The door took another hit.
The metal caved inward by several centimeters, and one of the upper hinges began tearing away from the wall. The screws holding it in place fell to the floor, bouncing across the corridor tiles.
Yuna kept one hand extended toward the secondary entrance. The small plate of Celestial Forge she had begun forming expanded until it covered the weakest part of the metal, its bluish edges spreading around the frame.
Something struck from the other side again.
This time, the mana structure held, although several glowing lines appeared across its surface.
Kenta stared at the door.
"I don't think that's going to hold much longer."
"Neither do I," Yuna replied.
Chiho remained on the maintenance platform with her bow ready. From there, she could watch the main entrance and most of the side corridor, but the secondary door was partially hidden behind a column.
The situation had changed quickly.
Only minutes earlier, the three of them had managed to eliminate several lesser remnants and stabilize the evacuation route. Now they were being forced to defend two entrances at once while wounded hunters continued passing through the sector.
Yuna checked the reinforcements she had created earlier.
The main door was still supported by two Celestial Forge plates. In the side corridor, she had placed a third one, which had already absorbed several impacts. A smaller structure was also keeping a loose ceiling beam secured in place.
She could create more.
But not indefinitely.
A hunter approached from the observation post.
"Kirino, we managed to send out the last wounded from the first group. Another stretcher is coming from the inner corridor."
"How many people are still waiting to be evacuated?"
"We don't have an exact number. We still can't contact two teams."
Yuna nodded.
"Keep the medical route clear. I need your people ready to help anyone who manages to get out through the secondary access."
The man looked toward the warped door.
"You think there's still anyone alive in there?"
"There were two hunters trying to close it when we lost contact. Until we know what happened to them, we assume they're alive."
Another blow shook the metal.
The bluish plate flashed briefly.
Then a crack appeared.
Kenta took half a step back, preparing himself for whatever came through.
The door trembled again.
Yuna examined the connection between the plates and the frame.
The metal was too damaged.
If she kept trying to hold it shut, she would end up spending an enormous amount of mana on a defense that would eventually fail anyway.
She withdrew part of the reinforcement.
The glowing lines began to dissolve.
Kenta looked at her.
"What are you doing?"
"Getting ready for when it opens."
The next impact tore away the upper hinge.
The door leaned into the corridor.
For an instant, it remained suspended from the lower supports.
Then it fell.
The crash echoed throughout the sector.
A cloud of dust and tiny metal fragments spread across the floor.
And through it, the first silhouettes began to appear.
The remnant that crossed the entrance had a broad torso and legs far too short for its body. It moved by resting its weight on its knuckles, while several black protrusions rose from its back.
Smaller creatures followed behind it.
Kenta gathered fire around his right hand.
The first burst struck the larger remnant and forced it to stop. Flames spread across its chest and shoulders, but the creature still managed to take another step before dropping onto one knee.
Chiho took advantage of the opening and fired from the platform.
Her arrow struck one of its front joints.
The remnant lost its balance.
Kenta focused a second blast on the area Chiho had just damaged and finally brought it down.
Two smaller creatures tried to circle around the body.
One crashed into a bluish plate Yuna had raised close to the floor. The other slipped through the open space and advanced toward the center of the corridor.
A hunter tried to intercept it with his sword but was struck hard enough to force him backward.
The creature leapt at him.
Before it could reach him, one of Chiho's arrows pierced its side.
The remnant fell beside the wall.
Kenta was about to pursue the next one when he heard a voice coming from the secondary entrance.
"Help!"
He stopped.
At first, he couldn't tell where it had come from.
Then, through the dust still hanging in the air, a hunter appeared.
The man had blood on his forehead and carried another hunter over one shoulder. Both were struggling to make their way out of the supply corridor.
Several remnants moved behind them.
Kenta raised his hand.
The flames grew.
He could hit all of the enemies at once.
The passage was relatively narrow, so a wide blast would cover nearly its entire width. The remnants would have very little room to dodge.
But the two hunters were directly in front of them.
One could barely walk.
Kenta restrained the fire.
The flames contracted around his fingers.
