"Students! Don't panic! Follow the evacuation drill route and proceed to the underground shelter in an orderly manner! Quickly!"

Although Ms. Xiaozhu's voice sounded nervous, she still tried her best to maintain order.

The students in the classroom, though their faces were filled with tension and unease, remained relatively calm.

At least, no students panicked.

After all, this street had suffered a major disaster from a spacequake thirty years ago, so from kindergarten onwards, they have been subjected to one evacuation training session after another, which is almost tiresome.

Moreover, this is a high school. It has an underground shelter large enough to accommodate all the teachers and students.

And it's just a warning; it's not like a spacequake will happen immediately. Normally, the alarm will sound for a while before the spacequake actually occurs.

Phoenix Inu Senin mingled in the crowd and subconsciously glanced at Itsuka Shido diagonally in front of her.

Shido's face was pale as he anxiously dialed his cell phone again and again.

(Oh! It's here! The version has been updated! Brothers, let's go into the dungeon! Oh no, I mean, let's go into the shelter!)

The phone remained unanswered. Shido's brow furrowed deeper and deeper as he rapidly operated his phone, bringing up a location tracking app.

—The location shown above was that of his sister, Kotori Itsuka, not at school, but at a family restaurant several blocks away!

My sister's words this morning, spoken with unusual seriousness, "You absolutely have to keep your promise!"

At that moment, it echoed in his mind like a spell, drowning out the alarm.

"That idiot..."

Shido cursed, turned off his phone without clearing the image, and slipped out of the student line.

"Shido! Let's go!" Senin and Tonomachi Hiroto urged him over.

Shido snapped back to reality, a look of extreme struggle flashing across his face, which was ultimately replaced by an unwavering determination.

"...Sorry! You guys go first! I have something urgent to attend to!" he mumbled, giving the two no time to react. He turned abruptly, went against the flow of people seeking refuge, and dashed out of the classroom like an arrow released from a bow!

"Hey! Shido! You idiot! It's dangerous outside!" Tonomachi shouted in alarm.

Chiin watched Shido's disappearing figure, her eyes flickering.

"Tomachi, you go first! I'll go see if I can drag him back!"

Chiin called out to Tonomachi and immediately ran out after him. He wasn't going to Lasso Road, of course; he was going to grab the best viewpoint!

As Chiin rushed out of the teaching building, he saw Shido's figure disappear around the street corner.

In the distance, the shockwaves and dust caused by the spacequake were already slowly rising.

(Nice! Lost them! Perfect timing!)

Qianyuan looked around, then nimbly slipped into the fire escape staircase of a nearby commercial building and rushed to the rooftop as fast as he could.

The view here is excellent, offering a clear view of the epicenter of the spacequake in the distance.

"Safety first, safety first..." Qian Yuan muttered, his right hand clenching loosely, and a stream of azure data flashed by.

"I'm thinking of optical camouflage privacy film (tent type)!"

A faint force field, seemingly nonexistent in real space, unfolded around him, distorting the light. From the outside, the rooftop appeared completely empty.

"I'm thinking, a high-precision long-range observation telescope!" Another stream of data converged, forming a highly technological telescope in his hands.

Chiin leaned against the railing, adjusting her focus, and quickly locked onto her targets—the girl standing in the center of the crater, dressed in gorgeous spirit armor, her amethyst eyes filled with confusion and wariness, and the silly boy who was staggering along.

(Perfect! Clear picture quality and stable signal!)

Through the telescope, the story unfolded exactly as Chiin had known.

Shido was almost caught in the crossfire, and then he encountered and communicated with the elf girl who was called "Princess".

Then the girl placed the weapon against Shido's neck, her voice filled with deep sorrow and detachment: "—Because you're here to kill me too, aren't you?"

Shido stared in astonishment at the unexpected answer, his mouth agape: "Huh—? How could I possibly do such a thing?"

