“By the way, you are free to expose yourself,” Kazuyuki said. “There is a permanent entrance to your kakurezato here.”

“There is!?” Fuyuka asked, grabbing Kazuyuki’s hand.

He didn’t try shaking her off and replied, “Yeah, it was just recently that they affixed it so it’s no wonder you didn’t know.”

Fuyuka beamed and from her head and her back sprouted a pair of fox ears and a tail, the same color as her fantastical silver hair. At the same time, she pulled Kazuyuki’s hand and leaned in to kiss him; he did not resist and accepted the kiss, his lips teasing hers. “It really has been too long since I’ve been in this form, Husband.”

“I missed seeing you in that form as well, Fuyuka,” he smiled. “Although, I have to remind you that we’re not married yet.”

“Aw, what’s the harm? It isn’t like I’m lying, Kazuyuki-sama.”

“Quit it with the honorific and it is a problem. It’s a fraudulent statement considering the fact that we simply aren’t married yet.”

“Boo…”

Sayuki, who watched this in confusion, asked, “Um…?”

“Ah, sorry, this must be a bit too much for you to process,” Kazuyuki apologized, having stopped walking and turned around with Fuyuka following him. “This is—”

“A reintroduction is in order,” Fuyuka nodded, letting go of Kazuyuki. She performed a perfect ninety-degree bow and said. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Sayuki Asahina-sama. My name is Fuyuka Yanagi and I am one of Kazuyuki-sama’s wives.”

“Oy, I just told you that we aren’t married yet,” Kazuyuki sighed. “This girl is Fuyuka Takamiya and she’s one of my future brides.”

“Boo…”

“Haa…” he sighed. “As you can tell, she is a kitsune and quite the feisty one.”

“Who was it that took my first time so carelessly like that?”

“Oy, phrasing.”

“What do you mean? Isn’t that exactly what you did? You touched me in my most precious place, caressing it with such force that I was unable to do anything but helplessly moan…”

“Again, phrasing. I only touched your tail! Quit making it sound like I assaulted you!”

“… Is she always like this?” Sayuki inquired.

“More or less. She’s able to restrain herself whenever she’s on the job but when it comes time to relax, like now, she has the tendency to go a bit too wild.”

“I see…”

“Geez, it’s really rude to throw flak at your wife, you know?”

“What flak? Everything I said was entirely true.”

“Now, now, you two, this is a wonderful lover’s quarrel but there are more pressing things to discuss.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, Gramps.” Kazuyuki slipped out of Fuyuka’s grip and pocketed his hands, following the old man who just appeared at the end of the dock.

“Is this the one who uses the Infinite Phase Jin’i?” Oswald Blackbourne queried.

“Yeah,” Kazuyuki affirmed. “One look at her and I can tell; she’s the Sword Administration’s greatest masterpiece in their human-aradama hybridization research.”

“Wouldn’t that title instead go to you?” Oswald countered. “Considering you draw power from—”

“Don’t say anything unnecessary, Gramps,” Kazuyuki replied, shooting the old professor a glare.

“Oh dear, I apologize for that. I suppose it’s too early.” Oswald shrugged as he then led them off the docks and into a nearby ryokan managed by Mokusa. “We have a lot to discuss so I would suggest that the two ladies freshen themselves up.”

“I can sense traces of Yume’s utsushi on you,” Kazuyuki added. “It must have been a truly rough fight.”

“I knoooow,” Fuyuka floundered, attaching herself to her beloved ensuring that her bountiful breasts were enveloping his arm. “It really was so very hard to not reveal my traits to her.”

“I will tell her eventually but I’m surprised you managed to fight her to a draw without revealing yourself,” he praised, expertly extricating himself from the fantastical cushion. “I’ll be waiting inside.”

“Boo… Husband, you’re such a meanie…” Fuyuka pouted cutely as she watched her beloved walk away. She did know when to give up, however, so she bowed at her beloved’s retreating back and turned to Oswald. “If you would, can you tell me where the baths are?”

“It’ll be right down that way,” he said, pointing in the indicated direction. “You should go and cleanse yourself as well, Asahina-san.” Sayuki only nodded silently and followed Fuyuka and Oswald couldn’t help but think, She’s more of a small animal than Fuyuka with how she obediently follows her… although I guess the happiness I can see from Fuyuka’s excitedly swishing tail is a tell too.

“Hey, Gramps, I heard someone talking here,” Suzuran said, poking her head out from behind a shouji that separated the main entrance from the private room she and the others were using. “What’s up?”

“Oh, nothing,” he replied. “There will just be some guests who will sit in for our discussions. They are important for things to move forward.”

