– – It’s been a while missing noble diamond– –

“Io, why are you doing something like this, desu!?”
“Something like… this?”
“That’s right, desu. Magicians have the mission of supporting the world in secret, desu. Despite that, you’re endangering countless numbers of ordinary people you should be protecting. The heck are you doing, desu!”

Owl bares her wrath at Io who is behaving unlike how a magician should. Io’s expression, however, remains completely unperturbed.

“Owl-sama, when you buy new cosmetics, don’t you want to try them as soon as possible?”
“?”
“When you buy new clothes, don’t you want to hurry and wear them? When you buy new accessories, don’t you want to use them as soon as possible?”
“Wha- what are you saying, desu…?”

Owl is lost for words from the indescribable horror she feels at the abrupt questions and takes a step back. At her sides, Uruka and Uruna are just as terrified and regard Io with more weariness.

“I would want to hurry and try them, wear them, and use them. This is the same. If you have a new power, you’d want to test it, wouldn’t you?”
“…Who, are you, desu? Are you really Io, desu?”

Despite being opposing members of the [Dusk and Dawn Cable’s] moderate and hawk factions, Owl and Io have had countless exchanges. The impression she gives now is nothing like from those times.

“I am, Io, aren’t I?  I… for the sake of revenge, acquired power… I’ll, wield my power? That’s, my goal, isn’t that. Who, am I? My goal… goal is…”
“Dine! [Wall]!”

All of a sudden, Io begins writhe as if she had broke and the surrounding trees attack Owl and the others as if to protect her. Uruna conjures a barrier of water around them all, but the attacks grow more fierce as if responding to Io’s shrieks. 

“Owl, focus. Concentrate on the battle now, wa! [Wall]!”
“Un-understood, desu. Guran, [Wall], desu!”

Owl regains her composure at Uruna’s words and defends against the attacking trees.

“Still, what incredible magic. Being able to manipulate the trees and ground like that without chanting… water, spear, attack, [Endless Lance]!”
Uruka takes advantage of the opening to release water spears at Io’s blind spot, but even that is warded off with a wall of dirt.

“onee-chan coming here is really helpful, wa. Owl and I would have had no choice but to focus on defending if we were alone.”
“Sorry, we can talk about it in detail later, but the truth is, I was planning to help out before things got this far?”
Uruka releases onmyou techniques one after the other while apologizing to Uruna.

“Uruna-chan, all three of them, are incredible.”
“All that, are those… special abilities?”
As Shizuka, Akari, and Souji are unfamiliar with the existence of onmyou techniques or magic, they watch the display unfolding before her eyes with shock.

“I don’t get what’s going on, but I’ll help, [Cold and Heat]!”
“Thank you, desu!”
“You’re a big help!”

Souji, having recovered his strength during that time, provides support by incinerating the wave of approaching trees with his special ability.

“With this, we can counterattack, desu. Sanda, [Shot Bullet]!”

Owl, who had been maintaining a defense, switches to offense and makes Io’s earth wall crumble. Yet even with that, they fail to deliver a decisive strike and their situation continues to worsen.

“Kasai-kun, Uruna, can you buy me some time?”
“Me too, I would appreciate a bit of time, desu.”
“About how much do you need?” (Souji)
“10… no, 3 minutes is plenty, wa.”
“Me as well, desu!”
“Got it, [Cold and Heat]!”
“I shall also help. Dine, [Great Wall]!”

Even now, Souji still hasn’t been able to figure out what is going on, but the resolve Uruna and Owl display sway him into giving his all to buy the requested time. Then, with Uruna’s support, none of the countless vines or leaf blades reach Uruka or Owl.

“You done yet?”
“Just a bit more, desu!”
“Just finished, wa!”

Uruna and Owl, having finished their chants, hoist up their hands and a vast amount of magical power gathers in the sky.

“[Supreme・Dragon King Manifestation]!”
“[Greatest・Golden Giant Soldier (Greatest Gauguin)]!”

