Dies Irae (Part III)

[December 25th, 14:15 JST]

Tokyo Prefecture – Shibuya Crossing

Reina and Nana’s Cantus Veil deployed at the same time.

The moment it spread, the recruits felt it — the warmth without heat, the faint tingling of electricity trailing along their skin. For many of them, this was their first time singing inside a Veil.

A handful of JSDF soldiers took firing positions along the barricades, rifles raised, eyes fixed on the black smoke within the fog ahead. The rest continued guiding civilians away from Shibuya, herding them into large transport trucks bound for the evacuation route leading to a shelter center in Setagaya Ward.

This crossing was the final route.

If it broke, Setagaya would be next in the CODA’s path.

Tempesta Unit’s voices rose together, led by Reina. Their vocals were pure melody, steady and controlled, threading through the chaos as she gave her order.

“Those with Elemental Cantus—focus your voice into your D-Mic. Feel it. Don’t question the resonance. Use what you’ve learned. Direct your output into the horde.”

Emi, Nana and Momoko stepped to the front. Their voices sharpened further, sigil circles forming in front of their palms as they released a coordinated blast. A horizontal vortex tore through the front line, shredding the horde before it could close the distance.

The recruits watched, then followed.

Breath steadied as their voices began to align with Team 02’s resonance. One by one, their own sigil circles manifested. The first bursts were uneven, scattered, but they stabilized quickly. Streams of water, spiraling fire, and cutting wind poured forward, overlapping and reinforcing one another, holding the horde at bay.

On the other side of the crossing, Misaki and Mika worked with another group of recruits. Stone tore free from the street as rock barriers rose into place, gravity fields snapping down to pin the horde in narrow lanes. Some recruits layered their Cantus over the formations — vines locking down a pack of Level 3, slow-type sigils stacked across the ground to drag movement to a crawl. Any CODA that stepped into the zone was crushed under rock and gravity before it could break through.

Their formation held. For now.

Reina maintained her song, constantly retuning her voice so the recruits could follow. Every instinct urged her forward, to cut into the horde herself.

Emiko stopped her.

“Senpai... no,” she said quietly. “You’ll need it.”

Reina clenched her jaw, then nodded. She understood exactly what that meant. Her gaze shifted toward the JSDF soldiers holding the opposite side of the crossing.

Assault rifles opened fire.

The effect was immediate.

Lesser-level CODA dissolved the moment the bullets struck them, mist-like bodies breaking apart into drifting residue. The animal-shaped Level 3 among them recoiled, wounded but still advancing with unbroken momentum.

The price showed just as quickly.

She saw soldiers coughing violently as magazines emptied. Blood stained gloves and sleeves. Some staggered back, bracing themselves against concrete walls, breathing ragged. Sweat poured down their faces as their hands shook while reloading.

None stepped away.

They kept firing — burning their lives away one trigger pull at a time — to protect what mattered to them.

Reina turned her gaze aside. She wanted to stop them.

But she didn’t.

Once the choice was made, there was nothing left to say.

Only something left to carry.

The ground shuddered beneath their feet.

The girls felt it. The heavy pressure in the air shifted. Across the crossing, the horde that had been pressing forward slowed, some began to pull back into the fog. The black smoke thinned just enough for the outlines of shattered buildings to emerge through, but some are still advancing.

Something was wrong.

“Damn it. We have a problem.” Takeshi’s voice burst into their earpiece.

“P-kun?” Reina asked.

“Multiple frequency spikes detected at Roppongi, Ebisu and Harajuku.” His words came fast. “CODA across Tokyo are converging on those locations.”

She asked. “They’re being redirected?”

“Yes,” Takeshi said. “I’m picking up Imperium interference. The Cantus source is the same location I sent you. It’s time to execute the plan.”

“Yuzu-chan...” Emiko voice dropped to a whisper. “She is calling us.”

Her fingers tightened around her D-Mic.

Emi swallowed. “What about their evacuation status?”

“Still in progress,” Takeshi replied. “JSDF will hold the horde, but they won’t last forever.”

Four points. Four fronts.

And not enough people to save them all.

A soldier staggered toward them, his steps uneven. His face was pale, lips stained with blood marks. He passed his rifle to another man without ceremony.

“Go,” he said, forcing the word out through labored breath. “Shibuya’s evacuation is almost done. We’ll hold it.”

Reina turned to him. “How many Novium rounds do you have left?”

The man laughed softly, a sound without humor. He pointed toward a single remaining crate near the barricade.

