novelhk Page 202
Page 202
"So, Osora, do you know the date... September 19th, when the 'Apostolic Cross' is used in Japan?"
"Yes."
The other party replied without hesitation:
"of course I know."
Fangcun listened to their fairy talk and ate several ice creams, and now his stomach hurts a little.
Tsuchimikado cut off the phone call.
"As a result, the 'Apostolic Cross' that Oriana and his group possessed could not be used at any time and place at will."
"Yes. They probably did some research beforehand about where the 'observatory' was available in Academy City. According to Orsola, Lidovia likely investigated the locations and usage periods of the 'observatory' while traveling around the world to spread her faith."
According to information provided by Orsola Aquinas, Lidovia has been searching for the location of the "observatory" for a long time. He first measured several locations in one place and then calculated the location of the "observatory" after all the measurements were taken. In other words, he may not have personally confirmed the location of the "observatory" within Academy City.
"So, what Lidovia and Oriana are doing now is using their own feet to actually verify the difference between the calculated data and the actual things... something like that."
"That's it. The reason Oriana is wandering around is because he can't find a suitable magical location, or there are other geographical reasons besides that. Anyway—this is it."
Of the locations suggested by Orsola, there is one more location within Academy City, besides the ones Oriana Townsend has already inspected.
"Although we took a long detour to get here, things have finally improved, meow. I hope it can go this smoothly."
Jing Shen looked up at the sky. It was 5:20 p.m., and the blue sky was gradually turning orange.
"A location... How long ago was it that we last saw Oriana? Could he have already confirmed that location and moved to another place?"
"No, I've looked at other locations... It doesn't seem very suitable from the perspective of using external constellations. Even outdoors, there are two places where the sun can't be seen from the shadows of the building, and three places where the sky is completely blocked by the branches of the roadside trees. So they will probably use this extremely open space as their final location, meow."
"An open space—hey, the place you marked on the map!!"
Chapter 363 Reunion
Chapter 363
“That’s right, there’s no place more open than there.”
As she spoke, Tsuchimikado showed him the map marked with a marker. Her injuries seemed quite severe; her fingertips trembled constantly, and the markings were barely visible.
School District 23.
This is a special school district that has been entirely dedicated to the development of aviation and space technology. Apart from the international airport, which is open to foreign spectators, the rest of the area is simply marked as blank on the map. This blank space means that this is not the place to be introduced. In addition to civilian aircraft, the district also develops fighter jets and unmanned helicopters to defend the airspace of Academy City. The security system during the Daihasei Festival must have been top-tier.
The spot Tsuchimikado marked with a marker was right in the center of the blank area on the map. Just looking at that, it's really hard to understand how this place is any different from the street.
Seeing the confused look on Jōjin's face, Tsuchimikado grinned and said:
"It's the 'Iron Body Aviation Technology Research Institute Affiliated Experimental Airport'... specializing in the development of short-distance runways within Academy City, meow. Of course, I'm a different story since I know the inside story, but for Orianna, who's here for the first time, it should be a difficult place to conquer, meow."
"...But Orian is a magician, right? He doesn't take the security of Academy City seriously at all. I don't think he's the kind of person who would be caught on the security cameras."
"However, the observatory locations Oriana has patrolled so far are all areas with relatively lax security. If you actually went to see those places, you'd understand; he proceeded from the less guarded areas to the more risky ones, meow. Oriana and Lydovia are more vigilant about Academy City than we imagined... If he truly didn't care about the security, he wouldn't have deliberately blended into the crowd. Pure God, think about those magicians you've fought in the past. Do you think Shirley Cromwell, who uses stone statues, paid attention to the movements of the guards?"
Now that you mention it, it seems that their magicians... if they can break through from the front, they will actually break through.
Oriana and his group planned to use the balance of scientific and magical power surrounding the Great Star Festival. They did not want to drastically alter the current situation using their own powerful spells.
On the outskirts of Academy City, countless mages of all sizes are waiting for an opportunity; it's simply impossible to deal with all of them at the same time as Academy City's guards.
"In short, we can only hope that the security network can cleverly trip up Oriana, and that we can quickly launch a pursuit. They are heading to what is actually the last 'observatory'. If we catch him here, everything will be over."
"What? That sounds simple, but if Orianna can't figure it out there, we'll probably waste the same amount of time too!"
Just as Jing Shen was speaking, she suddenly saw a striking red-haired magician in the distance.
As she looked over in surprise, Tyr Magnus came running towards her.
