Bob walked into Kanna’s workshop. Elise was lying on an operating table, eyes closed. Sparks flew as robotic arms worked on her, sealing up her armor. Kanna and Klara stood at computers, typing away.

“How is she?”

Kanna glanced up for a moment before turning back to her monitor.

“How is she? How is she?!”

She heaved a sigh.

“She’s coming up with better ideas than me. Do you know how that feels, Bob?! When the cyborg with zero experience in weapons design or manufacturing comes up with a better idea than you?! In fact, possibly the best possible use case for Iesnorium? Do you know how long I agonized over what to do with the tiny amount we have available and then you and this girl just dump a ton more on me along with a better idea than anything I ever thought of?!”

Bob just stared at her for a moment.

“Calm down, Bob. She’s fine. She’ll be back online in a few minutes.”

Bob nodded and took a seat out of the way as the robotic arms finished up their work. Elise’s core hummed to life and her eyes shot open. She leaned forward up and off the table, locking eyes on Bob.

“Status Report: Hello, Commander Bob, it is good to see you. Upgrade cycle is complete, running diagnostics.”

“Hello, Elise.”

Bob waited for a moment as Elise checked through her systems.

“Diagnostic Results: All systems normal and operational. Proceeding to test upgraded components.”

Kanna grinned like a kid in a candy store. The grown woman was tapping her foot.

“Now to see if it works. Oh, I can’t wait…”

“Performing Diagnostic: Matter-Energy Manipulation Array. Accessing records: friendly shinobi.”

Elise held her hands in a familiar handsign. Her core and arms began to glow with blue light.

There was a puff of smoke.

Bob couldn’t help but smile.

Even since her first encounter with Xiong Huang, Elise had struggled to find counters for energy types beyond what normal science could explain. She had run countless simulations based on her own data…as well as data from previous missions and projects that Bob had granted her access to.

She came up with an answer in Iesnorium.

The energy transformation and amplification used in Gabriel Le Blank’s flying castle. The universal EMP bomb used by the Concordat. Kanna’s more comprehensive analysis of Iesnorium’s properties and possible use cases.

And Elise already had the Mass Manipulator Array that converted electricity into gravitational fields, transferring energy types to manipulate a fundamental force of reality. As well as the computing hardware and software required to perform complex physics problems with combat-relevant speeds, so as to make full use of this technology.

So what if…they upgraded said array with Iesnorium, so that it was not limited to gravitational fields? So that it could receive, output, and manipulate any type of energy?

And what if…Elise subsequently applied all that processing power to her own records of different energy types she had personally encountered? To control the energy output to match the properties of phenomena she didn’t fully understand but had still recorded in exacting detail? And then used the Array to manipulate that energy into forms she had already observed in use?

Under the smoke…was a second Elise. An illusionary clone, one of the most basic techniques taught to every shinobi.

Now performed by someone who was not a shinobi at all.

Kanna grinned as wide as she could…before heaving a sigh and then stared out into space.

“And that’s that. Universal power replication…I don’t think I can top that any time soon. I think…I might take some time off now. Explore life. See the family. I don’t know, I need a moment.”

Bob ignored her and pat Elise’s shoulder.

“Well done, Elise.”

“Appreciation: Thank you, Commander Bob. Elise is standing by for orders.”

Bob nodded and handed her a storage drive.

“Do you think you could replicate what’s stored in there?”

Elise took the drive, her finger transforming into a port and connecting to it. Her robotic eye flashed as she sifted through the data.

After a bit of time, she nodded.

“Hesitant Affirmation: Simulation reports 87% chance of success, provided sufficient materials. Real-world training with energy type and improvements to procedure precision could improve probability of success.”

Bob nodded once more.

“Good. Go ahead and return to base, practice with this while I gather the materials.”

“Affirmative.”

Inside the ILS vault, a small spider crawled out from a dark corner. A small mechanical spider. A small spider drone that had dropped out of the pocket of a certain assistant when the vault was under construction and had stayed in hibernation until now.

That spider crawled towards a certain pedestal. A certain pedestal holding a reptilian tooth of unusual size, surrounded by a spherical gravity barrier. And a more conventional metal alloy case.

But that was fine. The spider had a tiny gravity barrier of its own…that matched the larger barrier exactly. Such that when the two barriers touched…they merged together.

With the spider on the inside.

The metal box would be a bit tricker…except that it had a sliding observation panel in case it was necessary to get eyes on the contents.

And the spider…happened to have the codes to open said panel.

And so the spider drone crawled into the case. The tooth itself was covered in glowing Japanese characters, a seal of the highest level. Besides the one who put in a place, only a master of sealing ninjutsu with access to the Scroll of Demonic Binding could undo the seal. Until then, whatever powers the tooth held were sealed away completely, leaving the fang as little more than a fossil.

But the drone was not after the magic powers.

Rather, the drone walked up to the tooth…and began analyzing its structure. Its genetic structure, to be precise.

The Scroll of Demonic Binding…cared nothing for DNA. And so the sealing was no barrier whatsoever to the drone’s work.

Once its analysis was complete, the data was sent along a secure network…and the drone left the case, returning to its original hiding place to sleep once more.

Bob stood in a remote desert basin. Empty flatlands with naught but dust and sand, flanked all around by mountains. He held a briefcase in his hands and laid it down, opening it up.

The tablet he had stolen from the museum had no power of its own. Rather, it was a map. A map that led to a very dangerous vault. And within that vault…was a plain, metal oil lamp. A historical relic, maybe, but not something worth risking life and limb to find.

Unless you knew and believed the legends of what was inside.

Bob rubbed the lamp.

