Chapter III: Excalibur, Golden Blade of Glory
“It’s cold!” Ichika wrapped his arms around himself as he stepped out of the airport.
“Again? You should realize, the further north you go, the colder it’ll get.” Charlotte took off her own cap and smiled in satisfaction as she placed it on Ichika’s head.
Seeing her expression, Ichika couldn’t help but laugh himself. Leaving the airport, they were greeted beside the roundabout by the squad who had come from Germany.
“I-Ichika?! Aren’t you rather close to Charlotte?” Their happy, contented air was anything but calming to Cecilia. She couldn’t help but imagine what had happened in France that had brought them closer together. “D-Did something happen in France?”
“We just—”
As Ichika began to explain, a mad dog who’d slipped her collar began to howl. “You little shits! Let me the hell go! Gahhh— You’re gonna break my fucking neck, shit-for-brains!”
The source of the commotion was Autumn. Chifuyu, already well-practiced at this, had put her in an arm lock. “...Well, a lot happened,” Charlotte sighed.
Noticing the bandages on Ichika’s face, Cecilia was alarmed. “Ichika, are you all right?! Charlotte! What happened to him?!”
Ichika calmed her with a quick headpat and said, “I’m fine.”
“Ah... Yes...” Cecilia blushed and stared down, a child’s embarrassed blush.
Houki and Ling were less than pleased. The reunion wasn’t a cause for joy. Just a return to how things should have been to begin with, in their minds.
“Anyway! I saw your IS on TV, Charlotte! That was amazing!” Ling shoved a French newspaper at them.
“What’s it say? ‘The second coming of La Pucelle de France?! Charlotte Dunois and the world’s first dual-core IS, Rein Carnation’... It’s already in the papers?!” Albert must have been pulling strings. Once he set his mind on something, there was no stopping him.
“That guy...”
He may have gotten over his anger, and he may have just thrown up his hands in frustration and moved on. Taken charitably, it may have been an attempt to protect Charlotte. But from anyone else’s viewpoint, it was the actions of an embarrassingly proud dad. On the front page was a photo of Charlotte’s face, she hadn’t even realized there was a photographer there.
“Ah, wait... Aaaaaahhhhhhhh!” Flustered, Charlotte grabbed the newspaper from Ichika and tore it up. “Y-You didn’t even see this! Right, Ichika?”
“Uh, sure.”
Charlotte blushingly curled up into herself, embarrassed at her family.
“Ahem! In any case, welcome, Ichika! Welcome, everyone! Welcome to Great Britain!” Cecilia gave a prim curtsy, the very picture of a proper lady. Behind her, her maids lined up. Twenty-four of them, flanking her on either side. She looked like Moses parting the seas.
But what was unusual was that the Alcotts’ chief maid Chelsea was not present. Ichika couldn’t help but notice the dark undertone to Cecilia’s smile.
“Hey, Cecilia—”
“CHICHAN!” Rushing up trailing a cloud of dust came none other but the inventor of the IS (and current Interpol Red Notice subject) Shinonono Tabane. “I’ve missed you sooooo much! Oh! And Houki’s here too! And even Icky! The All-Stars are all here, ehehe.”
Tabane wiped a vein of drool from her face as Chifuyu held her off with a single hand. They were always like this. But Ichika couldn’t help but have his doubts. She was a Phantom Task higher-up, trouble on two feet—a lit stick of dynamite.
“Chifuyu, what on earth...”
“Let me explain.” Chifuyu rasped out a sigh, and began to speak sternly. “The upcoming mission is a joint operation between European Union high command, IS Academy officials... And Phantom Task.”
“Wh—?!”
Chifuyu stepped forward as their jaws dropped. “Quiet down! We move out at sixteen hundred hours, four hours from now. The operation is called...”
[Sword Breaker!]
Elsewhere, at a Royal Air Force base. Dozens of technical staff were milling around.
