Vol. F Ch. 3 Ep. 2: The Next Objective

...!

Are you all right, Maestro?

...What happened?

No, no need to explain. My body has changed... I'm still adjusting...

Haha. My apologies. We were in a hurry so I had to take what we had on hand. Is it uncomfortable? How do you feel?

It's inconsequential. Physical bodies are expendable.

...On a more pressing note, the Chroma attacked.

Yes. Phrenapates, the Guide of Chroma, attacked earlier than expected.

...It was aware of our location, weaknesses, and chose the optimal time to attack.

The Guide has been one step ahead of us from the very beginning. We disgrace Gematria's name.

Heeheehee... We were never its priority to begin with.

It only attacked us as a means to an end. To secure a tool to fulfill its purpose.

The tool to destroy Kivotos.

Yes. By moving the god of the underworld, changed by its terror, it robbed Gematria of all its secrets.

The Mimesis, Communio Sanctorum, Decagrammaton, the Nameless Gods, the Library of Lore, and...even the Ark of Atrahasis that we were unable to obtain.

Now that the Guide of Chroma has secured the terror of Anubis, Kivotos is no longer a welcome place for our activities.

The Chroma will devour all, and Kivotos will be painted with a layer of madness. That is simply its nature.

Even if we pursue our values here, our achievements will only lead to more tools for Phrenapates.

Then will Kivotos come to an end?

...Perhaps not. Sensei remains. They will fight their bitter fight alongside the students until the end.

...I see. I would expect nothing less.

But for how long will they fight? How long will Sensei be able to take a stand against the incomprehensible Chroma? Heeheehee.

Even now that everything is ruined, there are still fascinating phenomena to be observed. How exhilarating!

...Gematria will temporarily disband here.

We'll assemble again when the time is right. You can do as you please until then, Maestro.

I understand. What of Golconde? What happened to him?

He will be fine seeing as Decalcomania, the main body, cannot die. But Francis has overtaken their consciousness.

...Francis has returned.

He's even more dangerous than Beatrice in some ways. I'll miss Golconde.

Black Suit, what will you pursue from here?

Heeheehee...

I need a report! What's the situation?

Um, how do I put this...? Masses with ultra-high energy have been observed all over Kivotos...

...Again.

How is this possible...?

Ugh.

...

...Hm.

That means...

...Yes. That's all I know, Foreclosure Task Force.

...

So, Shiroko lost herself after coming into contact with the Chroma...right?

And Shiroko is involved in all the incidents...?

Shiroko... How could this be...?

What happened to Shiroko? Why is she trying to destroy the world? What... What was the expression I saw on her face...?

Ayane...

I-I don't know... I heard about the Chroma, but I don't know how she could become a completely different person...

I don't know why this happened or what it all means... I just know... I couldn't tell what she was thinking, at all...

...

Ayane...

No matter what's happening to Shiroko, it's not her fault.

We have to consider that she was caught in a power that she could not overcome by her own efforts.

Right, Ayane! It sounds like the Chroma is the bad one here, not Shiroko!

...

Is there a way Shiroko can return to how she was?

We're working on it, but as of now, we have no solution.

Th-That's...

I was the only one who encountered the Chroma in the past and made it back safely.

Sensei sent someone to the Hyakkiyako district to find a way to fight against the Chroma.

Sensei...

We're also coordinating with the Sisterhood to analyze our data on the Chroma... We will find a way to free Sunaookami Shiroko from its grasp.

What does it say, President?

C-Can we take a look...?

Let's see...

"Sensei."

"There's no way to restore an existence that's been reversed by the Chroma to its original state."

"It's a natural rule of this world, just as how the dead cannot be brought back to life."

D-Does that mean...that the sanctums will appear again?

That would make everything we did until now mean nothing.

...The situation isn't exactly the same.

Oh, right. The locations of the energy are a bit different this time.

The Red Winter frozen sea, the area beneath the abandoned amusement park, Gehenna's Hinnom Volcano, and Trinity's underground catacombs...

Ayumu, how long did it take for the sanctums to appear after the phenomenon first occurred last time?

Oh...about...twenty-four hours.

Then that might be the amount of time we have...

No, it could be sooner this time.

