episode_0241

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*Crack.*

A fissure forms in space.

A fissure running through empty air?

It was an impossible sight, yet it was clearly happening right here.

A tiny crack appearing in space.

And that crack, gradually growing larger over time.

Unfortunately, there was no one in this empty space to notice it.

This was the place where two Squad 4 Captains fought the Squad 7 Captain.

And also, the very place where two outnumbered Ashe used their last desperate move to somehow subdue Rahel and drag her into the future.

In the silent, empty space, only faint cracks grew in the air with a soft *tick, tick.*

The speed was slow, and the cracks were small and faint enough to be unnoticeable unless you looked closely.

But it would surely not be long before…

* * *

“Let go… let, goooooooooooo!!!”

“Stay still, you.”

Doraji, still struggling while restrained.

13th Squad lowered her voice in threat, but Doraji glared at her as if she wasn’t intimidated in the slightest.

What was she so confident about while restrained?

13th Squad almost slapped her across the cheek, but she shook her head with a sigh and dismissed the thought.

“…I’ll deal with you later.”

13th Squad first checked on Dorothy’s condition.

It didn’t seem like she had been hit with a brainwashing drug.

Dorothy would periodically take anti-brainwashing drugs like 13th Squad and the strategist… so they probably used a different drug.

*Clang!*

Unable to find the key to the handcuffs, she broke the chains with brute force.

She used her remaining magic to strengthen her power.

“Rahel… Raheeeeeeeel…!! What are you doing… Where are you, what are you doing…!!!”

Doraji spat out violent curses and then began to call for Rahel, who was no longer here.

Having lost all means to protect herself, Rahel was the only one she could rely on.

13th Squad glared at Doraji with a mixture of pity and cold indifference.

Dorothy, still drowsy, was in her arms.

“Shut up, Dorothy’s sister. If you weren’t a girl, I would have kicked you.”

“You bug… you bug bastard…!! Get away from my sister!!”

“No.”

13th Squad held Dorothy in her arms and carried the struggling Doraji on her back.

Because Doraji kept making noise, she stuffed what appeared to be Dorothy’s panties, which were lying nearby, into her mouth.

“Keep your mouth shut. If you spit it out, I’ll shove my socks in there next time.”

Whether it was because of 13th Squad’s threat or some other reason, Doraji became a little quieter.

They had to escape from here first.

You never knew when another enemy would pop out, and to be safe, it was better to leave this woman’s home ground as quickly as possible.

And at the same time as moving to a safe place, she would brainwash these two sisters to end all this commotion.

That would be the true conclusion of the operation…

“Ugh… ughhhum…!!”

If killing people with aura alone was possible, 13th Squad would have died a dozen times over from the fierce bloodlust.

13th Squad brushed it off and left the room.

* * *

Mabel laid the unconscious Dorothy on the back of an ink monster she had summoned.

Apple, who had fainted a while ago, and the restrained strategist were also being carried on Mabel’s ink monsters.

The work here was now roughly finished.

As for Ashe, she had apparently succeeded in tying down Rahel as planned, and flew to another time with her.

That’s what the boss told her over the radio.

All that remained was to wait for the three of them to return, and in the meantime, persuade Doraji to delete the order given to Rahel.

“First, we will return to the temporary hideout. We will interrogate Doraji together there──”

[13th Squad! 13th Squad!! It’s dangerous!!]

While she was reporting, 13th Squad was puzzled by Violet’s urgent voice.

What was wrong? The situation should have been settled for now.

“Boss? What’s wrong all of a sudden─”

[Run away! Take the captured Doraji and get out of there!]

What on earth was going on?

But the shout, faintly imbued with the magic of 【Word of Command】that forced action, pierced the ears of everyone wearing the communication device at once.

[Rahel is heading that way!! Get out of there right now!!]

Suddenly, she noticed that Spade and Mabel were looking somewhere else.

13th Squad also followed them and turned her gaze to where they were looking.

In 13th Squad’s vision as she turned her head.

At the end of that hallway.

“……”

Rahel, wearing a helmet that was on the verge of breaking, spewing smoke, was standing there.

Her hair was dyed gold, as if to signal that she was in complete battle readiness.

* * *

Ugh… uh…

Drag… drag…

Future Ashe dragged her injured body with her arms, moving along the carpeted hallway.

The location she was heading to was another… Ashe of the current timeline.

The current Ashe, lying down unconscious, looked terrible, with a large hole in her abdomen and heavy bleeding continuing.

Her face was also pale, and it was unknown whether she would be able to survive.

Future Ashe, dragging her body towards the current Ashe, was in a slightly better state.

At least one of her legs was only half-cut off.

“【God… who governs… time, God… who rules… time….】”

“【God… who is… time… itself… Knossos… I pray… now….】”

Eventually reaching the current Ashe, she first stopped the time of her injuries.

The bleeding stopped. This would prevent it from getting any worse for now.

In addition, she reversed the time of only the most urgent areas to heal them.

She could have completely healed them, but she didn’t.

She needed to use her remaining magic for something else.

After completing the emergency treatment for the current Ashe, she then reversed the time of her own leg injury to recover it to the point where she could at least move.

It wasn’t a complete recovery, and there was a stabbing pain every time she walked, but it was enough if she could still move.

“Thank goodness… she didn’t… die… young, me….”

“But… still, it’s… a scam… Rahel… really….”

As expected.

In the end, the two were thoroughly defeated.

Even though there were two Captain-class fighters, they were defeated.

She had expected defeat.

She knew she couldn’t win.

But at least, she thought they could draw the match.

——Taking her to the future.

She thought that by isolating her from the current timeline, she would be unable to interfere with the present.

Even against Rahel, she judged that she could definitely tie her down for a few days… at least a few hours.

The result was this mess.

As if the power they had shown so far was just a taste.

Rahel’s hair turned gold with the release of her power.

And the two of them were forcibly ejected together from the isolated time they had dragged Rahel into.

And… that was where they were now.

“Young, husband… I’m sorry….”

She apologized.

Even so, Ashe struggled to get up and staggered back into the hallway.

Chasing after Rahel who had left earlier. She was struggling to follow behind.

-I have to go.

The place where Rahel headed. 13th Squad would be there too.

She had to go to 13th Squad.

To deliver the ‘last hope’ to him. She must reach him.

* * *

Oh my gosh.

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh…!!

“Rahel…!!”

13th Squad groaned and called her name.

But Rahel still didn’t respond to 13th Squad, and instead, the helmet spewed out a pungent black smoke as if in response.

“Ptooey… Rahel!”

In that brief moment when everyone in the room was frozen by the oppressive feeling of just standing there.

Doraji spat out the panties that had been stuffed in her mouth, as if this was her chance, and shouted at Rahel.

“It’s an order! Kill all these guys here! And protect me and my sister!!”

13th Squad hurriedly tried to block Doraji’s mouth.

But even faster than that, Doraji left the final order, and the worst order.

“Don’t forget the order you just made, and destroy the brainwashing device in your head!”

Mabel created new ink to cover her mouth… but it was already too late.

There was still no answer from Rahel, but only her hand slowly rose up like a zombie——and crushed the helmet, making a *whirring, buzzing* sound.

The helmet, made entirely of steel and iron, was easily crushed, shattering into pieces under Rahel’s hand and falling to the floor with a *thud*.

What appeared to be a battery fell to the floor and exploded noisily, setting off a fire….

“…According to the order, I will annihilate the enemy.”

The face under the helmet was barely revealed.

The beautiful and exquisite face that everyone had seen many times before, Rahel’s shining golden hair and golden eyes that revealed her power… were revealed before everyone’s eyes.