Yoxall

【Reiji　Side】


Sayuki: Weiss Schwarz!
Two magical bullets were shot from Sayuki’s dual-wielding handguns. The bullets tracked and pursued the sound that her opponent makes, hitting them without even missing a hit.
However, the crystals cannot be destroyed by such a low-powered bullet.
“Momiji”: ……
Momiji and Sayuki faced each other as if they were natural enemies. Not to mention that they are always exchanging provocative words against each other.
Momiji: Even though I’m talking to myself, I’m starting to feel sick from this fake doing whatever she wants in silence.
Sayuki: I hate to admit it, but I agree with you.
It may be a once in a while thing but, these two can actually get along with each other pretty well, despite the both of them hating each other’s’ guts. It was like two of them have a feud with each other for being in the same family.
Momiji: Ah geez, the fake was probably the product of that cowardly shrine maiden abusing her powers.
Momiji then skillfully attacked the clone with her “Grimoire”.
The seven magic crystals that were freely floating in the air, now became more aggressive without any mercy.
But, it was the same for her opponent. Could it be that their abilities were not at an equal level?
Fourteen crystals dancing in the sky. Sometimes they would attack and sometimes they would devote themselves completely for defense.
Meanwhile, Sayuki gave Momiji covering fire from below. It was an unusual fight against an opponent who belonged in the same class as the three of us.
Reiji: DA CAPO!
A chance opened as a laser was shot towards me. I used this chance to evade it and used my ability.
Momiji’s ability “L’Arc-en-Ciel”, allowed her to take away someone’s senses as a compensation for their ‘crimes’ if they were hit by her lasers. Even though it was easy to avoid it with our bodies, it was still an ability that was a natural enemy to the “Mahoutsukai”.
Even though Momiji herself can forgive them from their sins, I could not afford to take a single hit from the laser.
Sayuki: Flugel Blitz.
Momentarily casting her rune on herself, Sayuki swiftly moved at Godspeed behind the other Momiji.
However, her crystals aimed at Sayuki as if the other Momiji had anticipated her exact location.
Sayuki unwillingly jumped away once again.
Sayuki: She’s strong…In the worst case scenario, she might be stronger than the original.
Momiji: Ha? Are you trying to pick a fight with me?!
How could the two of them quarrel at a time like this? However, there was no composure in their expressions.
And, something appeared all of a sudden.
Momiji: Tch.
Momiji called back her “Grimoire” to defend her.
It was not a laser that flew towards her. It was actually a pair of black and white bullets.
Momiji: For a moment, I’m surprised you have the energy land a sneak attack on me.
Sayuki: No. That was not me.
Momiji: Then who…no way?!
Momiji turned around.
She had spotted another girl who had a familiar deadpan expression on her. On the other side, was another Sayuki wielding her handguns in her hands.
Momiji: You’ve got to be kidding me.
Reiji: It just got even more troublesome than before!
“Sayuki”: ……
Without Sakura, I did not count in the number of people participating in the fight, since I did not specialize in any wide-range attacks.
On top of that, I had to deal with both their attacks alone. It seemed like no reinforcements would appear to help us, so the number of people on my side was still three people.
---This is getting worse and worse by the minute.
An unpleasant sweat flowed down my back. Should we retreat for now? I had expected Ryuichi to come help us fend off Kajiura’s clones. In this situation, I was unsure if he was in the middle of a fight somewhere too. It doesn’t seem like I should expect anything at this time.
Momiji: Ah geez! Can the two of you buy me some time!
Momiji’s “Grimoire” formed a circle as she shouts that.
Reiji: Are you going to use that?!
Momiji: For better or worse, we’ll give these guys a huge welcome. It’s now or never. Even if it doesn’t work, it will still buy us some time to escape!
The magical power gathers in the center of the circle. A bright aurora ball gradually increases as more strength is added to it.
Reiji: Alright, let’s try it!
Sayuki: Normally I wouldn’t agree to do this, but there seems to be no other choice.
I attacked them with my right fist as Sayuki focuses her magic into her guns.
---I was reminded of this uncomfortable feeling.
I remembered how Momiji was able to reproduce her “Mahou” once during her battle against Sayuki. The frustration for not being able to do anything to save my precious younger sister from dying against her will reignited inside of me. However, that was all in the past. Now that I received the ability to synchronize two or more mythical concept magic, it was possible for me to prevent that situation from happening again.
Momiji: …Haa…Preparation complete!
Reiji: Whenever you’re ready Satomura!
Sayuki: No problems here too!
Our preparation is all that mattered. However, the opponent also began concentrating their magic in a similar way on the other side.
Momiji: The person who takes the initiative wins! ---JUDGMENT!
Reiji: FENRISWOLF!
Sayuki: WEISS SCHWARZ!
A direct hit from each of our attacks will surely kill them. The three mythical magic swirled into one beam, creating a torrent of magic and flew towards the enemy.
Then, the three of us roared out---“OVERLOAD JUDGMENT”!
Without taking anytime to breathe, the other side also shot out their mythical magic.
But, their teamwork was inconsistent with seven beams and two bullets. Compared to our attack, a combination of ten mythical magic into one, their attack was a mere child’s play.
The two beams of light collided against each other, and it lasted in an instant.


