The Decisive Battle: Rahe, Captain of the 7th Division (5)
There had never been any room for compromise between Villain No. 13 and Rahe from the very beginning.
If he could dominate Rahe for three days, he could present her at the villain alliance meeting tomorrow. But what about after that? What would come next?
He would have to release the brainwashed members of the 7th Division, release Rahe herself, and on top of that, the existence of his trump card—hypnosis—would become known. Once that happened, there would be no hope left. The future of his organization would vanish.
The villain organization Abyss had a goal. A mission that had to be accomplished, something beyond merely staying alive. And now that No. 13 had lost his original powers, he needed the strength of the 7th Division more than ever to achieve that goal.
Rahe would have been the same. Even if she did not lay a hand on him herself, there were countless ways for the 7th Division to deal with No. 13. A woman who cared nothing for her own reputation or position would stop at nothing, regardless of the means.
Therefore, the two of them could never reach a compromise. The situation was far too precarious to end on some lukewarm, friendly note.
That was why, no matter which side lost, a decisive conclusion had to be reached between them today.
"Kgh...!"
"No. 13, are you all right?"
Coco supported No. 13 as they withdrew from the area, her voice filled with concern. His complexion was pale from blood loss, and one wrist remained severed. On top of that, Rahe's final ice spike had pierced his thigh during their escape. The pain made his head feel as though it were being roasted alive.
"Coco, the gun...!"
No. 13 took the gun from her, drew a deep breath, and pressed it against his own neck before pulling the trigger.
For a brief moment, a gruesome sight unfolded, but soon the sound of flesh knitting together filled the air. The wounds vanished, and his missing body parts returned.
Still covered in blood, No. 13 examined his neck and arms, confirming his condition.
"Haa..."
Rahe probably did not yet know about his Resurrection ability. He had considered using his battered body as bait to lure her in, but that plan was no longer viable.
After all, this was Rahe. Even after driving a sword through his heart, she would never let her guard down. It would be wiser to find another method rather than act recklessly.
"Are we retreating, No. 13?"
"...I want to, but..."
No. 13 hesitated at Coco's question. Escape was possible. He could use Staff's magic to return to the hideout in an instant. But he could not afford to run. He had to settle things with Rahe today. Dorothy, the boss, and Staff had all warned him against overexerting himself, yet he had no choice.
Even so, charging in blindly would not guarantee victory. The world did not work on willpower alone.
Therefore—
"Staff. The situation has changed. Proceed with the next phase of the plan."
[Understood, No. 13.]
A voice answered from his shadow. It was Staff, who had been monitoring the situation through the shadows all along.
The clash of metal rang out, accompanied by the sounds of destruction and explosions. Blue and red mana clashed repeatedly against a massive golden radiance. Ice pillars erupted from spells, walls and floors detonated, sending fragments flying in every direction.
Rahe was genuinely surprised. It was not that she was being pushed back by the two of them. Even if she faced the entire 7th Division at once—or three times that number—she was confident she could defeat them all with ease.
What astonished her was that the two opponents before her had yet to fall. More precisely, she was shocked that Spade was still keeping up with the battle.
Clang!
"Kgh...!!"
"Spade!"
Once again, the silver blade that had been aimed to incapacitate Spade was blocked by her violet tonfa. Her stance nearly collapsed from the desperate parry, but Check intervened to create an opening, allowing Spade to regain her footing and resume fighting.
Even when Rahe deliberately created openings to bait Spade's attacks, the red-eyed hero responded—imperfectly, yet effectively. Her mana-enhanced body kept pace in both strength and speed.
Rahe had already noticed Spade's improved level during the recent training session, but she had never expected this degree of growth. Check had also advanced noticeably, though her progress paled in comparison to Spade's, as her foundation had already been nearly complete.
Under normal circumstances, Rahe would have been overjoyed and offered praise. The fact that she was witnessing this growth in such a situation only filled her with regret.
—......!
It happened while the battle continued.
Rahe suddenly felt a faint sense of dissonance. Even as she deflected and countered the storm of coordinated attacks from Check and Spade, she clearly detected that subtle irregularity.
—Captain Rahe, the universe is...
Club's voice rang out as if shouting directly into her ear. But before the message could finish, Rahe released her mana with a sharp battle cry. In an instant, a golden surge of power erupted, followed by a howling storm of cold.
The voice at her ear vanished instantly. She had shattered Club's Sensory Sharing spell with her overwhelming mana. The same tactic that had worked against Check proved ineffective against Rahe. Whether due to the thick layer of mana she now maintained or her heightened vigilance, Club could no longer establish even a momentary link.
'Even if it was only for a moment, the fact that she could force a connection means Club has grown as well.'
'Spade too... This must be No. 13's ability.'
Their rapidly enhanced capabilities, combined with the unknown triggers of his mind-control ability, presented numerous concerns. Any ordinary hero would have been overwhelmed long ago.
But it was useless. It would never work on her.
Rahe was a seasoned warrior who had survived the heart of the Great Disaster, where all manner of abilities and traps had run rampant. There were no holes in her perfect self, and No. 13's petty schemes could never ensnare her.
"...It's over for both of you now."
Even at this stage, Rahe had not yet unleashed her full power. She had hoped there might still be a way to save them. If possible, she wanted to incapacitate them without causing serious harm.
But she could no longer afford to hold back. If she remained tied down here any longer, she would lose No. 13. Moreover, she believed that even if she fought at full strength, the two of them would not die.
Therefore—
"Huh...?"
"Spade...!"
Just as Rahe gathered more mana to exert her full strength, a change came over Spade and Check. It was not caused by Rahe.
The two exchanged glances, then began moving differently than before. Instead of engaging Rahe, they widened the distance and split off in separate directions.
Retreating...? No...
'They're trying to lure me?'
Rahe hesitated for a moment, but the indecision did not last long. She immediately gave chase after the two heroes and the fleeing No. 13.
"Good. Both of you, keep luring Rahe. Reach the designated point as quickly as possible."
Somewhere inside the abandoned factory, No. 13 had hidden himself in a room after escaping Rahe. He issued orders to Check and Spade while monitoring the feed from Club's Sensory Sharing and the cameras installed throughout the building.
This room had been converted into an air-raid shelter as a precaution, its walls nearly a meter thick. The entrance was concealed by Coco's illusion magic, making it appear as an ordinary wall. For now, it was safe.
'Still, the opponent is Rahe. I can't afford to relax.'
The thought that even a bunker hundreds of meters underground might not be enough to stop her sent a chill down his spine.
Therefore, he wanted to finish this before Rahe discovered the room.
"I owe Dorothy my thanks. I never expected her advice to actually prove useful."
Dorothy had warned him. She said his thinking was far too naive. As someone inherently unlucky, he should always assume the worst and never neglect his preparations.
Following her advice, No. 13 had not simply relaxed. He had prepared extensively. When brainwashing Check and Coco, he had not relied solely on the easiest methods but had experimented with various techniques. He had also reduced his sleep and leisure time to practice hypnosis, memorized the manual Dorothy had written despite the headache it gave him, and conducted risky experiments to test the limits of his ability.
Thanks to that, he had grown from a complete novice into something he could now call an amateur.
"Twenty-three emergency hypnosis switches planted in Rahe, just in case."
"Fifteen of them are currently viable... With these, I'll gamble everything."
Even as the images from Club's magic and the tablet screen threatened to give him a headache, he focused intently to avoid even the smallest mistake.
From this point on, any error would lead to disaster. Come to think of it, it had always been that way.