“I don’t understand what’s going on...” Ichika cradled his head in his arms as his fellow pilots put their IS through their checklists. His own Byakushiki had been changed to ‘Unlimited’ combat mode, equipped with reactive armor, a shield, and a top-secret package, all being attended to by the mechanics passing by him. “What are they even doing? All my expansion slots are already full. I hope that black box package even does something...”
An engineer, overhearing his murmuring, slapped him on the butt.
“Whoa!”
“Hey there, cutie. Long time no see.” A school swimsuit-style IS suit on her body, a lab coat, swim goggles on her head, and a harpoon in her hand. It was half a world away from where they’d met, but Ichika still recognized her instantly.
“Kagaribi Hikaruno?!”
“Haaaaaaaai! The lady of your dreams, Kagaribi Hikaruno! Back by popular demand!” She snapped her swim goggles off. He could see she was still dripping wet. She’d probably just been diving again, but there was no way to really tell. “I’ve got something super-special for you today! An attachment to finally let Byakushiki take expansions! Of course, Professor Shinonono took the lead in development—”
As if summoned, Tabane popped her head up. “Icky, you should take a walk somewhere while I take a look at Byakushiki.”
“Really? That’s kind of out of nowhere.”
“You’re in England! Take in the sights! There’s no reason you have to be cooped up in here just because everyone else is.”
Ignoring Hikaruno, Tabane looked straight at Cecilia; who, remembering their previous encounter, gulped.
“Hey, Cecilia! Why don’t you take Icky somewhere?”
“Huh?” Ichika, Cecilia, and even Chifuyu gasped in surprise.
Tabane had always been one to straight-up ignore the people around her. As they wondered just what had made her change, Tabane pushed Ichika forward.
“Go for it!” she said. Nervously, Ichika approached Cecilia. “C’mon, you’d better get going!”
Tabane pushed Cecilia toward Ichika before returning to her work. That, at least, was the Tabane they all knew.
“Er, um...”
“Shall we?”
Two others crept up on them as they nervously wavered. Ling and Houki.
“Hold it, Ceci—hrmph!”
“Hey, Ichi—hlmph!”
As if driven by a sixth sense, Chifuyu caught them and clamped a hand over each of their mouths.
“Don’t you two have some checklists to run down? This mission’s going to take everything your IS have.” Her eyes gleamed. There was no arguing with that.
“Understood...”
Tabane flashed Chifuyu a thumbs-up. All she could respond with was a sigh.
Cecilia practically skipped down a brick-paved avenue as she dragged a nervous Ichika by his hand. This is finally my chance! It’s like they say in Japan, ‘mochi fallen from a shelf’! Cecilia tried not to clench her fists in excitement. I need to take it slowly, coolly, but boldly! Just like Sherlock Holmes would!
Focusing on the ‘boldly’ part, she realized something. Oh no! My lingerie today... I didn’t wear anything special... Forgetting a girl’s final weapon, her date night panties, was a fatal mistake. But this was all so unexpected. Cecilia tried to convince herself that it wasn’t her own fault. What was the line in that show? Ah, yes! ‘Fortune is a fickle ally’! Thinking back to an anime Kanzashi had sat her down and made her watch, she tried to pump herself up. Anyway! I do still need to show Ichika London. She let go of his hand, before wrapping her arm around him.
“Uhh, Cecilia...”
“You’re cold, aren’t you? This should warm you up a bit.”
“I guess, but...” For once, Ichika decided to shut up rather than draw attention.
“Shall we be off, then? I have so much to show you!”
Ichika knew well that there was no way he could stop Cecilia once she got started. I guess it’s a good way to keep her mind off Chelsea. He had his own way of caring. And no matter how embarrassing it was for him, he wasn’t going to slip out of her embrace.
“Cecilia, I know it’s not all that fun, but do you know where I could get a coat? It really is cold here.”
“I know just the place! I’m sure you’ll find something perfect for you.” She smiled, pleased with herself.
Ichika walked along beside her, entranced by its gleam. “If it’s something you recommend, won’t it be expensive, though?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll cover it.”
