Neon — the Provisional Joint Command Center for Disaster Response.
Piercing alarms tangled with the chatter of the comms. On the tactical screen ahead, Godzilla — vast as a mountain range — kept advancing at its own unhurried pace.
And just as the top brass were at their wits' end—
"Click."
A reflective glass curtain wall along the side rippled like disturbed water, and Katsuragi Kohei stepped out from within. At his side—
"The World!"
With that low shout, time ground to a halt.
Kouenji Rokusuke's World escorted the transformed Katsuragi Kohei effortlessly past the security detail, and the instant time began to flow again, the two of them were already standing brazenly before the command console of the Chief of the Joint Staff.
"Who are you?!"
"Protect the Chief!"
The security officers paled in alarm, drawing their weapons and leveling them at these two uninvited guests clad in bizarre armor and school uniforms.
Not far from them, Ayanokoji Atsumi and Tsukishiro Tsunenari — who had likewise been invited in as "special advisors" — let a strange glint flash through their eyes.
Of course, Kouenji paid them no mind whatsoever.
He merely brushed his golden bangs aside with a lazy flick, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"Relax, everyone. If I wanted your lives, those three seconds of frozen time just now would have been more than enough for me to snap every neck in this room."
Kouenji stared straight at the sweat-drenched Chief of the Joint Staff. "We're here to offer intelligence. Naturally, if you could manage to raise the Neon government's frankly disaster-tier bureaucratic efficiency by even a hair, that would be simply Beautiful."
Confronted by these two and their utterly unfathomable methods, the Chief of the Joint Staff swallowed hard and forced a wave of his hand to push down the security team's gun barrels. "You... you're the testers from the other world?"
"I'll spare you the small talk." Katsuragi Kohei took a step forward. "Cease your conventional firepower saturation on Godzilla at once! It's completely meaningless!"
Hearing this, the Chief of the Joint Staff let out a bitter laugh and wiped the cold sweat from his brow.
"Actually... we only just found that out ourselves."
"The moment we issued the retreat order and, under the Japan–US Security Treaty, requested aid from the US forces stationed here... to prioritize protecting their embassy, they went over our heads and dispatched a formation of B-2 stealth bombers to the airspace above the target."
"By my count... they've probably already reached attack position!"
He slammed a fist onto the table, his voice thick with grievance and fury.
"It's utter recklessness! They actually dared to say that if the bunker busters fail, they can follow up by dropping a tactical nuke right on downtown Tokyo! Do they not understand there are still tens of thousands of civilians who haven't evacuated?! How can something like that ever be allowed?!"
At those words, Katsuragi Kohei's pupils contracted sharply.
"...What did you say? The B-2 bombers are already en route?!"
Faced with the official's complaints—
Kouenji Rokusuke, however, showed no surprise at all.
He turned his head, gazing at the screen, and let out a sigh laced with faint regret. "Lord Chief of Staff, let me be honest with you."
"This monster called Godzilla is, in essence, a mutated ancient marine organism born of nuclear radiation."
"It is, in itself, a colossal living nuclear reactor. It feeds on radiation and survives on the nuclear fission of the cells within its body."
Kouenji's smile turned cold. "So to it, your so-called high-heat bombs and bunker busters aren't any kind of punishment at all — they're an 'energy supply' you're hand-feeding straight to its mouth!"
"Just look at that red glow flickering along its back... that's the first sign of it absorbing energy and preparing to evolve."
He bent forward slightly. "You should count yourselves lucky they haven't been foolish enough to feed it a nuke yet. Otherwise, half of Japan would be joining it in the grave today."
At this, the entire command center fell dead silent.
The Chief of the Joint Staff went ashen, and in a trembling voice he tentatively ventured:
"Then... then is there still any way to stop it now?"
Kouenji Rokusuke straightened up again, drew a small mirror from his pocket, examined his own flawless features for a moment, and then spoke with unhurried composure:
"Given that things have come to this, my suggestion is that you all go grab a meal first."
"Because in a few minutes, once the real 'examinees' descend... you probably won't even have time to eat a hot bite."
Rewind the clock a few minutes.
High in the skies over Tokyo.
Amanatsu Kazuha, borrowing the Imperial Arms [Myriad Soaring Wings] that Ichinose Honami had lent her, hovered in the air, looking down upon the city below.
