Tales of the Eight Thunder Gods: Shikoku's Stratagem Ch.6: The Price of Bonds: One Who Surpassed Rampage

Before dawn, the training grounds lay sunk in a frozen indigo dark. Frost blanketed the ground, glowing faintly white under the thin starlight. The eastern sky was still buried beneath heavy clouds, and nowhere could the boundary between night and morning be found. Shushu stood alone. Bandages peeked from beneath her combat uniform. The white cloth wrapped from her left shoulder down to her upper arm was far too thin to hide the traces of last night's lightning strike. Her fingertips were numb with cold, and her breath clouded white before fading. Even so, her amber eyes stared fixedly ahead into the darkness. "...I'm doing it." Her voice did not tremble. Shushu clasped both hands before her chest and drew a deep breath. The cold air poured into the depths of her lungs, and her injured shoulder throbbed sharply. She did not ignore the pain. Because there was pain, she could still fight. Because there was pain, she was still alive. "Jade Body Revolution." Her body swelled. One meter, two meters, three. Her combat uniform, her red ribbon—everything grew gigantic along with her. But it did not go as it had last night. The wound in her shoulder screamed, and her body tilted mid-expansion. "...ngh." Shushu gritted her teeth and held her ground. Three minutes. The time limit of the Jade Body Revolution that Shikoku knew inside and out. A restriction Shushu had imposed on herself during the intensive training in Paradise. That restriction—she was lifting it now. "I'm... standing here by my own will." Shushu slowly raised her enormous right arm. The bandage on her shoulder split with a soft snap. Blood seeped from the wound. Even so, the arm rose. "If I enlarge my whole body, I can only last three minutes. So if I enlarge only the parts I need, I should be able to fight much longer." She enlarged only her right arm further. Her fist crushed an old iron post set in a corner of the training grounds. The sound of twisting metal echoed through the quiet night air. "...I did it." Shushu stared at her own fist. Stop the full-body enlargement, concentrate the power in the right arm alone. The load was dispersed, and the time limit stretched several times over. The trade-off was a drop in overall strength. But if she poured everything into a single strike, it should be enough to shatter the spatial cage. Shushu released the enlargement. Her body shrank, returning to its normal size. The wound in her shoulder pulsed thickly. "...I'm going to protect Yukki." Her voice was hoarse. Even so, those words alone dissolved clearly into the night air. "I'm going to protect Yukki." Shushu clenched her trembling hands. There was fear. The pain of Shikoku's lightning still lingered deep in her body. The helplessness of being trapped in that space, the regret of failing to save Kyouka—all of it constricted her heart. Even so, she took a step forward. —— The Seventh Unit dormitory, the dining hall. Tenka had spread a map across the table, and over it floated countless grains of purple light. Ameno Torime—the power to manipulate space—was rendering visible the traces of distortion Shikoku had left behind. "Just as I thought, it's here." Tenka's fingertip pressed a single point on the map. The center of Kagari City, the old stone bridge. The place where Himari and Shushu had charged in last night. "Shikoku's spatial manipulation—while her ability is degraded, a momentary gap opens at the center of the distortion. That gap is too small to see. But it definitely exists." Tenka narrowed her pale violet eyes. "The center of the distortion. There's an instant when her consciousness concentrates there. To maintain the space, her interference with other locations lags for just a fraction of a moment. If we strike that instant, we can interfere with the cage." "How long is that instant?" Himari asked, leaning against the wall. In her hand was a new Seiun no Kokorozashi terminal. The screen, cracked in last night's battle, was barely running on a hasty repair. "Zero-point-three seconds. It won't hold any longer than that." Tenka answered without taking her eyes off the map. "Zero-point-three seconds... that's too short." "Yes. That's why one person can't do it alone. Shushu-chan's strike and my spatial interference have to land at exactly the same moment. That's the only way to break Shikoku's space from the outside." Tenka raised her head. "Himari-chan. Use your Seiun no Kokorozashi to copy my Ameno Torime. The ability to sense spatial distortion. With that, you can secure our entry route." "...A copied ability degrades. How well can I even handle Tenka-san's power?" Himari gripped her terminal. "You can do it. You especially. The experience of struggling through that spatial maze last night wasn't wasted. The feel of space should be carved into your body by now." Tenka's voice was quiet. But beneath it lay unmistakable trust. Himari looked into Tenka's eyes. "...Understood. I'll do it." Himari operated the terminal, copying Tenka's Ameno Torime with Seiun no Kokorozashi. Across the screen spread purple ripples indicating spatial distortion. "I can see it. The seams of space, clear as day." Himari's voice trembled slightly. "Amazing. Just what you'd expect from the Eastern bloodline." Tenka smiled faintly. "Let's go. Shushu-chan, Himari-chan. We're bringing Kyouka-chan back." —— Yuuki stood in the doorway of the dining hall. He had heard the entire conversation. Tenka's analysis, Himari's resolve, Shushu's training—all of it. "Let me... come too. Please." Yuuki's voice was ragged. His hands, which had kept pounding the ground last night, were seeping blood beneath their bandages. Himari turned to look at him. "I told you not to come." Himari's voice was cold. "If you come, Shikoku will provoke you again. If the remnants of Kuuzuri run wild, who gets hurt this time? Shushu? Tenka-san? Or Kyouka-san herself?" Himari's words were the same as last