"Over here!" he shouted.
The hunters moved toward him.
One of the remnants accelerated.
Yuna created a vertical plate beside the wall, forcing the creature to veer into a narrower space. Kenta used the change in direction to fire a concentrated blast that struck the enemy without getting anywhere near the escaping hunters.
Chiho fired at another.
The two hunters made it out through the secondary entrance.
The less injured one tried to keep moving, but his companion lost his balance and both dropped to their knees.
Two defenders rushed over to help them.
Kenta looked back into the corridor.
There were still remnants inside.
And the opening was far too large to seal with a simple reinforcement.
Yuna had learned years ago that a defense didn't need to be especially strong to be useful.
Sometimes it only had to change the direction of an attack.
Or prevent an enemy from advancing for a few seconds.
While Kenta held back the remnants trying to cross the entrance, she studied the terrain.
The secondary corridor opened perpendicular to the main evacuation route. Several storage rooms and a small loading area lay to the left, while the medical facilities were located to the right.
If the enemies managed to reach the main route and move right, they would reach the wounded being evacuated.
Yuna extended both hands.
Several small structures began forming along the floor.
They weren't complete walls.
They were angled plates protruding only a short distance upward, positioned at different points to reduce the space available to the remnants.
The first creature trying to cross them stumbled and lost speed.
Kenta finished it off.
Another jumped over the obstacles, but landed too close to the maintenance platform.
Chiho fired before it could stand properly.
The combination began to work.
The remnants coming through the side corridor were forced into progressively narrower spaces. They weren't trapped, but their movements became predictable.
Kenta could focus his fire without risking the hunters still using the medical route.
Even so, the situation remained difficult.
The main door was not completely secure.
Yuna realized this when a heavy impact shook one of the reinforcements she had left there.
She looked toward the opposite end.
The metal moved again.
The bluish structure holding the main panel in place dimmed.
Chiho noticed it too.
From her elevated position, she had a clearer view of that access than the others.
A remnant was trying to force itself through the doorway, taking advantage of the fact that most of the hunters were focused on the side corridor.
Chiho turned.
She fired an arrow.
The projectile struck the creature's head, but failed to completely stop its advance.
She prepared a second shot.
This time, the enemy managed to lean away before the impact.
The arrow pierced one of its limbs and lodged in the wall.
Chiho felt a stab of fatigue.
She had already spent a considerable amount of mana during the tournament and had been through several consecutive fights since the invasion began.
Her bow still responded.
The problem was maintaining the same level of precision as her concentration began to deteriorate.
The remnant prepared to push through the doorway.
Chiho breathed slowly.
She waited until it extended another limb.
Then she fired.
The arrow passed through the gap between two Celestial Forge plates and struck the joint supporting most of the creature's weight.
The remnant collapsed.
A nearby hunter took advantage of the opening and finished it off.
Chiho lowered her bow for a moment.
From there, she could see Kenta fighting at the secondary entrance.
She could also see Yuna maintaining the structures preventing the enemies from reaching the medical sector.
All three of them were defending the same area.
But none of them could be everywhere at once.
Kenta felt heat building around his hands.
Keeping the flames active wasn't the problem.
He could still do that.
What was difficult was continuously controlling their size and direction without letting the enemies get too close.
A small creature emerged between two fallen bodies.
Kenta fired a short burst.
The remnant dodged the first attack and lunged toward him.
The student stepped back and narrowly avoided it.
Its claws brushed against his uniform.
Before he could retaliate, the enemy lunged again.
Kenta blasted fire into the floor, forcing the creature to jump.
The move cost more mana than he would have liked.
Yuna intervened by creating a small plate along the creature's trajectory.
The remnant collided with it.
It fell onto its back.
Kenta finished it off.
He took a deep breath.
His shoulders hurt.
His legs were beginning to feel heavy too.
Only a few minutes had passed since the secondary door broke, but it felt as though he had been fighting much longer.
To his right, one of the veteran hunters lost his balance after taking a hit.
Kenta raised his hand to help.
At that moment, three more creatures appeared.
They moved close together, using the same opening.
Kenta gathered a large amount of fire.