“That’s it. After that...” He shook his head. “I don’t even know if I’ll have the strength to run.”

He straightened, despite the tremors in his legs.

“Go,” he said again. “We’ll keep this road open until the last civilian is out.”

Reina nodded as she turned toward her team.

“I’ll take Ebisu,” Emiko said.

Momoko stepped in beside her. “I’m going with Emiko-chan”

“Roppongi.” Nana said, holding Misaki’s hand.

Reina met Emi and Mika’s eyes. They both nodded.

She gathered the recruits quickly, dividing them into smaller groups and assigning them to follow each team into their districts.

Emiko’s team moved out on foot, while Nana’s team took a nearby van in another direction.

Reina glanced at her phone, Meiji Jingu Shrine.

She made her decision as she tucked the phone back into her pocket.

Only the three of them would go to the shrine. Bringing recruits would only put more lives at risk.

Before leaving, she turned back toward the line of JSDF soldiers still firing into the fog. She raised her hand in a sharp salute.

And it was returned.

Tow motorcycles stood abandoned near the curb. Reina placed her hand against the engine casing and released a controlled electricity pulse. The engine coughed, then roared to life.

“You know how to ride?” she asked.

Mika smiled faintly. “After you, senpai.”

Emi climbed on behind Reina, gripping her tightly as the engine revved.

They sped off, leaving Shibuya Crossing behind them.

Everyone… please be safe.

Far away, at the edge of Roppongi, something vast shifted in the fog.

Its roar echoed between the towers.

When Emiko and Momoko reached the streets of Ebisu with the rest of the recruits, what unfolded before them was pure chaos.

There were no defensive lines. No prepared positions. No time bought by Dispersion Units. The invasion had struck in the middle of evacuation.

CODA surged through the street without pattern or restraint. Without a resonance generator nearby, they scattered around the streets instead of acting in unison — pouring in and out of alleys, tearing through storefronts, charging blindly at everything.

JSDF soldiers were already overwhelmed. Some fired the Novium rifles while dragging civilians behind cover. Others collapsed mid-reload, coughing violently, blood staining their sleeves before they could stand. A few never got back up.

Civilians ran in every direction. Some tripped and were trampled. Others were crushed as already-damaged buildings finally gave way. Screams drowned beneath the roar of collapsing concrete and distorted howls.

Order was non-existent.

Some of the recruit trembled, frozen by the sight before them. For many, this was their first time witnessing something like this.

Even Emiko and Momoko felt a chill crawl up their spines.

They bit their lips almost at the same time, then moved.

Momoko broke away to find whoever was left of JSDF command. Emiko stepped forward, voice cutting through the recruits.

“There are too many of them,” she said. Firm. Steady. “I can’t watch all of you at once.”

She looked at each of them in turn.

“You’ll split into small teams. Your Diva skills are enough to handle Level 1 alone, Level 2 requires teamwork.” Her tone hardened. “If you see Level 3—run. Do not fight. Without a Cantus Veil, engaging a Level 3 at your level is suicide. Draw them toward me or Momoko-senpai.”

Some nodded. Others tightened their grip on their D-Mic, knees shaking as they swallowed their fear.

Emiko’s voice softened a little.

“Don’t worry. I promise I’ll protect you.” A small smile followed. “I did say we’d all smile together tomorrow, didn’t I?”

After their breaths steadied, they broke into groups of four, forming quickly despite the chaos.

“Don’t stop singing,” Emiko said as they moved. “We’re Divas. Protect each other—and come back alive.”

She turned toward the charging CODA as the recruits scattered, singing as they spread out to pull civilians free and hold the streets.

Momoko found a soldier slumped against a wall, sliding slowly down the concrete. His breathing was shallow.

“I’m from Aria Corps Team 02,” she said as she knelt beside him. “I need to speak to your field commander.”

The man lifted a trembling hand and pointed weakly down the street.

A body lay there in a torn military uniform. What remained of it was barely recognizable.

“We... weren’t ready,” he rasped. “It happened too fast... evac still—” He coughed hard, blood spilling down his chin.

Momoko caught him as his strength gave out. The rifle slipped from his fingers.

“Is there any way to reorganize the evacuation?” she asked quietly. “This can’t stay like this.”

He pressed his radio into her hand. “You can... try...”

The light left his eyes.

Momoko lowered him to the ground and closed her eyes for half a breath. Then she straightened, blood staining her palms as she lifted the radio.

