“Rion, you…”
“Umm… This ship, I have no idea what it’s made of. Even when I compare it to the resources I mobilized for the construction in Eridu, it’s nearly a thousand times better.”
Having successfully connected Utnapishtim’s Ship with Aabi Eshuh, Rion checked Aabi Eshuh with a baffled expression. Meanwhile, Himari was running a simulation on the suit’s performance, and thanks to the capabilities of Utnapishtim’s Ship, she had obtained quite detailed results in just one second.
Seeing the results, Himari sent Rion a look of disbelief.
“I knew the Nameless Priests’ technology was so impressive that we couldn’t possibly keep up, but were they truly contemporaries? The technology applied to this ship surpasses some of what I’ve been studying about the Nameless Priests.”
“…They secretly researched that ancient technology like crazy and ended up making something like this. It can predict and respond to near-future events in real-time during combat. I can see now why Misono Mika couldn’t use it and got captured.”
“Uh, why is it taken for granted that I lost?”
“Then, did you win?”
“…I wasn’t completely useless.”
“I thought so. I’m not dismissing Misono Mika, but according to my cool-headed judgment, this suit is out of her league. Even if you brought someone along, they wouldn’t stand a chance alone, and even in groups, you’d need a thorough strategy.”
I quietly affirmed Himari’s assessment. It was true that even with both Neru and me teaming up, we struggled.
“Anyway, for something Rion made, it’s surprisingly…”
Himari must have been quite impressed if she was saying that.
“Anyway, the results exceeded our expectations. Aabi Eshuh, supported by Utnapishtim’s Ship, is producing results that surpass the resources provided by Eridu under the same conditions. This will be a great asset for our infiltration team.”
With that, Rion turned her gaze to Toki.
“Toki, what’s your sense of it?”
“I’m sorry, ma’am. I think I’ll need to see how it performs in actual operations.”
“…Is that so.”
After pondering for a moment, Rion opened her mouth again.
“Even if Aabi Eshuh underperforms, it doesn’t matter. You’ll have Mika and Neru by your side. And without Aabi Eshuh, Toki, you’re strong enough. You won’t be a liability to the infiltration team.”
“…Thank you, ma’am.”
For a brief moment, Toki’s and Rion’s gazes crossed.
Himari, who heard Rion’s words from the side, wore a complicated expression. She might have realized that Rion’s inner self had changed.
“That’s good news that that part is settled. We’re just about to enter the influence of the Ark of Atrahasis… Oh, we just entered.”
It wasn’t particularly chaotic. The area of influence Himari mentioned just meant that communication based on satellites would be blocked within a certain radius from the Ark of Atrahasis.
However,
“Uh-oh. We’ve lost contact with Millennium. This means we won’t be able to know about external circumstances, but that might not matter much.”
“Right. The biggest help we can offer is to bring down this Ark as quickly as possible. Plus, we don’t need to worry about the forces mobilized on the ground.”
The elite forces of Kivotos were currently holding off the army pouring out from the Ark.
I heard that in the process of Eridu distorting, Rion’s AMAS had turned their backs on Millennium, creating a gap in forces. There were even reports of AMAS deployed all over Millennium rampaging.
The Students of Millennium willingly decided to confront that, and the gap in forces was filled not just by the Justice Realization Department and the Student Council but had increased their power to several dozen times stronger than before.
In this situation, worrying about the conditions on the ground was entirely meaningless. If things turned serious enough for them to be pushed back, the responsibility would fall on the infiltration team for not achieving clear results by that time.
So, our job is to focus on our own handling rather than worrying about others.
“The internal structure of the Ark is a completely unknown territory, but we can somewhat predict the layout based on the ship’s observable shape from the outside. So, I’ll steer in this direction.”
As Rion said that, Himari interjected as if she couldn’t lose.
“There’s a high chance that Aris is in the heart of the Ark, but what’s important isn’t that. What we need to prioritize is accessing the Ark’s systems.”
“That sounds like a much simpler task than it actually is…”
“No need to overthink it, Misono Mika. The infiltration team has Asuna, after all.”
“…Hmm.”
Himari’s words that Asuna’s mysterious luck would open a path had no real basis. But considering that Asuna was often called Kivotos’ luckiest person, the thought she might accomplish something significant was irresistible.
“Of course, it’s not rational to bet everything on that, so we’ll also think of ways—weird?”
Just then, Himari’s face tightened as if she had spotted something unusual.
“This is an attack from the Ark of Atrahasis…?!”
“Wait, this… oh no.”
Rion’s expression darkened as she quickly identified the nature of the attack. It seemed that things were underway in a most unusual manner.
“We need to change our course immediately. If we don’t lower our altitude…!”
“Wait a moment, Rion. If we lower our altitude now, we’ll just crash into the Ark!”