“I see, it’s just, Yanagi-san seems tired so…”

“Don’t say unnecessary things, Arisugawa,” came Kazuyuki’s reply from within the room. “She’s just special.”

Oswald entered the room to see Kazuyuki seated in a corner with one leg resting on its side and the other bent up with his head resting on his raised knee; as always, he was wearing a bored expression on his face as he stared out the window. “You’ve already settled in, I see.”

“I can’t even remember the last time I’ve gotten a break,” he complained. “My sister runs me ragged.”

“I see that even you aren’t immune to doting on a younger sibling,” Oswald laughed. Kazuyuki said nothing in reply, merely rolling his eyes. “Anyway, we should start talking. Yuna-dono, have you introduced yourself to the others yet?”

“Yes, I got to know all of these wonderful young Toji,” a rather mature woman said. Dressed smartly in a formal black kimono, she was seated adjacent to the head of the rectangular table.

Noa muttered, “I never expected the younger sister of Nanae Origami to be a rebel.”

“It’s with her help that we of Mokusa have managed to dig our heels in so well in this country,” Alice supplied.

“We have much to discuss and with Kazuyuki-sama present, I am allowed to speak freely,” Yuna nodded. “May I, Kazuyuki-sama?”

“… Why does everyone insist on calling me with an honorific?”

“It is necessary, Kazuyuki-sama,” Yuna insisted. “You and your honorable sister, Maihime-sama, are our rock. That is why I insist that you also sit at the head of the table. It is only right for you to do so.”

“… Aren’t you the head of Mokusa?”

“That may be so but I am not the highest-ranking member present. That would instead be you, Kazuyuki-sama.”

“For our sake too, Denka,” Manaka added, kowtowing in such a professional way, Alice let out a quiet snicker at how different from her normal behavior this was.

Kazuyuki stared at everyone for a few moments before sighing and violently scratching his hair. “God, fine.” He got up from his corner seat and sat at the head of the table as instructed, visibly annoyed.

What made matters worse was that was the moment Fuyuka chose to enter the room. Dressed in an ensemble that would be best described as the formal dress of an oiran, she expertly nestled herself at Kazuyuki’s side. Sayuki, who entered at the same time, was dressed normally in a kimono and seated herself near the end of the table close to Suzuran, the face she was most familiar with. Confused, Yuna asked, “Who…?”

“My name is Fuyuka Yanagi,” she said, introducing herself in the same way she did to Sayuki. “I have the privilege of being Kazuyuki-sama’s wife.”

“For the last time, we’re not married yet,” Kazuyuki groaned. “Why is it so hard for you to settle for fianceé?”

“Because I’d much rather be known as your wife.”

“Haah…”

“I-I see…” Yuna said, smiling awkwardly. “In that case, let us begin.”

“First, our guests, especially the daughters of Emiri and Manami, need to know the full story of the disaster,” Kazuyuki started.

“I suppose it would be best if I explain,” Yuna said. “The Great Disaster of Tokyo Bay was the only recorded disaster in history in which an aradama was given the designated rank of EX.”

“That much we know from our historical studies in school,” Noa interjected.

“Indeed, Noa-chan, but that isn’t the full story. The massive aradama was put down with a team composed of eight Toji. One of them was my older sister, Nanae Origami. The others… were Noa-chan’s mother, Manami Kuzunoha, and Suzuran’s mother, Emiri Fujimiya.”

At that, all of the young Toji whipped their heads to turn to Suzuran, making their confusion evident in their voices. Manaka and Alice had already known about this connection, although they did not truly believe it until now. Alice started, “So… Just to confirm, Noa-yan’s mama is Manamin and…”

“… Suzu’s mother is Emiri-san?” Honami finished. She had earlier arrived several hours before Fuyuka’s arrival with Sayuki, having completed her duties; she was also relieved from her duties and allowed to act once more as Suzuran’s friend, the latter of whom was immensely confused yet happy that she could meet her best friend again.

Noa, seated next to Suzuran, wheeled on her. “Why didn’t you tell me that!?”

“Eh?” Suzuran tilted her head in confusion. “I mean… you never asked me… and like, Fujimiya was her maiden name. She now goes by Emiri Arisugawa.”

“Even still, she is indeed your mother, yes?” Manaka sighed. “Didn’t you at the very least ask about her career as a Toji?”

“All I know is that she was super strong,” she shrugged. “My mom never really talked about that kind of stuff.” She then smiled to herself. “I see… My mom was a heroic Toji…”

“Wasn’t your first swordsmanship instructor your mother, Suzu?” Honami asked.

“Mhm, she was. She really put me through the wringer the second I could pick up a sword.”

