Long-term salvation

Hearing Xiangzi's reply, Saikawa Ayane's smile became even wider. She patted Shiraishi Mizuki beside her, then opened the car door and said:

"The Tiancang sisters will be supporting us outside in a Humvee... hopefully they won't have to use that heavy machine gun. Let's go, time is running out."

Following the figures of the two predecessors, Xiangzi got off the Hummer. The mechanical exoskeleton covering his limbs and torso made a faint buzzing sound due to this movement, and the Ozodek scanner extending from the back of the shoulder was turned on, and the fan blades were constantly opening and closing, making a strange warning sound.

In front of the girl, the skeleton of an unfinished ten-story office building pierced the night sky, like a tombstone for a dead person.

The construction site, which has been halted due to lack of funds, is surrounded by a six-meter-high corrugated steel fence. The words "Kawai Construction Co., Ltd." written in fluorescent paint on the steel are slowly fading - in the next few years, such debris will increase.

The long arms of two concrete pump trucks, like the remains of giant arthropods, formed a bluish-gray outline in the moonlight. Using the shadows of the machines and the improvised pile of threaded steel pipes, the three armed witches quickly approached the office building and cautiously entered through the main entrance.

Xiangzi put down the night vision goggles. In the emerald green world, she saw the corridor extending and twisting towards the interior of the building. The supernatural aura almost immediately surrounded the witches as soon as they stepped into the place, with undisguised malice.

A faint fishy smell wafted in the air, like the smell of rotting marine life.

"Team Two is already exchanging fire with the enemy! Fourth floor!"

Saikawa Ayane shouted in a low voice, but she did not go to support immediately. Instead, she continued to move forward along the planned route, but at a slightly faster pace.

"The enemy is... a fish with long legs?" Xiangzi listened to the shouts and reports on the communication channel, his face full of confusion. "How could there be fish here? We are nearly a hundred kilometers away from the sea!"

"It's a blessing they didn't come from the sea, miss."

As Shiraishi Mizuki spoke, a look of disgust appeared on her face because of the fishy smell. She then put on a gas mask and motioned for Xiangzi to put it on.

"Well."

Xiangzi, who had been confronted, had just put on his gas mask when he saw a group of strange creatures rushing out from the end of the corridor. They looked like various fish, but had insect-like limbs growing on their abdomens. They moved at different speeds, and looked extremely creepy!

"shooting!"

There was no need to remind him, Xiangzi had already pulled the trigger - the moment the firing pin hit the primer, the orange-red flame that burst out spiraled along the inner wall of the cartridge case, pushing the bullet into the maze of rifling - the bullet shot out, and the sound waves entrained by it were dismantled by the honeycomb air chamber of the silencer when passing through it, and the explosion sound immediately turned into scattered fragments.

The rain of bullets tore out long bright threads in the dark corridor, knocking the monsters rushing towards them to the ground. Rotten viscera and smelly body fluids gurgled out, condensing into a yellow-green mist.

"yue——"

"Don't take off the gas mask!" Saikawa Ayane shouted angrily. The witch grabbed Xiangzi's right hand and pulled her behind her, "Mizuki!"

Shiraishi Ruixi pulled the ring of the incendiary grenade and threw it forward - flames immediately rose up, engulfing the strange fish and the foul-smelling mist, but the next second, a bigger explosion occurred.

A sudden and foul-smelling impact struck, sending the three armed priestesses flying.

"pain……"

When Xiangzi got up from the ground, she felt a terrible headache. She subconsciously reached out to touch it, but saw a leaping fire reflected by the blood in her palm - she was injured.

But the enemies still existed, and even became more numerous, only being stopped by the flames.

Pushing away the night vision goggles, Xiangzi turned on the tactical flashlight on his rifle, and then slowly fired at the shadows in the fire and smoke. Soon, Ayane Saikawa and Mizuki Shiraishi joined in.

"Is Xiangzi okay?"

"It should be fine...at least it's fine now. What about you guys?" Xiangzi didn't shake her head. She was afraid that she would faint. Now she could only ask with small gasps, "Are there other groups..."

"Take care of yourself first, they are fine."

Saikawa Ayane said as she half-knelt down, replaced a new magazine for her rifle, and then began to communicate with the battlefield command center outside the building.

"Command Center, the ritual appears to be complete. We need more reinforcements, or we can completely destroy this place... Yes, we will confirm the existence of the [Fragment]."

Listening to Saikawa Ayane's voice, Xiangzi pursed her lips tightly together. She was a little scared - but in the end, the girl still followed her companions.

After setting a booby trap made of an incendiary grenade, the three armed witches did not stop, but quickly took turns to cover each other and continued to move upstairs from other directions.

When you reach the upper level, you can hear the sound of gunfire coming from other directions. It is other armed priestesses and priests fighting. Their numbers are larger and they attract the attention of most enemies.

