Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei - Volume 11 - Visitor (III) - Chapter 16.4

Hint: To Play after pausing the player, use this button

Add to favorites

"Honoka, please follow Pixie."

"Got it!"

Receiving Tatsuya's instructions, Honoka wasted no time. —Immediately after acknowledging, however, she realized she didn't know exactly what it was she was meant to be doing.

It was quite a Honoka-ish moment, but her subsequent action was just like her as well. Being told to 'follow', she decided to monitor her status for now and trained her optical magic towards Pixie.

Although that was easier said than done.

She lucked out.

Despite there being various interpretations for those words, Honoka decided to open the Psion circuits which linked her to Pixie.

There had been a total of 12 Parasites drawn to this world.

One currently inhabited the integrated auxiliary housework humanoid robot, the Humanoid Home Helper '3HP' Pixie.

Two had been sealed in today's battles.

Four had had their hosts killed by Lina, and one by Erika, releasing them.

Four more had self destructed, being likewise released.

A total of nine had lost their hosts, and that was the number of Parasites gathering here now. As their true bodies, the spirits were drawn to Pixie.

They were all Pushion bodies from the same dimension of information.

Originally, all 12 had been one 'consciousness'.

Having their true body exposed, they were now trying to return to one existence.

The nine Parasites had coalesced already.

Whilst sharing the consciousness of one, yet possessing nine wills, they were an amorphous Pushion mass.

That structure of one stem branching into nine, if one possessed 'eyes' capable of 'seeing' Pushions, one no doubt would have thought of one of the most famous spirits of this country, albeit with one head extra [9] .

And it was attempting to capture one more.

Spreading their nine necks, they resembled a 'serpent' bent on devouring Pixie.

Pixie fortified her barrier of 'will', and endured the storm.

That will, what drove 'her' now, was something imparted to her by the human who could be called her 'mother'. Even now these feelings from her 'mother' flowed into her matrix of Pushions, mixing in.

The will that she was not one of 'those'.

The will that she was not her own.

The will that she existed for 'him'.

A single individual's will would not normally be able to oppose 'those'.

But Pixie's 'mother', Honoka, was not normal.

She was a descendant of the 'Elements'. The blood of the Element of 'Light' flowed through her veins.

The Elements were those magicians who had first practitioned magic in this country, before the development of the Numbers.

Before the organisation and classification of the four systems and eight types, a classification based on the traditional attributes of 'earth', 'water', 'fire', 'wind', 'light' and 'thunder' had been used. The Elements had developed in accordance with this concept.

Upon the establishment of the four system eight type classification, however, the developments of those magicians following the traditional attributes became regarded as inefficient, and the development of the Elements ceased.

This could be said to be one of the frequently questioned episodes of the secret history of magic development.

However, the Elements also innately inherited — or were given — gifts separate from magic.

During the dawn of magic research. When fears and superstitions of those against magic ran rampant.

The authorities who practiced Elements development, being labeled as 'sorcerers' and 'witches', took it upon themselves to show that they would not be a threat. They had scientists incorporate into them genes compelling absolute obedience to their leaders.

Is this characteristic inheritable?

That is a question which is still unanswerable even now, vexing both psychologists and geneticists alike.

Even identical twins will grow up to have very different personalities. In light of this fact, it could be concluded that 'personalities are not inheritable'.

On the other hand if one goes back long enough through parent and child, grandparents and grandchildren, great grandparents and great grandchildren and so on, undeniable similarities begin to show which cannot be explained away by simple 'environmental factors'.

With this challenge the authorities had given to them, the genetic engineers took whatever steps they could.

As a result — although it cannot be said whether it was for better or worse — the 'descendants of the Elements' have a high chance of expressing a certain trait.

That is, dependency.

It was very commonly observed that they would have one specific person, usually of the opposite sex, that they would greatly attach to and rely on.

The descendants of the Elements themselves believed that their destinies were written in their genes.

Perhaps, using that as an excuse was their way of accepting their reliance on another.

The 'dependency' that they felt was not the publicly perceived emotional 'weakness'.

Some scholars have claimed that there was a more appropriate word for that 'dependency'.

That is, 'loyalty'.

An unshakable faith, that 'I am theirs'.

That was more than strong enough to push back the coalescing synergetic will of the spirits.

The point where Tatsuya had been fighting the Parasites, and the point where Erika had been confronting Naotsugu.

Pixie's battle against 'that', and withstanding ‘that’'s attack, was right between the two.

Reaching that place, Tatsuya saw the shape of the nine-headed dragon rearing its heads as if to devour Pixie.

He could not comprehend the Pushion information structure. But he knew there was 'something' there. He could *see* it.

Nine Pushion information information bodies were joined together at the base. And branched into nine, that interface was attempting to capture Pixie. That was sufficient to resemble a nine-headed dragon in his mind.

"What is that!?"

Lina, who had for some reason followed Tatsuya, exclaimed in shock.

"You can see it?"

"It's not......that I can see it, but I can sort of understand it. Some massive 'power' is pressing on that doll. Tatsuya, just what is that?"

"The result of you not listening to Onii-sama."

It was Miyuki who responded to Lina. That blunt, frigid voice silenced Lina for the time being.

"Even though Onii-sama had told you not to kill them, you just mindlessly slaughtered the Parasites' hosts and now the bodies are rampaging free. Lina, how do you intend to solve this misconduct?"

