ONLINE GAMERS {ARC 1 CHAOS IN ASTRAL CITY} CHAPTER 4

In game time 7:00pm

By the time Rin had realized the small girl in revealing clothing was serious about her declaration to take over the city, it was too late. The two girls were now standing at the front gate of the most important building in Astral city—the world tower.

It was late, the sky was dim, and the streets were empty. Even so the many lights of the city illuminated street.

Twenty guards stood watch at the front gate, as well as more than a dozen others on the inside.

“Do you have any business here little girl...?”

One of the men stepped up to bar Kimiko's path.

He was a tall man wearing bulky looking futuristic armor. His face may have been hidden behind a silver helmet, but his tone was clear...

It was one of malice.

Kimiko sized him up and was disappointed, “Oh my, don't tell me you wish to die...?”

Her tone was haughty and filled with bloodlust.

The photon blaster in his hands a deadly level three weapon capable of destroying a freight truck at point blank was cocked and on the ready to shot.

The guard blocking Kimiko's path, as well as all the other guards behind him, took aim at the petite level nine.

Despite their overwhelming advantage over a little girl...

They were trembling.

What is this girl!? Their hearts were gripped with fear.

In that ever so tense moment, Rin panicked. “W-wait this little girl she's my--um, little sister, and she's not well! S-she didn't mean what she said okay! Aha ha... So, p-please put the guns down!”

“That, 'little girl', is a player...there's no telling what she can do. Stand back, or get hurt!”

Kimiko let out a boisterous laugh.

“Aha! ha ha ha! You!” She pointed at the guard who called her a little girl.” Kimiko took a wide stance with her hands on her hip and brandished a wide grin.

“I'm no 'little girl', you fool!!” She snapped her fingers.

“I'm the fifth ranked player--and Fourth ranked level nine in this game! Tsurugi Kimiko! You dogs can address me as Kimiko-Sama!”

At that moment the space around the petite girl distorted and twenty--no fifty-armed men appeared. Each holding assault rifles.

The men—except for one were all decorated in splendid matching green army uniforms.

The summoned men formed a circle around Kimiko and Rin.

Standing in the center of the summoned men, the small girl let out sounds of approval at her contracted spirits.

“Bwa-ha-ha-ha! Yes-yes-yes, not bad, not bad at all! So, you lot are my servants?”

What she said was the absolute truth. Spirit beings were powerful beings unable to form physical bodies of their own, and as such, they relied on their contractors <<MP>> (Magic Points) to form their bodies and will.

This contract allowed them to exist in the physical world, and their masters gained control over their bodies. Since the body was formed by the contractor's magic, the spirit in question was powerless to resist any orders given by their contractor.

The summoner's magic formed their body and will, owing to that, the spirit had no body and will. That was the deal. That isn't to say the spirit had no will of its own, it simply couldn't act on it.

If the summoner gave them an order to kill or defile themselves, they could not refuse, no matter how perverse or twisted it was.

“If you wish to live, I suggest you bow to your new queen now...”

No sooner had she spoken, than a wide barrage of bullets slammed into the bodies of her summoned spirits.

“Kyaaaaaaaa!” Rin screamed.

Kimiko sighed. She had offered them an out, and they so ungraciously refused her kindness.

“Fools...”

The sound of gun shots filled the area.

A large cloud of dust enveloped them. The glowing blue beams fired by the photon blasters packed a punch—it scraped the asphalt up off the ground—and did serious damage to the surrounding vehicles.

The men guarding the building unloaded the entirety of their ammunition on the army of military clad men around the small girl, and the NPC she brought with her.

With any luck the barrage of bullets would have gotten the brat, the men hoped.

It was a shame that the NPC she came with died but that couldn't be helped.

The dust finally settled.

“My, my... A wasted effort it seems gentlemen.”

!!??

Not only was the small girl still alive, but her summoned spirits were completely unharmed?

Neither her nor her friend were injured.

Rin had been crouched down in a ball position, she turned completely white, her pink eyes normally hidden behind a thick frame of glasses were now two big XX (an emotion effect unique to this world).

“We're alive?” Rin muttered, dumbfounded. It seemed the men were shielding her as well.

The explanation for this was simple.

“It all depends on Level little Rin,” stated Kimiko, “these pieces of trash couldn't hope to graze my servants in a hundred years.”