Tsuchimikado stared at his late colleague with disbelief.
"What on earth were you doing all this time, meow? You didn't run into Oriana and Lidovia, did you...?"
"no……"
Tyre seemed a little hesitant to speak, so the Cleansing Spirit answered for her:
"By the way, this guy saved someone's life and was greatly appreciated by Teacher Xiaomeng. He's been bothered by her ever since, that must be it."
"Pfft!? You...you amateur, stop talking nonsense! I shook off that person a long time after I finished the call with you. Even if I used the banishment skill, I would be caught again after leaving the range of the effect. It took me quite a while to completely shake off that person."
Tyr snorted out the shortened cigarette and stomped it out, looking at Tsuchimikado with a rather cold gaze.
"...Meow, this must be the Purification Disease. During such a serious time, Mr. Tsuchimikado, I was covered in blood using the exploration magic 'Reasoning Four Arrays,' and you were immersed in this romantic comedy-like plot, meow... And the object of your affections wasn't Index, but Ms. Komoe. You two are really strange, always so fickle. If you're a woman, you should be devoted to one person!"
"Don't talk about 'purification disease'. It doesn't feel real to me when someone as devoted to their sister as you says that."
"No way! Who would be so devoted to their own sister, meow!? I, Tsuchimikado, would never do that... Ouch!!... If I... scream, my wound will hurt again..."
Tsuchimikado pressed his side against his stomach and trembled uncontrollably.
Jingshen shook his head wearily.
"Let's not talk about Wu Xia for now. The important thing is what to do next. The 23rd School District is heavily guarded. They probably don't even know how we're going to sneak in."
"...Wait...wait a minute, Jing Shen. This situation should be handed over to the elite Onmyoji Tsuchimikado Haruka without hesitation...you know, we just need to use the privilege that Orian doesn't have, but we have this time."
"Huh? What kind of privilege?"
Jōjin exclaimed in surprise, while Tsuchimikado grinned and operated his phone, saying:
"Hmm. You know the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Academy City, meow?"
-
Oriana Townsend is the terminus of the 23rd school district.
Unlike other school districts, District 23 has only one station. It serves as both the entrance and exit for the district. The station connecting all the routes in District 23 is enormous, as wide and complex as an international airport.
There are eight regular train lines, five subway lines, two high-speed monorail lines, and four bus lines at the main exit. In addition, there are special freight train lines and VIP lines that are not open to the general public.
Surrounded by this scene, Oriana casually glanced around, muttering to himself.
The security system has changed.
The terminal station was heavily guarded, hidden among the crowds carrying large suitcases, but their deployment suddenly shifted. More accurately, it felt like they were being de-escalated. While they didn't suddenly leave the station, they moved to a location where security was less of a priority. This likely increased blind spots for the guards.
Standing inside the station, which was predominantly white with glass panels on the walls and ceiling to absorb sunlight, Oriana continued to ponder.
The 23rd School District is a special school district in Academy City. Except for the road connecting the international airport and the terminal station, the entire area is a restricted zone. In reality, getting to the terminal station is quite simple, but taking that first step out is extremely difficult. Therefore, he constantly shuttles between the terminal station and the international airport, always looking for an opportunity…
(The opportunity has indeed come, but isn't this a bit too strange?)
Chapter 364 Confirmation
Chapter 364
He wanted to contact Lidovia, but would using a communication spell under these circumstances be detected by magical detection? After a moment's thought, Oriana brought the word card to his lips. He surmised that the enemy's detection capabilities weren't that strong.
"Libovia".
He tore off a word card and muttered to himself:
"You should also be mentally prepared and start the final preparations."
The response appeared directly on my retina in text form. Like movie subtitles, the text at the bottom of my field of vision read:
"...The time hasn't come yet?"
“I also want to take it slow, but it seems like those young people have already taken the lead. It would be too embarrassing if only one side was half a step behind at such a crucial moment.”
Oliana used a corner of his eye to spot the guards silently changing their configuration.
"The security has shifted unnaturally; perhaps they've discovered I'm here. There's no magic here that can expel unauthorized individuals or manipulate consciousness; this must be an order from Academy City."
"You mean Academy City disrupted the balance and launched an attack?"
"Quite the opposite. It feels like a deliberate retreat, creating an opportunity for a contest. The guards' actions are also somewhat perplexing. Perhaps they don't even know why they have to change their deployment."
"If this is an invitation from them, there's no need to accept, right? Anyway, let's leave the station and go to another school district."