“This is Galea of Aria Corps Team 02,” she said. Her voice carried. “I’m assuming evacuation coordination. All available units, listen carefully. Gather civilians into groups. Set rendezvous points. Move together. No one goes alone.”

Static crackled, followed by answering voices.

Momoko exhaled and rose to her feet, looking for anyone still trapped.

Emiko’s voice rang through the streets of Ebisu.

Music tattoos glowed across her body, their light reflecting off the Tempesta Cadence uniform as she stood her ground. Radiant walls surrounded her, needles of condensed light bursting from her sigil circles and tearing into the CODA pressing in.

Any CODA that tried to push deeper into the street had to go through her.

A pack of tiger-shaped Level 3 were dragged toward her by retreating recruits.

Emiko raised her palm.

Light folded inward, forming a cage that shut around the creatures. They thrashed once before the glow intensified, compressing until their shapes dissolved into mist.

The moment it vanished, Emiko dropped to one knee.

Her breath shook. Fighting Level 3 pack without a Cantus Veil as reckless, and she knew it. Thin cracks of light crept across her skin as she forced her voice higher, reinforcing her barrier against the horde’s relentless slams.

Momoko’s coordination held — for now.

Each civilian she pulled free was passed into the hands of waiting soldiers and loaded onto the trucks. Many people were saved.

Some were left behind.

Then a shrill screech cut through the air near the gathering point.

The scattered CODA began to change.

Slowly regrouping.

Forming a coherent horde.

Emiko quickly rushed toward Momoko’s position, issuing orders as she ran.

“Everyone—regroup at Momoko-senpai’s position. Now”

Momoko spotted her through the debris and ran to meet her.

“Ebisu... is done for,” she said, breathless. “People are still boarding the trucks.”

Her words struck Emiko harder than any impact.

She reached into her jacket and took out her phone. For a brief moment, the chaos faded as she looked at the message Yuzuriha had sent her the night before. Her lips curved into a small, bittersweet smile.

“Looks like tonight’s hotpot...” she murmured. “I won’t be able to join.”

Momoko froze. Then she turned, eyes following the distant movement of the CODA massing at the edge of the street. Slowly, she closed her eyes and tightened her grip around her D-Mic.

“For the smile of tomorrow,” she said quietly. “Right?”

They pressed their earpieces at the same time.

“P-Kun, I’m going to sing Coda Cantus.”

“P-Kun, I’ll stay with Emiko until the evacuation is complete. And... please tell my parents I’m sorry.”

Before Takeshi can even protest, they switched the frequencies, connecting to the others one last time.

“Reina-senpai... save Yuzu-chan,” Emiko said. “She’s our dear friend. Don’t let her keep walking down the wrong path.”

Then she tore the earpiece from her ear and hurled it aside. Momoko did the same. Neither of them wanted to hear an answer.

Emiko turned to the recruits.

“Protect the civilians until the last one is safe,” she ordered. “Then retreat.”

“Don’t worry about us.” Momoko forced a smile. “At least we won’t be bored.”

Emiko brought her D-Mic close and closed her eyes.

Mom... Dad... I’m coming.

Her voice rose, calm.

“Neh’va serat, lo’rein thal,”

Her body lifted gently from the ground.

“Eru venai, sil’thar aniel.”

Light wrapped around her, warm and blinding.

“Kaer’na torah, vi’el saen,”

Sigil circles ignited behind the recruits and on Momoko’s back, like an anchor.

“El’mira nox, thear’na eil.”

The song ended.

A round shield of light expanded outward, enveloping them all.

Momoko’s breath hitched. Tears streamed down her face as she raised her D-Mic, forcing her voice higher than it ever should. Cracks of light split across her glowing tattoos as she oversynced, pain ripping through her. But the shield held, absorbing the backlash meant for her.

With Emiko’s light protecting her, she charged forward alone.

The air compressed around her body, then detonated as she swung her arm. Blades of condensed wind tore through the street in relentless arcs, slicing through concrete and CODA alike. The storm twisted around her, violently unforgiving, lifting the creatures into its core as pressure shredded them from within. Each attack she cast drove her sharper, as if the will behind the shield was urging her onward, standing beside her even now.

Behind her, the recruits formed firing lines.

They sang through tears and trembling voices, channeling long-range Cantus into focused bursts of force. Shots streaked past Momoko, striking down anything that slipped through the storm, never allowing the horde to reach the civilians behind them.

They held their ground, never stopping their song, just as Emiko told them.

They would see their senpai’s final orders through—

Until the last civilian was gone.