This is not the date I wanted.

Shidao couldn't help but have a little doubt. As far as he knew, among the known spirits, excluding Westcott who took away the second sub-power, the only ones that were not sealed by him were the phantom and Kurumi whose true identity was unknown.

But, could a spacequake really happen? As soon as the shelter was destroyed, the spacequake alarm came one after another. No matter how you look at it, it is hard to believe that it is a coincidence.

(If it is not accidental but man-made...)

If the tragedy before his eyes was man-made, then there was only one possibility for the culprit, and that was the enemy who had been trying to murder him recently - DEM.

(What a joke, are you willing to involve so many innocent citizens just to kill me?)

Shidou couldn't help but grit his teeth and clenched his fists tightly as if he wanted to dig his nails into his flesh.

Calm down! Calm down!!

After warning himself once again, Shidou resisted the urge to go and stop the citizens, and turned around and evacuated from them.

DEM's target is himself. Perhaps using the power of the spirits, Shidao can stop the chaos among the citizens, but at the same time, DEM's magicians and drones are probably heading towards him. If a battle breaks out in such a crowded place, it will only affect the citizens and cause greater casualties.

(Try to stay away from the crowd, and then find a way to go home and reunite with everyone.)

"Ratziel (Sage of the Dawn)!"

[Received——Partial expansion——Haniel (fake witch). ]

Soon, under the power of the "Fake Witch", Shidao's appearance and appearance changed, turning him into an inconspicuous uncle.

After completing the transformation in the first possible time, Shidou took out his headphones and tried to contact Kotori while he was on his way.

Soon, a response came from the other end of the headset.

[Shidou, are you okay?! Eh? Why is it an old man? Where is Shidou going? ]

"Kotori. I'm Shidou, disguised as a 'fake witch'."

Hearing the wavering voice in the headset, Shidou responded helplessly.

[I-I see. Anyway, I hope everything is alright.]

Hearing that the voice was indeed her brother's, although Kotori felt a little uncomfortable, she still breathed a sigh of relief.

"Kotori, how is Origami?"

[Don't worry, we've contacted Origami, so there's no problem. Compared to her, Shidou, your situation is even worse.]

"Is this really the work of DEM?"

【Well, it's great that you understood the situation so quickly. 】

Kotori said in a serious tone,

[Listen Shidou, don't worry about the citizens. AST has already started to deal with it. Don't worry for now. All you have to do is stay away from the crowd as much as possible. We will move to your location and then teleport you to the airship——]

Suddenly, while Kotori was speaking, a chill suddenly came from behind Shidou.

[Expand——Zadkiel (Ice Golem)! ]

Almost at the same time, Shidou erected an ice wall behind him.

The next second, Shidao felt a violent vibration from the ice wall, as if something on the other side was attacking him.

Boom! Soon, the ice wall could no longer withstand the opponent's attack and cracks appeared.

Looking in the direction of the attack, Shidou saw a group of girls wearing black nun uniforms with familiar faces.

——Haha, found it.

[Expand——Raphael (Hurricane Knight)! ]

Without hesitation, he gave up his disguise and switched from "Fake Witch" to "Hurricane Knight". With the help of the angel's high-speed movement, Shidou got rid of "Nibelcol" in the first place.

【What happened, Shidou? 】

"I was discovered by DEM."

Shidou answered hastily and looked at Nibelcol who was catching up with him. He couldn't help but feel confused. He had clearly disguised himself, so why was he found so quickly?

[I'll do it right away - well, it's an interesting idea. But it's only useful if the enemy doesn't have the "Divine Eclipse". Even if they don't have it, they can easily lock onto you by detecting your huge spiritual power or looking for people moving in the opposite direction of the shelter.]

Suddenly, the channel in the headset seemed to be switched, and someone explained to Shidou very calmly.

"Meng Yue?"

Shidou couldn't help but exclaimed.

[Sorry, Shidou, since the conversation between you and Kotori-chan might be eavesdropped, I have to take over the line. What's the situation? ]

"It's still okay for now - no..."

Shidou dodged the spiritual energy bullet shot from the front with a roll, looked at the "Nibelcols" who appeared in front of him, and changed his words with a look of fear.

"The situation is quite bad..."

——Hehe, didn’t expect that?

—You don't think you can get away?

——We have surrounded you a long time ago.

——Run~Why don’t you keep running?

——I'm sorry, for the sake of your father, please die, Gokawa Shidao.

The girl's voice came from all directions. In buildings, shops, trees, streets - in every corner of the city, Shidou could see the same nun in black.

Shidou felt the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

"How should I put it... It's such a strong sense of déjà vu. It feels like this isn't the first time I've experienced this scene."

「After all, this is the reason why I trained you. What do you think, Shidao? Can you hold on until I get here? 」

"Um... it's hard to say. After all, I didn't pass that training in the end."

Shidou replied with a wry smile.