Rin gazed up at the petite girl. “Y-you really are strong, aren't you?”

“But of course! Aha! Haha! ha! Do you finally feel like revering me as a god brat! Do you? Huh Do you!? I'll even let you pat my head! Wait ...no, no why would I want something like that...?”

Strong... And arrogant... Rin thought but didn't say out of fear. She was trembling, just what had she gotten herself into? How was this petite girl so strong?

The system recognized damage by levels.

Usually, Players were the only ones capable of attaining high levels—usually.

As such only players could damage other players—that was common sense in this world—even among players Kimiko was a cut above the rest. It would take a powerful NPC to actually damage her.

“Take care of the trash for me...”

At this, the fifty summoned spirits, unleashed a storm of bullets on the guards.

BRRRRRRRGGGG!

BRRRRGRRR!!

BRBRGRRRRRRRR!

“Ahhhh!” “Stoooopp!” “Wait!”

The summoned spirits fired mercilessly at the twenty guards, who were helpless against the onslaught of bullets from all sides. Their high-grade armor as protective as a thin sheet of paper against the bullets fired by the fifty spirits.

“GAAAaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!”

The twenty guards let out some screams and collapsed. They were defeated lying limply on the floor.

“Not so bad for my first time, wouldn't you say so young girl?”

Rin didn't respond to instead she felt the contents of her stomach slowly rising. Kimiko stretched her arms and said, “Let's go.”

She proceeded to walk towards the building, Rin trudged silently behind her, afraid of what would happen, if she said no.

Without thinking she spoke.

“Y-you killed them.”

“What?”

Kimiko turned to look at the freighted Rin whom averted her eyes, “No I did nothing of the sort, they are injured yes, but certainly not dead...the amount of magic I gave my servants, wasn't even enough to seriously hurt them.”

“Really?”

“The strength of my summoned spirits is directly related to the amount of magic I give them. I spent quite a bit of time studying all my skills, I know how to properly use them all. So those hapless fools should be fine.”

“You mean y-you didn't kill them...” Rin looked somewhat relived.

“How many times do I have to repeat myself! At the worst they'll be asleep for an hour or tw—”

“—Kimiko-chan, good to see ya doing well after so long,” One of her spirits--her servants-- said to her.

He was distinct looking among the fifty summoned spirits.

For one he was a small!

He wore a black version of their uniform with many golden medals on it—she felt a stronger connection to him than the rest. A sort of bond if you will.

“Ya wanna tell me why exactly we're attacking this building?” His way of speaking was crude and way to informal.

Kimiko was infuriated.

One of her servants seriously had the audacity to speak to her so freely. “Firstly, who do you think you are? And what makes you think you can just openly talk to your master...?”

The other forty-nine servants disappeared—this was done to preserve MP. But it wasn't on her orders that they left, which surprised Kimiko, it was on the small boys’ orders that they left.

Once again, she noticed his peculiar outfit. It was like some foreign army uniform; he was clad in the same elaborate uniforms as the others.

But why? Who was he? Who did he think he was!?

As if answering her thoughts the boy spoke.

“Kimiko-chan? Did ya forget? I'm the captain of the 'biding storm of fifty...my name's Clint shooter. I'm the spirit you're contracted to?”

She calmed herself and took in the information.

“Are you now?”

Sigh...

So, the contract is with him and the others are just a product of our contract? So, it's possible to contract a single servant with branching servants of their own...?

“Oh, I see, so the other forty-nine servants are a part of you.”

“'Servants'? Kimiko-chan, did ya say servants?” The spirit asked.

“Yes. From now on you'll all refer to me as your Queen. And, about what to call you, nothing fits better than servant don't you think?”

“S'cuse me?” He spoke.

“A-are you always this rude brat.” Rin chided.

“Shut up! They're my servants I'll treat them as I wish. Don't call me a brat you brat!”

As the two girls exchanged verbal blows. Clint sized up his contractor from head to toe. There was something strange about Kimiko's behavior. When he first met her, she was a bright and bubbly girl, but right now she seemed gaudier than anything else.

Was this truly Tsurugi Kimiko? Was this the energetic crybaby he knew? Such thoughts ran through his mind. But the answer was...

No.

