episode_0216

………………………………

……………………

……

—She was running.

That place was called the “Closed District,” an area restricted by the government.

Due to a large-scale villain attack called the “Great Disaster” in the past, the entire area was contaminated with the powerful magical energy they emitted.

It wouldn’t be a problem for Awakened individuals, but the powerful magical energy filling this place is toxic to ordinary people.

In the abandoned, ruined streets where people were driven out, someone came and ran out fearlessly.

Contrary to her fierce momentum, the sound of footsteps from the running figure is barely audible.

It’s like a gust of wind, or a beast running to hunt, suppressing its presence as much as possible.

She jumps over the cluttered piles of concrete and runs along the uneven asphalt road without slowing down.

Like a white and beautiful beast stalking its prey, she, wearing a pristine white Hero uniform, circles the ruined streets.

Her destination as she sprints like the wind is—

* * *

Beeeeeeeee Beeeeeeeee

Beeeeeeeee-!!

[Intruder detected, intruder detected.]

[Stage 1 defense system… passed. Intruder is currently moving rapidly.]

[Surveillance system calculation result… Estimated time of intruder arrival is approximately 4 minutes.]

[Intruder detected. Intruder detected.]

[Probability of intruder elimination by the interception system is approximately 1.2%.]

[Prompt action is requested.]

The sound of the alarm announcing the intruder.

Having not heard that sound for a long time, No. 13, who had come out of the room where Dorothy was imprisoned, was startled and raised his head.

The interception system Dorothy created and her surveillance AI program are excellent.

No. 13 was momentarily frozen by the desperate numbers produced by such an interception system.

Did they bring a strategic weapon for fortresses? Or is it a large group of intruders?

However, that thought was denied by the warning from the AI program that followed.

[Intruder detected. Intruder detected.]

[Intruder, approximately 1 person!]

[Cannot be stopped. Secondary interception system… destroyed!]

[Will reach the entrance of the hideout soon!]

“Young Master!”

Ashe, who had somehow appeared beside him, called him in an urgent voice.

It seemed she had manipulated time and rushed to the floor where No. 13 was as soon as the alarm sounded.

“Ashe… where’s the boss?”

“He’s in the boss’s room. I told him I would go with No. 13. No, more than that, about the intruder now…!”

Ashe hurriedly explained to No. 13.

And at her words, No. 13 was barely able to understand in a short time.

It was the first time he was dealing with such a bewildering enemy, but if it was that monstrous woman Ashe mentioned… he thought anything was possible.

Even if he couldn’t understand it.

He had to accept it.

“…Ashe, let’s go to the entrance quickly. Use your ability to go ahead. Don’t go outside the entrance, just wait for me to come.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Ashe nodded in agreement, and her figure disappeared from No. 13’s sight.

Just like when she came here, she must have manipulated time and rushed ahead.

No. 13 also hurried after her, running to the basement, the entrance to the hideout, so as not to be late.

* * *

Fortunately, thanks to the excellent interception system, the intruder, who had been advancing smoothly, seemed to have slowed down a bit in front of the last entrance.

However, amidst the warning sounds that the final gate was about to be breached, No. 13 was barely able to enter the basement room, the entrance to the hideout.

Not very large, a closed space.

In the room with walls and floors made entirely of gray, dusty concrete, No. 13 descended the spiral staircase with a clang clang clang.

“No. 13. You’ve arrived.”

“Where’s the intruder?”

“They haven’t arrived yet. But you can hear it even here——”

As Ashe said, even with the thick door between them, they could hear the commotion from outside.

And.

Not long after No. 13 arrived in this room, the noise stopped abruptly.

Ashe, who had been conveying the situation, also closed her mouth at the unnaturally stopped noise and glared at the door.

A terrible silence that seemed to sting the skin painfully.

In it, No. 13 swallowed hard.

And, after a while.

Kwaaaaaaaang!!!!!!!

A heavy, thick iron door.

A special kind of door that could withstand the attack of cannons two or three times.

In a single blow, it was crushed miserably and flew into the room.

The wall around the door was also tattered.

At the tragic sight.

At the violent scene.

No. 13’s eyes turned fierce, and his body tensed greatly.

Beyond the collapsed door, the “intruder” who had completely destroyed the hideout’s thorough interception system in a short time and came looking, reveals herself.

Clack clack clack…

The sound of the boots on her uniform, entering.

A woman in a white uniform with golden hair fluttering in the wind of the passage, not a speck of dust on her despite the formidable interception system.

Rahe, the captain of the Hero Association’s 7th Squad.

She, who is called the strongest hero, is——here now.

* * *

“……”

The opponent says nothing.

Her eyes are foggy, making her seem like an extremely realistic doll.

Captain Rahe’s long hair shines, dyed golden.

No. 13 knows very well that her hair is usually as beautiful and smooth as ebony, but when she uses her power in earnest, it turns golden.

“Rahe…? Why did you come here?”

No. 13 asks.

Rahe is his brainwashed puppet.

Originally, she should listen to No. 13.

But strangely, she doesn’t answer No. 13, even when he speaks.

“Rahe, I’m talking to you! Answer me!”

Even when No. 13 speaks angrily, there is no answer.

However, her gaze is clearly directed at No. 13, and she is opening and closing her mouth blankly as if she has something to say.

But soon she closes her mouth, changes her expression, and points her sword.

She has a special communication device like a wireless earphone in one ear.

It’s because she just heard the words “Ignore and suppress” through that communication device.

Her priority for action now is the order through this device, which is in first place.

If there were no orders from this device, she would have listened to No. 13, but No. 13’s voice does not reach her now.

“Excuse me.”

“I’ll pass through here.”

Rahe says calmly, but in the polite tone she usually uses.

