Chapter 38: TS Girl Fights the Event Enemy

I forcefully grab Mahiro’s hand and start running toward the Deep Calamity. I think it’s this way… probably.

For now, we leave the building and head toward the sea.

Originally, I only stepped out thinking maybe Nagisa-kun and Honoka would go check things out anyway.

More importantly… why was Kisa even grabbing Mahiro in the first place? Then again, Kisa’s kind of like that—like a cat that instinctively snatches anything that moves.

…Wait. I can feel trembling through the hand I’m holding.

What is this guy—scared of me?

I glance back slightly to check on him.

He’s not exactly trembling… more like restless. It’s hard to tell.

Hey, you know, I’m the one who should be scared here—I’m the one who almost got kidnapped, okay?

Miss me with that yandere trait. We’ve got plenty of unstable types already, so we’re good on that front.

…Actually, more importantly, Iijima Kanon being unable to deploy is, well… kind of a huge problem.

No, seriously—what do we do?

Iijima Kanon’s skill, Sound Wave, works by producing controlled sound to distract enemies or apply buffs.

Beast-type Deep Calamities react excessively to sound. So you can lure not just them, but also surrounding mobs—it’s incredibly useful.

In the Fourth Deep Calamity Disaster, a mixed-type Deep Calamity forms the core, and beast-types spill out from it.

You have to push through those and reach the mixed-type to defeat it, but with Iijima Kanon, you can basically skip the mob fights. You conserve your strength and go straight to the boss.

Without that… yeah, this is going to be rough. Can we even manage?

Well, I might be stronger right now since I’m in Abaddon state, but still.

But—I just thought of a solution.

From the looks of it, Mahiro’s ability is copying, right? Then if he copies Sound Wave, problem solved.

Yep, easy win. …Wow, I might be a bit too hyped right after waking up.

"Um, Sora-chan…"

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Your hand… it’s soft…"

"Are you some kind of hardcore hand-obsessed freak?"

Wait—are you seriously enjoying the feel of my hand? That’s… kind of gross.

I mean, yeah, it does feel like he’s squeezing it a bit.

…Well, whatever for now.

There’s just something about Mahiro… like you can’t leave him alone. In a different way from us, he feels kind of… worn down.

That nervous, fidgety behavior—it fits.

If Nagisa-kun were here, he’d definitely reach out to help, so I guess I’ll do it instead.

…Also, if I don’t actively do something, my mental state is probably going to crumble.

"S-Sorry. I said something weird…"

"A bit late for that, don’t you think? You’ve said things like that before too."

"Eek—sorryyy…!"

"Haven’t you been apologizing this whole time? It’s fine, really. Anyway—we’re going to take down the Deep Calamity now."

"O-Okay!"

Huh. So he can answer energetically.

Alright then, let’s go together.

…Though seriously, everyone, hurry up. Just the two of us is kind of nerve-wracking.

—Grrrrrrrr…

An unpleasant growl claws its way into my ears.

Thud. Thud. A heavy, continuous rumble shakes the ground. Footsteps.

Peeking cautiously from behind cover, I see it—

A beast-type Deep Calamity… with three separate heads.

"C-Cerberus…"

Yeah, if you had to call it something, Cerberus. Though it’s pretty misshapen.

The heads aren’t aligned at all. One is normal, but the others are positioned on its right flank and left leg.

…A mixed-type Deep Calamity. And I don’t have Connect Link right now—doesn’t that mean I can’t fight properly?

Wait… that’s bad.

Mixed-types are strong. Back during the Fifth, I barely managed one alone.

Thud. Thud. It’s getting closer. It hasn’t spotted us yet, but if we don’t act fast, it could go on a rampage.

"A-Aozora-chan… is this okay?"

"Mm… yeah, this might be bad. I thought we could handle a normal Deep Calamity, but…"

"No way…"

Wait—hold on. This thing is still a beast-type, right?

"Mahiro, can’t you copy Iijima Kanon’s skill?"

"Huh? Um… I can’t copy it perfectly, but I can imitate it."

"Imitate?"

"Yeah. My skill just lets me temporarily use someone else’s ability."

"Temporarily?"

"Yeah… so I can’t use it to clear the Fourth Deep Calamity Disaster."

…Seriously?

So he can draw attention for a bit using a copied skill, but it’ll wear off before we reach the boss.

Yeah… that’s still rough.

"Ah—Sora-chan… it’s coming this way."

"Mm… Nagisa-kun and the others are late… guess we’ll have to try."

"W-Wait, what!?"

"《Saint Arts》—gh!?"

Something viscous spills inside my body.

Boiling. Something surges like it’s about to burst out, making my body shake.

Like a broken faucet about to explode.

…This is bad.

"A-Aozora-chan, are you okay!?"

"Sorry… doesn’t look like it…"

"What!? Ugh… I-I’ll do it!"

"Mahiro!?"

Crunch, crunch—his footsteps kick up sand as he runs. My hand reaches out to stop him, grasping nothing but air. I collapse onto the ground.

My body still won’t move. Not even a small skill works… I’m completely useless.

"《Install》—'Soul Flame.'"

His voice—no longer timid, but firm and powerful.

Maybe… he’s the type who steps up when it counts.

I force myself upright.

Gauntlets form over Mahiro’s hands, the same as Kisa’s.

Crackling sparks burst from his palms, scattering and popping at his feet.