“You don’t have to—”
“Why, it’s nothing to worry about. I’m an Alcott. I have a castle, for goodness’ sake.” Meaning she was nobility. They really did live in different worlds.
“Thanks, then.”
“If it bothers you that much, you’re welcome to pay me back, of course.”
“Eesh. Uhh, maybe I don’t need a coat.”
“Ahaha, I was only kidding.” Cecilia, feeling even better, held Ichika tighter. His pulse began to rise as he felt her chest rub against him.
“And here we are.”
Ten minutes later, they’d arrived at a shop right in the middle of a block on the high street. Ichika marveled at its very English fusion of classical design and high style. As he gawked at his surroundings, an English gentleman poked his head out to receive them.
“Why, if it isn’t Miss Alcott. And such a marvelous young man. It’s an honor to be graced by your presence.”
“Why, thank you,” said Cecilia with a nod. “Go ahead, Ichika.”
“Huh? Ah. Okay.” He pushed the heavy door open and stepped into a warm room heavy with tradition. As he slid his borrowed coat off, a gentleman, dressed in black, stepped up to take it.
“Your coat, if I may,” said the man.
“Th-Thanks.” He awkwardly handed it over, and the man stepped back. Not being asked for his name or given a claim check was definitely a departure from how things worked in Japan. “H-Hey, Cecilia. I’m a bit out of place here.”
“Why, not at all! Look at that coat there, I think it would be wonderful on you.”
The lack of a price tag made Ichika nervous as the attendant helpfully raised it so he could thread his arms through. It was a trenchcoat, in all black. It made him look more mature.
Cecilia gasped in relish as he tried it on.
“Oh my! Ichika, it looks wonderful on you!”
“Really?” He wasn’t much one to argue with praise.
“We’ll take this one. He’ll be wearing it, so no need to wrap it. Bill it to my account.” Cecilia quickly handled the formalities and, arm-in-arm, they stepped out of the shop. “It’s the British way to decide these sorts of things on first impression.”
Ichika wasn’t sure if she was joking with him or not, but she followed up with a wink.
“Well, if you say so.”
“Would I lie?”
Next up was a stroll around London. The well-made coat was warmer than it looked, and protected Ichika from the winter chill. And also made Cecilia’s warmth and curves feel a little bit further away.
“Let me show you a café next, Ichika. They have my favorite tea.” A playful smile drifted to her face, before suddenly being wiped off. “Chelsea...?”
Cecilia spied her across the road, in the corner of her vision. Chelsea wasn’t wearing her usual maid outfit. Instead, she had on Phantom Task’s trademark black cloak.
“Catch me if you can,” she intoned quietly. The words were lost in the drone of a passing car’s exhaust, but the meaning came through loud and clear.
“Ichika!”
“I know!”
They had no IS. But they had to give chase. Neither was experienced enough to pass over the obvious bait.
“Then, let’s go over the special O.V.E.R.S. packages that your IS have been equipped with.” Every checklist had been checked, every feature tuned, and now Chifuyu had summoned Houki, Ling, and Laura for a briefing.
“What about Ichika and Cecilia?” asked Houki, nervously raising her hand. The three there were already in their IS suits.
“Those two will be taking a different role in the mission. Cecilia’s IS is more suited for a different package, and doesn’t require this explanation... I’ll be explaining to Orimura directly.”
“Okay then!” called out Kagaribi Hikaruno, striking a strange pose as she made her entrance. “Let me explain my very own Output Variable Energy Reverse System package!”
Chifuyu ignored Hikaruno’s thumbs-up. It was hard to imagine them as classmates. But, then and now, Chifuyu had always paid much more attention to Tabane.
“Umm, let’s see...” continued Hikaruno. “The O.V.E.R.S. is able to amplify and shift a small source of energy to provide a massive energy output—”
As if waiting for these words, Tabane swooped in and said, “That’s just like Akatsubaki’s Kenran Butou! What a coincidence! It’s almost like—”
“Almost like I copied from the Akatsubaki.” Hikaruno defanged Tabane’s sudden glare with a flat admission. “Ugh...”