As the sky distorts, a dragon king with his serpentine body coiled around himself and a shining golden skeleton warrior appear.

“The heck is that!?” (Souji?)
“E– eh! What is that!?” (Akari?)
“It’s like a monster movie.” (Shizuka?)

Souji, Akari, and Shizuka forget all about their exhaustion and stare in shock at the sight unfolding before them.

“There isn’t any time, wa. Dragon King, please!”
“Golden Giant Soldier Gougan, go, desu!”

At the commands of the 2, the dragon king’s tail and the giant soldier’s fist strike down against Io who is clutching her head in pain. The wooden and earth walls protecting Io are smashed into pieces and up billows a massive cloud of dust.

“Hey, hey, you ain’t holding back at all…” (Io)
“It’s alright. We never intended to hurt you.” (Uruka)
“We didn’t hit you, desu.” (Owl)

Just as Uruka and Owl say, Io is revealed to be uninjured once the cloud of dust clears. The dragon king’s tail and the giant soldier’s fist didn’t strike her, but the ground a bit away from her.

“The situation is overwhelmingly to our advantage, desu. Surrender quietly and…”
“[Obey me.]”

Io cuts Owl off with a single word and flips the state of battle in an instant. The dragon king and giant soldier are now under Io’s command.

“Control was usurped with just a single word!?”
Uruka’s face fills with despair as she stares at the dragon king and giant soldier who have become enemies.

“Fufufuu, who I am doesn’t matter, wa. I simply need to proceed with my objective.”

The pair of blows from the dragon king and giant soldier opened Io’s eyes. She speaks with such a bright expression that her previous attitude seems like it came from a different person.

“In gratitude for waking me, I will grant you all a painless end, wa. Now then, [rest].”
“Sanda! [Blast Bullet!]!”

Spheres of lightning roar as they explode against the ground.

Owl, recalling a time Io used [Army of Fools] to subjugate a target, is familiar with the process needed to utilize it. Thus, anticipating she is using a technique that was developed with it as a foundation, she creates a loud sound to block others from hearing her command.

“A sound decision, but it seems to have come a tad bit too late.”

Uruna, having been right beside Owl, was protected by the thunderous roar. Uruka, Souji, Akari, and Shizuka, however, have all collapsed where they stood and are now in a deep sleep.

“They will sleep for all eternity until I lift the order, wa. Of course, I have no intention of rescinding my command, wa.”
“What have you done to my onee-chan!? Dine! [Blast Lance]!”

Uruna, acting on her fury, releases a water spear only for the giant soldier to block it with a hand. It doesn’t reach anywhere close to Io.

“Had it been possible, I wanted to avoid resorting to anything barbaric, but I guess it can’t be helped, wa. Dragon king, Golden Giant Soldier Gougan, take care of them.”

In accordance with Io’s words, Uruna and Owl are targeted by the dragon king’s charge and the giant soldier’s fist.

“Dine, [Great Wall]!!”
“Uruna-chan!”

Uruna, in order to protect Owl who pushed her magic power and body to the limit by invoking [Greatest・Golden Giant Soldier(Greatest Gauguin)], uses all her strength to create a wall of torrential water.

“Ara, how lovely.”
“Guh……!”

Uruna devotes her entirety to the wall of torrential water and elevates it into being many times stronger than normal, allowing it to withstand the blows of the dragon king and the giant soldier. Her wall, however, only lasts for a few seconds and the two attacks explode for the 2 girls.

“Till the end, it was very fun, wa.”

Io, feeling the battle is over, speaks a few words to the rising cloud of dust.

“[Triple Barrier]!”

However, once the cloud of dust disperses, a scene different from Io’s imagination lays before her.

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T/N: This is why you should never go easy on enemies who are radiating with an extreme amount of power and look to be unstable.

Lyfe~

<53.1 What are you Doing–?
54.1 3 on 3>