerly looking forward to was released inside her body.

From Kizuna’s tip, into Aine with a surprising vigor. Aine felt that pressure from the inside of her body. That sensation pulled Aine up into even further height.

「IAaAAaAAH♥uUNNNaAAAaaYAaAAAAAAHHH♥♥♥!!」

The degree of the climax was something she had never felt until now.

Various sensations and feelings were mixing inside her mind within an instant.

Pleasure, happiness, suffocation, sadness, love.

Aine even felt fear of the fact that her body could feel pleasure to this degree.

And then her consciousness was getting further within feeling of happiness and tranquility.

Aine’s body relaxed from all tension. Kizuna kept his hold on her body and crouched on the ground. And then he talked to empty air.

「Love Room, halt the scene. Enter standby mode.」

The park vanished in that moment.

The door where Aine was placing her hands on changed into a white wall. The ground turned into cushioned panel and the starry sky into a ceiling that shined white.

「Aine, are you alright?」

Aine recovered her consciousness at Kizuna’s voice.

「……Nn」

Aine whose excitement after the act still hadn’t cooled down looked up at Kizuna with an erotic gaze. Her blushing cheeks were sweaty, her hair was sticking on her cheeks. Aine replied with gasping voice between her heated sigh.

「Today, might be……a bit too amazing……」

Kizuna brushed away the hair sticking on Aine’s cheek and gently combed her silver hair. Aine displayed her happiness with a calm smile.

「Good grief……really Kizuna, you’re just perverted♡」

Although she said that, Aine rubbed her satisfied looking face on Kizuna’s hand.

Kiziuna also felt satisfaction at Aine’s fawning gesture.

It seemed today’s content made Aine pleased. Recently when they were doing the ultimate hybrid, they only did completely normal sex.

According to Aine,

『You don’t really need to do anything special. After all it’s already the greatest happiness as long as I can become one with Kizuna, it feels so good nothing can top it.』

She said, but Kizuna didn’t just swallow that without doubt.

If he didn’t put in some effort sometimes and came up with an ingenious plan, then dissatisfaction would be piling up. That kind of act was also stimulating, and she would also be happy that he was thinking a lot and spending effort and time for her.

Especially these days, Kizuna suspected that she was frequently doing boasting discussion with Hayuru and Yurishia under the pretense of information exchange.

Because of that, two days later after he came up with an ingenious plan and executed it, the other two would act a bit stiffly towards Kizuna. Depending on the situation they would make an obviously dissatisfied face or the opposite fawning on him.

For Kizuna it was also a meeting that increased his source of anxiety.

「Hey, Kizuna♡」

She looked up and coaxed him for a kiss.

Kizuna responded to her expectation and gently put his lips on her lips. He entangled his tongue inside Aine’s mouth to soothe her. They continued tasting each other’s lips for a long time. When their lips parted, Aine’s tongue reached out in reluctance and she let out a sigh of ecstasy.

「It’s always like this, I become unable to understand whether I’m inside the Love Room or in the city for real.」

「Especially today, it’s using real time processing that reflected the information from security cameras inside the city and the traffic data. The tension was amazing just from that.」

「As I thought the condition was the same with reality……in that case, actually doing it for real will also be alright won’t it?」

「Eh?」

Kizuna stared at Aine with a taken aback look.

「──aa」

Aine’s face was blushing bright red rapidly. It seemed she finally noticed the meaning of the words that slipped out of her mouth.

「Wait! That’s not it! I just meant that we won’t be found out even if we actually did it in the city, it’s not like I mean that I want to do it in the city itself!!」

「I get it. I get it already.」

Kizuna soothed her down with a wry smile while starting to wear a pilot suit.

「Wait Kizuna! Do you really get it!?」

「Yeah. That’s why Aine, too, wear your pilot suit. Soon it will be the time the enemies arrive.」

「I know that!」

Kizuna knew that she wasn’t really angry but merely doing it to hide her embarrassment.

Aine felt that lukewarm gaze of Kizuna while quickly wearing her pilot suit.

「Zeros!」

With a flash Aine’s body was equipped with the Heart Hybrid Gear Zeros.

Aine stared at her armor with a deep emotion.

「It makes me feel a bit reluctant when I think that it might be my parting from Zeros with this.」

「E……」

Kizuna was about to equip Eros, but he stopped from saying its name.

「What do you mean by that?」

「Because today’s……somehow, it feels a bit different.」

And then she softly stroked her stomach.