The tip of her beloved sword, with its pure white blade and hilt, is pointed at No. 13.

“Rahe, put that away right now.”

And.

Ashe, standing next to No. 13, threatened Rahe, who was pointing the tip of her sword at No. 13.

She is holding a dagger and a pistol in her hands.

Ashe’s main weapons are daggers and hatchets.

For her, who can stop time, distance doesn’t matter much. Instead, she prefers these kinds of weapons because she can subdue her opponents without fail in a short time.

The pistol is something she has specially prepared, made so that its bullets can be fired normally even in stopped time, without being affected by the frozen time.

Ability aside, the chilling murderous intent and pressure befitting a captain are directed at Rahe.

It was not only not inferior to Rahe, but perhaps even surpassed her pressure, being very powerful.

“……I will pass.”

But even in the face of such murderous intent and pressure, Rahe just repeats the same words.

No. 13 blocks the stairs leading to the hideout.

Rahe leans forward and rushes towards No. 13.

And at that very moment.

“Ugh……?!”

Rahe’s body staggers.

She was leaning forward, trying to rush at No. 13 right away, but her body lost its balance, staggered, and fell forward.

With a clanging sound, Rahe’s beloved sword, which should have been firmly held in her hand, fell uselessly to the floor and rolled away.

For a moment, No. 13 couldn’t understand what had happened.

But seeing that Ashe, who had been right next to him, was now standing behind the fallen Rahe, he was barely able to understand the situation a little.

Ashe was looking down at Rahe with narrow eyes.

And the dagger in her hand was stained with blood that hadn’t been there a moment ago.

“I’ve cut the tendons in your arms and the Achilles tendons in your legs, Rahe. Even you won’t be able to move an inch with this.”

“Don’t move, if you move even a little, I’ll shoot this gun right away.”

In the stopped time, she snatched Rahe’s sword and threw it away, then quickly disabled her arms and legs.

Ashe, who had instantly neutralized the strongest hero, the invincible captain, directed the muzzle of the gun with a wary look….

* * *

‘Can I win…?

Rahe, instantly neutralized and crawling on the floor in a way she had never shown before.

It was the first time No. 13 had seen her like that, so he was very surprised.

To turn Rahe, whom he had always thought of as invincible, into such a state in an instant.

Ashe had said that she could never win against Rahe, but with her cheat-like ability to “manipulate time,” he couldn’t even imagine how she couldn’t win.

Noticing that No. 13’s tension had eased with an easygoing thought, Ashe warned him.

“Young Master. Don’t let your guard down.”

“Huh?”

Ashe’s gun is still pointed at Rahe, and her atmosphere hasn’t relaxed at all in this situation.

Rahe is still lying on the floor.

She only glances back, turning her head to look at Ashe, who put her in this state.

And.

Crack!

Crack crack crack crack!!

“Ugh?!”

Ashe’s arm, which was holding the dagger, froze instantly.

A heavy lump of ice wrapped around her arm, and soon Ashe’s arm was lowered by the weight of the ice.

She lost her sense of balance for a moment due to the weight, and then in the next moment.

Swoosh!

“?!”

Even though she was flustered, she didn’t let her guard down.

She was clearly looking straight at Rahe.

But when she noticed, Rahe’s white boot was flying in front of Ashe’s eyes, as if to cover them.

Pow!!

Ashe was unable to avoid the foot that flew at her with the force to shatter her eyes, and she was hit and sent flying backward.

Her vision spins.

Everything is spinning before her eyes.

Her eyes are hot…!

“Aaaaaaaagh…!!!”

Ashe covered her face and rolled on the floor.

Before she could even check on her, No. 13 immediately took action.

“U, OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!”

Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh

What he is holding in his hand is a chain anchor.

The entire thing, from head to tail, is cast in heavy iron, and it is a scaled-down version of what is actually used on ships, enough to be wielded as a weapon.

But even so, its weight is horrendous, and above all, the end of the anchor is sharp, like the blade of a guillotine.

No. 13 fully utilizes the space, even though it is a small space, spinning the end of the anchor around and around, then throwing it at Rahe as it is.

A heavy anchor flies towards Rahe.

The heavy, ominous blade of the anchor flies towards Rahe.

And Rahe.

Thud!

Receives it with one hand.

Whirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!

The heavy iron anchor that she caught with one hand. The chain tail, which was chasing after the anchor that had already flown, could no longer advance in front of Rahe and became entangled.

“What……?”

Crack!

The moment No. 13, who had thrown the anchor, was flustered and froze, Rahe smoothly extended her arm in a flowing motion and created a large ice stalactite in the air.

The created ice crystal pierced No. 13 in an instant and sent his body flying backward.

“─────!!”

No. 13’s body, which had flown with great momentum, pierced the wall behind him and nailed him to it.

He looks like a bug that has been collected as a specimen.

With that, the battle ended anticlimactically.

Rahe threw aside the chain anchor she had been holding onto and headed for the stairs leading to the hideout.

“【Cradle of Time, Heavenly Blessed Court, Confine, Confine!】!!”

And Ashe’s voice echoed.

Rahe’s gaze turns towards the words of incantation echoing with magical power.

Tick tock

Tick tock

Rahe suddenly felt as if she had heard a clock ticking.

She tried to run towards Ashe, ignoring the auditory hallucination, but her body was strangely slow.

Realizing that it was because her body’s time had slowed down, and when she released her magical power to shake it off, Ashe’s incantation was already over.

“【Everything, stop】!!”

Tick tock

Tick tock

Tick tock tick tock

Tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock tick tock…

——Click!

At the same time as putting the words of the spell into her mouth, she heard the ticking sound that only she could hear for a moment.

And as she finished those words, the sound that had been coming suddenly and unnaturally cut off.

And, as it is.

The world, everything except Ashe, stopped.