A Sudden Battle

Just as Kaguya was wondering why AST hadn't yet attempted to capture her, she quickly realized the reason: Kotori hadn't informed AST about her. For someone like Kotori, relying on others would be beneath her; otherwise, she'd have collaborated with AST or DEM Corporation by now instead of handling everything alone.

Origami led her to the registration office to officially enlist. But to Kaguya's surprise, joining AST required quite a tedious amount of paperwork, including filling out forms and even providing marriage or single status certificates.

Kaguya blinked in confusion.

A marriage certificate? Seriously? What could that possibly have to do with joining AST? Was she accidentally signing up for a matchmaking agency?

Fortunately, with Origami's help, her registration process was significantly simplified, requiring her only to fill out a single form. It really was true—connections made everything easier.

With the process completed, Kaguya looked at her new ID, noticing how well it captured her appearance. This was far from her past experience when she'd had to retake her ID photo because the initial one turned out embarrassingly bad.

As a new member of AST, Kaguya received her official ID, a pass, and was even assigned a dorm room with salary and benefits. It was unexpectedly considerate.

"To celebrate you joining AST," Origami said, turning toward her with bright eyes, "let's go out and celebrate."

Though Origami's face remained cool and expressionless, Kaguya got the distinct impression that her mood was lifted.

"Alright," Kaguya replied with a smile. "Let's go get something to eat then. You can show me to the nearest market."

"Mm." Origami took hold of the edge of Kaguya's jacket and nodded softly.

But just as they were preparing to head out, a piercing alarm blared from the skies above.

"Spacequake detected. Spacequake detected. All civilians, proceed in an orderly manner to the nearest shelter. Combat personnel, prepare for first-level engagement. Stand by for deployment."

Kaguya froze and turned toward the sound, her eyes narrowing as she spotted a giant figure roughly a kilometer away. It stood around seven or eight stories tall, its entire body glistening with ice and snow, shaped vaguely like a rabbit, with dense mist swirling around it as it crashed wildly through the city.

"That's... Yoshino."

Her gaze remained fixed on the massive ice-covered rabbit; it could only be Yoshino's Angel.

By now, AST had arrived at the scene, hovering mid-air with customized automatic rifles at the ready, unleashing a rain of bullets on the icy creature. Even from where Kaguya stood, she could clearly hear the gunfire.

As the battle intensified, dark clouds loomed, casting an eerie chill over the area as heavy snow began to fall, unmistakably Yoshino's ability at work.

Origami, noticing the commotion, hurriedly handed her keys to Kaguya. "I have a mission. I'll be back shortly. Wait for me in the dorm."

Suddenly, as if realizing something, she turned back to Kaguya, her gaze serious. "A shipment of weapons from DEM Corporation arrived recently. They're supposedly designed specifically to counter Spirits and can deal significant damage. Promise me you won't go."

DEM Corporation.

Kaguya's brows furrowed slightly.

In the original story, DEM wasn't a minor player. As a world-leading corporation and the only organization besides Ratatoskr capable of producing Realizer units, it supplied covert military and police forces worldwide, including AST, with Realizer devices, advocating for the aggressive elimination of Spirits.

If any humans possessed Spirit-level power, they would likely be from DEM. Their strength extended far beyond what was immediately apparent. Some of its members, like Ellen Mira Mathers, could even overpower Spirits, her strength surpassing even Tohka's.

Though DEM Corporation publicly advocated for Spirit destruction, they had secretly been studying Spirits in pursuit of their power, even capturing and imprisoning other Spirits for this purpose. To think of them merely as an arms dealer would be grossly naive.

Given that DEM had reportedly developed Spirit-specific weapons, Kaguya's thoughts turned more serious, understanding why Origami was so adamant that she not get involved.

Kaguya initially considered watching the battle herself, but seeing the rare, pleading look on Origami's usually stoic face, she felt her heart soften and smiled. "Alright. I'll stay home and wait for you."

Origami flinched slightly at the word "home," quickly nodding and saying, "Mm. I'll go now."

With that, she dashed toward the weapons armory, her usual composure replaced with a hint of nervousness.

Soon, a fully armed Origami emerged from the armory, stepping forward with a determined look. Her foot touched down, and with a burst of high-speed thrust from her back unit, she soared into the sky, racing toward the site of the fierce battle.

Watching Origami's figure disappear into the distance and seeing the escalating battle, Kaguya smiled slightly, slipping the key into her pocket. She turned toward a shadowed alley, vanishing like smoke into the darkness before she could even enter it fully.

"We've got her surrounded, Captain. Ready to deploy the equipment." One of the AST members shouted from above.

"Excellent," Ryoko Kusakabe replied with a confident smile. "As arrogant as those DEM types are, they've made some impressive weapons. Tighten the perimeter and commence the operation!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Rat-tat-tat!

Deafening gunfire roared as blazing hot bullets surged forth in a torrent of metal, raining down upon the petite girl atop the ice rabbit like a relentless storm. The bullets struck Yoshino's shield, creating showers of sparks.

"It hurts... it hurts... it's so scary," whimpered the small blue-haired girl on the rabbit's back, tears welling in her wide eyes.

Calling her a "young girl" wasn't quite accurate—she looked more like a young, tender-hearted girl of about fourteen, with large blue eyes and porcelain skin that gave her the appearance of a delicate doll. Her slim figure lacked the curves of a mature girl, making her seem all the more cute and childlike.