The temperature rose quickly.
A wide blast could take out all three.
Maybe even the next ones trying to enter.
For an instant, he nearly released it.
Then he saw the fallen hunter.
The man was trying to stand directly behind the enemies.
Another hunter was approaching to help him.
Kenta clenched his teeth.
He reduced the flames.
Keeping the energy compressed sent an intense ache through his arms.
He released the first narrow blast.
It struck the remnant on the left.
The second passed between the other two and hit the one closest to the injured hunter.
The third managed to advance.
Kenta had to move aside to avoid its claws.
The creature turned toward the man still on the ground.
An arrow pierced its neck.
Chiho had changed targets from the platform.
Kenta finished the enemy before it could react.
The injured hunter managed to stand with his companion's help, and the two retreated toward the medical route.
For the first time since the second incursion began, Kenta had a few seconds to breathe.
He looked at his hands.
Small flames still surrounded them.
He had needed several attacks to solve a situation that could have ended with a single, far more powerful blast.
But the two hunters were alive.
From the platform, Chiho watched the flames shrink.
She hadn't heard everything happening below, but she had seen Kenta's decision.
This time, he wasn't wasting energy just to prove how much power he could release.
He was thinking before he attacked.
Yuna felt one of her constructions beginning to lose stability.
It was the plate protecting the far end of the secondary corridor.
It had taken too many hits.
If she kept reinforcing it, she would end up wasting a disproportionate amount of mana.
She let it dissolve.
Bluish fragments dispersed through the air and vanished before reaching the floor.
The remnant that had been pounding against it lost its balance when the resistance suddenly disappeared.
Yuna formed a small Celestial Forge projectile.
The glowing point pierced the creature's chest and sent it falling backward.
The movement gave her a clearer view into the corridor.
Several remnant bodies lay among the remains of the door.
Farther inside, she could distinguish two more.
They didn't seem particularly strong.
But they could still keep advancing.
The real problem, Yuna realized, was that the enemies were using every available opening to spread out.
If they kept coming, sooner or later one would break through.
She looked toward the storage rooms.
Beside one wall sat a transport cart normally used for moving heavy supplies. It was a large metal structure with thick wheels and a loading platform that could be kept at an angle using a manual mechanism.
Yuna approached it.
She examined the cart and then the secondary opening.
It wouldn't seal the access completely.
But it could narrow it.
Two hunters resting near the storage rooms understood what she was trying to do and came over to help.
Together, the three of them moved the cart until it stood partially across the supply corridor.
Yuna secured its wheels using two small Celestial Forge pieces.
Then she created a reinforcement between the metal platform and the edge of the wall, preventing it from being pushed aside easily by an impact.
The new defense forced the remnants to use a narrow gap beside the cart.
One attempted to squeeze through.
Kenta concentrated his flames and struck it before it could emerge.
Another appeared behind it.
Chiho fired.
The creature fell against the metal structure.
The sound made one of the nearby hunters look up.
"You think that'll hold?"
Yuna examined the cart.
"Not forever."
The man looked toward the corridor.
"I've been hearing that a lot lately."
"Then we agree."
Despite the situation, the hunter let out a quiet laugh.
Yuna used the brief pause to assess her reserves.
She still had enough mana to keep fighting.
But she had maintained several constructions while helping the wounded and stopping remnants at different points.
She needed to secure the sector before the strain began seriously affecting her.
She lifted the communicator toward her mouth.
"Kirino to central coordination."
The response came a few seconds later.
"Go ahead, western sector."
"We need a relief team. The medical route remains open, but we have two compromised accesses and several injured hunters."
"Understood. We're checking which units are available."
Yuna watched Kenta intercept another remnant beside the transport cart.
"I can't guarantee we can hold this position indefinitely."
A brief burst of interference followed.
"Understood. We'll try to send support from the inner sector."
The communication ended.
Yuna put the device away.
There was no point standing still and waiting for reinforcements.
They still had to finish what they had started.
The final part of the fight was less spectacular than the beginning.
The remnants kept coming, but they could no longer advance in large groups.