It was not, but he had no way of knowing that.

That Kimiko, the Kimiko whom had been kind to him was Kobayashi Akari.

Akari had been playing as the fifth ranked player (Tsurugi Kimiko) at the time she contracted all the ten thousand spirits.

The current Kimiko was Ayano Kimi, Akari's self-proclaimed best friend. And she would go on to ruin the gentle image, and bonds of friendship Akari formed with all the noble spirits—and pervert it into one of master and servant.

“Hey who are ya!? Are ya really Ki— ngh!?”

She turned to face him--a red dot on her head--after receiving a fore head flick from Rin. Her lips curled up into a warped grin, as his face tensed and he collapsed to one knee.

—My queen!”

His body moved on its own and he bowed down to the petite girl. Kimiko was happily grinning. She looked down at him from above as she placed her foot on his head, it was a position befitting of master and servant.

From his vantage point he could only see a foot crushing his head.

“You can start by kissing my feet...”

She was going to show him who exactly had the power between them. To Kimiko every existence on earth was below her own.

Before she could continue however, her joy was cut short.

“W-what are we going to do? Defense is here...” Rin murmured, interrupting Kimiko's fun.

Kimiko sighed.

Just as she was about to continue establishing her master and servant relationship, Defense arrived.

A huge black swat looking car stopped just shy of the building gate where the two girls and kneeling spirit had been standing.

Three women and a blonde boy all in matching blue-black combat fatigues came pouring out of it. They were armed with weapons of similar variety to the guards she defeated, except for one small girl, who held a mop and wore a maid outfit.

A maid outfit?

A maid...?

Kimiko eyed the maid from afar using one of her ten unique skills, the unique skill [Ultra presence detection] Kimiko decided the maid was of no concern. The maid was a level two and the strongest person there. The blonde boy seemed to have latent potential but was useless for now, the other two women were also of no concern.

Defense? Rin had mentioned them earlier she thought back to their excursion an hour or two ago...

Defense was the name of the NPC formed unit created to handle players.

While typically only players were capable of having levels—Defense was part of the few exceptions.

The developer of NWO—an unknown eccentric—thought it might be interesting for a game, if a scant number of NPC's were capable of going beyond their limits and attaining heights other NPCs couldn't—heights reserved only for players.

And so...one in a hundred NPC's might be a level three, one in ten thousand might be a level five, one in a billion might be a level seven, or perhaps even higher...

“Stop in the name of justice!” A woman with cool dark blue hair shouted. She was the leader of district one’s defense force.

Before the other woman could respond, Kimiko placed both hands on her hips and laughed.

“Justice? Bwa ha ha! Ha ha ha! Is that a joke!? Certainly, it must be! If not then tell me, are you supposed to be justice!?”

“Aha! Haha! Haha! You most certainly are not, justice, for one is a term for the strongest. Those who cannot enforce order you see have no place being justice...”

“Without strength,” She continued, “You're nothing more than fakes pretending to be justice. It's laughable really that you think you're capable of baring such a lofty title! When the strongest force—justice so to speak is me!”

The captain of district one's Defense had heard enough!

“You little girl are clearly out of your mind! Drank on your own eccentricities!”

The petite level nine sighed, then got to thinking.

These people are worthless hardly worth calling riffraff, but that does beg the question, who called them? And why? Someone on the inside of the building perhaps? ...But why? Is this not the most heavily armed place in the city?

They must have seen how ineffective their weapons would be against her and called Defense as a last resort right? Was that it? If so then...

My, my… How sad...

Whoever it was, that called Defense, calling them was probably their best option. Meaning that they had no other way to effectively beat her on the inside, meaning that taking the building would be an easy job after all.

The current problem was defense.

Actually—

“—No, defense doesn't matter, they can't stop me...for the time being you can take care of them...my servant.” She grinned at the prostrated servant glaring at her from below her heel.

“Young girl let's go inside.”

“Uh...sure.”

As Kimiko spoke, she strolled to the front of the building leisurely, turning her back on her servant and the other riffraff. “Don't let a single one of them inside the building that's an order.”

She gave him an order mentally.

If need be don't hesitate kill anyone that might over-power you.

True she didn't want to kill any of the NPC's if possible. But prioritizing her servant’s life came first. As such if any members of defense were actually powerful enough to warrant needing excessive force...