「Surely……」

「Re, really!? Aine!」

Aine nodded with a slightly embarrassed look.

「I, I see……I’m?」

He was feeling complicated, like he was troubled, and also happy.

「No……somehow, it doesn’t feel real for me yet, and it’s embarrassing or something.」

「Fufu, come on, put on Eros quickly……papa♡」

「O, ou! Eros!!」

What protected Kizuna’s body was the jet black Heart Hybrid Gear Eros.

The one and only male armor. Normal Heart Hybrid Gear couldn’t demonstrate their ability if it wasn’t equipped by a female. However Eros was an exception. It was the only Heart Hybrid Gear in the world that could demonstrate its ability exactly because it was used by male.

When they opened the Love Room’s hatch and went outside, it was a desolate land that continued until the horizon.

Here was the northern part of Africa.

A land that was effectively controlled by a certain large country by taking advantage of the chaos from the AU Collision War. There was a nuclear facility along with a Heart Hybrid Gear research base here.

Nayuta Lab guessed that they intentionally built the place here because there was a high risk of bio hazard and techno hazard. Most likely they were doing a considerably dangerous experiment here.

And then in fact Eros’s sensor was quickly displaying alert.

「There is severe air pollution and land pollution happening here……it will be bad if it’s not disposed of together with the ground.」

Kizuna displayed a grave expression. Aine responded with an understanding smile.

「There won’t be any problem because I’m here. But before that──」

Aine looked around the surroundings of the Love Room.

From a brief glance, there were thirty Heart Hybrid Gears each armed with characteristic weapons like guns or swords or the like surrounding them.

「The welcome is warmer than expected.」

「Is that so? This is too few to welcome me and Kizuna. They’re underestimating us.」

Kizuna smiled wryly. Even so a question floated inside his heart.

The reason was because the Heart Hybrid Gear force surrounding them didn’t belong to the country that owned the research facility. The mark that was patterned after the side face of a woman with chest and shoulder attached. It belonged to the European Union──EU’s Heart Hybrid Gear force Valkyrie.

「Ataraxia’s Hida Kizuna and Chidorigafuchi Aine is it! We are EU’s Heart Hybrid Gear team Valkyrie!」

The one who gave that introduction was a beautiful girl with light brown hair that was like milk tea. Her hair was tied into a ponytail at the side of her head and her face was well ordered like an idol. She was glaring at Kizuna with a grim gaze, but there was no doubt that she would look lovely if she smiled.

Her age was around twenty. The pilot suit she was wearing was designed to have red and blue lines over white color. And then her hand was holding a western sword. Two mechanical swords that looked similar with Neros’s Blade were floating at both sides.

───I assume……

Kizuna searched the list in his memory.

「And you must be Valkyrie’s captain, France’s Christelle Baladur. And that Heart Hybrid Gear is Mires……was it?」

The sharpness of Chrsitelle’s eyes didn’t slack down. But a smile was tugged on her lips.

「Yes, so you know. That’s right, of course you know that isn’t it.」

Christelle let out a chuckle ‘fufufu’ and lifted up one hand as though making a pose.

「I am the next head of the proud Baladur House and Europe’s strongest woman! If there is someone who doesn’t know me on this earth, that will be the proof of that person’s savageness!」

「A, aa……that’s, perhaps.」

Her character that was more peculiar than expected made Kizuna felt put off. Putting aside her name, he didn’t know that she had this kind of personality.

「I think that you also naturally know this but, I’m also active as a musician. My newest track was broadcasted to the whole world last week. Did you listen? You listened didn’t you!? If you haven’t heard that means Ataraxia is a solitary island in the distant sea, a dinosaur that is isolated from the world’s civilization!」

「Tha, that’s……」

This was his first time hearing about her activity as an artist.

However he couldn’t say the truth to Christelle whose eyes were shining in anticipation.

「I……I downloaded it but, I haven’t listened to it yet, I think?」

It was a trite excuse but, Christelle seemed convinced. She was smiling in satisfaction.

Kizuna moved his gaze to the girl with short cut black hair beside her.

「And, the one beside you there is……」

She seemed to be the same age like Christelle, but she looked a bit demure. She wasn’t dazzlingly beautiful like Christelle, but she was a beautiful girl that reminded him of a fairy wandering inside a deep forest. Her pilot suit was grey added with black and red. She was wearing a Heart Hybrid Gear that was carrying an extremely long rifle on her back.