"——————What?" Upon hearing Shido's words, the girl looked at him with a mixture of surprise, suspicion, and confusion.

Perhaps it was because of the closer distance, or perhaps it was because of the wind direction, but a faint, yet inexplicably stirring and reassuring aura emanated from the human boy before her.

That aura... was extremely faint, yet it bore an inexplicable resemblance to her own power.

This caused her subconscious hostility and vigilance to lessen by a negligible amount. The tip of her sword also seemed to drop imperceptibly by a millimeter.

(Oh? The conversation has started! The atmosphere doesn't seem as tense as I expected? Why didn't that stupid Xiang just cleave the building in two with one strike? Does Shido in this timeline have a natural 'spirit affinity' talent?)

Chiin had no idea that the tiny bit of "elf scent" left over from her transformation yesterday and this morning had been unintentionally "borrowed" by Shido and was now playing a strange role.

However, this brief exchange was instantly interrupted by a sharp whooshing sound!

Several figures trailing flames descended from the sky, launching several missile-like objects from their weapons. These objects flew towards Shido and the girl, landing precisely around the battlefield and surrounding the two.

AST forces! Their high-tech weapons were all locked onto the elven girl in the center.

The missiles launched from the sky stopped right in front of them, as if they were being caught by an invisible hand.

The girl then raised her free hand, which wasn't holding the sword, and clenched it into a fist. The missiles then exploded on the spot.

Because Shido was too close to Tohka, AST's actions became restricted, and they dared not use high-powered weapons for fear of accidentally injuring her.

Just then, Senin's binoculars locked onto a familiar figure—Origami Tobiichi.

She had already equipped her CR-Unit, the black tactical unit gleaming coldly in the sunlight. Her gaze was sharp as a knife, first sweeping coldly over the Spirit, then immediately noticing Shido, who was extremely close to the Spirit.

Without the slightest hesitation, Origami made a decision most in line with her style. She abandoned her ranged weapon, the engine roared, and a blade of light extended from the tip of the weapon in her hand, slashing fiercely at the girl!

(The origami master is here! Choosing melee? Oh~ is it because he's afraid stray bullets will hurt Shido? Tsk tsk, this cold dog food is just slapped in my face...)

Her tactical intention was very clear: to entangle the spirit in close combat and create an opportunity for her teammates to take down Shido.

Tohka immediately swung her sword to parry, and the sound of metal clashing rang out! The battle erupted instantly!

The mysterious girl (Tohka) and Origami Shoshido are sandwiched in the middle, their sharp eyes locked together.

The situation is on the verge of erupting. It seems that the slightest disturbance could trigger another wave of fighting between the two sides.

(Oh, Shido, you're finally panicking. Your forehead is covered in sweat. Slowly inching to the side like that, yes, as long as you get to that place... your dear sister will teleport you away.)

Just as Tohka was dealing with Origami and the AST team, and seemed somewhat restrained because she had to keep an eye on Shido who was not far away—

Phew—boom! ! !

A thick beam of magical energy, containing terrifying power, suddenly descended from the sky like divine punishment, striking Tohka's face with pinpoint accuracy!

The enormous explosion and shockwave far surpassed any weapon in the AST, instantly blasting a deep crater in the ground. The scorching blast wave violently threw the unsuspecting Shido away, and Tohka was also forced to retreat repeatedly, only managing to stabilize herself by inserting her weapon, the Slaughtering Master, into the ground!

"What?!" "Where did that attack come from?!"

All the AST members, including Origami, looked up at the sky in astonishment and uncertainty.

Chiin almost dropped the binoculars in fright.

(WTF?! This firepower?! This color?! Wait a minute! I thought Origami was invincible in AST! I didn't expect there to be someone even more valiant than Origami! Whose subordinate is this?! Who is it?! Has her younger sister come online?)

A blonde woman slowly descended from the sky.

She wore a streamlined, exquisitely crafted pure white tactical display device, far surpassing the splendor and power of AST standard equipment.