“Emiri-senpai really was incredibly strong.” A new voice suddenly threw in that comment.

“Ohh! Hi, Asuka-sensei!” Alice squealed.

“Minoseki Academy’s Principal Mitsumine?” Honami asked incredulously.

Ignoring Honami’s bewilderment, she addressed the two traitors. “So you’re Noa Hiiragi and you’re Suzuran Arisugawa?”

“… Yes?” Being suddenly addressed filled Suzuran with a slight trepidation.

“Even though it’s already been fifteen years, I can remember that day like it occurred yesterday,” she reminisced. “If it weren’t for your mothers, I would not be standing here today.”

“Now would be a good time to relate the full story,” Yuna stated but before continuing, she turned to Kazuyuki. “… Do I have authorization to reveal this? I was only ever a Double.”

“Yeah, do whatever you want,” Kazuyuki replied offhandedly.

“Quick question…” Suzuran said. “When you say ‘Double’, are you referring to your rank in the Integrated International Sword Maiden Index?”

“Indeed,” Yuna nodded. “You girls yourselves should be aware of your rank.”

“I am but I’m not particularly interested in where I rank…” Suzuran shrugged. “I mean, it rarely even comes up.”

“Yes, but what does our rank have to do with this discussion?” Noa added.

“For this discussion, it is important to note,” Yuna declared. “Fifteen years ago, Emiri-senpai was a Single.”

“!?” That fact visibly shocked everyone present in the room, with the exception of those who were previously aware.

“My mom… was a Single?” Suzuran wondered aloud.

Before anyone could answer her question, Kazuyuki’s cell rang. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and clicked his tongue when he saw the caller ID. “Sorry but continue the discussion without me. This call is for my sister.” Kazuyuki got up and made his way out but was quickly followed by Fuyuka. He stopped her at the door. “No, you stay here, Fuyuka. You can’t accompany me for this.”

“Husband…” She could do nothing but watch him walk down the hallway; as a wife, the last thing she would do is inconvenience her husband. Having been told no so clearly, Fuyuka had no choice but to return to her seat. “I shall relay whatever is discussed here to him after the proceedings finish.”

“If it’s family matters, it can’t be helped,” Yuna nodded. “In that case, I shall continue…”

Fifteen years ago.

The 27th Day of December in the 15th Year of the Heisei Era.

14 kilometers north-northeast of Umihotaru, an artificial island located at the midpoint of the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line.

“Today marks the fourth day since the largest aradama in recorded history has made a sudden appearance in the middle of Tokyo Bay. While damage has remained relatively limited due to the remoteness of the raging spirits’ appearance, damage on the shores due to the raging battle has expanded. According to the Special Religious Military Unit, the death toll currently stands at 875, almost all of whom are the unit’s own personnel, with 173 reported missing, and the injured standing at 4,854. I repeat—”

Nanae Origami clicked her tongue as she put away the handheld radio and renewed the grip on her twin okatana. “We’re already close to one thousand deaths… I can’t believe this happened when we were away—!”

“The best we can do from this point on is minimize casualties,” Emiri Fujimiya replied, patting her friend’s shoulder. “Now, come, with an aradama of this scale, of course they would deploy us two as this country’s Singles.”

“Even if they didn’t deploy us, I would’ve rushed into battle—!”

Manami Kuzunoha raised her hand and landed a sharp chop on Nanae’s head. “Nanae, cool it. We’re here now and that’s all that matters. Like Emi said, we can only work to minimize casualties.”

“Alright! With that being said…” Nanae, Emiri, and Manami alongside five of their friends were on a coast guard’s boat and en route to the tanker-turned-floating-death-island. Emiri looked at the towering mass of aradama that was their greatest opponent. “That thing sure is big!”

“Emiri, I would recommend you not get so excited,” Kotori Fushimi scolded.

“Aha, sorry, Kotori-senpai,” Emiri scratched her head awkwardly. “I can’t help it, you know. It looks so much fun to fight.”

“Haa…” Kotori sighed. “In any case—” She turned to the bridge and called, “Captain, this is close enough. We’ll get there the rest of the way.”

“But—” how? Before the captain could finish the sentence, the eight Toji leaped off of the side of the boat and landed on the water. However, instead of sinking, they took off across the surface of the water. The captain laughed nervously. “Haha… They’re still in school too…”

Nanae led the way as the leader of this group; it was her trusted team… or well, more accurately, it was Manami’s trusted team as Nanae and Emiri operated as one team while the rest followed Manami’s lead. Craning her neck, Emiri squealed, “Just look at the size of that thing! That tanker would’ve sunk long ago if that thing wasn’t growing right out of it…”

“Hmph,” Nanae grunted as she drew her twin swords. Channeling Reiatsu into her swords, Nanae’s indigo cape slapped around in the wind generated by her spiritual pressure. She then let loose a massive cross slash, her blades blazing orange. A giant ‘X’ flew through the air and impacted the ‘head’ of the aradama (it appeared to be shaped like a mushroom with a long ‘stalk’ leading to a ‘head’ that continuously spawned lesser aradama) leaving a cross-shaped gash in the head, however, almost immediately, it slowly began regenerating while spitting out even more lesser aradama. “You have got to be kidding me.”