The energy is about thirty-eight percent higher on average than last time.

...Huh?

You're right! Rin, did you...memorize all those numbers? Geez.

That means we have less than a day...

Right now, each district is managing its situation post-assault. The sanctums are gone, but there are still enemies all throughout Kivotos.

It would be impossible to prepare for a new sanctum assault regardless. Everyone pushed themselves to the limit for the first round with no rest.

Our only option is to stop the sanctums before they even appear.

...But how?

...

The opponent is invisible. It doesn't even exist right now. All we can detect is the energy, but it shows up out of nowhere.

Is there a way to stop this? Is there a solution?

Sensei...

What...?!

S-Sensei?! What do you mean...?

"I knew that Shiroko was in danger..."

"The prophecy of Kivotos' destruction..."

"I even received a direct warning about the enemy we had to face."

"I had all the pieces, right in front of me."

"I was too complacent. I thought I could handle anything that happened."

You're wrong, Sensei! You did your utmost with what you had, as you always do!

Rin...?

You knew the prophecy had no basis, but you came to me with your concerns regardless. You took every precaution you needed to.

It was thanks to your warning we were able to successfully carry out the assaults on the False Sanctums.

The rest... I shoulder blame for the rest.

If I were more capable... If I were... If I were the General Student Council president...instead of just me...

...

Rin...

"That's no excuse."

"I should have protected Shiroko."

"This was my responsibility as an adult."

...

There, there. Let's take a deep breath, Sensei.

This is much more simple than everyone's making it out to be.

Shiroko is acting weird? Then we'll drag her here and teach her a lesson. And we'll take care of the rest later.

H-Hoshino? What are you...?

Heh. I guess I can't deny I had a bad feeling Shiroko might have to walk a dangerous path one day. Might've always known.

So if everything happening is somehow centered around our missing Shiroko...

Well, it'd be silly of me to say I'm not worried. We don't have a lot of options.

But this is a completely different story!

The Chroma is to blame, not Shiroko or Sensei! It's no one's fault!

It's not Shiroko we need to fight!

Besides, if we don't solve this situation right now, there might be more victims like Shiroko in Kivotos.

So it's easy.

We, along with Sensei, have to prevent more victims like Shiroko. That's what matters most!

If Shiroko tries to stop us? We'll just catch her!

Sensei and the others will figure out how to bring her back to herself!

Hoshino...

It's not like Shiroko is a wild animal to be captured! Well, I guess there are some similarities...

Heh... That's right. I'm an expert on capturing wild Shirokos. This isn't my first time!

Right, Nonomi?

Yeah! Actually, you've only done it once, but you're the only one who's done it in Kivotos. ☆

Heh... So, Sensei, you can just say everything is gonna work out fine like you usually do.

"...You're right."

"Thanks, Hoshino."

"Let's get Shiroko back no matter what it takes."

Heh... That sounds more like you, Sensei!

Right! Shiroko was always kind of weird, so it's not that big of a deal if she became a little weirder! Capturing Shiroko sounds like fun!

Yeah, right. This wild version of Shiroko is ferocious, so we'll just have to leash her up and drag her around with us. ☆

...Okay. I got it.

I'll find a way to address our problem and find Shiroko!

"I'll be counting on you guys."

...Hmm. What if...

Momoka. The energy we detected all over Kivotos, can you detect its flow?

Its flow?

When we attacked the last sanctum, we saw the energies of all the sanctums converging together.

Oh! That's right. Assuming that the energy is something fluid that can be transferred from one place to another...

...Hmm, I get what you're saying. I'll try.

Hmm...

I think what she said is right. Each coordinate has a common energy flow.

Momoka! What if we trace back the flow...?

I know. Give me a second.

I think I found it.

Momoka!

All of the energy is leading to one place. It's the energy's origin.

In other words, that place is the epicenter generating the False Sanctums.

Where is it?

It's above the sky... The altitude is 75,000 meters above Kivotos.

Huh?! Isn't that higher than the stratosphere...?!

Above the skies...

That's right. I'm detecting more energy there.

That means...that place is behind all these incidents...

Who would have thought it would be hiding above the sky?

Then whoever is leading Kivotos to destruction...must be up there.

"Phrenapates, the Guide of Chroma."