For the World Government—
Sending two auxiliary brigades into the "Special Zone World" was nothing more than a casual move of no real consequence.
Just as Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro had said before, the true focus lay in conquering the Nuclear World.
At this moment, the wars between the nations of the Nuclear World had reached their most intense stage.
Every aerial fleet that Shiki dispatched, with the support of ninja squads and the auxiliary corps landing forces that followed, began clashing fiercely with the combined land, sea, and air forces of those nations.
Especially in the capitals of the U.S. and China—Washington and Beijing.
Special Region, Falmart Continent, Alnus Hill.
"Phew—this way, at least for the short term, it should be nearly impossible for anyone to come through again."
The elderly Master Cato let out a long breath of relief as he looked at the masterpiece before him.
Lelei, Itami Yōji, and the others also turned their eyes to the "Ginza Gate."
What had once been a grand, magnificent "stone hall," inlaid with sapphires on either side and above, was now completely sealed shut by thick layers of frozen earth.
Just moments ago, they had all watched with their own eyes as Master Cato first shoved the surrounding soil and part of the tanks and armored vehicles into the pitch-black "Gate."
Then, with ice magic, he froze the inside and outside alike, reinforcing the structure to the utmost.
Itami Yōji judged that even if the enemy tried blasting it from the other side with main battle tanks, it likely wouldn't budge.
Of course, this also meant that for the Japanese who had come here, getting back home would be no easy matter.
But at least they were still alive.
As Itami Yōji looked over the battlefield littered with corpses, he could only comfort himself with that thought.
Following his gaze, one could see the lifeless bodies of Yuki Yasuhiro and Ruri Seiji lying on the ground.
They were dead—one felled by Rory's scythe, the other by Cato's lightning.
It wasn't surprising. After all, this was war: kill or be killed.
As for Kurosuki Raiga and Kaguya Kazushi, Cato and the others hadn't killed them. Instead, they had cast sleep spells to knock them unconscious, then bound them tightly with thick ropes.
Originally, Cato had intended to finish off Kazushi as well.
But Rory had insisted on taking him back to the Emroy Cult, to show the Goddess this man's "bone magic."
"Itami, what do you plan to do next?"
Lelei's eyes turned toward Itami Yōji.
"To be honest, I have no idea."
Itami glanced back at his ten teammates, and beyond them, at the more than a thousand comrades who remained.
Earlier, Lelei's magic had ended the battle in an instant.
The World Government soldiers had been frozen solid, while their own troops remained unharmed.
As a result, nearly a full battalion's worth of men and numerous vehicles had been preserved.
Nine Type 74 main battle tanks, seven armored personnel carriers, five military jeeps, and twelve excavators and bulldozers.
With such a military force, if no magicians existed, they could have dominated the entire continent.
Beyond that, their very position in this world was awkward.
No matter how they tried to paint it, no matter how they explained it as retaliation, Itami Yōji and the others understood full well: they were invaders.
After all, they had just slaughtered over a hundred thousand people.
From that perspective—
They were really no different from those who called themselves the World Government.
The only difference was that Itami Yōji had been lucky enough to befriend that master-and-disciple pair, and even "Her Holiness" Rory. Thanks to some inexplicable personal charm, he had managed to become good friends with them all.
"In that case… Master, could you take Itami and the others to Rondel?"
Lelei turned her head to ask Master Cato.
"Well… if it were just a few people, that wouldn't be a problem. But this is an army of over a thousand, along with so many steel behemoths. The Empire certainly wouldn't sit by and ignore it."
Cato shook his head in difficulty.
Rondel usually kept its distance from the Imperial Capital.
But they still acknowledged themselves as a city under the Empire's banner, so it wouldn't be wise to openly oppose it.
"Actually, you could just stay here."
Master Cato looked at Itami Yōji and offered his suggestion.
"The Gate has already been sealed by this old man. For the time being, it's safe. And if you remain here, you can also watch over the state of the 'seal.'"
"That's true…"
Itami Yōji found the reasoning sound.