The transport cart restricted the secondary entrance, while Yuna's structures made it harder for the creatures to move through it.
Chiho regained some of her precision by reducing the frequency of her shots. She waited until she had a clear target and avoided wasting arrows.
Kenta did something similar.
Instead of keeping large flames around his arms, he began using short bursts concentrated on the exact points where enemies appeared.
He didn't always eliminate them immediately.
Several times, he needed Chiho's help or assistance from nearby hunters.
But the remnants stopped reaching the medical route.
One creature managed to leap over the cart.
Kenta stepped out of its path.
The remnant landed beside him and raised its claws.
Before it could attack, a small bluish platform appeared beneath one of its legs.
The structure rose only enough to throw it off balance.
Kenta took advantage of the movement and struck it with a blast of fire directed toward the empty corridor.
The creature fell.
A second remnant tried to exploit the distraction.
Chiho hit it with an arrow.
Then another appeared.
One of the veteran hunters intercepted it with his weapon.
The three students and the remaining defenders began fighting at a steadier rhythm. They no longer needed to improvise an entirely new response every time a creature appeared.
Yuna used a pause to examine the main entrance.
The reinforcements were still holding.
For the moment, no new figures were trying to force their way through.
She turned back toward the secondary corridor.
Only one creature remained visible.
It was small and moved with difficulty, dragging itself between the fallen bodies with one limb.
Kenta raised a hand.
A flame appeared around his fingers.
The remnant tried to move forward.
Kenta waited until it had moved away from the metal structure.
Then he released one final burst.
The fire struck the creature and sent it collapsing onto the corridor floor.
The silence afterward felt strange.
Kenta remained still, waiting for another charge.
None came.
Chiho kept her bow ready.
Yuna stared into the darkness of the passage.
She couldn't detect any movement either.
For several seconds, the only sounds were the alarms and the distant voices of hunters continuing to transport the wounded.
A man approached from the medical sector.
"Kirino, it looks like they stopped coming."
Yuna examined the entrances.
"For now."
Kenta let his arms fall.
The small flame still remaining in his hand went out.
"I'm starting to hate those two words."
Chiho slowly climbed down from the platform.
"Which ones?"
"'For now.'"
She looked at the corridor filled with remains.
"They make sense."
"That doesn't make me like them any more."
Yuna allowed herself a small smile.
But she didn't take her eyes off the entrances.
The defense had worked.
That didn't mean the remnants had abandoned this entire part of headquarters.
The next several minutes were spent checking the facilities.
Two hunters inspected the entrances while others moved the remnant bodies out of the evacuation route. Medical staff received the last wounded hunters who had managed to escape from the supply corridor.
Yuna examined the metal cart.
One side had been warped by the impacts, but it could still serve to partially block the entrance.
The Celestial Forge pieces securing the wheels remained intact.
She decided to leave them in place for now.
A hunter approached.
"We managed to contact the other team."
Yuna looked up.
"The ones in the supply corridor?"
"Yeah. They found an exit through maintenance and they're pulling back. They say there's nobody left in that section who needs immediate evacuation."
Yuna nodded.
It was good news.
It didn't solve every problem in the western sector, but at least it meant they hadn't left another group of wounded behind.
Meanwhile, Kenta had sat down against a wall.
His legs were stretched out and his arms rested across his knees.
He could still feel heat in his hands, even though there were no flames around them anymore.
He tried raising his right arm.
Pain ran through his shoulder.
He lowered it again.
"Great."
Chiho approached.
"What happened?"
"I don't think I'm going to be able to move tomorrow."
She watched him for a few seconds.
Then she sat nearby.
"My arms still hurt from the tournament."
Kenta turned his head.
"Seriously?"
"Yeah."
"I thought I was the only one completely wrecked."
"You're not that special."
Kenta laughed quietly.
For several seconds, they watched the hunters working.
A stretcher passed through the corridor toward the infirmary. The man lying on it was conscious and speaking with one of his companions.
Kenta followed him with his eyes.
"Hey, Chiho."
"What?"
"Do you think we did a good job?"
She took a moment to answer.