Oh, what's this? Cameras shoot them all down.

◆◆◆

On the inside about five hundred guards tensed up. All the workers and non-combat personnel had been evacuated—to safety, in the rooms within the building—this place was mainly a research and observation facility—so they weren't that many guards here.

“The door is made of reinforced magiceite! She won't be able to get in! We're safe! There's nothing to fear!” Shouted one of the guards.

A man in a giant mechanical robot added, “Even if she does get in! The armored giants will stop her!”

There were about six other men in giant mechanical suits.

“YEAAAAHHHH!!!”

The others all cheered words of agreement.

“Yeaahh...”

“Player or not this world is ours!”

The door to the outside had been reinforced with all sorts of armaments, it was the hardest material money could buy—surely it would prevent a little girl and her army of fifty men from entering—they watched on the monitors as the petite girl strolled to the reinforced doors all by herself.

The lone girl who stood at the gate smiled triumphantly. Her frail body was up against their building’s strongest protection.

The monitors suddenly cut the feed.

“What happened!?”

CRAAASHH! The sound of their trusty protection shattering to bits came all but too late. A single girl was all it took to destroy it and effortlessly at that they thought. A giant mass of muscle came jumping in.

It was a man.

No.

A giant—a real giant!

The enormous man was covered with bulk, his bulging muscles and size were frankly inhuman—he had no weapon of any kind. But of course, he had no need for a weapon, he himself was a weapon.

The mass of muscle known as Herkales could crash a tank with his bare hands. Destroying the reinforced gate was like tearing through paper.

On the man’s back were two girls; a small girl in revealing clothing, with her black hair styled in twin tails laughing jauntily and an older girl with spectacles, green hair and a plump bosom for a high schooler frantically screaming.

I thought we we're going to die! Rin turned pale white yet again. While Kimiko simply laughed at how amusing Rin's reactions were. After a moment of enjoying her compatriots’ tears Kimiko turned to face all the guards cowering in fear of her giant.

And with great sympathy—rather great pride—the smaller girl ordered, “If you wish to live, bow down to me right now…!”

“ATTACK! WITH THE IRONNN GIAANNTSS!!” shouted, a man shaking, with a gun in his hands.

If nothing else she commended their resolve.

◆◆◆

In game time 7:30pm

Thirty minutes ago, in the back of a Defense car.

“There's a player attacking the World-Tower here in district one. As district one's Defense, it is our job to see to it that this player is stopped before they bring chaos to Astral City,” Shirouzu Yamada, the leader of the System mandated protection force also known as Defense for Astral city, had said.

She was a dark blue haired beauty in her late twenties.

“Right now, we have to deal with the player ourselves boss? Even though, Districts two, and all the other districts in the city will be affected. Shouldn't we be getting help? Then again, we may all be part of Defense. But apparently, we're all autonomous, which is really important in the city, nya~,” Momoe Nyazu, the vice-captain, had continued.

As the car carrying the members of Defense was driving through Astral City that afternoon, they discussed what was likely going on at the World-Tower. The city was bustling with more people than usual due to the arrival of the special people from other worlds called players.

“This player's main goal here is probably to take out the head of the city. This wasn't supposed to happen so early on, they must either be a powerful player or a stupid one at the very least.”

“And you know how it is, nya~. If anyone does manage to take out the top dog, they’re going to be the new top. But we shouldn't worry about that. The current head of the city is too powerful to be taken out. Then again, since he's calling us in, maybe he's scared of this player. And if this player beats him, they'll be our Boss! So maybe we should stay out of this one captain?”

Nyanzu the vice-captain tilted her head as she continued, “Astral City, might be undergoing a change nya~. Why don't we pledge our loyalty to whichever side is left standing.”

There were only two ways to become the head of Astral city:

One was to challenge the current head to an election and to have at least fifty percent plus one, of the eligible citizens vote for you.

The second, and the most preferred method was to bring down the current head by whatever means you were capable of. This was how the current head came into power.

“I may not like how the current head does things, but it is our job to protect him and all the people of this city. We are Defense, we are justice, don't forget that Nyanzu.”