Riding the blast, he leaps forward and strikes the Deep Calamity. Explosive flames burst from his fists, the recoil pushing him back just enough to dodge incoming attacks.

Wait… isn’t he actually pretty experienced?

Using the shockwaves to evade and confuse, he chips away at it bit by bit. He can’t defeat it, but he’s buying time.

Not bad, Mahiro.

"Sora-chan, sorry we’re late!"

"Akegami, are you okay?"

"You guys are late!"

Looks like everyone—including Nagisa-kun—finally made it.

"Akegami Sora, why exactly are you the one collapsed?"

"I tried to use a skill and messed up. Can I leave the rest to you guys?"

"Fine. Stay right there and don’t move, Akegami."

Honoka pulls out her hair tie. Her hair falls loose, cascading softly as it takes on a golden hue.

"Let’s do this, Connector."

"Got it. Everyone, we’re going in—'Connect Link.'"

Honoka and Nagisa-kun clasp hands. Then they link with Kisa and Reina as well, and in an instant, the Connect Link is fully established.

"Gyaah!"

Mahiro gets knocked aside by the Deep Calamity’s leg and goes flying. …Somehow, he looks mostly fine. Mixed-types are supposed to hit pretty hard, though.

Maybe since he’s a reincarnator, he has some kind of unfair advantage? Still, he’s not even supposed to be a main character.

"《Slash Territory》—switching to Full Auto."

"《Magic Word》—'Flame.'"

The Deep Calamity, about to follow up on Mahiro, is struck by slashes and fire. It scorches and tears at its surface, but it’s not a decisive blow.

Kisa charges in the same way, attacking with explosions, but it only makes it flinch.

One of the heads lunges to bite, and she manages to punch it back—but a kick from its foreleg sends her flying.

"Kisa-san!? …I can still feel her response—she’s alive."

Thanks to the Connect Link’s shared sensory effect, they can at least tell Kisa is safe.

Honoka’s flying slashes and Reina’s flames are covering things, but it’s rampaging so wildly that it’s hard to control.

…Yeah, we can’t quite finish it off. It’s just too strong.

Even back during the Fifth, taking down a mixed-type at the start was tough.

Team Blue Sky’s problem is simple: we lack a strong single-hit finisher.

For example, me—well, I’ve changed because of this Abaddon state—but I can handle offense, defense, even support… just not high-damage burst attacks.

Kisa has decent single-hit power, but taking down something this large is still rough.

Reina is more suited to wiping out groups than focusing damage.

Which leaves Honoka. She probably hasn’t realized it herself, so I’ll have to say it.

"Nagisa-kun, can you connect me for a second?"

"Yeah—'Connect Link.'"

The inside of me, which felt like it was falling apart, slowly begins to mend.

"Honoka, let’s do that thing—the one we used to take down a mixed-type before."

I push myself up and shout toward her.

Blocking a kick from the creature’s foreleg with her blade, Honoka turns toward me.

"That… ah, that one. Not exactly a memory I like to revisit…"

She pushes the leg back and steps away, creating distance.

Yeah… not a memory she’d want to relive.

After that day in middle school, Honoka and I were constantly deployed against Deep Calamities.

All the other survivors were too.

And once, back then, we fought a mixed-type.

Five people died. Just like that. We were already barely holding on, rushing through life on the edge.

So yeah… not something you want to remember.

"Akegami, this will take a little time."

"Yeah, figured."

…What should we do? Reina is strictly support—close combat is tough for her.

"《Magic Word》—'Ice.'"

Every now and then she freezes the ground beneath it to slow it down, but it’s too strong—it breaks through almost immediately.

"Nagisa-kun, how’s Kisa?"

"Huh? You called?"

"You’re already here."

When I turn around, Kisa is right beside me, letting out a light laugh.

"Kisa-san, I’ll heal you."

"Sorry, I let my guard down a bit."

She’s not seriously injured, but there are scrapes and bruises. She’s holding her stomach, too.

At this rate, Honoka won’t get an opening to charge her attack.

…Guess I’ll go. Though if I mess up, I might accidentally blow Nagisa-kun up too.

"《Install》—'Sound Wave.'"

—Keeeeeeen

A high-pitched ringing pierces the air.

"S-Sorry. I can only create a brief opening using Iijima-san’s skill."

The Deep Calamity’s movement falters, wavering. The sound seems to throw off its balance.

Mahiro, brushing sand off as he stands, slowly steps forward while activating his skill.

…Not bad, Mahiro. In that case, I’ll lend a hand too.

"《Saint Arts》—'Chain.'"

Chains of light burst from the ground, wrapping around the Deep Calamity and locking it in place. It’s already unsteady—this is enough.

"Well done, Akegami—and that weird one over there."

"W-Weird one!?"

"I’ll take it from here. Slash loaded. 《Slash Territory》—switching to Single-Point Focus."

Honoka’s blade begins to glow. She gathers all her slashing power into a single point—then releases it.

That’s Honoka’s… no, probably this team’s strongest attack.

The same desperate strike that once saved us when we were on the brink.

The slash, imbued into her downward swing, is unleashed in an instant.

And when it clears—

The Deep Calamity stands there, split clean in two.

Exhausted, Honoka drops into a seated position. Her hair fades back to its original brown, the length returning as well.

"Using that… it brings back memories from back then. I just don’t like it."

She mutters quietly.

She looks a little distant… a little melancholic. For a moment, I feel like patting her back—

…but I stop myself.