They had already been living here for several months, and at least they were familiar with the surrounding environment.
And beyond the "Gate" lay Japan itself.
Psychologically, it was certainly more comforting than heading into some strange, unfamiliar place.
"However, Mr. Itami, this old man hopes you'll come with us to Rondel. Preferably, bring along one tank as well."
Cato's eyes did not turn to Itami Yōji, but remained fixed on the "ice mountain" before him.
"This old man wishes you would speak, in that city of magic and learning, to all the magicians—tell them about your world, especially about its weapons."
"As repayment, this old man will do his best to persuade them to help you return to your own world."
Hearing this, Itami Yōji fell silent, exchanging glances with Kuribayashi Shino and the others.
In the end, he agreed—because they had no choice.
"In that case, let's first clear the battlefield and lay our fallen comrades to rest. Then we'll rebuild the camp and set out for Rondel!"
Master Cato's face lit up with delight, smiling broadly as he called out to the others.
"Come to think of it, this old man hasn't been back in nearly ten years."
"Then I'll be taking him along first. See you, Itami~~"
At that moment, Rory stepped forward, giving Itami Yōji a bewitching smile.
Then, with magic, she lifted the massive body of Kaguya Kazushi into the air and, without another word, swiftly departed with him.
"What about him?"
Shino looked curiously at Raiga lying on the ground.
Master Cato replied casually, "We'll take him to Rondel as well."
"There's a scholar there, an expert in enchantment magic. I believe we can pry every bit of information about the World Government from his mouth!"
...
Imperial Capital.
"Captain, what should we do next?"
Hyūga Kōryō looked at Uchiha Tekka, who had just tucked away his Den-Den Mushi.
They were currently holed up in a shabby inn, second floor, all disguised with the Transformation Technique to appear utterly ordinary.
The call had been from Captain Gekko.
He wanted them to rush to Rondel and support his squad in capturing Louise alive.
"What else can we do? We all know Louise's value. Compared to that, this Empire is insignificant—at least based on the intelligence we have."
Uchiha Tekka spoke faintly as he stood by the window, gazing down at the ragged poor in the streets.
The terrain here was shaped clearly like a hill.
The Imperial Capital itself was roughly divided into four sections along its slopes.
At the summit stood the royal palace and castle.
On the western side of the middle slope lay the Senate and the halls of the administrative departments.
Their architecture was crowned with golden domes and walled in white marble.
On the southern side of the middle slope rose rows of tall buildings and towers topped with cherry-red roofs—that was the residential district of the royal family.
At the base of the hill's front slope lay the nobles' district, its rooftops colored in green.
To its east stood a Roman-style coliseum.
Further south stretched the commoners' district, its rooftops shaded in earthy brown.
And in the southeastern corner of the Imperial Capital lay the so-called "Black Street," where they now resided.
Though named a "street," its area was larger than the noble and commoner districts combined.
Its rooftops bore no special colors—just the plain gray-white of unadorned stone and clay.
It was, in other words, the slums.
Here mingled all manner of demi-human races.
The environment here was chaotic and harsh.
Thieves, bandits, swindlers, gangs, slaves—those shadows unfit for the open streets elsewhere could be found everywhere here.
The locals paid little mind even when they came across corpses on the road. They were already used to the stench of blood and rot, as well as the endless quarrels and brawls.
Uchiha Tekka and his team chose to hide here precisely because of this chaotic mix.
"Let's go. Time to meet this Louise—and the magicians of this world."
Uchiha Tekka withdrew his gaze from the wretched souls outside and turned to Pakura, Hyūga Kōryō, and Yamanaka Kōsuke.
"How exciting," Pakura said with a radiant smile.
Only through battle could she earn more merit.
Relying solely on the mission rewards, she had no idea how long it would take to exchange for a "Cell Enhancement Serum."
"Oh, right. I should let Kurosuki Raiga's squad know, see if they want to head for Rondel as well."
Uchiha Tekka suddenly spoke up.
Since they were about to capture someone right in the magicians' stronghold, having more manpower on their side could only help.
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