“Ahahaha, it can regenerate from Nana’s attacks!?” Emiri squealed. “Oooh, this is gonna be fun!” Immediately, she dashed off, leaving a splash in her wake (that was of course brushed off by her friends due to their Reiatsu), her sword in hand as she too unleashed her own flying slash, albeit in rapid succession to the point that it looked like she was firing a machine gun.

“Emiri!” Manami called after her. “Oh my god, that girl…!”

“Bahahaha!” Chikage Arami laughed. “Can’t help it. Let’s go after her. Nanae-sama, how should we proceed?”

“Well, Emiri can definitely manage on her own so honestly, leave her be…” she sighed. “I’ll take my team and take one side; Manami, can you take the other?”

“Sure,” she nodded. “I’ll cover for you and hopefully, I manage to bring back that battle junkie.”

“Don’t worry, she’s best left to her own devices,” Nanae muttered. “In any case, she certainly won’t be tired for a long while. Besides, I can focus on my job if she takes care of one side. If that thing can generate, I’ll keep cutting until it can’t—!” She took off across the ocean throwing yet another cross-shaped slash at the ‘head’.

“Nanae—!” Kotori yelled after her.

“Not to worry, Fushimi-senpai,” Azusa Sagami said as she drew her sword and mentally pumped herself up. “Nanae-sama is incredibly strong! She wouldn’t have difficulty.”

“The main problem is…”

“… Nanae-han has the tendency to take everything upon herself?” Madoka Yoshino finished, shrugging.

“Well, I mean, that’s why she has us, no?” Asuka Kagashima inquired. “We’re here to support her and her friend. Madoka-senpai, should we follow Nanae-sama or check on Emiri?”

“I’ll go check on Emiri and Manami,” Kotori said. “I trust you with Nanae-sama.”

“Of course,” Madoka tapped her chest with her fist before she, Asuka, and Azusa sped after the disappearing figure of Nanae. Kotori watched them go before she too departed, going in the opposite direction to discipline an absurdly free-spirited Single.

»»————-　♡♡♡♡♡♡　————-««

This isn’t ending…

As Nanae slew the ten thousandth aradama, she mulled her thoughts over. She was deployed in the morning yet it was already late afternoon. While the sun has yet to completely disappear, the sky had turned a deep crimson. “How do we win…?”

Emiri laughed, “Oh man, even I’m tired! This really isn’t good, eh?”

“For the last time, Emiri, why are you so flippant?” Kotori sighed loudly.

Emiri simply brought her hand up and tapped her head while sticking out her tongue. “Tee-hee~✩”

“That… Never mind,” Kotori sighed again as she knew she would never be able to reach Emiri.

Manami wiped her sweat from her brow as she regained her stance after destroying another aradama. “We’d run out of energy at this rate. We haven’t even managed to reach the ‘core’; the swarm’s intensity is far too strong there.”

“There seems to be a lull in the activity so…” Emiri narrowed her eyes as she glared at the roots of the largest aradama she had ever laid eyes on.

“Emiri, what—?” Nanae began.

Emiri proceeded to hoist up her blade and threw it in a straight line. It sailed through the air at immense speeds, billowing up the hair of her friends as it flew past them before sinking hilt-deep into the aradama’s roots; Emiri then incanted a mantra, connecting a thread of Reiatsu to the hilt of her sword. “Nngh—!?” she groaned.

“Emiri!?” Nanae exclaimed.

She raised her hand while her other clutched her head in pain. “Nah, it’s nothing. I’m trying to destroy it from the inside out but the sheer size of the information body… Ugh—!”

“Emiri, you reckless bastard, undo it right now!” Manami yelled.

“I’m halting the formation of new aradama—” Emiri didn’t finish her sentence as she formed a blade of wind and slashed an aradama that had snuck into Azusa’s blind spot. “——nngh!”

“Emiri!”

“Emiri-senpai!”

Emiri failed to register Manami’s and Azusa’s shout as she cut through another one, however, she failed to strike the third in time; it cleanly severed Azusa. “Tsk… Kotori-senpai, Madoka-senpai, can you take Azusa and the others and retreat? Nana, Mana, and I will handle the rest—”

“No, you moron!” Manami protested. “Undo your spell right now!”