“Yeah, yeah, captain, I was only kidding nya~, I would never abandon my duty in favor of my own life nya~,” she said half-jokingly, as she lunged at the maid sitting beside her. “Oooh Kotoe-chaan, what’cha thinking about? Why sooo quiet?”

“....”

She wrapped her arms around the young maid's body. Kotoe--the maid lost breath for a moment, her vice-captain had pressed against Kotoe's hips and shoulder and was squeezing one of her breasts.

She found this annoying at worst. But had decided to leave the other woman to her own devices. If this had not been her vice-captain however Kotoe would not have held herself back.

Nyanzu--the vice-captain moved the plump springy orb in her hand playfully with a faint smile and a blush on her face, all the while Kotoe herself hadn't turned the slightest bit red.

“...”

“Hey keep your hands to yourself!” A flustered blonde boy with emerald green eyes dressed in the same black combat fatigues as everyone else in the car yelled. He was a level one NPC and had a bit of a crush on Kotoe.

“Mm? Aoki-kuun? Oho ho ho... I know ya got a little thing for Kotoe-chan here nya~.”

“....... Eh?” His emerald-eyes darted to a corner in the back of the car. “W-what are you talking about!?”

“—hee-hee-hee but you can't have her! Nyoo you can't she's all mine nya~! And besides Kotoe isn't interested in weak guys like yourself. If you aren't even capable of admitting your love, the person you love will never fall for ya, nya~!”

He hanged his head low in disappointment. Her words cut him like a dagger, Nyanzu laughed at the meager display the boy displayed from the wonderful vantage point of Kotoe's shoulder.

Nyanzu the vice-captain was a level three NPC, the captain, Shirouzu was a level two NPC and Kotoe the maid was a level two NPC. While Nyanzu was the highest ranked NPC in the car her skills weren't combat based but still dangerous nonetheless under certain conditions. Which often gave her a big head.

The maid stared at the dejected looking rookie across her. She had no time to worry about his feelings they had a job to do.

◆◆◆

A

BANGG!

CLAANKKK!

BANGG!

CLAANNKK!

As the dozens of magic infused bullets were fired at her, a girl clad in a maid outfit, moved to dodge them all and strike those that threatened to hit her comrades. The CLAANK sound of a mop batting away bullets could be heard.

A mop. A black skirt. An apron. White gloves. Those were all items of the <<The fake maid of the heavens>> outfit the girl wore.

It was all she needed to protect herself.

Most NPC's and objects crafted by NPC's were level ones by default. But objects crafted by players with a high enough weapon authority could reach high levels and supplement that difference.

The girl’s maid outfit was one of those irregularities.

A lone maid stood to face off against the fourth ranked level nines noble spirit—an army of fifty, the biding storm of fifty. She glared at them ferociously—ten in total. Her companions had already fallen, the maid was the only one left.

The small maid—Kotoe Suzuki was standing about seventy meters away from the gate. Her captain, and comrades were all on the ground, she was stuck in a deadlock, if she tried to break through her comrades would be helpless.

In her mind Kotoe was mulling over what to do.

If she tried to pursue the petite girl her comrades—friends, would be shot and killed. But if she didn't hurry the people on the inside might die, personal feelings aside, it was her duty to protect them.

What can I do right now?

A few explosive bullets came rushing her way mid thought—about twenty.

Two of her comrades were in the line of fire so dodging was unavoidable.

No choice I have to stop it...! She nimbly spun her mop and struck them to the side.

The force however sent her tumbling back.

“Ahaaaa!! Ngnh......!” Kotoe groaned inwardly as she doubled over. Her body landed right beside their captain.

Her half-conscious companions could only watch in anger.

“Kotoe-chan...! Forget about us, and save the people inside nya~!” A shout came from a vexed vice-captain Nyazu.

“I...”

She couldn't think of what to say or do. Abandoning her comrades was unthinkable, but the people on the inside, the people needed saving as well, it was their job to save them.

Her mind was racing could she truly leave them behind to die? Just as her head was ablaze with doubts another voice echoed beside her albeit limply.

“...Please...please...please...do...as the vice-captain ordered.” This was a heartfelt plea from Kotoe's captain.

It was their duty to protect the people not each other. It was their own fault for getting injured on the job. The captain was aware of Kotoe's soft heart, she was a sentimental young girl after all. But she was taking too much damage and wasting too much time trying to shield them with her body while fighting the ten gunmen.

