Solnus 34. The Death of Professor Kimura; Operation “Frozen at Stake”; Seira, Yuukyurito, and Daan Escape?

Two days before the Circumadversum Omatsuri, one night.

Almost at the same time as the bladderites sent their troops to invade Yonaguni Island, Professor Kimura died.

Professor Kimura died after expending a great deal of energy deceiving the bladderites. To deceive the aliens, he had used a long-term “wrapping” technique on an antenna. The antenna used for the deception resembled one of the symbols found on the Utsuro-bune ship.

Professor Kimura, in his dying moments, expressed, “I think… I think… I owe the bladderites of the Utsuro-bune colony a debt of gratitude.”

Professor Kimura stated, "These bladderites in my hand seem to be dying with me. I think so. If the human host of bladderites dies of age, it seems the bladderites can be transferred to another human. But I didn't die of age; I died of exhaustion after using the jarhand strings for a long time. And unfortunately, the bladderites in my hand seem to be dying as well."

Professor Kimura expressed sadness: "Unfortunately, these bladderites will die before they can become homunculi."

Professor Kimura recalled decades ago, "I remember the first time they tried to establish contact with me. At the time, I thought I was just dreaming."

Professor Kimura reflected on his life with the bladderites, "Even decades later, I still doubt who they are. I still wonder if they are a project of another country."

Professor Kimura stated, "I'm satisfied with my life so far. If I have to die to help my friends, to help humanity, then that's fine. I hope these bladderites, who are still in a state of "mind-shutting down," can also die happily."

Professor Kimura expressed, "I'm happy with my interactions with the Utsuro-bune bladderites."

Professor Kimura said, "But you, members of the Buriki kan no Barakku, must in reality face another colony of bladderites. Even members who aren't in Division IJ now seem to have to take up arms, just like Division IJ."

Professor Kimura then looked at his colleagues beside him. Professor Kimura then delivered a message to his friends.

"Look, I assure you this is not a dream. Your gathering seems to be a 'Wake' for me. After all my missteps and my exactitudes, all the wrongs and rights of my vertex and edge choices, I think we've come to the end."

"In the end, there will be the Light, which will emanate forthwith following the Sound. I figured out that's exactly what ensued from our labors. And for us, G-H-ij, it is our "Labor of Hercules" to ensure that the Light and the Sound can be demonstrated to a fare-thee-well to checkmath the Circumadversum Omatsuri."

"And you, Seira, who will be at the centroid point on the Silver Boy Shrimp, we will all shield and support you so that you can complete your toilsome solitary labor: to efficiently sound the Sound to construct a Mandaorla on a given adversary's Mandaorla."

Seira still clearly remembers the messages that Professor Kimura conveyed to him and his colleagues. The messages he heard before he had to leave Yonaguni Island.

Yes, Seira Ito Fotiou, Yuukyuritoo Mitsuishi, and Daan Batra Mizuguchi had to leave the Buriki kan no Burakku headquarters on the night of the bladderites' attack.

No, the three of them had to leave, not because they were cowards. They had to leave because that was the plan that had been formulated and agreed upon together.

(000)

One day before the Circumadversum Omatsuri, in the middle of the night.

Issei Jinnouchi shouted, “Damn it! I have to admit they’re tough!”

The bladderites’ invasion of Yonaguni Island didn’t seem to be going as they had hoped.

Issei grumbled, “Damn it! We’ve been here all day, from dawn until dusk. But we still haven’t been able to completely destroy them. We haven’t been able to destroy their antennas!”

“That’s how it seems,” a woman agreed. The woman, Niki Kotegawa, argued, “Huh! If those humans didn’t have our powers, then with just the Triangle Mandala, we could easily defeat them. Just activate the Triangle Mandala’s power, and they’ll be in for a real pain.”

Issei, with his middle-aged manly frame, still panting, commented, “Let’s defend what we’ve got. It’s best not to force another offensive. Let’s rest first; let’s recharge.”

“It can’t be helped… Besides, besides being tough, it seems their weapons are better than ours.” "That rifle with the fan and lighter seems to make controlling those dangling strings smoother," Niki said.

Issei suggested, "Hey, you. Maybe it's time for a few hours of complete rest. Come back tomorrow morning to try that technique of yours."

Niki smiled. "Hehehe... Yes, in the end, my ability can be a winning card."

"Guard me at full power. "Tomorrow morning, I'll show you that technique of mine," Niki said, then walked away, leaving Issei and several bladderites still on guard.

(000)

One morning, on the day of the Circumadversum Omatsuri.

The battle on Yonaguni Island seemed to be about to resume. Issei Jinnouchi once again led his troops forward. It didn't take long for them to encounter the Buriki kan no Barakku members.

However, at that moment, something was different. If one looked up at the sky, one would notice it was darker. This wasn't due to a solar eclipse, but rather to something enormous obscuring the sky.

What was obscuring the sky that morning? It was none other than Niki Kotegawa's mega-enveloping technique. In addition to creating a massive envelopment, some of Niki's limbs appeared to be forming two wings, allowing her to fly through the air.

Niki smiled and commented, "Heh, this athlete's body is truly comfortable and suits me."

Of course, the members of the Buriki kan no Barakku noticed the difference in the sky. They discovered Niki performing an extraordinary technique and tried to disrupt it.

However, Niki's wrapping could quickly transform into a powerful shield. Not only that, but Niki could also set the wrapping to attack mode. From the large wrapping, feather-like bullets emerged and rapidly descended, piercing Niki's opponents.

The attack injured the members of the Buriki kan no Barakku and drastically depleted their energy. With this in mind, Issei and his ground forces found it easier to defeat the Buriki kan no Barakku.

(000)

On the day of the Circumadversum Omatsuri, one morning.

The Buriki kan no Barakku had been defeated. The Bladderites had captured and chained their members: Yuuichirou Hatoyama, John Anatole Holland, Tomoko Sairenji, Riichi Morichi, Tsuhimi Kanade, Takeichi Gushiken, and Yuri Nagae were among those bound hand and foot.

“Wow, look, we got the previous prime minister,” Niki Kotegawa said when she saw Yuuichirou Hatoyama.

The Bladderites not only captured the members of the Buriki Kan no Barakku. They also destroyed the Buriki Kan no Barakku headquarters, including an antenna similar to theirs—one shaped like a symbol in the Utsuro-bune.

Issei Jinnouchi immediately reported their victory to Bladderbase.