“I can’t—”

Nanae nodded grimly. “Emiri is right. Ever since she impaled the ‘root’, aradama have stopped spawning. If we want a chance at the core, we have to do it now.”

Emiri parroted Nanae’s head movement as she grimaced, “Hurry, there’s no telling how long I can hold…! Use my sword as a marker! Uproot the tree—!”

“Haah!” With a spirited shout, Nanae channeled power into her two swords and slashed at the air with both blades in the same direction. Her spiritual power exploded from her swords and sailed through the air, cutting into the tree, however, she was unable to get much further than a meter deep with her cut. “Tsk—!”

“Argh, fine!” Manami exclaimed. “I apologize for this but would you please take the others and retreat, Kotori-senpai?”

“Umu,” Kotori relaxed her stance slightly as she barked, “No time to explain; we shall follow orders. Madoka, can you carry Azusa?”

“I’m not going to have a choice,” she shrugged. Keeping one hand firmly gripped on her blade, she picked up her junior who was deliriously muttering Nanae’s name in sorrow.

“Perfect. I shall take command of the squad from here on out. Our only goal is a safe retreat.” As she instructed the others some more, she turned back to Nanae who was relentlessly trying to fell the giant aradama. “I assume that this is what you want, yes?”

“Yeah,” Nanae affirmed. “Don’t worry, we’ll be back! It’s Emiri, Manami, and I; the three of us can solve anything!”

XX15

The artificial island of R’lyeh, anchored at the exact coordinates of Point Nemo, the oceanic pole of inaccessibility.

Here, at a location furthest from any form of land sits an island.

It was a mystical construction in the fact that it should not exist at a point of such extremeness; the nearest land is 2,688 kilometers (some 1,670 miles) away. On top of this, it is surrounded by a layer of dense unnatural fog that prevents anything or anyone from perceiving it. If one tried to look at this location through an updated mapping software such as one provided by a certain American-made search engine, the area would appear as a perfect circular blob of blackness; speculation around it was kept limited as information about it was revealed publicly (for a variety of reasons but the most cited reason for declassifying such a location is its sheer remoteness) after it was built sometime in the 1970’s: a meeting place for the nine strongest women of the world, those who hold the title of ‘Single’.

Entrance into this construction is limited to only the nine Toji and whoever they decide to bring along to their meetings. To enter, the Toji must be able to use Apparition, a spell derived from the Fourth Pillar of Sin, Sloth, utilizing the Authority of Acedia; to put it simply, it is a teleportation spell as there are no entrances aside from the nine corners of the nonagonal complex for the Singles to appear in. Inside of the complex, the expansive meeting room was filled by a single massive meeting table; each side was fitted with an office chair fitting to be called a throne for the great women of power who would sit down in them. If one were to superimpose a compass rose over the table, the northern side of the table is considered to be the “head” of the table and seats the highest person of honor.

Currently, all but one of the seats were occupied. In each of the seats sat a woman who holds enough power to destroy a country on her lonesome with ease; those who reached the coveted rank of Single are simultaneously branded with the cursed label of “weapons of mass destruction” as their strength cannot be contained by even a well-equipped team of the highest-ranking members of the Doubles. Thusly, it is imperative in any country’s national defense policy to accommodate their Single as much as possible to minimize the risk of them rebelling against the country.

“Tsk, this disciplinary hearing was called for her yet the culprit herself isn’t even here yet?” That exceedingly displeased voice came from a woman seated in the lowest seat of honor, reflecting her rank as the weakest of the Singles.

“Oh please, we have only been waiting for three minutes,” replied Yume Tsubakuro, the fourth of the Singles. With her sword tightly held in her hands, she kicked up her legs and rested them on the table. “If you keep being cranky, you’re going to raise your blood pressure, you old coot.”

“What did you say, you shitty little brat?” The ninth of the Singles got up from her seat and made to draw her sword, however, before she could even so much as touch the hilt of her blade, she found one stabbed under her chin.

“Come now, Jessica-chan, you know we’re not supposed to do that~.” To her right sat the eighth-ranked Single who had drawn her blade and poised the tip to strike at her colleague’s jugular.

Jessica loudly clicked her tongue as she returned to her seat in clear annoyance. “Entitled whore,” a voice from her left muttered under her breath in her native language of French.

“What’d you say, bitch?”

“Oh, nothing,” the girl, the seventh-ranked Single, replied. “I was merely lamenting at the defendant’s tardiness.”

“Who you callin’ a defendant, huh?”

