Chapter 301 : The Dragon Awakens
Chapter 301: The Dragon Awakens
Screeeeeech-!
The elevator, half-severed by Aaron's threads, tilted with the shriek of twisting metal.
Kallia clung to the handrail, trembling violently as she screamed.
Beside her, the upper halves of two Ninja corpses rolled across the floor, their bodies cut off below the waist.
Judging from the trail of blood staining the floor, their lower halves had fallen into the elevator shaft. They had probably been sliced apart by Aaron's threads.
Maria could only force a bitter smile.
'You're far too reckless, Young Master…….'
She understood that the situation was urgent, but who in the world solved problems by slicing an entire headquarters building apart?
As someone who had once ridden this very elevator every day with immense pride in the name of Stingray, seeing it in this state made her heart ache.
Pushing those thoughts aside, Maria landed successfully atop the trapped elevator. Gripping the handrail firmly so she wouldn't fall into the shaft, she reached out toward Kallia.
"Lady! Please take my hand!"
"Kyaaaaaaaaaah! Kyaaaaaaaaaah!"
"Please calm down, Lady. It's me!"
Kallia had always known how to command people from above, but this was the first time she had ever witnessed someone truly die before her eyes.
She had fallen completely into panic and could no longer think straight.
"It's alright!"
"G-Get away from me!"
"Lady, please don't be afraid! I came here to save you! I have no intention of harming you!"
"Don't lie to me! My brother sent you! He's trying to kill me!"
"Absolutely not! The Young Master ordered me to save you!"
As Maria continued her persistent persuasion, the focus slowly returned to Kallia's eyes.
"R-Really……!?"
"Really! Now, quickly, your hand!"
"……Uwaaaaaaaaah! But if I let go, I'll fall!"
At last, Kallia burst into tears like a child.
It was completely unlike the image she normally projected, yet when Maria thought about it, there was nothing strange about it.
The three Stingray siblings had been "created" and raised within the twisted environment of the Stingray Family.
Because of that upbringing, they had occupied key positions within the Group and led others since childhood.
But even Kallia had only just turned twenty-five.
Though she capably served as the president of Stingray Entertainment, had she been born into an ordinary family, she would only now be graduating from university and beginning her career as a rookie employee.
Maria herself had lived under similar circumstances.
Perhaps because of that, she felt genuine sympathy for Kallia.
Regardless of Aaron's orders, Maria sincerely wanted to save her.
"It's alright! I'll hold onto you!"
"Uwaaaaaaaaah~!"
"Please be brave!"
"Y-You'll really catch me, right!? You won't let go!?"
"Don't worry!"
Mascara ran down her face along with tears, but Kallia no longer had the luxury of worrying about such things.
She also knew that Maria was the only person she could rely on now.
Summoning every ounce of courage, Kallia released the handrail.
"Kyaaaaaaaaah!"
The instant she let go, the already unstable elevator suddenly lurched sideways.
Her body slid helplessly down the slanted floor.
"Hup!"
Maria barely managed to catch Kallia around the waist.
With her other arm, she drove her hand into the wall of the shaft, anchoring herself like a nail.
At the same moment—
Ruuuuuuumble—!
The unstable elevator finally gave way and plummeted into the depths below.
The thick steel cables came crashing down toward them.
Maria wrapped Kallia tightly in her arms, shielding her with her own body.
Smack! Smack! Craaack!
The falling cables lashed Maria's shoulder like giant whips.
Enduring the agonizing pain, she somehow managed to withstand the barrage.
"F-For now... we've survived."
"A-Are you alright? Your shoulder...!"
"I'm fine. It'll recover shortly."
The impact had torn open Maria's trapezius area, exposing the machinery beneath.
Blood trickled out as well, but because her Replacement Rate was exceptionally high, injuries of this level were hardly considered serious.
Still hanging with one arm, Maria activated one of her modules.
Her knee folded in half, revealing a massive cannon barrel from her shin.
She aimed it at the wall.
The elevator access door on the 86th floor.
Blasting the door apart to create an escape route, Maria successfully brought both of them safely onto the 86th floor.
"Are you unharmed, Lady?"
"Y-Yeah……."
Fortunately, Kallia appeared uninjured.
Her makeup had become a complete mess from all the crying, but at least she was safe.
After confirming Kallia's safety, Maria finally let out a sigh of relief before immediately contacting Aaron.
"Young Master. I have rescued Lady Kallia."
[Good, well do@^*!%!@!]
"Young Master?"
[Damn it, stop getting in my way!@#%!]
His voice was riddled with static.
Judging from his tone, Aaron was still in the middle of battle.
Apparently, the enemy Wizard was interfering with communications.
Ruuuuumble—!
From somewhere far to the west of the city, strange tremors echoed through the air.
Though she had no proof, Maria instinctively felt Aaron was the one causing them.
"Young Master?"
[*4!^!@(# They'll be coming in 2 hours &**@!]
"I can't hear you clearly!"
[Find the Chairman or the Dragon! Hurry!]
Click.
The connection was cut.
Maria could only stare blankly, unable to understand the order.
"Young Master... just what exactly......"
"W-Were you talking to my brother?"
Kallia spoke from beside her.
She looked considerably calmer than before.
Maria nodded.
"Yes. He appeared to be engaged in battle."