If Kotoe didn't get her priorities straight she and the people inside would undoubtedly die.

Watching one of their comrades sacrifice herself like that. The powerlessness, the shame and the anger all of those emotions ate away at the captain’s heart. The captain couldn't bear to watch anymore.

“Save...the people inside. Forget about us.”

“Captain...” Kotoe wore a strained look on her face. She glanced over to the unconscious rookie Aoki then to Nyanzu and finally the captain.

The captain was the woman, Kotoe respected most of all in this world, whatever she said Kotoe would listen. Even if that meant abandoning her comrades...

Or so the captain thought.

“...with all due respect I refuse.”

After hearing her reply, the Captain of district one's Defense was at a loss. What was she supposed to say? How could she convince her to stop? If Kotoe continued to try and protect them while fighting she would die. Not only her but the people inside as well.

The thought terrified her.

“Kotoe--

“I can-- I... will protect everyone. Y-you always say we're justice. And that we protect the people. That's true, this is our job, but surely, we're people as well. Our lives matter just as much to me as the lives of the people inside.”

“Kotoe...?”

“I will not die, and I will not let anyone else die either. Not you, vice-captain, Aoki or the people inside.”

Kotoe hadn't raised her voice once as she protested her Captain's order, proof of her respect for the other woman.

It was truly a polite refusal delivered with a completely straight face devoid of any emotion. After having cleared things up with her Captain. She turned her attention to the ten gunmen who had been waiting patiently for her to finish.

Kotoe staggered to her feet glaring at them as she did.

One of the men spoke, it was a small seven maybe eight-year-old boy. He was clad in black and the design was similar to a military uniform decorated with medals.

“I'm a captain myself ya see. So, I understand yer Boss's concerns, so cut her some slack 'kay it ain't easy watching your men go down.”

Kotoe tilted her head—her eyes narrowed—she had a mechanical voice, formal and stiff. She sounded completely emotionless as she spoke.

“Is that so? Then...would you and your men be so kind as to stop shooting at me? I would appreciate it.”

She winked; it was meant to be enticing. But combined with her mechanical voice and stone face. It came off as comical instead.

“Pfftt—heh heh, sure so long as ya don't come near this building...I won’t shot ya..., but I figure that doesn't work for ya huh?”

“It does not. You do not strike me as the murdering type, or perhaps has that stupid looking small girl with no breasts, whom insulted my captain's claim of being 'justice,' coerced you somehow?”

“Hm? Somethin' like that...”

“Kotoe kotobuki,” she shrugged and extended a hand to the blonde boy.

Her face still unreadable she asked him. “And you are?”

“Heh, names' Clint... Clint Shooter.” He replied.

“I see, well Clint-san, I suggest you leave her and come with me instead. My body may be lacking but I have far more to offer than a child.”

Kotoe pressed her hands up against her chest. And true to the mark, while not being quite big there, she had enough to warrant a man wanting to be with her. “So how about it?”

An outlandish proposal, they had been locked in mortal combat seconds ago, and yet. Clint appeared to be genuinely giving it thought.

“Errr... sorry Kotoe-chan, I'd love to if I could, but ya see it ain't that easy for me, y'see a noble spirit can't defy their contractor.”

“Ah, that's how it is. You are a noble spirit, eh? If you weren't I take it you would have agreed then? What a shame...”

“That it is...heh-heh.”

It seemed the two had really hit it off in the span of a two-minute conversation. Both clearly smiling at the light hearted (meaningless) banter they had just shared. Kotoe used her foot to lift her mop up off the ground and into her hand.

“HAAA!!”

She dashed forward as fast as she could. Not towards the ten gunmen and not towards the front gate. She was heading to the side of the wall.

She was going to jump it!

Her speed was astonishing. It was like watching a blur.

Kotoe had been going about it all wrong.

The man had not been aiming at her fallen comrades, it was Kotoe. He was firing at her--at anything that tried to enter the building. He was not purposefully doing this; he was a noble spirit.

His contractor must be forcing him so...he won't shoot my comrades provided they aren't advancing.

“If I enter this way no one will get caught in the cross fire.” She told herself.

BRGRRRR! GRRBRRGRRR!!