“Speak of the devil and he shall come,” the second-ranked Single spoke also in French before continuing in Japanese, “You’re late, Maihime.”

“Oh, shut up, Anselma,” Maihime Tendou scoffed, scratching her black hair as she walked over from the entrance of the room. “You’re always too early.”

“I would think that that is a virtue,” she countered.

“Yeah, yeah, you gotta be all princess-y all the time or something,” Maihime shrugged. “Also, can you and that little prissy from Canada stop speaking in French? You know I don’t understand it.”

“Haha, and here we are using your language as is standard procedure for these meetings,” Anselma said. “I would very much like to take your place so as to hold these meetings in my language.”

“No, I’m pretty damn sure you’re going to casually swap between French and German for no reason, you multilingual monster.”

“Ouch, that smarts.”

“Order,” the third-ranked Single declared in Portuguese. “We all took time out of our always full schedules to have this meeting. We have to discuss her involvement in a humanitarian disaster which is in violation of the International Treaty of Superhuman Involvement in Normal Affairs.”

“Aw, come on, invoking that against me makes no sense,” Maihime said before staring incredulously at the girl with the darkest skin seated at the table. “Also, are you seriously recording this!?”

“It would be my job,” she replied from her seat of honor as the fifth-ranked Single. “While this proceeding is unofficial, it should still be documented for our files.”

“Tsk, fine.”

“In that case, I shall read the charges against the defendant,” the third-ranked Single continued. “I, Charlotta III Ivone Fernandes-Ramírez, do proceed with the knowledge that whatever I say shall be logged. The charges against the defendant are as follows: using an excessive amount of force unauthorized for a Single who was classified as ‘off-duty’ at the time of the event, resulting in the eruption of the Mount Asama stratovolcano. The story is still developing but the eruption is projected to be classified as a 6 on the Volcanic Explosivity Index. At the very least, an eruption of this scale can be predicted to have global consequences. Citing Article 2, Section 1, Clause 1, ‘any display of violence that leads to a disruption of normal society whether it be naturally caused or artificially caused is in violation and results in disciplinary action depending on the severity of the incident.’ These are the charges leveled against the defendant.”

“To begin with the defense, I am Anselma Sophia-Victoria Elisabeth-Edelgard von Isenberg. The fact of the matter is, the circumstances surrounding the defendant forced her to use her authority as a Single as is written in Article 2, Section 1, Clause 4, which states that should there be extenuating circumstances that compels a Single to exercise her powers in order to prevent excessive harm to civilians, a Single is allowed to take independent action. I would say that the sudden appearance of an unknown-grade aradama nest on the slopes of Mount Asama is a qualifying event for the invocation of this clause.”

“Objection. I, Jessica McGallagher, would like to ask the defendant: what exactly was she doing to be on the slopes of an active stratovolcano?”

“Allow me to answer that,” Yume said. “I do believe Maihime was in the vicinity as an addition to the forces that were deployed in the area to capture the two traitors, Suzuran Arisugawa and Noa Hiiragi.”

“Ah, the two girls who failed an assassination of Nanae Origami?”

“Indeed, Second-chan.”

“In that case, is it safe to assume that Maihime was present as reinforcements?” Adalynn posed.

“Yeah, but thanks to the chaos brought about by that aradama nest, they escaped from my surveillance,” Maihime shrugged, lying through her indifferent smile.

“That is irrelevant to the present discussion,” replied the eighth of the Singles. “To my, Kunegunda Lilianna Szatkowska’s, understanding, the defendant was unable to exercise enough restraint of her power in the dispatching of the aradama nest. Am I correct to assume this?”

“Allow me, Yekaterina Alexeyevna Romanova, to make an addition. While gathering data for this trial, we came across evidence that two of your country’s Doubles, the No. 75 and No. 93, Manaka Ichinose and Alice Sakayanagi, were in the area. Care to explain?”

“Both of your questions can be answered with the fact that I had them under special orders from me to assist in the hunt. If this trial indicts me, I would like your guarantee that those two did not have anything to do with my so-called crimes.”

“As arbitrator, I cannot provide a vote but I shall absolutely strive to keep this decision as unbiased as possible so as to protect them,” Anselma nodded.

“Thanks, Anselma.”

“Oy, playing favorites?” Jessica jabbed.

“Not so,” Anselma replied. “While, yes, the presence of those two named Toji makes this case more complicated, we must first remember: this trial only has the intention of implicating the No. 1, Maihime Tendou. Am I wrong?”

“Tsk…”

“That is indeed an effective point, Princess Anselma,” Yekaterina agreed. “However, as you have just said, their presence makes this case more complicated. Would it not be prudent of us to include them as we make our decision?”