When the cloud of dust started to clear up, the fallen figures of the duplicate Momiji and Sayuki were wrapped in a thin light.
Momiji: I’m not sure if I would feel relieved after all this. At least it’s always a pleasant sight to see your body disappearing.
Sayuki: You took the words out of my mouth.
The two girls continued their bickering without any changes in their relationship. At least the tension has been relieved due to their lack of vigor and fatigue.
Later, we waited for the replicas’ bodies to disappear completely. I gazed up at the night sky.
Reiji: …Eye Space is still activated even if the “Mahoutsukai” disappeared.
Was it because the copies were the ones that disappeared? But even so, the copies of the “Mahoutsukai” were like two peas of a pod with the real ones. Could it be that this was a totally different space?
???: Anyway, I suggest we move to a different location at once.
Reiji: I agree. I’m starting to get really worried about Sakura …Wait a minute.
I glared at Ayane, who popped out of nowhere and made that suggestion, with half-opened eyes.
Reiji: Why did you just pop out of nowhere like that?
Ayane: I wanted to be where you were Reiji-kun, so I can be with you anytime and anywhere.
I stared at Ayane who was giggling to herself. A lot of things haven’t made sense to me as of late.
Ayane: By the way, Sakura-chan doesn’t seem to be with you.
Reiji: Oh. Amamiya is right about that. Did you find that girl by any chance?
Ayane shook her head. Where could she have gone at a time like this?
Ayane: Also, I saw a lightning bolt struck down at the mall a while ago. Sumeragi-kun and the others might be there.
Reiji: Understood. Let us be on our way then.
However, I spotted the two girls behind me making an unpleasant face for some reason.
Sayuki: Nii-san.
Momiji: Reiji, don’t expect me to feel sorry for you from now on.
Reiji: …Hey, please do not say such scary things.
I forcibly removed them from my view of vision, as I did not dare to inquire it any further.
Behind Ayane, were two Kirisakis hanging like a bagworm while being entangled by her strings filled with magic in midair.


【Ryuichi　Side】


Ryuichi: TURBULENCE!
Converting his magical power into lightning, Ryuichi dashed towards his opponent at full speed.
However, his other also did the same action as him, converting his magic into thunder and thrusting out his fist.
Ryuichi: Ku!
“Ryuichi”: ……
The person he was fighting was silent as usual, like a deadpan person. It gave Ryuichi all the more reason to feel uncomfortable.
And…
Nagisa: Ryuichi…
Observing the two Ryuichis exchanging blows with each other, Nagisa’s eyes were glued onto them in a confused state.