Here, the fishy smell became stronger and stronger, and the rustling and crawling sounds never stopped, making Xiangzi's heart beat faster and faster... She missed the sense of security she had when she was in the AS cockpit.

While the girl was thinking, Ayane Saikawa, who was walking on the right, suddenly raised her left hand and clenched her fist, and the whole group stopped immediately.

Xiangzi turned off his tactical flashlight and put down his night vision goggles:

In the emerald green world, she saw a tall human figure slowly lowering its head from the end of the corridor. However, compared to the huge mouth full of fangs, the human head engraved on its abdomen and the insect limbs surrounding the head were even more terrifying!

The limbs were shaking back and forth constantly, leaving tiny scars on the face of the human head.

"...Run! Take me...away...from here! Deception!"

The skull's eyes spun, and the next moment they locked onto the three witches in front of it. It said:

"Kill them! Run away!"

The monster let out a sharp howl, and the sharp claws extending from the ends of its two arms scratched the walls on both sides of the corridor, splashing sparks.

In just a breath of time, the monster crossed the not-so-long distance. Amidst the howling bloody wind, the purest murderous intent suddenly attacked Xiangzi, who had no time to react!

The sharp claws grew bigger and bigger in front of Xiangzi, almost touching her night vision goggles.

And then what? Claws pierced the night vision goggles, tore through the skin, drilled into the skull, and crushed the brain, in order to...

Kill Toyokawa Shoko completely.

"Get out of the way!" Shiraishi Mizuki kicked Xiangzi away, and with the force, she also dodged to the other side. "I remember that face, it's the kidnapper who appeared in the news... He's a cultist, and the [Torn Page] must be on him!"

Xiangzi was awakened from her daze by her back hitting the wall. She bent down subconsciously, letting the sharp claws pass over her head, leaving ugly marks on the corridor wall.

The girl let out a hysterical cry and pulled the trigger at the monster. The gunfire immediately exploded on the swollen body, splattering rotten blood and making the monster howl in pain. The other two armed priestesses also opened fire repeatedly, but it was by no means limited:

Xiangzi threw away the rifle with an empty magazine and took out the electric sword. The shining blue-white arc jumped along the not-so-sharp heavy blade - the servo motor of the girl's exoskeleton made a high-pitched buzzing sound, driving her to swing the blade - the blade hit the monster like a stick, and as the arc flashed, the latter let out a deafening roar of anger!

The next second, Xiangzi felt as if time had stopped. The skin of the monster in front of him was rolling, and then countless small black spots appeared... Those were not black spots, but sharp limbs that drilled out of its body!

"Danger!"

Xiangzi didn't know how loud she shouted, but when she subconsciously hugged her head, she felt a dull pain in her chest - the limbs pierced through the magazine and bulletproof vest - just a little bit, just a little bit, and she would be killed here.

The limbs were broken off and the monster disappeared, but the rustling sounds were getting closer and closer.

"Command Center, the enemy has escaped... The [Fragmented Page] has been confirmed to be on the fleeing enemy, but we need reinforcements to evacuate... Yes, this area needs to be thoroughly cleaned up."

After finishing her report, Saikawa Ayane half-knelt and pulled out the arthropod spike stuck in Xiangzi's chest. If the girl's treasure chest was a little bigger, she would be the most seriously injured of the three. After handing over the rifle on the ground, Saikawa Ayane looked at the blue-haired girl in front of her. Amid the sound of fire from the general-purpose machine gun next to her, she whispered:

"Are you ok?"

"……Lucky."

"?"

"I'm so lucky," Xiangzi raised his head, tears in his eyes, "I'm so lucky that I wasn't killed by the monster."

"Ah...yes, you're so lucky."

Saikawa Ayane's eyes softened. She wiped away Xiangzi's tears, pulled her up from the ground, and encouraged her:

"Xiangzi, the battle is not over yet."

"...Yes, the battle is not over yet."

Armed Miko Toyokawa Shoko (Part 6): We Are Not in the Same World

"The cultist who merged with the monster from the other world has escaped, but GOC investigators are tracking them. Perhaps they'll be found in two or three days."

"Return and wait for notification."

“…This isn’t your fault.”

It's not my fault.

Is this really not my fault? If I hadn't froze, if I had dodged the attack faster, if... there are no ifs. What happened has already happened. The GOC failed to successfully intercept the monster and even had to use more resources to cover up the truth of the incident.

On the way out of the school, Xiangzi, with a bandage on his head, raised his head so that the sunlight could gently caress his face, in an attempt to dispel the chill lingering deep in his memory.

This had no effect and even made her feel a little nauseous, even though the failed first battle had happened the day before.

Thinking of the stench of rotten fish, Xiangzi stood by the wall and retched a few times. The girl closed her eyes and began to take deep breaths.

Suddenly, a faint fragrance came, and Xiangzi's discomfort slowly subsided. When she opened her eyes again, she saw a familiar figure standing in front of her:

"Mu?"