Within her field of view, Godzilla was steadily grinding its way toward Kasumigaseki.
That row of savage, coral-like dorsal fins on its back was now flickering with a horrifying red light at an eerie frequency.
The feeling it gave off... was like a glutton stuffed to bursting, ready to let out a belch at any moment.
"This sense of oppression really is even more crude and brutish than the Darkness Devil..."
Seeing that the beast showed no further anomalies for the time being, Amanatsu Kazuha split off part of her attention and opened the holographic radar interface of the Controller on her wrist.
One by one, she scanned the distribution of green dots below.
When she spotted, inside an underground bunker, those familiar points of light representing the White House staff, the girl didn't so much as blink.
When she caught sight of the signals of Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Kushida Kikyo, and the others among them, she wasn't surprised either.
Until...
Her gaze slid downward and landed on a spot not too far from Kouenji Rokusuke — two green points of light pressed close together.
[Ayanokoji Atsumi], [Tsukishiro Tsunenari].
"Oh my?"
Amanatsu Kazuha arched an eyebrow, a smile hooking at the corner of her lips.
"To think that the players who once hid behind the chessboard have now been reduced to pieces waiting to be traded on the exam floor, playthings for the gods to toy with and admire..."
"This ending — should I call it amusing, or lament it?"
The girl tossed out the quip offhandedly, then withdrew her gaze without the slightest attachment.
After all, for a bird that has already flown from its cage, being willing to so much as glance back at the prison that once trapped it is already more courtesy than it deserves.
As for what sort of predicament Ayanokoji Atsumi and the others were in now?
Sorry, but that was entirely outside the scope of her authority — sparing them even a second glance would count as dereliction of duty.
Reining in her thoughts, Amanatsu Kazuha focused her attention on one particularly special green dot.
Unlike the other green dots, which displayed only a name and an avatar—
That dot, marking an ally, not only glowed and pulsed brightly, but had a detailed intel prompt popping up beside it:
[Clockwork Wraith · Oriana]
[During a disaster relief effort, she gave her own gas mask to a child, causing her to inhale a highly toxic alchemical gas that corroded and failed all of her organs. Step by step, her father replaced her lungs, heart, limbs, and viscera with clockwork machinery, using a Hextech Crystal as the power core. Because she completely discarded her human flesh, her personality shifted from cheerful to absolutely rational — yet at her core, she is still a little girl who longs for friends.]
[Barring the unexpected, she will be the mysterious merchant of future exams.]
[Note: Past-round items can be purchased from Oriana by paying a premium. As for how large a premium... that depends on Liana's mood.]
"A mysterious merchant who'll sell past-round items for a premium?"
Looking at this all-but-open hand of a hint, a sly glint flickered in Amanatsu Kazuha's eyes.
It was exactly like a game of Monopoly where the GM pulls out a whole crate of cash and tells you:
As long as you keep my daughter company, this money is yours.
Faced with a temptation like that, there was no way Amanatsu Kazuha wouldn't take an interest.
As a fifth-generation White House student, compared to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's emotional detachment—
She had, in her coursework, dabbled in social psychology and microexpression management.
Though the White House foundation running through her bones — that instinct to use others — had never once changed.
Still, Amanatsu Kazuha reckoned that befriending a love-starved little mechanical girl would be child's play!
As long as the price was right, she could absolutely become the best, most doting confidante Oriana would ever have in her entire life!
Even if she couldn't afford any items right now, just looking at the intel's mention of a father who was apparently a "great inventor"... Amanatsu Kazuha was willing to front a wave of free friendship-sponsorship first.
What could she do? In this godforsaken Black Sphere exam, she really, desperately wanted to advance!
With that thought, Amanatsu Kazuha beat her wings once and dove straight toward Oriana's coordinates.
...
At that moment, near the entrance to the underground shelter.
Oriana was quietly guiding several intruders — obviously White House staff — toward the deeper underground air-raid facilities.
"Miss Clockwork, do you need any help?"
Amanatsu Kazuha alighted nimbly at her side.
She'd slipped on a harmless, sweet smile, like a girl from the class next door.
Oriana turned to glance at her.
"You should come with me too. It's very dangerous out here."
"Once we're below, we'll protect you all."
A look of sudden realization surfaced on Amanatsu Kazuha's face right on cue.