"Do not……"
Oriana looked at the large clock on the platform.
“I’ve searched everywhere, and this is still the most suitable place to use it. In that case, I’ll wait here with protective measures in place… This place is so spacious, it shouldn’t involve any ordinary people, right?”
"Is there any concrete evidence that could buy time?"
"This issue varies depending on the number of people on the other side, but even if there are many people on the other side, I will fight them to the death."
Oriana's eyes left the electronic bulletin board and headed towards the stairs leading up to the platform exit.
The pace was quite large and very urgent.
"so be it."
"Okay, then I'll prepare too, Lidovia. This time, we must conquer Academy City in one fell swoop. Just like pushing an innocent girl of light into the mud."
-
The train rumbled as it slid into the subway platform.
Haruka Tsuchimikado didn't even glance at the slowly decelerating steel block.
His gaze was fixed on his companions.
"I spoke with the bigwigs up there and asked them to slightly adjust the security situation in District 23. Even so, the demand to 'leave District 23 entirely' is too unreasonable and impossible to pass. The only option is to take advantage of the 'gap' created during the switch from configuration A to configuration B..."
According to Tsuchimikado, there seems to be an order from above to change the way satellites and image processing are handled. The switchover is currently underway, so aerial surveillance has become less effective.
Fang Cun pondered the person Tsuchimikado had just spoken to on his cell phone.
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Academy City.
(...Aleister?)
At the same time, Jōgami was also very curious about what kind of person the other person was, but because it was a phone call, Jōgami couldn't hear the other person's voice. However, the fact that this person could deal with Tsuchimikado, who was proficient in science and magic, on an equal footing suggested that this person was located in a very distant place in the world. This was a distant place that an ordinary high school student like Jōgami could never possibly fathom in his demon-hunting adventures.
"If we take into account the constellation configuration that appears in the night sky, the 'Apostolic Cross' shouldn't activate immediately after sunset. The current time is 5:25 PM, and it should only take about ten minutes to reach the terminal station in District 23. However, we still don't know the exact time limit, but it will probably be between 6 PM and 7 PM. At the shortest... after reaching the terminal station, there will be about 25 minutes left."
"Tsuchimikado. You just said you wanted to sneak in during the slight chaos of the configuration change, which took about ten minutes. Do you think the effects of that configuration change will last?"
"Purify yourself. The security changes aren't limited to just one building. It's impossible to completely alter the security of an entire school district in about ten minutes. It's like school evacuation drills; with more people, the overall movement becomes sluggish—that's basic logic, meow. At least when we infiltrated District 23 at 5:35, the security system should still have room to maneuver."
After hearing this, Tyr threw the cigarette he was holding into the ashtray in the smoking area.
"Let me confirm first, do you intend to stand in front of Oriana with this body?"
"Huh? I really want to get some rest, meow. But even if security is lax, it's impossible to be completely unguarded. District 23 isn't so easy for you guys to break through."
"I could..."
Fang Cun raised his hand, about to speak, but was interrupted.
"We're worried that the damage you've caused will be too great and difficult to manage, so we'll leave it as is for now."
“I see,” Tyr replied casually.
This is not about asking for reasons, but about confirming the other party's meaning.
"Between six and seven in the afternoon, that's our boundary, and it also belongs to Oriana and Lidovia. Even if Oriana and the others want to change direction now, the time limit will expire before they reach their destination. For them, using the 'Apostle's Cross' in District 23 is absolutely necessary, isn't it?"
The Pure Spirit listened to what they were saying.
Then she said:
"Whether it's pursuit or being pursued, let's put an end to it here."
“Oriana and the others should be thinking the same thing now. And I have no objection—after that, all we have to do is burn with all our might.”
The train, which had been gradually slowing down, finally came to a stop.
As the station announcement was made, the steel doors opened automatically to the left and right, releasing the passengers onto the platform. However, Jing Shen and his companions paid no attention to the crowd. People moved in a stream, as if trying to avoid the four individuals.
"—If you board this train, there's no turning back. What follows is a bloody war with Oriana and Lidovia. Are you prepared, Purifying God, Exorcising Demons?"
Upon hearing Tyr's voice, the Cleansing God fell silent for a moment.
Many things happened today. I smelled blood, tasted sand, fought with a magician walking in the street, fell into the enemy's trap, saw someone fall in front of me, and felt powerless in the face of the wounded. I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists to get to this point.
"……Um."
Having swallowed it all, Jing Shen nodded.