night. But her voice carried more exhaustion than it had then. "...I know. I know I'm the most dangerous one here." Yuuki pressed his hands to the floor and bowed his head. "But please. Take me with you. I want to save Kyouka-san. With my own hands, Kyouka-san—" Yuuki's forehead touched the cold floor. Silence filled the dining hall. "...Let's bring him." It was Tenka's voice. "Tenka-san!" Himari looked at Tenka in surprise. "Inside his body dwells the remnant of Kuuzuri. Shikoku stimulated it and made him run wild. But that also means, conversely, that he may be able to interfere with Shikoku's spatial manipulation in some form." Tenka crouched before Yuuki. "Yuuki-kun. You have to face the remnant of Kuuzuri with your own power. If you keep running, nothing will change. To save Kyouka-chan, your strength is needed." Tenka's violet eyes gazed straight into Yuuki's. "...Yes." Yuuki raised his head. "I won't run. I will save Kyouka-san. Without fail." There was no despair in Yuuki's eyes like there had been last night. Instead, a faint but certain fire of resolve was lit there. Himari stared at Yuuki for a long moment. "...Don't slow us down." That was all Himari said before turning her back. "Yeah, Yukki, let's go together!" Shushu took Yuuki's hand. "I'll protect you, Yukki. I'll definitely protect you." Shushu's hand was warm. —— The center of Kagari City. Over the old stone bridge wavered a purplish light. Spatial distortion. The entrance to the cage where Shikoku had imprisoned Kyouka. The sky was covered in thick clouds, dim despite the morning hour. There was no wind, and the city was dead silent. "There it is." Tenka pointed to the center of the stone bridge. "The center of the distortion is directly beneath that purple light. The seams of space are at their most unstable there. Right now, we can step inside." "We go. I'll take the lead. Himari-chan, behind me to the right. Shushu-chan, behind me to the left. Yuuki-kun, directly behind me." Tenka's voice had shifted into her combat tone. Calm, precise, brooking no argument. "Understood." "Yeah!" "...Yes." The four of them began walking toward the purple light. The light enveloped their bodies. —— Inside the space was bizarre, just as it had been last night. The sense of up and down, left and right was ambiguous; the ground seemed to exist and not exist. A fog of mingled purple and black blocked their vision. The air was cold, and every breath stung the lungs. "Kyouka-chan's presence is further in. Proceed carefully." Tenka advanced at the front, sensing the space with Ameno Torime. "What about Shikoku?" Himari asked, checking her terminal. "She hasn't moved yet. But she must already know we've entered." Tenka's voice was slightly stiff with tension. "...She's coming." Yuuki suddenly stopped. "Yuuki-kun?" Tenka turned around. "I can tell. Shikoku's presence is getting closer. Something inside my head is... stirring." Yuuki pressed a hand to his chest. His heart was pounding violently. The remnant of Kuuzuri was reacting to Shikoku's presence. "...I see. He responds to Shikoku's space, then. All the more reason bringing him was the right call." Tenka gave Yuuki a small nod. "We move. Before Shikoku arrives, we pinpoint Kyouka-chan's location." The four pressed on through the fog. Before long, a silver light appeared deep in the mist. The Infinite Chains. Kyouka's weapon. "Kyouka-san!" Himari shouted. Kyouka was inside a spatial cage. Surrounded by transparent walls, both hands pinned to the wall along with her chains. She was conscious. But she could not speak. Shikoku's spatial manipulation had bound even her vocal cords. Kyouka's lips moved. 'Don't come.' It made no sound. But the shape of her mouth unmistakably said so. "Kyouka-san, I'll save you right now!" Himari started to run toward the cage. "Wait, Himari-chan!" Tenka grabbed Himari's arm. "It's a trap. The spatial distortion is unnaturally dense only around the cage. Get close, and you'll be trapped." Tenka's fingertip traced the spatial distortion. Grains of purple light swirled around the cage. "Then what do we do?" "I'll cancel out the distortion. Meanwhile, Shushu-chan smashes the cage. Himari-chan, use Seiun no Kokorozashi to amplify my spatial interference. Yuuki-kun, give the signal when Shikoku appears." Tenka issued her instructions swiftly. "Got it." "Yeah!" "...Yes." Tenka spread both hands. Ameno Torime. The power to manipulate space overflowed from her fingertips as particles of purple light. "Now!" Tenka shouted. Himari amplified Tenka's ability with Seiun no Kokorozashi. Shushu enlarged only her right arm and swung her fist down at the cage. "Jade Body Revolution!" DOGOOOON! Shushu's fist struck the spatial cage. The purple fog blew away, and cracks raced across the cage's surface. "It's working!" Shushu raised her fist again. That was the moment. "How unfortunate. Every move you've made was within my calculations." A voice. From deep in the fog, Shikoku appeared. Her long purple-black hair was loosely tied up, a few strands hanging beside her pale cheeks. Her dark violet-blue eyes flashed white like lightning. The amethyst earring on her left ear glowed eerily. "Tenka. Your analysis was correct. My ability is degraded. Cracks form in my space. But what if I am creating those cracks intentionally?" Shikoku toyed with a strand of hair and slowly tilted her head. "You've leapt into my cage again. Believing in your bonds. Believing in your comrades. That trust is what brought you here." Shikoku raised her right hand. "Spatial Inversion." The surrounding space flipped over. Up and down swapped, left and right reversed. Tenka lost her balance. Himari nearly dropped her terminal and clung to it with both hands. Shushu's enormous right arm cut through empty air. "Ngh...!" Tenka gritted her teeth and resisted the spatial dis

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Tales of the Eight Thunder Gods: Shikoku's Stratagem Episode 6: The Price of Bonds: One Who Surpassed Rampage