The two Ryuichis met each other eye-to-eye. Ryuichi dashed forward again after lightning had struck him.
Although he could not grasp the situation, Ryuichi was still fighting against his other using pure instinct. The distance between them quickly closed in.
Using his own body, Ryuichi went all out with his martial arts techniques. Because this was a habit of his as seen in his behaviour, the other Ryuichi used that to copy whatever he was doing.
Therefore, Ryuichi could only fight by predicting what combinations he would use from the many martial arts he had learned from the past several years ahead of time.
But, his copy still put up an even fight nevertheless.
---Was his opponent also reading his movements ahead of time…?!
If Nagisa joined the battle, Ryuichi would surely have the advantage.
However, the way she is now, Nagisa might be confused as to which one of us to strike with her sword.
Ryuichi: Gu!
At that small interval of time with him worrying about Nagisa, a single blow struck Ryuichi on his side.
His balance was destroyed when he flinched slightly, and Ryuichi began to double back.
---This was bad. If Ryuichi was hit again in the same way, the he would surely lose.
He had to find some way to reverse the situation somehow. His opponent was merely himself. Finding an opening on him wasn’t going to be easy.
If Ryuichi simultaneously went head-to-head with him recklessly, then a single blow will surely mean his death… As Ryuichi was thinking of a strategy...
Ryuichi: Wha---?!
…His replica was suddenly stopped attacking out of nowhere. His reaction time was too slow to realize what was going on.
Rather, his opponent’s fist was gather magical power for an attack.
Ryuichi: Damn it…Nagisa!
Because Ryuichi was too busy formulating a plan, he finally realized the situation. He noticed that Nagisa was within the replica’s firing range.
And, the other Ryuichi was dashing towards her at the speed of lightning.
Nagisa: Eh?
Nagisa followed the direction of her opponent intently, but could not catch up with him even with her strengthened foresight.
“Ryuichi”: ……
The hammer of the god of thunder…was flying straight towards Nagisa’s body.


???: AEGIS MAIDEN!
But, just before the attack could hit her, a magical barrier was formed in front of them.
The duplicate Ryuichi’s fist was stopped by the iron wall.
Ryuichi: This is…
After seeing the magical barrier, Ryuichi loudly leaked out a voice as if he had remembered something.
Ryuichi: I’m so glad…you made it in time.
The caged bird, who he had cornered before, was a petite girl with one wing.
Nagisa: Hinako-chan!
The girl was accompanied with an empty birdcage. Takamine Hinako revealed herself to the both of them.


【Reiji　Side】


Kirisaki: Yoshi-yan, you’re such a heartless person.
Reiji: That’s why I’m asking you, did I do something wrong.
Kirisaki was released with a disappointed look on his face.
Kirisaki: The point is, you never asked me why I was restrained up there.
Reiji: I-I see…
My expression changed to fear, and I looked back at Ayane.
Ayane: Another Kirisaki-kun showed up out of nowhere and the two of them started attacking each other. Since it was troublesome figuring out which one was the real one, I decided to tie them up.
Ayane said those words without holding back at all.
Momiji: Bakaichou, you really have a habit of saying those things so gracefully.
Ayane: Ara. The art of repelling criminals is also one aspect to being a lady. Besides…
Ayane glanced at me with her seducing eyes.
Ayane: Reiji-kun, since I have those kinds of tastes, you prefer tomboyish girls…right?
Reiji: Unfortunately, I have a few stubborn women around me right now. Whenever it comes to you, there’s trouble to be expected around me.
I had nothing to do with Ayane, even something like a lover. But, she has been aiming for the position as my girlfriend recently.
Reiji: So, what will this guy do now?
I looked over at Kirisaki, who was still down from before. He seemed to be completely stunned.
And then…
???: Oh, you guys are still here?
Ichigo and Sousei appeared before us.
Reiji: Ichigo-san. And…my old man too.
Sousei: I’m relieved to see you safe.
Although he was my father, we look more like brothers because there was no age difference between the two of us. It was natural too, since Sousei had lived in eternal youth up until the last war ended. He did not age a bit for more these past ten years.
Not to mention my mother, Sakura, having aged one bit either. It still took time for me to get used to my young-looking parents.
Ichigo: So, what intentions did you have for hanging such a thing.
Kirisaki looked up and caught a glimpse of Ichigo. At that moment, everything even the dust disappeared.
Kirisaki: Oh! He was killed!
Ichigo: No, but I’ll leave it to your imagination.
Anyway, the other “Mahoutsukai” must be on this island too.
However, we still do not know Sakura’s whereabouts as usual.
---Sakura…where are you…?
Because I could not connect with the girl who had shared my thoughts, it was the first time that I felt a little lonely.