「Vice captain Elfriede Weitling is it. Her gear’s name is Dagura.」

Elfriede nodded her head slightly.

「You’re knowledgeable. Or perhaps, you have inserted the data of all the women in the world into your head? Perhaps the nickname of Eros Demon King isn’t a joke but the truth.」

「What!?」

Kizuna spontaneously lost his words at that unexpected reply.

「Oi, Aine! Why has that name become known even until the EU!?」

「There is no way I know that!」

Elfriede nodded in satisfaction hearing that conversation.

「I see. Looks like it’s true.  Will update the information when we return to base.」

「You don’t need to do that!! Don’t spread such insignificant information throughout the world!」

Christelle snorted ‘fufun’ to make fun of him.

「It’s troubling that there are a lot of unconfirmed information about Ataraxia. Especially Kizuna, your Eros is the one thing that is the most unknown.」

Of course it was. The information of Eros leaking out to outside was only when they were putting up a common front together with Masters in the middle of the AU Collision War. Even that was only a very limited part of information that got leaked into America. Furthermore at that time even Nayuta Lab hadn’t grasped the full scope of Eros’s capability.

To say nothing of the EU. They must have only been able to confirm that it was a mysterious Heart Hybrid Gear that was worn by a man.

Christelle put on an idol smile and lifted her hand towards Kizuna as though asking for a handshake.

「I think there is a need for us to know a little bit better about each other. Hey? Won’t you come to our base for a bit? If you do something like refusing my invitation, that’ll be like an uncultured savage who doesn’t know any decorum.」

Kizuna looked across the wasteland that continued without end.

「Base you say……where?」

「Fufu, that’s-a-se-cret♪」

Tension ran through the other members of the Heart Hybrid Gear force who wasn’t moving at the slightest like a doll until now. And then they simultaneously pointed their weapons toward Kizuna and Aine.

Kizuna quickly checked their equipment.

──Twenty people are armed with firearms, while the rest are using sword or spear type weapons. Christelle is the only one using Res-series huh……There are many Gura series which are firearm type. It’ll be troublesome if there is Er series but……doesn’t look like there is any.

Christelle saw Kizuna’s wariness and smiled full of confidence.

「Now, come with us quietly. We won’t do anything bad.」

However Kizuna let out his breath and relaxed his shoulders. He talked to her with a carefree tone like talking to a classmate in the academy.

「I want to ask one thing before that. Is it okay for me to think that the owner of this facility is absent?」

Elfriede answered that question.

「Yes. It was empty when we arrived……or rather, it was your side who ordered them to leave right?」

Kizuna shrugged.

「Well yeah. We’ll destroy this base after this, so we thought to confirm that there isn’t anyone inside at least.」

Elfriede scowled angrily.

「Please stop. A very dangerous research was carried out here. Even if it has to be destroyed, we have to start from investigating how to dismantle the facility first. The project will surely take dozens of years until the dismantling is completed.」

Aine who had nothing to do cut in.

「Something like that will only take several seconds if I get involved.」

「Ha?」

Elfriede was──making a face of incomprehension. Kizuna turned his palm toward the other party to calm her down.

「Now now, in any case Christelle and others should also leave. Let’s see……I think it will be fine if you take distance around ten kilometers from here.」

Christelle lifted one hand in front of her face.

Her idol smile was still there, but the shine of her eyes was different.

「Looks like the negotiation broke down.」

She turned her palm and swung it to the side.

The muzzles spewed fire all at once.

Light of particles were sparkling so much that they couldn’t open their eyes.

The bullets of light fired from twenty Heart Hybrid Gears attacked Kizuna and Aine.

The basic fighting style of the members of Valkyrie was to surround one unit with a large number and finish off the opponent with certainty. They have also slain category A class magic weapons with this tactic during the AU Collision War.

However──

「What’s that!?」

A dome shaped wall of light. The shield that was shining pink very easily deflected the bombardment of the Valkyrie members.

Inside that, Hida Kizuna and Chidorigafuchi Aine were standing calmly.

That shield, Absolute Territory had the same color like the light circulating in Kizuna’s Eros.

「It’s that guy’s shield!!」

Christelle yelled in irritation.

「Even so……what toughness……」

Elfriede muttered that. Then her eyes opened even wider.

「It’s coming this way!?」

Unbelievably, Eros’s shield was approaching toward the Valkyries who were bombarding it. Furthermore it was doing that at a great speed while raking the ground.

