“Teacher! The crisis that you and your students are about to face will be unprecedented in scale. The Nameless Priests are waiting for their time without fading into the annals of history. Perhaps this time, their claws will drive Kivotos to its demise.”
The Black Suit spoke, like a prophet, saying a massive threat was stretching its limbs from the Millennium.
“But you have means at your disposal. At first glance, it may seem like throwing eggs at rocks, but if it’s something created to deal with the Nameless Priests from the beginning, it will surely be a great help.”
Then he added that the means to counter them had always been in their possession.
“So, Teacher! Set sail the ship excavated from the Abydos Desert. Let’s raise Utnapishtim’s Ship… Hmm? If you ask why I’m helping you… it’s because Gematria also does not wish for Kivotos’ destruction.”
If someone were to say this was suspicious, it wouldn’t have been a lie.
However… the fact that they had a public enemy known as the Nameless Priests was something everyone could clearly understand.
[Teacher! To mobilize this ship… a connection with Sanctum Tower is essential. For the time being, we could use the power of the Box of Shittim to move the ship, but that would place an immense burden on your body…]
“Once I’ve chosen to trust, I must trust fully. Lift the ship, Arona.”
[…Are you serious, Teacher?]
“No matter the situation, I am always sincere.”
[Understood… I will switch the connection to that side as soon as we reach the airspace above Sanctum Tower.]
The teacher lifted the ship as indicated by the Black Suit.
This happened at an even earlier hour than when a massive structure would rise above the Millennium sky.
In this process, the Student Council and students across Kivotos became aware of the ship’s existence, but thanks to the teacher’s prior vague communication with Rin, they managed to avoid much confusion.
“Uhe~ An interstellar battleship? I never thought I’d see something like a time machine or an interstellar battleship in my lifetime.”
“Yeah. But this height feels more like an airship than a battleship…?”
“That’s definitely right♧ But since this height isn’t the maximum, reaching space isn’t impossible! Right, Teacher?”
“…Um, it seems there are basic height limits to how high this ship can go. It might be a bit much to consider it an interstellar battleship…”
“Ugh… Ayane-chan, I think it would be better if you pretended not to know those things~ You just ruined this old man’s moment of inspiration!”
“Hoshino-senpai, saying that with a completely nonchalant expression is utterly unconvincing?!”
Ayane, supporting the teacher in the bridge, poured cold water on the growing excitement.
However, the kids from the Abydos Task Force seemed to be accustomed to this, letting it slide and continuing their conversation.
Naturally, the place the teacher headed to set Utnapishtim’s Ship afloat was Abydos. Fortunately, the Task Force, having a moment of leisure, gladly responded to the teacher’s request for help.
And the teacher was well aware that there were still plenty of kids eager to step up in this situation.
[Successfully connected to Sanctum Tower—Teacher, are you okay?]
“I’m perfectly fine.”
The teacher replied with a somewhat boastful remark to Arona’s worried words. In truth, he wasn’t entirely fine, but… fortunately, it was manageable for him.
Due to the ship’s high speed, the time taken to reach the airspace above Sanctum Tower was brief.
And then.
“I’ll be counting on you for this operation as well, Teacher.”
“Kuhihi… An interstellar battleship. It must be gigantic and beautiful, boasting some flashy over-tech weaponry—”
“Mohe… Unfortunately, this ship has no such firepower.”
“What? No combat arms? Then it’s not a battleship…”
Mohe, now excitedly coiling her body, suddenly stopped. The teacher thought to himself that she really was a kid who faithfully attended to her desires, shaking his head.
The ship operated through the Box of Shittim, and after switching its power source to Sanctum Tower, the teacher immediately loaded the highest tier of elite power onto Utnapishtim’s Ship.
It was the RABBIT Squad, which was showcasing exceptional skills under the direct command of the SRT.
“Setting aside Mohe’s obsessive fixation on weaponry, Teacher, is this ship really alright? They say a fierce battle may happen.”
“Saki, the teacher must have thought something out as well.”
“No, that’s not it. Of course, we’re trained primarily for infiltration and close combat, so this might be a bit presumptuous! But it’s clear that engaging in naval or aerial combat without any weapons on this so-called interstellar battleship… would be a bit much.”
“Well, Saki does have a point…”
After a moment of silence following Saki’s concerns, the teacher bluntly stated.
“It’s impossible.”
“Ugh. Wait a second, Teacher. Shouldn’t you be pulling out some unexpected solution to surprise us?”
“I can’t pull out something that doesn’t exist. What can I do? I simply heard that this ship plays an essential role in this operation, and I thought it would be worth trusting it.”
“…Who told you that?”
“A suspicious person who’s been overly friendly.”
“…?”
Everyone had question marks hovering above their heads at the teacher’s response.
Regardless, the teacher continued boldly.
