Hagakure Sakura Does Not Lament

Chapter 157

Angel's Circle

Translated by LyraDhani

Edited by LyraDhani

–There is one intruder. Lead them to the safe zone.

After receiving the command from the communicator in his right ear, Tsugumi let out a small sigh and looked around.

“…Let’s move the main body first for now.”

Each head was releasing fire, ice, electric shocks, etc., but the movement was faltering, probably because the number of heads had just increased and they were still uncoordinated. They were still in the process of developing as a high-ranked Demonic Beast.

Therefore, it was basically safe to stay out of its attack range, which was about 10 kilometers away.

With this in mind, he kept the four-headed dragon under control and guided it toward the river where there were few buildings.

It was not out of consideration for the city, but simply to reduce human casualties.

…To put it bluntly, no matter how careful they were, they knew that people would come in.

The city of London, the center where the Demonic Beast appeared, was surrounded by a number of cities in a row.

Evacuation orders had been issued for the entire city of London, but there were still many people who hadn’t evacuated to the suburbs. In other words, the more the Dragon moved, the more human lives might be threatened.

In such a situation, no matter how much the British side tried to restrict people from entering, if there was no fence or anything, it was easy for them to invade. …As someone who had come to fight the Demonic Beast, it was a real nuisance.

“It’s a really troublesome job. I’ll have to complain to Yukino-san later.”

While complaining, Tsugumi moved the fingers of his free hand. The threads wriggled in tandem as if alive.

Perhaps it was because of the medicine Tsugumi had taken before the battle–pills extracted from the energy of the magic nucleus-that the thread operability was not so different from its accuracy in the barrier.

With this, the thread would be able to reach a radius of at least 30 kilometers.

After only a few seconds of moving his finger, he located the intruder, probably a reporter of some sort, and pulled the thread with a jerk, twisting it around the man’s arms and legs.

At the same time, the man began to run in the opposite direction of the Demonic Beasts with trotting footsteps.

“You’ll have sore muscles later, but you’ll have to forgive me. …Well, I guess you deserved it.”

The man’s movements were so comical that Tsugumi smiled wryly.

In other words, this thing was like a simple marionette. The entangled threads interlock with the legs, incorporating the command to move in a specified direction while avoiding obstacles.

The man seemed to be shouting, not understanding what was happening to him, but Tsugumi didn’t want to bother explaining.

The man was probably just trying to get the scoop on the intrusion, but once the battle got into full swing, he had no time to worry about it, so that man better get the hell out of there quickly.

“–The Dragon will be moved to the northwest, so please retrieve the man in the meantime.”

Tsugumi contacted the operations center and turned to the Dragon.

The selfish intruder was a distraction, but that didn’t necessarily mean Tsugumi wanted him dead. If there was at least one human being within sight, he was going to help if he could. Fortunately, he was not the main combatant, so he had enough time to look around.

“I hope there’s no one else around anymore… I don’t think I can be bothered from here on out.”

With that, he kicked the ground.

–If you want to confirm the presence of people, it’s best to check from above.

Thinking so, Tsugumi glided along the threads he had stretched out and landed on the dragon’s back as if it was natural. It would have been fine if he had moved through transportation, but it was unexpectedly troublesome to adjust the axis of coordinates to a moving object.

As he made a spectacular turn as if walking down a runway with the wind blowing in his face, Tsugumi muttered to himself.

“This view is amazing. The transportation is convenient, but I envy the kids who can fly.”

Looking out at the historic cityscape from the Dragon’s back, Tsugumi laughed quietly while making light remarks like that.

The Dragon noticed something on its back and tried to move its head to turn around, but the threads wrapped around its neck prevented it from doing so. Rather, the assertion of each dragon’s neck was too strong, and the range of motion of the neck was decreasing. Well, it was a good thing that it had too many heads.

Tsugumi walked leisurely on the Dragon’s back and checked all around the river. At least, there was no sign of anyone within a one-kilometer radius.

“It looks okay so maybe it’s time to go. Sumire-san must be getting a little bored.”