It was like a bulldozer that was running with the speed of a racing car.

「This is bad! Get away for now!」

Far from destroying the shield, the opponent was pressuring them instead. Valkyrie force got away helplessly.

「Guwaaah!」

A member who hesitated in retreating was knocked away by the shield.

「Tsk!」

The moment Christelle clicked her tongue, the shield vanished.

「Eh!?」

「Christelle! Above!!」

When she looked up, she could see Eros and Zeros soaring to the sky with their thrusters.

「You won’t get away!」

Christelle also flew up without delay. Elfriede and the other members were also following behind.

They closed in on them with terrific speed. Their thruster’s output was at the limit. They had never done a vertical ascent this recklessly. For a moment the fear of stalling and crashing crossed her head. That fear was subdued by her instinct to chase after the prey.

Zeros’s figure couldn’t be seen, but they would be able to catch up to Eros!

Christelle could see Kizuna glancing back at her. A smile of a hunter formed on Christelle’s face.

「Hida Kizuna! I’ll catch you right away! I’ll at least treat you to a tea when we arrive at the base so──」

「Mode Zeros!!」

「Eh?」

The pink light running on Eros’s armor changed into blue. It then instantly accelerated like a rocket.

「No, no way!?」

They couldn’t possibly catch up.

However──

The two of them stopped when their altitude crossed 20000 meter.

──Why?

Christelle was suspicious, but she turned pale seeing the thing in Aine’s hand.

「Don’t tell me……that’s……」

She reflexively lowered her speed and stopped with some distance between them.

「Christelle!」

Elfriede and the others caught up. And then they also saw the thing in Aine’s hand and held their breaths. Trembling voices were coming out from the mouths of the members.

「That’s, the reported……」

「The one that sunk down even the other world’s two kilometer class ship with one shot……」

There was a huge cannon in Aine’s arms.

A magic circle spread under her feet. And then light particles and electrical discharge were whirling around Aine.

──Just what are they going to do?

Christelle held her breath unconsciously.

Suddenly,

An explosive light was fired.

It was a lump of powerful particles that she had never even seen before. It advanced without stopping toward the ground.

And then an unbelievable phenomenon occurred at the ground far below them.

The underground research facility was pulverized together with the bedrock underneath it. Even the stored nuclear warhead, and also the energy for the research of Heart Hybrid Gear, the instant they exploded, even that explosion itself was pulverized. Flame, shockwave, light, all of them broke into fragments and then vanished.

Christelle somehow formed a word with her tangled tongue.

「Wha……what, in the world……」

Elfriede also muttered with an overwhelmed look.

「That is, Corrupted Armament……Pulverizer……」

They were watching in a daze. They didn’t know how long they stayed like that, whether just for several seconds or several minutes.

When they came back to themselves, the trace of light and both Zeros and Eros had gone.

What remained was a giant crater where the underground research facility once existed.

They fearfully descended and landed at the center of the crater with a diameter that reached five kilometers.

Christelle used her Gear’s sensor and investigated the air and soil quality.

「No abnormality……whether it’s radioactivity, or toxic substance, anything……」

「It’s truly……god’s lightning……isn’t it」

Christelle’s heart almost broke at Elfriede’s mutter.

──Ku,

*Pan*, she slapped her cheeks.

「Christelle? What are you──」

「Elfriede! I understand that your heart feel like it will break after witnessing the opponent’s true strength. But still, that’s something we have known since the beginning! We simply have reconfirmed it with our own eyes. Yes, just this much is nothing at all!」

「However……there is no way to close the gap between Ataraxia and our fighting strength. The difference is hopeless.」

However Christelle turned her back on Elfriede and walked inside the crater.

「No. There is a possibility.」

Elfriede stared at the back of Christelle doubtfully.

「There is this operation that we’re planning together with USA. The plan seems to be a bit interesting.」

「With America?」

Christelle’s shoulders were quivering.

Elfriede wondered if she was crying. But──

Christelle turned around with a wide smile on her face.

「Because you saw it right!? That power!? It was that much! Obviously people all over the world will want it! It was really nice! That thing!!」

The eyes that were staring at Elfriede glinted.

「I want it too!!」

「Chris……」

「I swear I’ll obtain it! Because, if the operation this time succeeds──」

Christelle spread out her hands at the center of the crater.

「It’ll be the end for Ataraxia!!」