Figured she wouldn't stay quiet at that.

"What misconduct! I was simply fulfilling my duty!"

"Then please settle the cleanup yourself. Can you? Even if you are unlike Onii-sama, do you have no idea how to solve things nonviolently?"

Ever since the combat earlier, a dangerous air had been simmering between these two beauties.

This was just a continuation of that.

"I'll do it! Just watch!"

Casting caution to the winds, Lina took the challenge.

"Hey, Lina."

However one looked at it, she had to be stopped. It was far too reckless for someone who had no idea how to begin countering the thing to just jump in.

Thinking that, Tatsuya called out in a pacifying tone.

"Shut up! Tatsuya, you keep quiet!"

For what good it did.

"I absolutely must make this mission a success! If not, then just why am I even here!"

The tantrum Lina threw was directed not only against Tatsuya. Hearing her cry, he himself realized that.

'Here' was not simply this location. Rather right here, right now she stood not as 'Angelina Shields' but as 'Angie Sirius' — that was what she meant.

At some point Lina's hair had reverted to gold, and her eyes to blue. Her 'Parade', which had not faltered even under Miyuki's heavy Zone Interference, had been released.

She was giving her all as 'Angelina Shields' to fulfill her mission as 'Angie Sirius'. Trying to be a 'Sirius'.

Glimpsing the heavy burden on her, Tatsuya was hesitant to follow up.

In that moment, Lina launched a magic attack of her own.

A veritable barrage, shot after shot ravaged the air and encountered empty space.

That was only natural.

Lina's magic was meant to modify physical events. She was simply not equipped with magic to fight an information body.

‘That’'s awareness turned towards Lina.

In Tatsuya's vision, the nine heads were now arrayed against her.

No sooner than that, a storm of magic fell.

It was all Tatsuya could do to try and bring them down.

When they had fought the Parasite information body at First high, only one person had been possessed and there was only one spirit.

That had already been difficult.

Now there were nine.

He could not expect to weather the storm.

No, on the contrary, there was no way that he alone could have stemmed the onslaught from 'that'.

Behind him, Miyuki was maintaining a supportive interference area over the place where 'that' existed. But even though Miyuki could 'sense' the Pushion information bodies, she could not 'see' them. Because of that, the interference area had to be loose. If she increased the field to cover all possibilities, it would interfere with Tatsuya's own magic.

That barely tenable situation continued, yet it was far too risky for the allied forces to relent even a little.

He felt a squeeze on the back of his jacket. Miyuki was also uneasy.

Although they knew that having lost their hosts the Parasites were now 'consuming' magic and had to run out of power at some point, not knowing just how much longer they had to hold out sapped their willpower considerably.

At this rate, Miyuki might end up the same way as Lina.

Because of her recklessness, Lina was now locked down under a shell of Data Fortification.

Not being able to launch an effective attack from their end was too big a handicap.

Magic which interfered with physical events was useless.

Physical attacks were completely out of the question.

If possible, mental magic might—

(—There's no choice.)

Clenching his teeth, Tatsuya decided to throw the dice.

"Mikihiko, can you see the situation?"

"Yes. I'm assembling a seal as fast as I can, so please hold out a bit longer."

The voice which answered from the communication unit was even more hurried than Tatsuya's.

"What is the likelihood that your seal could suppress this?"

The reply came after a pause.

"......Honestly speaking, not even fifty percent."

His confession was anguished.

Hearing Mikihiko's answer, Tatsuya did not think any less of him. In a direct confrontation, Tatsuya knew that he was not someone who would make rash promises.

"Mikihiko, just temporarily is fine. Could you suppress it for 10 seconds?"

At Tatsuya requesting for the first time, not just Mikihiko but everyone listening in on the communication gasped.

With no backup or proof, it was just a simple plea. In a (bad) sense, it was blind faith.

Yet it was not something he would do if he did not trust them.

"......Got it."

At least, that was what Mikihiko felt.

"For 10 seconds, I'll keep it down no matter what. I'll signal, so Tatsuya please do your own thing."

He had a plan, and he needed 10 seconds for it.

In order to secure that time, his power would be necessary.

Mikihiko was inspired by the trust Tatsuya was placing in him.

"Tatsuya-san, I'll also help!"

Honoka's firm voice followed Mikihiko's.

It was not in rivalry. There was one simple intent, that she wanted to be his strength.

"Alright. Mikihiko, on you."

"OK......3, 2, 1, now!"

As he shouted, Mihiko unleashed his Anti-demon?Garuda flame.

The 'flame' expanded around 'that' — the nine-headed dragon the Parasites had combined into, and wrapped around the information bodies. It was like two serpents fighting each other.

Beneath them, Pixie was mentally pushing 'that' back. The Psion bonds holding Pixie were being replenished as fast as they were being consumed. Honoka saw that the Psions had almost completely captured Pixie's lower half.

Of course, Tatsuya wasn't just silently watching.

At the signal from Mikihiko, Tatsuya stretched out his arm not holding his CAD.

That arm,

Took hold of Miyuki's waist,

And pulled her in close.

"——!"

A silent scream. Or maybe a cry of delight.

In that instant both Miyuki's Zone Interference and Tatsuya's Gram Dispersion ceased, but Mikihiko and Honoka,

As promised kept 'that' at bay.