Yoshino was in a dire situation, surrounded by AST members on all sides. Though the bullets couldn't penetrate her shield, they were rapidly draining her Spirit energy. The sweat beading on her forehead was proof of the toll this was taking; once her energy was exhausted, her defeat was certain.

Suddenly, a large energy net dropped from above, enclosing the ice rabbit.

"We got it!"

An AST member, taken aback at first, grinned and quickly shouted to Ryoko Kusakabe, "Captain, it's a success!"

"Good," Kusakabe clenched her fist, her face lighting up with a victorious smile. "Get the DEM weapon ready."

A huge device the size of several men rose from the ground, operated by three people. It resembled a mechanized cannon of some sort. Most notable was its oversized cannon barrel, which occupied half the machine's frame. Instead of standard shells, the barrel was covered with intricate runic markings, emanating a sinister aura.

Sensing imminent danger, Yoshino's rabbit began thrashing about, crashing wildly against the net. But the net held strong, preventing it from breaking free.

Kusakabe raised her arm.

"Fire!"

At her command, a massive beam of light erupted from the cannon barrel, its dazzling glow swallowing the entire battlefield in a blinding white, outshining even the sun. The intensity forced everyone to shield their eyes.

"Boom!"

The deafening blast was followed by a powerful shockwave that swept across the area, strong enough to knock AST members off balance, some even sent flying in surprise.

When they opened their eyes again, the sight before them left them stunned. A massive crater, a hundred meters in diameter and tens of meters deep, had formed in the earth. The rock inside had been superheated into red molten lava. The surrounding area was a wasteland of destruction, with all buildings within a several-kilometer radius flattened and black smoke billowing from the ruins.

"Incredible..." murmured one AST member, gaping in shock.

Ryoko Kusakabe herself was also speechless, momentarily taken aback. She recalled DEM's assurances about the weapon's potency, something she had scoffed at—but now, its destructive power was undeniable.

"Wait," Kusakabe snapped back to attention. "Where's the Spirit?"

The AST members around her looked puzzled. They'd been so focused on the weapon's firepower that they'd lost track of their actual target.

"Captain, over there!" one AST member shouted, pointing off in the distance.

In the distance, two dark figures seemed locked in battle.

Kusakabe, squinting to see, recognized one of them and smiled. "It's Origami! Great job, everyone—pursue them!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Yoshino was clearly struggling, her once pristine clothing now smudged with soot and burn marks. One of her rabbit ears was missing, while the other was badly singed. Normally, her Spirit attire would repair itself as long as she retained Spirit power, but now it was evident she was near her limit.

The recent attack hadn't dealt her a fatal blow, but it had shattered her shield and destroyed her ice rabbit, draining her Spirit energy severely. She was now so weakened that even summoning her Angel was out of reach.

The new weapon bore a striking resemblance to DEM's "White Lycoris" machine, not only in design but even in fine details. For those familiar with it, such formidable firepower from the machine was hardly surprising.

Moreover, Yoshino's combat abilities were low compared to other Spirits—perhaps even the weakest, especially given her lack of will to fight. Her current clash with Origami was more an act of survival than a battle.

Exhausted and panicked, Yoshino stumbled away, her face flushed, breathing heavily as she struggled to run. Beads of sweat covered her as she stumbled, too fatigued even to fly.

"So... so scary..." Tears filled Yoshino's large blue eyes, her face a picture of fear, like any ordinary young girl.

Suddenly, a shadow flashed overhead as another large net descended, ensnaring Yoshino, who lost her balance and fell to the ground.

"Got her!" an AST member shouted in delight.

"Well done!" Kusakabe cheered. "Take her in!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

But just as Origami and the others were about to close in, a powerful surge of Spirit energy erupted from Yoshino, freezing everything within a fifty-meter radius in solid ice, including several AST members who were caught and turned into ice sculptures.

"Roar!" Another giant ice rabbit reappeared, bounding off into the distance in a desperate bid to escape, albeit noticeably smaller than before.

It seemed that Yoshino's terror had unleashed one last burst of energy, allowing her to break free from the net. However, this burst was merely a brief revival; her energy was almost entirely depleted, and she wouldn't last much longer.

"What should we do, Captain?" an AST member asked, turning to Kusakabe.

"We can't let this go on," Kusakabe bit her lip, weighing her options. "If we allow this, the city will suffer catastrophic damage. Prepare the new weapon for another shot."

"Wait, Captain," Origami interrupted over the communication line. "There's no need for such firepower. Hermit is already weakened and won't hold out much longer."

"It's too late," Kusakabe said grimly. "Look at the direction she's heading."

Origami froze, glancing toward the path of the ice rabbit. "Could it be..."

"That's right," Kusakabe said, her expression hardening. "She's headed for the city center. Although the people have evacuated, most of those buildings belong to DEM Corporation. If she reaches that area, the damage will be extensive."

"But—" Origami protested.

"No buts," Kusakabe cut her off. "This is the only choice we have left. You know as well as I do that Spirits are the enemies of humanity, responsible for countless deaths. Would you still show mercy?"

Origami fell silent, at a loss for words.

"Prepare the weapon for another attack," Kusakabe ordered.

"Yes, ma'am!"

A blinding column of light shot forth, slicing through the sky at impossible speed as it targeted Yoshino.

But Yoshino, now utterly drained, had no means left to defend herself. She could only watch as the beam closed in, seconds away from impact.

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