[It's okay. Although you didn't realize it yourself, you were showing mercy at that time. By the way, Junai has something else for me to tell you.]

"Junai? What are you talking about?"

[Those guys are not my sisters! I only have one sister, Maria.]

Hearing this, Shidou was stunned at first, then nodded in understanding.

"……learn."

[Also, I believe you can do it, Shidao. ]

After saying that, Meng Yue temporarily cut off the communication.

(Believe me...)

Exhaling slowly, Shidou raised his head and looked at the "Nibelcols" who surrounded him and tried to trap him.

Incredibly, the tension and uneasiness I just felt disappeared because of Meng Yue's words.

When you are facing danger, the feeling you get from being entrusted with something is no longer worry, but trust.

"I'm sorry, but I don't want to be killed by you at all!"

——————————————————————I am the dividing line for shifting perspectives——————————————

Unfolding her spiritual outfit, Meng Yue carried a large black suitcase on her back and moved quickly between tall buildings with the elf's extraordinary physical fitness.

"Rokuko! How's the situation over there?"

[Sorry, sister, Liu Er has an enemy here and cannot escape for the time being. The master...]

"It's okay. I'll go rescue Shidou. Just focus on dealing with the enemy in front of you."

Hearing the crying tone in Rokuko's voice, Meng Yue comforted him and then cut off the call. She clenched her teeth in annoyance.

(Damn it, how many Nibelcols did Westcott summon?!)

She had contacted everyone one by one. Without exception, Tohka, Yoshino, Nanashi, Yui, Yakuya, Miku, Rokuko, and Origami, who was currently the closest to Shidou, were all attacked by dozens of "Nibelcols". Although they did not die, they were dragged and unable to move.

And Kurumi was also fighting with Allen Mathers.

At this moment, the only one who could move freely was Mengyue, who had not been discovered by "Nibelcol".

"Kotori, you and Fraxinus EX can't go to Shidou's place."

【Why?!】

Hearing Qin Li's puzzled voice, Meng Yue explained.

"The explosion just now was probably caused by Westcott and his men trying to gather the citizens who were taking refuge towards Shidou. If Shidou wasn't trampled to death by the crowd, they could have separated him and Origami. But I'm afraid they did this for another purpose."

Another purpose?

"There are a total of 26 air-raid shelters built in Tiangong City, and only four are left intact. But who can guarantee that the remaining shelters will not explode?"

【——!? 】

As if they understood Meng Yue's meaning, all the members on the airship couldn't help but take a breath.

[Are you saying that DEM... intends to take all the residents of Tiangong City as hostages? ]

Kotori asked incredulously.

"I don't know, but if I were Westcott, I would do it."

[…I understand. I will go and deal with the bomb in the shelter. Sister Mengyue…I’ll leave my brother to you.]

"Ah."

After finishing the communication, Mengyue quickened her pace and quickly approached where Shidao was.

"Calm down... You have to calm down... Liang Yi Meng Yue..."

Meng Yue kept reminding herself this. She knew that she must not waver, otherwise if she panicked, everyone would be thrown into disarray.

Can't be impatient. Currently, the only person who can avoid the detection of "Divine Eclipse" is himself. Concealment is his only advantage at present. If he uses his spiritual power rashly, he will be slowed down by the enemy.

It would take quite a while to reach Shidou's location just by relying on one's own strength.

(Don't worry... Don't worry... With Shidao's strength, it will be no problem.)

Mengyue knows Shidao's strength better than anyone else, whether it's the control of spiritual power, the application of angels, and the handling of dangerous situations. Although Mengyue has always been harsh in words during training, she actually has a high opinion of Shidao in her heart.

Putting aside the sudden sneak attack, Shidou could easily handle this kind of blatant attack.

As long as Shidou... doesn't make a fool of himself at the crucial moment.

(——!? It doesn’t count! Why would I set such a flag for no reason?)

Shaking her head desperately to get rid of the distracting thoughts in her mind, Mengyue rode as fast as she could towards where Shidao was.

24 Itsuka Shido's Resistance

==============================

"Trace—on."

[Expand——Partial expansion——Haniel (Fake Witch)]

Murmuring a self-suggestion spell, Shidou put his hand in his pocket and transformed his cell phone into another object.

Flashbang.

Quietly pulling the safety pin, Shidou aimed at the moment when the enemy attacked and threw it out.

The next moment, the entire space was filled with dazzling white light and deafening noise.

"What happened?"

"Ah! My eyes! They can't see anything!"

"Where is Gokawa Shido?!"

The "Nibelcols" who were suddenly blinded by the bright light fell into panic.

(Right now.)

Shidou suddenly opened his eyes and did not miss this opportunity. Relying on the physical energy stimulation of "Pojun Songstress" and the high-speed charge of "Hurricane Knight", he forcibly broke through the encirclement of "Nibelcol".

"Ah, he actually ran away!"

"Damn it, if you're a man, don't run! Itsuka Shido!"