“And the solution will be thought of by the supreme genius hacker girl, so you don’t have to stress your heads over it.”
“Supreme… what?”
“Just a girl like that exists. You’ll understand when you meet her.”
The teacher’s gaze fell upon a single fox stationed by one side of the bridge, staring out the window like a statue.
Regardless of who it was, blocking the way of that fox would undoubtedly lead to great trouble.
*
The situation was turning increasingly urgent. The Nameless Guardians that Kei called upon began flooding everywhere in Eridu.
Their arrival was something I could not fathom within my realm of understanding. It was, quite literally, a sudden appearance akin to teleportation.
Directly attacking Kei was impossible. Not only would it not bring Aris back, but there was also a massive guilt that came from sharing the same body.
So, I kept fighting off the appearing Nameless Guardians while protecting Rio, who was sending communications somewhere—
“Mika, the communications are completely down. I managed to handle the urgent matters for now, but…”
“What about Toki-chan and Neru-chan?!”
“…I called them as well. The repair work on Aabi Eshuh should have been finished, so getting here shouldn’t be a big issue, but there’s a separate problem.”
It seemed the communication networks had been shut down. Or perhaps, the process of distorting Eridu into the Ark of Atrahasis was disrupting communication with the outside.
“Basically, Aabi Eshuh is a special suit designed to use the resources and energy of Eridu. Since all the resources of Eridu have been plundered at this point…”
“…There’s a possibility the suit might not operate properly.”
“More or less. It may be possible to activate the suit, but most of its functions would likely be out of order.”
“Does that mean the flight function is also—?”
“I can’t be sure. If Toki manages to reach this place successfully, we can assume the flight function is indeed operational…”
… This was tough.
It was becoming increasingly challenging to protect Rio while dealing with the Nameless Guardians. The lack of spare ammo was a problem. And…
“…I’m sorry, Mika.”
“At this time, think of something… I don’t really care about myself…!”
To be honest, at this point, Rio was practically a burden.
It was hard to expect much of her own combat power, and the AMAS Legion she prided herself on was under Kei’s control.
Though Rio attempted to brandish her automatic pistol to lend a hand, her influence in this battle was minimal.
Rather, volunteering to act as a meat shield to block attacks aimed at her only turned her presence into a negative for me.
But what could I do? We didn’t directly discuss it, and for some reason I had no clue about, I couldn’t just watch someone who liked me get hurt.
I don’t want to feel pain, but I hate it even more when my heart aches.
Even if watching Rio or the other kids get hurt makes my heart ache, I have my own words to say.
In this world, there’s no one as selfish as I am, so just give up.
And in this case, while my heart may ache, my body wouldn’t have to ache along with it. That’s truly rational.
“… Aabi Eshuh is originally a suit designed solely for ground battles, but there was a change made during its development to allow a degree of flight.”
“Ugh, are we doing that discussion again?!”
“I have no other option. That portion does not utilize Eridu’s resources but uses a separate propulsion unit. So… given that it operates on simple fuel, the probability of Toki arriving here is…”
Shuuuuuu— Kuaaaang!!
“About 99.999%.”
…I’ve always felt this way, but Rio should be thankful for being born pretty.
If a lanky nerd with his head down, wearing glasses, was blabbering like that, it wouldn’t be a pretty sight at all.
Toki, having emerged through a window she had previously broken, scanned the surroundings. Upon noticing the swarm of Nameless Guardians, and then the even greater number of damaged ones, she approached us.
“You two, you must escape from Eridu—no, this unidentified location immediately.”
“Toki, it’s not that we didn’t know that—”
“So I will safely escort you down to the ground from now on.”
“…What?”
Rio blinked in disbelief at Toki’s words. However, my judgment was swift as lightning.
Clearly distorted into the Ark of Atrahasis, Eridu, and the flight-capable Aabi Eshuh.
The ticket for escape was right before us.
“Rio-chan, let’s hurry out! If we stay here any longer, it will really be the end!”
“…?!”
Quickly handing my gun to Rio, I picked her up and immediately perched her on one arm of Aabi Eshuh.
“Rio-chan, you mustn’t drop that gun?! Yes, it’s incredibly precious!”
Still holding onto Rio’s waist with one hand, I grabbed onto a part that looked particularly easy to hold on to.
“Wait, Mika, can we really fly Aabi Eshuh like this—”
“I won’t let go, even if I die, so just worry about holding on tight!”
“…”
While Rio fell silent, Aabi Eshuh’s jet engine ignited.
As attacks from the Nameless Guardians rained down upon us, Aabi Eshuh, armed with Vina’s gloves, deflected them with ease.
As we moved toward the azure sky through the broken window, I caught a glimpse of Kei watching us from a distance.
And in his emotionless gaze, I felt a faint illusion of Aris’ remnants, causing my heart to ache.
…Wait for me, Aris. I will definitely come back to get you.