"The wounded got out and we're still alive."
"Yeah, but it could've gone better."
Chiho glanced at him.
"It can always go better."
Kenta looked at his hands.
"When those three showed up together, I almost let out all the fire I had."
Chiho remembered the moment.
She had seen the flames growing around Kenta's arm and then watched him force them back down.
"I noticed."
"I thought it would end things faster."
"There were hunters behind them too."
"Yeah."
Kenta exhaled.
"Before, I probably would've done it anyway."
Chiho stayed silent for a few seconds.
"But you didn't."
He looked up.
"What?"
"Release all the fire. This time you didn't."
Kenta turned his gaze back toward the corridor.
She was right.
He had been able to use a much larger attack and had chosen not to.
Not because he couldn't.
Not because someone had ordered him to stop.
He had simply understood that he shouldn't.
"Guess I learned something during the tournament," he murmured.
Chiho smiled.
"Miraculously."
"You really couldn't just leave it there, could you?"
"No."
Kenta shook his head, amused.
Then he leaned back against the wall.
"I still prefer tournaments."
"For the points?"
"Because when a fight ends, they let you sit down."
Chiho looked at the hunters who were still working.
"You're sitting now too."
"Yeah, but nobody can guarantee another ten remnants won't show up."
"Then enjoy it while you can."
Kenta closed his eyes for a few seconds.
This time, he didn't argue.
Yuna finished speaking with one of the security officers when another communication came through.
The relief team she had requested was on its way.
It wouldn't be a particularly large group. Just four hunters who had finished a nearby evacuation and could help hold the defenses.
But it was enough to redistribute positions and give the students time to rest.
Yuna approached Kenta and Chiho.
She found them sitting against the wall.
Chiho had her bow resting across her legs. Kenta was staring at the ceiling.
"Am I interrupting something important?" she asked.
Kenta turned his head.
"We were discussing whether I'd rather fight remnants or go back to the tournament."
"And which one won?"
"The tournament."
"What a surprise."
Yuna crouched slightly to examine the two of them.
Both looked exhausted, although neither had suffered any serious injuries.
Kenta had several scratches on his uniform, and Chiho showed obvious signs of fatigue in her arms.
"You're going to rest when the relief team arrives," Yuna said.
Chiho nodded.
Kenta raised one hand.
"Actual rest?"
"As much as the situation allows."
His arm fell back down.
"There's always a condition."
Yuna smiled.
Then she looked toward the entrances.
There was still work to do.
The main corridor needed more durable repairs, and several doors were unusable. They also had no idea what was happening in other sectors of Tokyo headquarters.
Even so, they had managed to keep the connection to the infirmary open.
That meant wounded hunters could continue receiving treatment.
As far as Yuna was concerned, that was enough.
A few minutes later, the four relief hunters arrived.
Their leader examined the defenses and listened to Yuna's report.
Two of them took positions near the main door.
The other two covered the secondary entrance, using the metal cart and the reinforcements still in place.
Yuna explained which constructions would need to be watched because they might dissolve once she stopped maintaining them.
Then she checked that the evacuation routes remained clear.
The final stretcher from the group they had been protecting crossed the corridor.
A nurse walked beside it, speaking to the wounded man lying on the white fabric.
The patient raised one hand slightly as he passed Yuna.
She returned the gesture.
When they disappeared through the infirmary entrance, Yuna remained looking down the corridor for several seconds.
She didn't know how many remnants had managed to enter headquarters.
She didn't know how much longer the invasion would last either.
But at least in this part of the building, there was still a path through which the wounded could escape.
She returned to the students.
Kenta had gotten back to his feet, although he already looked as though he regretted doing so.
Chiho put away her bow.
"Are we done?" she asked.
Yuna looked over the western access one last time.
"With our part, for now."
Kenta sighed.
"There are those words again."
Chiho let out a short laugh.
Yuna couldn't help smiling.
The three of them started walking toward an area where they could rest and recover some of their strength before receiving new instructions.
Behind them, the relief hunters continued watching the entrances.
The western access was still standing.
And, for a little while longer, the route to the infirmary would remain open.