“Oy, I don’t care if you’re a princess or whatnot but mess with my juniors and I’ll see your head flying.” With a tempered voice, Maihime glared at the Russian princess, her spiritual energy pouring from her body in a constant angry wave. As the strongest of all Toji, the sheer output of force exhibited by her in an irate state made even her fellow colleagues in the Singles momentarily freeze up.

“Haha, forgive her, Mai-Mai,” Kunegunda nervously cackled. “She just has to consider all options, you know?”

“Hey, quit calling me that.”

“Aw, you’re no fun, Mai-Mai!”

“In any case, with the evidence provided so far, it is time we come to a decision,” Anselma declared. “As the provisional judge, I ask of you ladies: as per the violation of Article 2, Section 1, Clause 1, should the named personage, Maihime Tendou, be held responsible for this natural disaster?” Jessica, Yekaterina, and Adalynn all raised their hands. “I see. I will not ask for your reasons, however, as this is a majority vote, there are not enough naysayers. The motion is passed: the ranked No. 1, Maihime Tendou, shall not be held responsible for the eruption of Asamayama.” Anselma struck the table with a magic gavel she quite literally pulled out of thin air. “With that being said… We certainly need to discuss countermeasures.”

“Yeah, uh, I’m sorry ‘bout the volcano and all,” Maihime shrugged. “If you want, I could go back to the mountain and blow the ash into space.”

“… That’s scary coming from you, Mai-Mai,” Kunegunda muttered.

“I’ll send you to space too if you keep blabbering, Kinga.”

“Ahaha… please don’t,” she mumbled as she shrank back into her chair. Despite each one of the Singles carrying the power to devastate a country on their own, there was still a massive power difference between the strongest of them all and those below her station.

“Hmph.” The strongest only mustered a grunt in reply.

“Come now, Maihime, if you do that, you’ll have to face me,” Anselma reminded as she began to slowly raise her spiritual pressure, her right hand running along the hilt of her sword.

“Haha, is that a threat, Anselma?” Maihime responded by raising her own spiritual pressure and suddenly, the rest of the Singles found themselves smack in the middle of a clash of wills between the two strongest women in the world. The pressure given off by the two women were powerful enough to cause minor stress fractures in the floor directly adjacent to them.

“Oh, I don’t know,” she quipped in response. “Would you like me to follow through?”

The two girls continued staring each other down, their respective wills cowing the other Singles into submission. Then, just as suddenly as they had begun, they both let off at the same time. Maihime laughed heartedly. “I should’ve expected that much from the No. 2. You’re the only person who could resist my gaze to this extent.”

“I am, after all, waiting for the opportunity to unseat you, No. 1,” Anselma jollily replied.

All of the other Singles finally took a breath as Adalynn cursed in French, “Unbelievable. Are you trying to kill us?”

“As expected of their Reiatsu…” Charlotta sighed. “It felt like my heart was being seized.”

“If they went on any longer, I’m unsure if I would’ve managed to remain conscious,”

Rayhana commented as she finally put away the stenographic machine she was using to record the room. “In any case, the proceedings are complete. I do believe it is time for us to depart; as Princess Anselma said, we must discuss countermeasures against this natural disaster.”

“Again, I really could just blow the ash into space…” Before anyone else could comment, all of the Singles present felt it; there was a slight dimensional anomaly in the fabric of space-time. Raising her eyebrow, Maihime reached for her okatana and tried using magic; that failed so she then tried shifting with jin’i which didn’t work either. “Hmm, I see.”

“If you can’t then the rest of us certainly can’t either,” Anselma nodded before sighing. “I see it’s this little one that’s at fault again.”

“Well, at least with you around, it will never stop being fun,” Maihime laughed. “In any case, this appears to be a Dimension Slip…” As Maihime led the way, she and her fellow colleagues walked outside; despite being built to be as minimalistic as possible, there was a beach built into the island’s east shore. It was certainly nice this time of year, however, instead of getting a full blasting of the caressing rays of sunlight, the Singles were instead greeted with a perpetual twilight. “How very interesting.”

“Does the presence of all of us here combined with Princess Anselma’s okatana warrant such a drastic shift?” Kunegunda sighed.

“It certainly has been a while since I’ve so directly touched the Seventh Layer,” Maihime quipped. “Clearly, this is meant to trap us here. The question is if it is truly natural or something done by the aradama.”

“Oh please, surely you jest,” Jessica scoffed. “As if the aradama have that much intelligence.”

“She makes a good point,” Adalynn thought. “There’s not a reason to not believe aradama may have intelligence on par with ours. Perhaps we’ve simply never encountered the ones with intelligence.”

“Oh, not you too.”