Red smoke billowed out of its tip and gathered in the air, condensing into the form of a man with red skin. And no legs.

The genie yawned, drooping his shoulders and waving a hand around.

“Yes yes go and state your wishes three. Or, rather, state two dumb wishes that will probably ruin your life, which I’ll intentionally misinterpret, and then your third wish to undo your other wishes. Or just save us the time and do it all at once so I can go back to sleep.”

Bob raised an eyebrow.

“Is it wise to state how you’re going to trick me up front?”

The genie just stared at him with half-open eyes.

“Look pal, I’ve done this for a while. It doesn’t matter, it always ends the same. Every, single, time. You all think you know what you want and it always ends horribly and then you regret everything and wish for it all to go back. So save yourself some time and let’s get this over with. Or are you going to make us jump through hoops because you think you’re smarter than everyone else who needed a magic lamp to fix their sorry little lives?”

“Hoops I’m afraid. I wish this valley was filled with oil.”

The genie gave a dramatic sigh and waved a hand. A massive layer of white sediment appeared, burying the basin. In tons and tons of dead algae.

“Wish granted. Oil will be ready in a million years or so.”

And with that, the genie was sucked back into the lamp. Bob’s mouth curled…into a smile.

“Materials are ready for you.”

On the other side of the basin, Elise finished drawing a massive magic ritual formation, extending across the entire basin. Her robotic eye flashed a couple of times.

“Acknowledged. Status Report: Necrosaurus Ritual formation complete. Genetic sample loaded. Material quantity…deemed sufficient. Query: Should Elise proceed with the ritual?”

“Yes.”

“Affirmative. Statement: Activating Mass-Energy Manipulator Array. Loading Profile: Arachnalich.”

Elise held out her hands as her core began to glow a dark purple, the light curling up her arms.

Purple light began to rise from the layer of sediment as the dead organisms converted into necrotic mana.

The light streamed into the ritual formation, illuminating the lines with a ghostly glow…

Master Elegant Katana sighed as he leaned back into his seat. He was currently riding on a grav-jet with an assortment of new hero recruits. Their mission? Another kaiju had been spotted in a remote location. Their team was to confirm and then to delay as much as possible.

And as the experienced team leader…it was his job to figure out how to delay the beast.

He…appreciated…the vote of confidence. But…if he could make a complaint…

What the heck did anyone expect him to do about a kaiju?! He’s just a guy with a sword! A normal, person-sized sword! Sure, he had been training to exceed the limits of normal swordsmanship but that didn’t mean he could do some sort of anime attack and slice mountains in half! Best he could even think of was maybe give the monstrosity’s eye a pinprick.

And now this whole team was looking up to him, speculating what sort of orders he would give them?!

He spent his whole life training the blade! That meant…he was completely useless for anything besides cutting things!

And so Master Elegant Katana furrowed his brow, desperately thinking of generic strategies he could use to deceive his charges…

The jet crested over the mountain…and all the heroes’ jaws dropped.

A tyrannosaur as tall as a mountain…battled an equally huge sea serpent. A sea serpent with decaying scales and purple flames instead of eyes.

“W-What do we do?”

The team turned towards their leader, the experienced ILS hero who had braved countless world ending threats. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes, letting out a quiet hum. He opened his eyes, looking around at his team before glaring at the monsters.

“Let them fight.”

And then he promptly ordered the pilot to turn around.

Bob nodded as he watched a video feed of the fight. The zombie Mester Stoor Worm didn’t possess the full power of its genetic donor, like a newborn compared to an veteran warrior. Likewise, Elise could copy the Necrosaurus’s spell but she was by no means a true necromancer. She could not sustain the beast long term…once the mana from the initial ritual had run out the construct would simply fade away. Elise simply couldn’t convert enough energy quickly enough to upkeep it beyond that. If she could...she would be able to just kill the kaiju herself without all this fuss.

But that was enough. The zombie would win this fight all the same.

So until it faded away, the zombie dragon could take out some of the kaiju in more remote areas, relieving the pressure on the ILS and its allies.

And with that, Bob had done enough. Londyn could handle the rest.

Which meant…it was time to deal with the cult that started all this.

And to recover his little lost lamb.

Kiyosuke was sitting in his room, staring at the ceiling. He held out his hand, staring at it for a bit, before he heaved a sigh.

The team, huh?

He didn’t know what that meant anymore.

And time had run out.

He heard his phone ringing. It was a video call from the boss. He answered the call, Bob’s face appearing on the screen. He had a mask on as usual…but Kiyosuke could see his eyes.

“It’s time, I’m making my move. I’ve already told Elise and Nana to gear up.”

Kiyosuke took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Time to decide.

Just then, an image flashed in his eyes. Someone running away from their home, attacking their friends. Someone trapped in a storm of rage…and fear.

But…instead of the person who did those things…he saw Saydaa.

Rampaging.

Hurting.

Broken.

Something stirred in Kiyosuke’s gut…a burning flame rising to his chest. Questions about himself…about what the team was…all flew away in that moment.

They didn’t seem so important.

Because he realized what was.

He opened his eyes.

“...I’m coming with you.”

“Why should I let you? This is a delicate mission, I cannot risk you setting Saydaa off again. You might cause more harm than good.”

Kiyosuke looked up and met Bob’s gaze without flinching.

“I’m the one who put her in this place, so I should be there to pull her back. I’m not going to run anymore, and I’m not going to let her run either. Because…she’s my friend and I’m not going to lose her. I know what it’s like to be hurting and alone. I won’t let her stay like that.”

Bob held Kiyosuke’s gaze for a moment more. Then he nodded once.

“Then gear up and get ready. It’s time to get her back.”