There was no reason for the three IS Academy students to know this, but it was the first step in the focus of Kagaribi Hikaruno’s current project: the Mass-Produced Akatsubaki Plan. But she’d been seen through. Not like it was difficult.
“You’re twelve thousand years too early to sneak something like that by me,” Tabane chuckled smugly.
“...If I may proceed?”
“Ohh, of course, Chichan!” Tabane saw an opportunity to sneak a hug and dove in, only to be silenced by Chifuyu’s fist.
“The mission will require the O.V.E.R.S.-equipped IS to link. In order to synchronize output levels, the Akatsubaki will be equipped with one as well,” Chifuyu went on. “Ms. Yamada and Kanzashi will provide backup. Dunois’s IS is still unstable, so for this mission she will be held in reserve on Earth along with Tatenashi.”
‘On Earth’ silenced the pilots.
“The theater of operation will be...” Chifuyu pointed a finger straight up. “Space.”
“Haah... Haaah...” Ichika and Cecilia chased Chelsea through the crowded streets for nearly 20 minutes and were out of breath.
“Wow, she’s fast.”
“We’ve almost got her. This is a—”
It was a dead end. Something which Chelsea knew as well.
“Such determination. As I expected of you.”
“Enough formality. Let’s finish this!” Cecilia sprung forth as forcefully as she yelled, striking gracefully, beautifully, but more than anything forcefully. With a loud clang, their swords met—and Chelsea’s was cut through. “Third!”
Even though Chelsea was disarmed, Cecilia pressed the attack. She knew what was next. She couldn’t not know. Chelsea was like a sister to her—as far back as she could remember, they’d learned together, trained together. And in this situation, there would be only one response.
“......!”
Chelsea grabbed her own broken blade from midair and, ignoring the blood welling up from her hand as she gripped it, thrust toward Cecilia’s eyes. And those eyes, burning blue, turned toward it. Firmly. Fearlessly. Unflinchingly. As if there were only two things in the world. The blade. And Chelsea beyond it.
“.........”
The duel was over. Chelsea’s blade stopped, a hair’s breadth from Cecilia’s eyes. Cecilia’s, a hair’s breadth from Chelsea’s jugular.
“A draw, then.” Cecilia cast away her weapon. Realizing that the battle was over, Ichika hurried to wrap his coat around Cecilia. “Thank you, Ichika.”
“I, uh, I mean I kind of had to,” Ichika spoke nervously, knowing he’d seen something he wasn’t meant to. Cecilia looked at him bemusedly. And Chelsea, watching the glow between them, closed her eyes.
“Welcome back, Mistress.”
Cecilia nodded in satisfaction.
“I’m home, Chelsea.”
The duel between master and servant had concluded.
A helicopter from the RAF’s IS special forces squadron carried them to their destination in the Highlands.
“Let’s go over the operation again.” Chifuyu’s voice came over the radio. “Orimura. Shinonono. Huang. Bodewig. You’re to ascend to orbit using the graviton catapult and make contact with Excalibur. I’ll be blunt. You’re decoys. Your job is to draw the attention of the defenders while Alcott makes a long-range sniping attack from the surface using a BT particle accelerator. The success of the operation rests in her hands.”
Ichika waved to Cecilia across the aisle to reassure her and said, “Don’t worry. We’re all in this together. It’ll be fine.”
“Ichika...”
A projection display opened between them, as if to interrupt.
“This is your target.” A sword, floating in space. Its 15-meter length focused sunlight before unleashing it on the Earth. More images showed its blade splitting, and a field forming between its prongs like a lens.
“This is...”
‘Like an IS’ sprang to mind.
Chifuyu, noticing the realization, turned to Chelsea.
“Chelsea Blankett. Fill them in.”