"So that's it... No wonder the radar shows the largest cluster of green dots gathered here — this is the shelter you specifically picked out, isn't it?"
"You've really gone through so much trouble..."
Her eyes brimmed with gratitude. "Honestly, as testers, our top priority right now is searching out our intruding classmates. With you here helping to gather everyone up, you've saved us so much time!"
As she spoke, Amanatsu Kazuha probed further, as if just making idle conversation:
"But then... as an official staff member, you don't really need to intervene on the ground yourself, do you? You could just sit back and watch how it plays out."
Oriana turned to look at the refugees flooding into the subway station, her voice still without a ripple. "Perhaps there's no need."
"But Papa said I would find friends here."
"I don't know who will turn out to be my friend, so... it's best if I just save all of them."
Hearing that line, Amanatsu Kazuha smiled inwardly.
Sure enough, this personality and thought pattern matched the intel revealed on the Controller almost exactly.
'Craving love, craving bonds, hm...? Far too easy to handle.'
She took a step forward, softening her voice even further.
"By the way, I saw the note in my Controller... you're the mysterious merchant, right?"
Oriana's steps paused.
At a flicker of her will, the metal golem beside her unfurled a screen of light. "Do you want to buy something?"
Amanatsu Kazuha gave a slight nod.
"Even though I know I'm weak, and the points I've saved up aren't many... even if I spent every last one, they'd probably be of no real use against the monster out there."
"But in the end, I still want to do my small part to help everyone, to save more people!"
The girl lifted her head, her gaze limpid and clear. "Even if it's only one more person I can save, I'm willing to give everything!"
The words rang out firm and stirring, enough to move one to the depths of the heart.
Oriana, however, only gazed at her in silence.
Amanatsu Kazuha's expression, her tone, even her body language were all flawless — impossible to find fault with.
And deep down, Oriana truly did have a soft spot for this sort of thing.
But Amanatsu Kazuha had overlooked one thing.
After meeting the "Papa" known as Chris, Oriana had been given a great many extra additions.
Among them were the "Emotional Spectrum Monitoring" and "Malice Perception" modules.
Through this hidden layer of vision—
Oriana clearly saw, upon the girl before her, the color blocks representing negative intent flickering to life.
And just as Oriana was about to slap a negative rating on this false-hearted tester — and, incidentally, adjust her merchandise discount into the negatives—
"Vwoooom — KA-BOOM—!"
At the far edge of the sky, a powerful, thunderous roar erupted.
Two B-2 stealth bombers, shaped like black bats, tore through the clouds, closing in on Godzilla's position!
At that sound, the expression on Amanatsu Kazuha's face pulled taut.
"Miss Clockwork, I'm afraid there's no time to buy anything now."
Amanatsu Kazuha spoke at breakneck speed, her voice no longer holding the slightest trace of that earlier delicate frailty:
"They're bringing out the heavy firepower — that monster is about to go berserk. Take them to the deepest part of the shelter, and absolutely do not come out for now!"
"I still have to warn my comrades to take cover!"
With that, she didn't wait for Oriana's answer.
A single beat of her wings, and she shot up against the fleeing crowds, rocketing straight into the sky!
Amid the raging winds, Amanatsu Kazuha steered [Myriad Soaring Wings], loosing several snow-white feathers off into the distance.
That was a secret signal she had agreed upon beforehand with Horikita Suzune, Shiraishi Asuka, Yagami Takuya, and the others.
The instant they saw those feathers, it meant they had to immediately find solid cover and hide!
Down on the ground, Oriana's eyes flickered ever so slightly.
She watched the girl's figure in midair — utterly without fear, still transmitting warnings to her comrades even in the face of a devastating strike about to engulf the entire city.
Oriana's impression of her shifted.
True, she had come with utilitarian intent.
But in that instant, the resolve with which she braved the risk of losing her own life to warn her comrades... was genuine, through and through.
After all, Oriana's system displayed it plainly.
This girl called Amanatsu Kazuha... had only this one life left for now.
The moment anything went wrong, it would be utter, total death.
"She... perhaps she isn't entirely lying."
Oriana murmured under her breath, then turned and led the remaining humans down into the underground sanctuary.
Meanwhile.
The two B-2 bombers circling above Godzilla had already locked onto their target.
The bomb bays opened.
Two heavy MOP bunker busters, each weighing over ten tons, struck Godzilla's broad spine with pinpoint accuracy!"