The sound of bullets whizzing past her filled the air. Getting louder and more powerful the closer she got.

Kotoe ran up the wall as bullets zoomed past her. She was using the [Enhanced perception] skill that came with the <<fake maid outfit of the heavens>> item she was wearing to dodge the hail of gunfire that chased after her.

[Enhanced Perception] was typically a player exclusive skill that NPCs lacked.

The skill allowed her to predict the trajectory of most of the bullet shots.

However, this was no ordinary gunfire; these were magically infused bullets created from Kimiko's MP. The lethality of these bullets varied depending on the amount of MP sourced from their contractor. Each let out a small delayed blue explosion when fired even, in their weakest state.

But still, the hail of bullets that chased after her, and the explosions that followed, weren't enough to detour the maid--Kotoe's running speed.

BANG!

The moment she had finally reached the side of the wall, she ran up it.

Kotoe ran vertically up the wall at a speed impossible in real life. She was going to jump over it!

As soon as she prepared to jump, a span of bullets each with enough force to kill raced to the spot in the air she was going to jump too! He had predicted her jump and fired in advance.

A fatal shot.

BAANG!

A blue explosion. And a smoke screen clouded the area.

It was too late. Her brain had been be blown to smithereens!

Or so it should have been.

But of course, Kotoe Kotobuki had predicted his prediction! Yes, her true plan from the start was this exact moment.

“Got your attention!”

The space around her began to distort, as Kotoe moved faster than she had ever done before. There was a blue explosion behind her, accompanied with the sight of pieces of rock destroyed by it were all that Clint saw!

That and the wide smile on her face as she charged at him.

His face tensed in surprise, then as if saying “brin' it on” he too was now smiling!

“Hyaaa!”

Kotoe's plan was simple--actually it was her only plan.

She realized something from the short (meaningless) conversation they had earlier. Clint said he was a noble spirit and that small girl was his contractor. There was no way that girl could have summoned all ten noble spirits and all at once which meant.

Taking down the main spirit would end it all. The other sub spirits would follow suit naturally. But the question was how?

Kotoe already had the answer to that. Clint already told her.

Her only chance of winning. Was to draw Clint and his ten gunmen into believing they had her cornered. Then when all eyes were on her she'd unleash a surprise full speed burst holding nothing back.

Horizontally at a speed that went slightly beyond human perception she cleared the distance between her and the captain of the biding storm of fifty.

Her plan had worked so far, she went passed their flank and headed straight for the main spirit.

Kotoe's overhead strike would be delivered with all the force her body could muster. This was the moment she planned for. Now all that was left was to deal the actual blow. If she could land it victory was assured.

She unleashed the fastest blow of her life. A direct hit was unavoidable. Her mop tore through the air, mercilessly striking the body of the noble spirit! He should have been crushed by this might blow—

“—Good effort,” He stopped her strike with one hand, and manifested a rifle with the other.

“???”

She had made a fatal mistake in her judgement, she had proceeded under the judgement that he was a simple noble-spirit with a high accuracy skill or alike, and that his physical stats would not compare to hers.

Kotoe believed she was stronger physically.

She had believed the contractor—being a simple little girl—a summoner incapable of supplying him enough <<MP>> to use physical power beyond her own. Kotoe had no way of knowing he was a high-ranking spirit and the summoner was a level nine.

Kotoe had erred and she was paying the price with her life.

Even with the C—rank protection of the << Fake maid outfit of the heavens>> the bullets still gouged out the young girls' flesh and shredded her body. She had managed to avoid fatal damage by forcefully curving her body to avoid getting hit in any vital spot, but even that wasn't enough.

A silent groan escaped her lips. Droplets of blood scattered everywhere. Her bones broken, her body bruised, her skin sliced and her soul shattered.

“C-a-p-t-a-i-n...?” Kotoe said to no one.

(Get up fight!) Standing hurts!!

(Just breathe!) Breathing hurts!!!

(You can do it!!) Everything hurts!!!

It hurts (I have to keep fighting???) It hurts! it hurtshurts itthurtss!

Kotoe was desperately trying to get her mind to start working again. She wasn't done. She was going to keep fighting? Her whole body was writhing in agony. There was a creaking sound coming from her legs?

“Oh, I see...”

In the end Kotoe Kotobuki collapsed.