【Ryuichi　Side】

For an unexpected person to help us, the other Ryuichi stiffened expressionlessly.
This was the chance Ryuichi had been waiting for, and he charged towards him while taking a battle stance.
However, the replica was faster than him.
Nagisa: Sei!
Nagisa swung her ‘Holy Sword of Silvery White’, vividly cutting the glove that was projected in front of her eyes.
Nagisa: Ryuichi, stop trying to hit me so seriously!
She was his lover, and a worthy rival that trained together. Their bond was created when Nagisa devoted herself into defeating Ryuichi and having him recognize her.
The other Ryuichi was wrapped in a bright light and disappeared.
Ryuichi: …You saved us. Are you alright, Hinako-chan?
Ryuichi focused his attention on the person who helped them. Hinako was a girl who always had a weak body due to her illness when she was younger.
Hinako: It’s okay. Hinako-chan is alright. Onii-chan, have you seen Sanada-san?
Ryuichi: Sanada-san? No, I haven’t seen him…
Sanada Keisuke was Hinako’s bodyguard, and he was also a “Mahoutsukai”.
He always took good care of Hinako above everything else. In the previous war, he had sacrificed many people in order to extend Hinako’s life force without her knowing about it. Even if the laws of nature were reversed, such a thing should be impossible.
Hinako’s complexion was starting to look pale. Was it because she could not express her feelings to her guardian?
---Maybe, all the other “Mahoutsukai” were not here.
If that’s so, this space was just a replica to “Eye Space”.
Nagisa: Well, for the time being, do you want to come with us Hinako-chan? We might even find Sanada-san along the way, and even Yoshino-kun and Momiji, so it might be better to join us.
Nagisa tried to brighten up the atmosphere by suggesting that to the both of them, who had a gloomy expression on their faces.
Just then…
???: Hey…Ryuichi!
???: Nagisa! Are you alright?!
The people they were looking for appeared earlier than expected, and the three of them joined up with Reiji’s group.