"BOOM!!!"
It had to be said — the staggering military budget America poured out every year was not spent in vain.
Earlier, the Self-Defense Force had exhausted its entire stockpile of conventional munitions without so much as scratching a single patch of Godzilla's hide.
Yet these two bunker busters had actually bored clean through Godzilla's outer defenses by brute force!
"ROAAAR—!!!"
With a howl of pain—
Torrents of blood gushed from the wound on Godzilla's back like a burst dam!
Tons upon tons of scalding blood rained down across the districts!
Seeing this scene through the broadcast screen, some of the Defense Ministry officials far away in the command center couldn't help leaping up to cheer:
"Yes! Direct hit!"
"The good ol' USA really has some tricks up its sleeve!"
But before this crowd of politicians could rejoice too soon—
On screen, the gravely wounded behemoth abruptly froze rigid on the spot.
And then—
The enormous wound on its back stopped bleeding at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In its place, flesh and skin writhed wildly as they knitted themselves back together!
And the coral-like dorsal fins along its spine, which had only been flickering a dull crimson before, began to deepen in hue, ultimately transforming into a heart-stopping, dazzling purple!
"Vwoom—" A resonant hum.
Godzilla slowly lowered its head.
Its abyssal maw yawned open.
A vast surge of black smoke erupted out like a blowout well, spreading rapidly along the streets and, in mere seconds, completely blanketing several surrounding districts.
Then, a single spark flared to life within the smoke.
"BOOM!!!"
The black smoke ignited in an instant, transforming into a raging, roaring sea of flame!
Wherever the all-devouring wall of fire swept, skyscrapers dozens of stories tall melted and collapsed like toy blocks!
But this was merely the prelude.
At the very center of the inferno, Godzilla jerked its head skyward.
The flames in its mouth swiftly condensed, converging into a slender, razor-sharp beam of purple plasma laser!
The Atomic Breath tore across the heavens.
With just a single sweep—
The two B-2 stealth bombers, still circling to observe the results of their strike, were sliced clean in two!
It made every last soul who hadn't managed to evacuate witness despair all over again.
And in the district the Atomic Breath swept across—
Because they hadn't managed to escape in time, Hashimoto Masayoshi, Shiraishi Asuka, and Hamaguchi Tetsuya — the three of them huddled behind the load-bearing column of an office building—
Didn't even feel a shred of pain.
Their field of vision was simply filled with a wash of purple light.
"Sssssh—!"
The entire building was vaporized in an instant.
The single extra life that remained to each of the three was wiped away the moment death was rendered.
Even if revived, with no extra margin for error left, it would be exceedingly difficult for them to survive in this purgatory.
Fortunately.
Upon learning that the B-2 bombers had scrambled and understanding that Godzilla was highly likely to go berserk—
Kouenji Rokusuke had not chosen to stand idly by.
He hauled Katsuragi Kohei along and, using the Knight ability granted by the [Blank Card Box], once again opened a passage into the Mirror World.
The very moment Godzilla was struck by the bunker busters—
"The World!"
Kouenji wrung out every last drop of his mental strength, forcibly triggering the halt of time!
In the ashen, frozen world.
He moved swiftly, hauling Katsuragi Kohei with him.
So that when time resumed its flow, he could fling those intruding classmates who hadn't been able to dodge, one after another, into the mirror realm connected to the roadside shop windows and car side mirrors!
In doing so, he'd barely managed to save the testers along with most of the intruding classmates.
As for Shiraishi Asuka and the others...
It was purely because their position lay directly in the path of Godzilla's breath — there truly was nothing to be done.
It was only during the interval when Godzilla shifted its attention to the bombers in the sky that they managed to snatch those few to safety.
Hidden within the Mirror World, Kouenji Rokusuke gazed out at the scorched earth beyond and wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his eye.
"Truly... this young master nearly failed to maintain his perfect composure there."
Katsuragi Kohei, too, gasped for breath in great heaving lungfuls, and looking at the majority of the people they'd rescued, he gave a nod, his heart still pounding with lingering fear.
But—
The disaster was not over yet.
In order to save face, the American military commanding this operation, upon learning that the B-2s had gone down—
Issued yet another order.
Two more bombers took off from base.
Attempting, through a flanking maneuver, to once again drop bunker busters and cripple it!
____
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