"Xiang, question."

The taciturn girl, as delicate as a doll, spoke out, with a unique gloom and worry between her eyebrows. She tightly grasped her brown handbag with both hands. After hesitating for a few seconds, Ruoye Mu asked carefully:

"Xiangzi, what are you doing recently?"

Ruoye Mu cast his gaze upon the bandages on Xiangzi's head. The pristine white bandages had been changed twice, and even now, they seemed to carry a faint scent of hospital disinfectant. Furthermore, even his friend's fingers were covered in band-aids. The only thing to be thankful for was that his adorable face bore no visible scars.

But even so, Wakaba Mu couldn't imagine what her best friend—her own half—Shoko Toyokawa had gone through after her mother died and her father was driven out of the family. Worry and the pain of powerlessness tormented the girl, forcing her to ignore it.

"Busy at work."

Xiangzi exhaled slowly, stretched out her hand to touch her friend, but retracted it halfway - this made a little sadness well up in the eyes of the girl with long light green hair - Xiangzi walked around Wakaba Mutsu who was blocking her way and continued to move forward.

"What kind of work are you doing?" Ruoye Mu asked.

"Working at the shrine."

She's cheating on you

"Which shrine do you work in?" Wakaba Mu lowered his eyes.

"Working at the Saigawa Shrine."

She's hiding something from you

"Xiangzi, you..." Ruo Yemu wanted to ask more.

"Mu, don't delve too deeply into other people's lives."

Xiangzi stopped abruptly. She felt a little upset, but she couldn't explain herself due to the confidentiality agreement and many other unspeakable thoughts... After a brief silence, the girl, realizing that her words were a bit hurtful, turned around and looked back with her amber eyes:

"I'm sorry, Mu, I can't let you know, and please don't delve into it. We are different and can't move forward together. This is not due to financial problems, nor is it related to our previous conflicts, dependence, and friendship... Please treat me as if I'm dead, Mu, Toyokawa Shoko is dead."

The dead can't speak

"Dead, stuffed into a coffin, sent to the crematorium, buried in the cold earth. The Shoko Toyokawa you knew is dead."

“…But you’re still standing here.”

Ruoye Mu said blankly, she approached carefully, slowly pressed against Xiangzi, and stopped only when her warm breath hit the latter's face:

"Xiangzi is still alive, but injured, very tired and scared, and wants a hug."

She doesn't want it

Hearing this, Xiangzi took a deep breath, closed her eyes, took a half step back, stretched out her hands and gently hugged Mu, then immediately let go and whispered:

"I'm going to class now, Mu. Please don't come to me when you have nothing to do. Also, thank you for your concern."

"Su Shi has been looking for you and has been talking to me... Xiangzi, they are forming a new band," Ruoye Mu suddenly said, the sadness in her light golden eyes was about to overflow, and there was also a hint of prayer, "Su Shi, Li Xi and Deng, they are holding a LIVE today, do you want to go and see it?"

[She'll collapse][Shut up][Sorry, I'll shut up! Don't kill me!]

"Then... let's go. I also plan to talk to Su Shi and ask her to stop bothering you and me."

Xiangzi met those soft, light golden eyes, her heart softened, and she finally agreed. Another reason was that she had no training classes today, so it was okay to go later after school, as long as she could catch the cafeteria's meal time.

Following Mu, the two rode the shaky tram to the performance venue.

There weren't many people in the performance venue, but this was an incredible achievement for a fledgling band.

Standing behind the crowd, Xiangzi raised her head slightly and looked at the girls playing musical instruments on the stage... There were people she was familiar with, people she was not familiar with, people she had let down, and strangers who had nothing to do with her.

However, at this moment, Xiangzi was moved to the point of tears:

“Once again…back to music.”

Once again, back to daily life.

Looking at Takamatsu Tomo who was singing on the stage, looking at Nagasaki Soyo who was playing the bass, or Shiina Tatsuki who was the drummer - except for the heterochromatic cat who I didn't recognize, the pink-haired guy who played the guitar was a bit terrible.

And this pink-haired girl... I seem to have seen her somewhere.

Tsk, isn't this the transfer student I almost shot that day? He's so clumsy and careless, he didn't even bother knocking on the door before entering.

Xiangzi's tears of emotion quickly subsided. She pursed her lips, thinking that she would find an opportunity to put pressure on that pink-haired girl in the future. It was indeed wrong for her to run away at that time, so she might as well help out in some small ways from the corners. At least she couldn't let them suffer because of that pink-haired girl.

Thinking of this, Xiangzi raised his head and met the eyes of Nagasaki Suyo on the stage. Both of them were speechless for a moment.

Just as Xiangzi was about to turn around and leave to go backstage, he suddenly heard Gao Songdeng's voice:

"I thought I hated the band... but... even if we're lost, we still want to move forward..."