【Reiji　Side】


Reiji: Old man Sanada was not with you?!
As we were confirming each other’s situation, my eyes widened.
Despite our somewhat friendly relationship, I understood that Hinako had a blind love for Sanada-san like most human beings.
Ryuichi: Also, Sakura-chan was not with you either.
Reiji: Aa. I could not summon her with “Da Capo”. I wonder where she went…
Even though I said those words lightly, I was not really good at hiding my worried expression.
But if I was alive, that was enough proof that Sakura is somewhere safe and sound. At least that was my only salvation.
Ayane: Hey, this is my hypothesis.
Ayane, who was thinking by herself until now, started speaking.
Ayane: Could it be that this “Eye Space” was merely a replica, since it was impossible to create another conceptual space?
Her remark just now should have had an impact on all of us, but no one was surprised by it.
The others had come to that possible conclusion as well because we all experienced the same nightmare in this space.
Moreover, there were many unusual things that occurred in this “Eye Space” tonight.
Ayane: If this was the real “Eye Space”, excluding us, there should have been 16 other “Mahoutsukai” we should have encountered.
Sayuki: However, the mastermind and the others never followed that condition.
Sayuki supplemented Ayane’s theory.
Most likely, the people that were not with us will be the suspects by a thin margin.
Jin using his “Gjallarhorn” to temporary fabricate the truth with lies.
Hagane with his ridiculous strength and ability to manipulate gravity with his “Ekesachs”.
Sanada with his ability to absorb other’s life force using “Mistleteinn”.
And, Kajiura Umi using her “Shining Memories” to control all our powers.
If it was Jin, he could barely create a replica of Eye Space by himself. It was not difficult to think he would appear before everyone else and started taking action because of his lone wolf attitude.
Ayane: In addition, many “Mahoutsukai” have disappeared, so this space should have been deactivated by now unless it was some kind of joke.
Kengo: Well, maybe they want us to think it was an imitation of the real thing, but there is something else to it.
When a “Mahoutsukai” is defeated in “Eye Space”, the victor will receive their magic and the space is nullified.
The replicas showed signs of their existence being erased, so that function was still operating.
Not to mention how it did not release us from its grasp, and we did not feel ourselves getting any magic at all. Maybe the space malfunctioned and we were stuck here. Or---
Ayane: That was all my intuition led me to, so it was not the conclusive evidence.
I looked at my right hand. There surely was magical power stored in my body, as I felt my life force flowing inside me.
Reiji: Sayuki and Satomura’s replicas did not feel ‘alive’ at all. Not only in vitality. I could not feel any source of magic coming from them either.
Nagisa: Um. In other words, the replicas were like puppets and there is a person pulling the strings from somewhere?
Reiji: No, that’s not it…How should I put it? It was more like you could not believe their existence unless you saw them with your own eyes.
It was not possible for them to speak our language. Ryuichi, who also fought with his replica, understood what I meant.
If we could compare them with something, it was more like a tangible illusion or a nightmare created into reality.
The sense of discomfort I felt at that time…was the gap splitting my perception and vision.
Reiji: Anyway, we do not have enough conclusive proof yet. I think we should search around the island a little more.
As my eyes turned to Sousei, the thick mangrove forest opened.
Inside was the rich nature that Tsukiyomi-jima Island was proud of, and I felt a growing suspicion that the suspect was hiding themselves in there.
---Come to think of it, wasn’t there a waterfall deep inside this forest?
If we followed this loose trail for long enough, we would reach the waterfall. There was actually a spring there too.
People do not usually go there, since there was an occult legend that it was the resting place for the spirits of the dead.
In the past, I had found Sakura bathing there and admired her beauty that I would not see every day.
---Sakura may be unexpectedly there …
Then, I recalled something.
Sakura was not here.
Half the “Mahoutsukai” was here.
The other half of the “Mahoutsukai” was not present.
The difference was…there was something common in all this---
Reiji: Tch. Why didn’t I notice it until now?!
Ryuichi: Reiji? What did you notice?
Frustrated with myself, I tried to calm myself down.
Reiji: It’s Sakura. The center of all this abnormality was Sakura herself!
Ryuichi: Calm down Reiji! What do you mean by that?
Reiji: We were all here because we were all Sakura’s friends. I only thought people who were her relatives would be summoned here.
I was her master and her lover.
Sousei was my father.
Ichigo was the landlord of the house we live in.
Her friends that went to the beach with her.
Ryuichi: Indeed. Because we were acquainted with each other, I never noticed. Everyone here was certainly Sakura’s friend.
Reiji: And, among the “Mahoutsukai” that were not present, there was only one person who was also Sakura’s friend.
The school idol of our school. A girl who befriended Sakura after Sakura had begged her.
Reiji: The Kajiura Shrine. If there is something there, then we have to go there.


【Umi　Side】


There was only one Shinto shrine in Tsukiyomi-jima Island. The Kajiura Shrine.
The only daughter in the Kajiura family was Umi, who was alone and looked perplexed on the shrine grounds.
Umi: What should I do…?
“Eye Space” had activated all of a sudden. Umi was helping with her family’s business as usual until the shrine maiden grew darker with a familiar appearance.
In the last war, she had been chased when she was first pulled into this world. Umi awakened her abilities when she found her resolve to protect the person important to her, and began attacking everyone else recklessly in an act of distrust.
Reflecting on her actions, Umi decided not to cause a needless fight by herself.
Of course, she would still attack with the intent of erasing the useless ones without any questions asked. Because Umi has the power to.
Umi spotted a light rising in a distance. Someone was surely fighting right now.
Staying on the shrine grounds a little longer, Umi felt someone pass through the torii.
Umi: Eh…Is that…Shun-kun?
When she turned around, the person who was her childhood friend was there. It was Sakurai Shunsuke.
Umi: Are? But, why is Shun-kun here?
Her question was thrown out of the window in the next moment.
666 knives appeared.
Seven lines flashed before her.