"Battle? Against whom?"
"Most likely the Chairman's Personal Ninja Unit."
"Come to think of it... the ones who tried to kidnap me were Ninjas too. What's actually happening? Was my brother not on Father's side?"
"I don't know the full details either, but it appears the Chairman acted without consulting the Young Master. The Young Master drew his weapon in opposition."
"And then?"
"And it seems he believes your strength is necessary to resolve this situation, Lady Kallia."
"……."
At those words, Kallia's eyes widened.
"What is it?"
"……My brother said... he needs my strength? Really?"
"That is merely my deduction, but yes."
"Hmph. He probably just wants to make me his puppet."
"No. That isn't the case."
Maria answered without hesitation.
"Perhaps the Young Master of the past would have done such a thing, but the current Young Master has lost almost all interest in power."
"Lately, his only concerns have been the Foundation and its students. He even said that if he could remain solely as Chairman of the Foundation, he would willingly support Lady Kallia as the next Chairman."
"W-What...? He actually meant that......?"
"The Young Master has become rather secretive recently, so I cannot claim to know everything he is thinking...... but I believe so."
Kallia fell silent in shock.
For several minutes, she stared at the floor as though overwhelmed with regret.
Eventually, she spoke again.
"……So, what did my brother say? What's he planning to do now?"
"He ordered me to find the Dragon...... but to be honest, I don't understand what he meant."
"The Dragon......"
"Does something come to mind?"
"……."
Kallia remained silent.
Instead, she turned toward the shattered office windows.
Beyond the devastated office stretched the panorama of the city.
Dark clouds.
Endless pouring rain.
Glittering neon lights.
And far away in the distance, an enormous mushroom-shaped cloud rising into the sky.
"I see...... so that's what it was."
"Lady?"
Maria immediately sensed that Kallia's entire demeanor had changed.
As she cautiously approached, Kallia suddenly turned and looked directly at her.
"It is enough now. You may leave."
"W-What are you talking about?"
Maria hurriedly reached for her in confusion.
But Kallia ignored her completely and walked toward the window.
The moment she placed one hand against the glass—
Craaaaaash—!
A powerful shockwave shattered the entire window.
Maria crossed both arms before herself, blocking the shower of flying glass.
From the 86th floor, the raging wind and rain howled through the broken opening.
It was difficult not only to keep one's eyes open but even to remain standing.
Yet Kallia stood calmly before the shattered window, her long black hair fluttering wildly.
It was impossible to believe she was the same woman who had been trembling in terror moments ago, afraid of falling from the elevator.
"L-Lady! It's dangerous!"
"……."
Maria called out to her.
There was no response.
It was as though an entirely different soul now occupied her body.
And even stranger—
[Warning!]
[High-Concentration Mana Detected!]
An abnormally enormous quantity of mana was being detected from Kallia.
For a brief moment, Maria wondered if her Mana-Detection Sensor had malfunctioned.
But instinctively, she knew that wasn't the case.
The problem wasn't the sensor.
It was Kallia.
Maria remembered an incident from her days in the Security Division, when an operative possessed by a ghost had exhibited similar symptoms.
She grabbed Kallia firmly by the shoulder.
"……What have you done to the Lady?"
"……."
Kallia turned toward Maria expressionlessly.
What Maria saw was not the golden eyes unique to the Stingray Family—
—but reptilian eyes blazing with blue mana.
"……!"
Maria instinctively staggered backward.
At that same instant, lightning flashed across the sky as a violent storm erupted.
Craaack!
The flash of lightning stole Maria's vision for a split second.
When she opened her eyes again—
Kallia was gone.
Only the torn curtains fluttered where she had stood.
At the same time.
Wiiiiiiiiiiing!
The emergency sirens began blaring wildly throughout Trinity Academy.
Having already experienced multiple emergencies during the previous year, the students immediately grew anxious, wondering what disaster had occurred this time.
Soon afterward, an official notice from the Academy Chairman was delivered to every student.
[Notice]
In accordance with Code Red, all enrolled students of the Tactical Combat Department are to complete their armament and assemble at their designated locations by 15:30.
"W-What's going on, Airi? Did you hear anything beforehand?"
"N-No. Nothing at all."
The order had arrived completely out of nowhere while the Student Council members were handling their work.
However, Airi suddenly remembered that almost exactly a year ago, something very similar had happened.
'It's exactly like when the Titans came.'
Which meant only one thing.
Another horde of monsters was preparing to invade the city.
The image that flashed through Airi's mind was the towering giant whose face she couldn't even see despite craning her neck upward—
—and the students crushed beneath the rubble of the wall it had destroyed.
Corporate-sponsored students pointing their guns at helpless classmates who were dying.
And herself, driven to the very brink of death.
"……!"
"Airi, are you alright? Your face is completely pale."
"……I-I'm fine."
Airi slapped both cheeks, forcing herself back to reality.
Then she looked at her worried Student Council companions.
That's right.
I'm not alone anymore.
I've become stronger.
I've found people I can trust.
The bonds between the students have grown stronger, and the atmosphere where everyone fought like enemies simply because they belonged to different corporations has almost disappeared.
The nightmare from back then...
It won't happen again.
She calmly stood up and quietly said,
"Let's go."
This time...
It would be different.
It had to be.