“Come now, Miss America,” Charlotta scolded. “It isn’t good to keep a narrow mind. That being said…”

“Boy, I wonder how are we going to escape when we can’t even establish a connection to the Netherworld despite being smack in the belly of it,” Yume sang. “Oooh, this is so much fun~!!”

As a response to Yume’s ramblings, Maihime released her Reiatsu. Her long black hair flew up before settling down. “Hmm, at the very least, I’m still able to use the Reiryoku within my body.”

“Oh, you’re right,” Anselma added as she too released her own. The other Singles soon followed but quickly, it was shown that only Maihime and Anselma could output a decent level of it; Charlotta and Yume being the two ranked below Maihime and Anselma managed a release but it was perhaps only on the level of a Triple while the others weren’t able to release past the level of a Quad. “Seems like it’s only us two that are more or less unaffected.”

“Looks like it,” Maihime replied as she drew her sword. She narrowed her eyes as she glared at their opponent which seemed to have walked right out of the pages of Lovecraftian mythos. “That thing is very clearly SSS-class. If it managed to drag not just me but all of us into the Seventh Layer and seal it off from reality, I can’t imagine it being any weaker.”

“Tough luck, eh?” Anselma quipped as she too drew her beautiful longsword. “The last time we fought together was in Operation Storm Wave, no?”

“Ah, yes, an SS-class aradama nest. I wish it was of a higher class ‘cause that fight was pretty boring.”

“Hey now, that’s at the expense of my people.”

“Oh, right, sorry. I definitely wouldn’t want to have that thing rampage around in my country.”

“Correct. In any case…” The two strongest Singles halted their banter as they focused their razor sharp concentration on the beast in front of them. “Seeing as we can’t use Toji techniques, how do you suppose we dispatch that?”

“Oh, that’s simple.” Maihime channeled Reiryoku to her feet before dashing across the ocean. Her voice lost to the wind, she called back, “Just keep cutting it, you know?”

“My, my, how boorish,” Anselma sighed. “But, no matter. I do hope you won’t leave me in the dust.” Anselma too took off across the water, chasing after her best friend and rival.

Yume sat down on the sand with her sword propped up next to her and held by the scabbard, careful to steadily release Reiryoku to stop sand from sticking to her clothes and going anywhere troublesome. “I guess we’ll just watch.”

“I suppose since there’s really nothing we can do,” Rayhana concurred. Following her example, the rest of the Singles sat down as well. They simply watched as their seniors in rank did the work.

“Gahaha, boy, this thing is a sucker!” Maihime cackled, a huge smile plastered onto her face. “I can’t believe it can actually withstand my blows!”

“Well, we certainly aren’t hitting as hard as we normally would,” Anselma replied, slapping away some tentacles with her blade. “There’s only so much we can do with the Reiryoku within our bodies.”

“Yeah, well, we’d have to finish up soon,” Maihime nodded. “Without a proper connection to the Netherworld, we’d have no way to replenish our supplies. With that being said…”

“I suppose playtime is over,” the princess finished. “Come, sync with me.”

“Oh no, you’re syncing with me!” Maihime fell back and stood side by side with Anselma. They turned to face each other and hugged each other close while holding their swords together with one hand. “Haha, I’m sure people would die to get a picture of us being this close.”

“Unfortunate that only we can enjoy it,” Anselma replied as she wriggled her body, letting her chest and Maihime’s repeatedly dock with the other. “After all, I do love when we have such close intimate contact like this.”

“Hey, now, I ain’t gay.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I know. I was just talking to myself.” The two girls bantered happily as they raised their Reiatsu and channeled it into their swords. With their swords in such close proximity with each other, they achieved a kind of ‘resonance’ that multiplied the other’s Reiatsu many times over. Within an instant, a shaft of light shot skywards and the two girls smirked. “I don’t know the sensibilities of the common folk but I’ve heard that this would be where we perform a special move shout, am I correct?”

“I know just the one!” Maihime laughed. “Exc***bur!” The two girls then swung their swords and the shaft of light followed. In one fell swoop, their single sword stroke cleft the monster and the dimensional prison in half and a ray of light sliced through the waves, splitting the ocean for who knows how far. The two girls remained close as they tested their connection with the Netherworld. “Yup, we’re free!” Maihime then tried moving away but she was unable to do so since Anselma was hugging her tight. “… You can let go now.”

“Aww, let me have some more.”

“Uh, no thanks,” Maihime denied as she let out a gentle burst of Reiatsu and escaped.

“Aww…” Anselma looked momentarily crestfallen as she was pushed away. “I suppose I’ll have to hold myself in until the next SWORD meeting.”

“Ah, shut up.”

“Ehehe.”