“If I may. Officially, the Excalibur is a top-secret bombardment satellite built by the US and England. In reality, it’s an IS fused with a human being.” The cadets weren’t sure how far they should trust her. “You might ask how I know this. The answer is, my little sister Exia Caliburn is its pilot... No, its core,” Chelsea intoned solemnly.
Cecilia was shocked. “Chelsea, you have a little sister?! You never—”
“Had. She’d been completely erased from government records. And I searched for her, for so, so long...”
The cadets gasped in shock. It was impossible to even imagine what Chelsea must have felt when she found out.
“Wait. Excalibur was under Phantom Task control when it attacked Japan. So why are you helping destroy it?” There was that one unanswered question, and Cecilia was sharp enough to bring it up.
“It’s gone out of control. Maybe she awakened. Maybe there was another reason. I don’t know. But now, Excalibur has left its orbit and is moving toward England. Its target is Buckingham Palace. There’s no time to lose.”
The royal family had already been evacuated, but the destruction of a national symbol would be sure to have a major societal impact. Therefore, it fell upon IS Academy to secretly recapture or destroy Excalibur. IS Academy, with the latest IS and no geopolitical entanglements. Not to mention, an insistence by Tabane that her own participation was tied to that of its cadets.
“I may have stolen the third Blue Tears unit and joined Phantom Task, but my country—and my sister—were always my highest priority.” Chelsea fell silent and closed her eyes. No one could possibly understand the depth of her self-loathing—except Cecilia.
“Chelsea, when this is all over...” She understood that the cryptic challenges had been to help her grow. She knew that Chelsea’s loyalty had been unwavering.
“I accept whatever punishment is chosen for me.”
“No... When this is over, Chelsea, I expect us to have tea. Understood?”
“Mistress... It would be an honor.”
Madoka, pilot of the stolen Silent Zephyrus and its upgraded form Kurokishi, watched with obvious boredom. Even more displeasing to her was being kept in a separate helicopter from Chifuyu.
“Tch. A fricking tea party? Are you serious?” Her voice practically dripped with venom. She opened her locket for a moment and stared inside before tucking it back under her blouse and glaring at Ichika. “We’ll settle this once and for all.”
Ichika, feeling her glare, replied softly, “Yes. We will.”
There would be no one there to stop them. No matter what Chifuyu thought. The hand of fate weighed upon them as they silently passed time until arrival.
“This is...” A forested mountain, far away from civilization. The only sign of human life, a gigantic structure which looked like an observatory.
“This is our BT particle accelerator. The air defense cannon ‘Afternoon Blue.’” Chifuyu alighted from another helicopter and met up with the group. She looked like she had something to say, but then changed her mind. After all, Madoka was there. No matter what was going through her mind, she had to stay composed. “All right! Take up your positions! Blue Tears units, sync with Afternoon Blue. Orbital detachment, get busy with final adjustments to your O.V.E.R.S. packages!”
The time to rise to the heavens had come. Strangely enough, to do battle with another IS.
“Outer space... Really, what’s going on with IS Academy?” It was an obvious question, and one which slowed Ichika as he started in on tuning. I have a bad feeling about this... I hope it’s just nerves. It was something he’d felt before, though. Not just fear... Premonition. Silently, he buried his head in preparations, trying to shake the feeling that was haunting him.
“Commence operations!”
Three gravitational anchors sunk in the earth marked their spots. Within those technological ley lines, Ichika, Houki, Ling, and Laura waited in four graviton catapults, their IS deployed.
“Liftoff in ten, nine, eight, seven, six...” Kanzashi, assisting Maya as an operator in the command center, counted down the seconds.
The air was still; their expressions were serious. This was the moment they were waiting for. Energy focused in the catapults, and for a moment, a weightless sensation overtook them, before the anchors spread open like flower petals.
“Three, two, one... Liftoff!” With a loud crack, they flew into the skies. Already at the maximum speed their engines could afford, they activated their O.V.E.R.S. packs and began to rise out of Earth’s gravitational pull.
