At the temporary assembly area outside the school, Tobiichi Origami skillfully checked the performance parameters of the AST standard CR-Unit she was wearing.
The white "Mordred" test unit had been returned to DEM, and now she was wearing the familiar, slightly bulky black basic gear.
The hum of the engine was not as smooth as the test unit, and the efficiency of Territory generation was a notch lower, but for her, it was enough to execute the current mission.
"Origami! What's the situation?" Captain Ryouko, controlling a CR-Unit of the same model, landed beside her.
Origami's gaze, through the visor of her Realizer, was fixed on the half-destroyed school building ahead, her voice cold and unwavering:
"Suppressive fire has been conducted for three rounds. There are no signs of the target Spirit appearing."
The heavy six-barreled Gatling gun in her hand was emitting the scent of gunpowder, its barrels slightly hot from high-speed rotation.
This was not an anti-Spirit weapon equipped with Realizer technology, but merely an ordinary gunpowder-powered kinetic weapon. Its power was insufficient to pose a fatal threat to a Spirit, but it was more than enough to destroy building structures and force a target out of cover.
"Tsk, she's really good at hiding."
Ryouko clicked her tongue, also looking at the school building, "According to the heat and Spirit wave reactions, the Spirit is indeed still inside... Wait! What's that?!"
Ryouko suddenly raised her voice, laced with surprise and doubt:
"Thermal imaging shows that in the school building, near the Spirit's location, there are at least two... no, three life signs! Two of them are very weak, like ordinary people! How is that possible? Evacuation should have already been completed!"
"Ordinary people?"
Origami's heart sank. She immediately adjusted the observation mode on her visor, focusing on the direction of that all-too-familiar classroom.
High-precision thermal imaging and Spirit wave scan data were instantly fed back to her retina.
One of the life signs emitted a strong, unique Spirit wave, undoubtedly the target Princess.
The other two life signs... their Spirit power fluctuations were extremely weak, suspected to be Spirits. But one of their vital sign signals and outlines... (—Shido!)
Origami's pupils suddenly contracted. That signal, she would never mistake it! It was Shido! Why was he here?! Wasn't he supposed to have evacuated?!
A tremendous fear, like an ice pick, instantly pierced her heart.
AST's stray bullets, or even the Spirit's own uncontrollable power... any slight accident could instantly claim Shido's life!
Without the slightest hesitation, Origami, as if discarding a hot potato, abruptly threw the heavy Gatling gun in her hand to the ground, producing a loud clang.
"Origami?! What are you doing?!" Ryouko exclaimed.
Origami did not answer. The thrusters on her back erupted with power far exceeding conventional output, spewing scorching blue flames!
Like a leopard spotting its prey, her figure transformed into an arrow shot from a bowstring, charging towards the school building at an almost uncontrolled speed!
"Bang—!"
The already crumbling classroom wall, under Origami's fierce impact, bolstered by her Territory, shattered like paper! Rubble and smoke flew everywhere.
Origami's figure broke through the smoke, landing steadily in the center of the classroom. Her gaze, like the most precise radar, instantly swept across the scene, taking in the entire view of the classroom:
The target Spirit Princess, holding a giant throne sword, glared at her with vigilance and hostility.
Sitting opposite Princess, her face still showing shock and a hint of bewilderment, was Itsuka Shido.
And standing a little further away, leaning against the teacher's podium, radiating a cold chill and an invisible pressure, her golden eyes looking over with a hint of amusement and condescending scrutiny—
—It was the Spirit codenamed Heavenly Judgment! It was that dangerous existence, seemingly Chinatsu, but with a completely different aura!
(All three... are here! Shido and two Spirits are together!)
Her heart was practically pounding out of her chest.
Especially the presence of Heavenly Judgment, which pushed Origami's sense of crisis to its peak.
In the last operation, this Spirit possessed the power to instantly destroy an industrial area with just the shockwaves generated by its abilities.
In direct combat, she even defeated the world's number one Magician and the fifth Magician, Ellen and Mana. Even several DEM airships and their armed forces were crushed, making her danger far incomparable to the newly appeared Princess!
She absolutely could not allow Shido to stay near such a monster!
Almost reflexively, Origami immediately reported to Ryouko through her built-in communicator, using the most concise and urgent tone.
At the same time, her gaze was locked onto Chinatsu, not daring to move even an inch:
"Target Spirit Princess discovered! Repeat, Princess discovered! Codename Heavenly Judgment also confirmed on site! One civilian present! Requesting emergency support! Repeat, requesting emergency support!"
Her voice, transmitted through the CR-Unit's visor, carried a cold, metallic friction-like quality, but listening closely, one could detect a nearly imperceptible tremor hidden beneath the extreme calm.
After reporting, Origami held her breath, every muscle in her body tensed to the extreme.
She slightly lowered her center of gravity, her right hand already gripping the hilt of the close-combat tactical dagger fixed to her leg armor.
Her eyes, like the sharpest blade, were fixed on Chinatsu without blinking.
She was evaluating, calculating. She was looking for any possible opening.
She was waiting for any premonition of an attack Heavenly Judgment might launch.
If Chinatsu made even the slightest movement—whether it was raising a finger, a subtle change in her eyes, or even the most minute ripple in the surrounding space—
—Origami would unleash all her power without hesitation, even if it meant using herself as a shield, to forcibly remove Shido from this dangerous classroom at the first possible moment!
The air seemed to solidify. On one side of the classroom was the AST elite Origami, poised and ready, with suppressed killing intent.
On the other side were the bewildered and wary Tohka, the panicked and worried Shido, and Chinatsu, who appeared languid and casual but in reality controlled the entire space.
A standoff triggered by misunderstanding, responsibility, and a desire to protect, quietly reached its critical point in this dilapidated classroom filled with the scent of gunpowder and dust.
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