–The current wind was a headwind. The wind was blowing from the opposite direction now, which was more convenient for what was about to come.

With this in mind, Tsugumi waved his arms wide as a final touch.

At the same time, a spider web made through several large buildings sewed the four-headed dragon right above the river.

The Dragon suddenly writhed and twisted, trying to escape the restraints of the threads, but there was no sign of the threads coming off at all.

It would be quicker for the building where the threads were routed to collapse than for the Dragon to go berserk and shook off the threads, but this was a different story.

This would keep the Dragon from moving properly for a while.

“The target is fixed. Temporary restraint time is 30 seconds. –Please take care of the rest.”

This was the end of the work entrusted to Hagakure Sakura. The rest was up to Toono Sumire.

◆ ◆ ◆

“As expected of you, Sakura-san. You’ve positioned yourself perfectly.”

Toono Sumire muttered to herself as she gazed at the River Thames from a spot about a kilometer away from where the Dragon was being held–at the top of a clock tower bearing the queen’s name.

The dragon was about 100 meters in length. But even so, it looked small compared to the vastness of the river.

Thinking about how pitiful it was for a foreign country to have trouble with a Demonic Beast like this, Toono pointed her gun finger at the Dragon.

At that moment, Hagakure Sakura, who was riding on the Dragon’s back, waved and disappeared from the scene. Perhaps she had moved to a place where the damage wouldn’t reach.

“The request from the top was to make the event as beautiful, gruesome, and dynamic as possible. –In other words, it’s business as usual, isn’t that right?”

Saying that, Toono smiled and narrowed her eyes.

“But it’s too bad. If it had been nighttime, my flames would have shone brightly against the night sky.”

–Toono’s two skills as a Magical Girl were [Fire] and [Gun].

In some mythologies, “fire” was said to have been given to mankind by the Gods, and was also said to be a symbol of life. “Gun” was a weapon designed to attack the enemy.

…Ironic as it was, it would not be an exaggeration to say that it truly represented Toono’s upbringing.

“Well, I think it’s time to wrap this up.”

Toono announced quietly and snapped her fingers, and a large number of roaring, red-hot guns were generated in a circle directly above the Dragon.

From modern firearms to flintlocks and muskets, the crystallization of human wisdom from all ages, both ancient and modern, lined up above the dragon like a circle. It looked like a circle of angels.

“It may be a famous monster here, but in front of me, it’s just the same as any other creature around here. A Demonic Beast–it’s so arrogant.”

Toono then raised the pistol that had appeared in her hand directly above herself.

At the same time as Toono held out her hand for the pistol, a dull clattering sound echoed from above the Dragon’s head. –The gunfire had been triggered.

The Dragon, sensing the presence of an attack above its head, struggled with a cry of rage, but it was unable to escape from the firm restraints placed on it by Hagakure.

Toono heard the Dragon struggling and smiled gently, and without hesitation pulled the trigger on the Dragon.

–A moment later, the guns howled like a roar.

A wave of red-hot bullets struck the Dragon, and a beat later, a roar echoed through the area as if the Dragon had been hit by a massive bombing.

The bullets that fired from all directions quickly ate through the Dragon’s hard scales, turning its physique a bright red.

The bullets that remained inside the Dragon’s body became hot as if on fire, and the Dragon was soon consumed by the fire while floating in midair.

The threads that bound the Dragon were burned off and fell like a bead of flame.

–The Demonic Beast, which had taken advantage of the weakness of the human heart and was about to transform itself into a monster in the image of God’s enemy Satan, was, oddly enough, swallowed by fire and sulfur, just like in John’s Revelation. Perhaps this, too, was the fate of the Demonic Beast that looked like a mighty monster.

“It wasn’t that bad considering the previous information. …Hm?”

As Toono muttered this to herself, from the other side of the river – a tall building farther away than the Dragon – she could see Hagakure Sakura looking impatiently toward the bridge in the distance. And then, as if she had immediately transported, Hagakure’s figure disappeared from the scene.

Toono tilted her head and said while looking at the situation curiously.

“…Did something happen?”