“I’m counting on you...” As Chifuyu watched them, at arm’s length on the monitor but thousands of leagues away, she tried her hardest to shake off a strange sense of impending doom. “Blue Tears units, begin transfer of BT particles to the accelerator. Hold fire until ordered.”
“Roger.”
With two of the three Blue Tears units under Phantom Task control, it was best to make the normally unspoken clear. But anyway, there was no time left to worry. Mission Control were busy at their stations.
“Internal reports, prepared. Cover story, prepared.”
“Operation Candid progress, ninety-five percent.”
“Afternoon Blue utilization, steady at seventy percent. Beginning final power up.”
“Orbital detachment, energy share link established.”
Chifuyu and Maya listened to the status reports through one ear while tracking mission progress. This mission was different. It was life-and-death for the students in their care. Even the smallest detail was vital.
What pushed Excalibur over the edge, anyway? Why now? Chifuyu could only think of one answer. Shinonono Tabane. What kind of genius would she be without a plan? Very well, then. So I have to... She couldn’t hold anything back either. That much, she had to promise to herself.
“What good is this supposed to be, anyway?” They were almost to the stratosphere, and Ichika looked down at his shield doubtfully.
“They’ve got mega-hi beams, right? You’d melt like an ice cube without it.” Laura’s explanation didn’t seem to shake Ichika at all. “Anyway, it’s supposed to layer with your IS’ energy shield and be far more effective than either one alone. You’ll be fine. Just have to trust in German engineering.”
It was the first time Ichika had ever seen her not quite be confident in what she said.
“Houki. Get Kenran Butou ready to go.” Houki was unsettled by Ichika’s sudden suggestion.
“Incoming!” At Ichika’s shout, the four IS scattered. First a blast of plasma, then a residual tingle, filled the void where they’d been.
“Wh-What the hell was that?!” Laura’s eyes flitted over a readout. “Three times expected?! Impossible! We can’t—”
“Laura! Get a hold of yourself!”
Swiping the display off to the side, Laura focused on dodging the next salvo.
“Houki! Ling! Don’t let any shots get through to Cecilia!”
“On it!”
Just like Ichika had a shield, the others were outfitted with missile launchers. The warheads were equipped with radar jamming-technology that could block an IS’ sensors... At least, they were supposed to be.
“They’re picking them out of the air!” The beam danced over the battlefield from missile to missile. Giving up on the missiles, the girls purged their remaining ammunition.
No one was happy to have ‘finally made it.’ Not seeing the chaos left in the wake of the beams they’d dodged. A spray of debris. A hail of meteoroids. They may have been through it in a simulator, but real life was far more complex.
“We just need to get close!” Ichika activated Ignition Boost and charged. But his confidence only lasted a moment.
“It’s splitting?!” Excalibur’s blade separated into four, each part its own all-range assault satellite. “Houki! Shields up! Power them with Kenran Butou!”
“Got it!” Houki nodded. But then the unexpected happened. “Wh—?!”
A low shudder shook Akatsubaki as the O.V.E.R.S. pack began to explode.
“That pile of scrap!” Houki quickly purged the pack and brought Kenran Butou up to full power. But that was enough time for Excalibur to pick up an energy signature on Earth. Cecilia’s.
“Dammit!” A quick Ignition Boost, and Ichika was in front of Excalibur, his shield pressed up into its line of fire. “Energy link, full power to Setsura’s shield! We can do it!”
A full-power plasma blast. Ichika met it head-on. But—
“Ichika!” Houki, Ling, Laura all screamed.
As he tried to block the massive energy blast all by himself, Ichika’s shield gradually melted away.
“Laura!” Every muscle in Laura’s body tensed as he called out her name. The feeling of dread overcame her. “You can handle this. I believe in you.”
That was the last thing she heard before the light swallowed him.
“ICHIKAAAAAAAA!” Three cries were swallowed by the emptiness of space.
“Vital signs from Orimura... Flatline...” Maya’s voice was hollow with shock.
Chifuyu gazed past her monitor with a thousand-yard stare.
Orimura Ichika was dead.
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