“Even if that’s the case, that would be better. At least we might reach the Ark itself. We don’t have time for this. Hurry…!”
The teacher, sensing the urgency in Rion’s voice, made a decision. In this critical moment, each judgment would determine the future.
“Lower our altitude. Reduce speed as much as possible. We trust Rion’s judgment.”
“…Understood.”
As we slowly descended, Utnapishtim’s Ship started blaring warning sounds. The moment we veered off course, crashing into the Ark became an unavoidable future staring us in the face.
[…This is an emergency. All personnel aboard should prepare for impact. Grab onto anything you can reach. Otherwise, you will be thrown around significantly.]
Himari sent a warning to the kids in the ship. Then she made a ‘whoops’ expression. Since she relied on her wheelchair, there was no way for her to avoid being thrown.
There was no assurance she wouldn’t get hurt. She was a frail child. If she got into a traffic accident without even wearing a seatbelt, the outcomes wouldn’t be good.
“…Seriously, this is such a hassle.”
In a critical situation, every judgment counts, and I trusted my instincts.
The only person who could protect Himari now was just one. Standing closest to her, I immediately embraced Himari in my arms.
“Wait a second! Misono Mika?! I’m touching something amazing…?!”
“Ahaha. Himari, while you’re saying that, just hold on tight. Okay? I know I’m amazing too.”
Since most others were seated, I didn’t worry too much.
Glancing at the most vulnerable person in the room, the teacher, he shook his head in a sign that he was alright. After all, he had the Box of Shittim with him.
Having stood behind Rion and Himari, I held onto the seat Rion was in with all my might.
If I let go or got thrown off, it would be Himari who would get hurt badly. So I could never let go.
“…For now, we dodged the missile. Thank goodness. It’s really just a thin sheet of paper away. But collision is ten seconds away…”
Everyone braced themselves, tightening their bodies in preparation for the impact. As darkness began to close in around me,
———!!!
A thunderous sound momentarily blocked my ears. An immense shock shook the entire ship, and the instant I regained my hearing, shrill screams erupted from everywhere.
Among them, I confirmed that the loudest sound came from my embrace. Inside, I couldn’t help but chuckle. Seriously, where does this fragile body get that kind of volume from?
Kiiiiiigiiiiiiic—
Then came the intolerable screeching of metal grinding against metal, digging sharply into my ears, making me flinch and shrivel up involuntarily.
After that, I could feel Utnapishtim’s Ship slowly coming to a stop. Our original plan to land on top of the Ark had gone awry, and instead, we ended up crash-landing inside.
“Honestly, I knew there was a chance of this happening, given that there’s no armaments on this ship…”
I could hear Himari mumble weakly from my arms.
…The direct breath against my skin made me feel a bit ticklish, but I didn’t let go of Himari until the ship completely came to a halt.
Slowly glancing around, I felt relieved to find everyone safe. Given that we crashed head-on into the Ark, it was surprising the system was still functioning correctly, suggesting Utnapishtim’s Ship was still relatively intact.
…Of course, the state outside the ship was bound to be a wreck.
The teacher, looking the most worried, stood up and began issuing commands over the intercom. Although the situation had unfolded abruptly, the teacher’s leadership shone through.
The Ark would surely concentrate its forces to deal with the foreign presence that had emerged within, and the Defense Team would need to position themselves quickly to counter.
Once the barricade was established, the infiltration team would begin advancing deeper into the heart of the Ark, like a spear piercing through enemy lines.
“Well, at least we’ve safely entered the Ark. That’s a relief, but… we were too complacent, Rion.”
“…I overlooked the fact that the Ark was composed based on Eridu. If I had taken a direct hit from the cruise missile I had prepared just in case, even Utnapishtim’s Ship wouldn’t have come out unharmed. In retrospect, it was a better judgment to reduce speed and collide head-on with the Ark.”
“You’re not to blame. You did well, Rion. Thanks to you and the teacher making quick decisions, our plan can proceed without a hitch.”
Rion, who had been slumped in her seat, closed her eyes. I wondered if Himari understood how Rion might have received a single praise.
…She must have some inkling, given that she had known Rion the longest.
Regardless, the fact that Himari praised Rion unusually meant she extended an olive branch. That could be interpreted in that sense——
“At this point, I suppose I can start canceling my expressions like ‘garbage from the sewer.’ Maybe ‘trash left by the roadside’ would be more fitting. What do you think, Misono Mika?”
…I must have jumped to conclusions too soon. There was still a long way to go for these two.
“Um… well, who’s the fool who left a gem on the sidewalk?”
“…”
Upon hearing my response, Himari fell to the floor, much like a tragic heroine.
Knowing she wouldn’t be able to get back up on her own anyway, she’d probably ask me to help her up.
Why can’t these two just get along? It’s all Himari’s fault for being so narrow-minded. People need to have big hearts like Rion, geez.