Her face was exquisite yet cold as frost, and her emerald eyes held an indifference that looked down upon all living beings and an absolute confidence.

When Chiin saw her, his eyes widened instantly, and he almost spat out his saliva.

(What the heck?! Blonde hair! White armor! This exaggerated power and queenly aura... Ellen Mira Mathers?! The world's strongest magician from DEM?! How did she end up here?! This wasn't in the script! Director! Someone's adding scenes randomly!)

As if to answer his question, that annoying system interface popped up with cheerful sound effects:

[Ding! A surprise bonus has been delivered!]

[High-intensity target detected: [Alan Mira Mathers] has joined the battle!]

[Event Recap: Your spectacular 'city speed' last night has drawn serious attention from DEM due to its unusual energy response and mobility. As a result, Ms. Ellen Mathers, who was vacationing in Tengu City, has had to cut her vacation short, and her personal manifestation device [Pendragon] and support team have been expedited to arrive.]

[Current situation: She happened to be there during the Pokémon appearance and decided to personally assess and capture one. Also, because her vacation was interrupted and she missed out on buying her favorite strawberry cream cake yesterday due to a call announcing the end of her vacation, she's currently angry, with an estimated 30% increase in combat power.]

Have fun playing the game! (laughs)

Chiin looked at the system notification, then at the woman below whose aura overwhelmed everyone, and his expression completely collapsed:

(Happy my foot!!! So I lured the BOSS out early myself?! Aha!!! Look what you've done!!!)

Chapter 7: Ballad of Calamity: Its Names are "Reverse Entropy" and "The Law of Reason"

Chapter Seven: Ballad of Calamity: Its Names are "Reverse Entropy" and "Law of Reason"

As Senin watched Eren crush Tohka with overwhelming power below, and Shido being sent flying by the shockwave, he inwardly cursed, but still clung to a last shred of hope:

(It's alright, it's alright! According to the script, Tohka is about to collapse and will soon 'Lost' back to the neighboring world! Shido is tough as nails, he'll be captured by his sister with teleportation magic soon! It's all settled! I can just relax and enjoy my drama...)

He instinctively adjusted his binoculars, wanting to see if the airships of Ratatoskr should be appearing.

However, when the telescope swept across several high-rise buildings around the battlefield, it captured some unusual reflections and personnel wearing equipment different from the standard AST gear.

(Huh? Those are... DEM's support staff? Why are they climbing so high? To install lightning rods? No, wait!)

A sense of foreboding washed over him. Qianyuan's eyes narrowed, he focused his mind, and he hissed, "Understand and analyze!"

The azure data stream flashed past his eyes, and the scene in his field of vision was instantly covered by countless analytical data and structural diagrams.

The conclusion was drawn instantly from the structure of the device being erected by the DEM logistics personnel, its energy operation mode, and the invisible force field being woven together!

[WARNING: High-intensity spatial stabilization/lockdown force field detected!]

[Effect: Local spatial coordinates are forcibly anchored; low-intensity spatial phase transfer (including the 'Lost' phenomenon and short-range precision teleportation) has been blocked!]

[Estimated duration: Unknown (based on enemy energy supply)]

[Difficulty to crack: High (requires higher privileges or brute-force destruction of the generator)]

The color drained from Qianyuan's face instantly, and he almost dropped the binoculars in his hand.

(Space-sealing?! These DEM guys...are they planning to trap us like fish in a barrel?! Tohka can't escape! That Shido...Kotori's teleportation...)

He looked down sharply. Tohka was struggling under Eren's relentless attacks, her spirit dress was damaged, and Shido was trying to get up, his face full of confusion and helplessness.

(How could this happen?! This isn't how the script was written! Aha! Are you up to something again?!)

Fear gripped him instantly. Alan Mathers's title and those terrifying achievements were like ice water poured over his head, chilling him to the bone.

He recalled everything he knew about Allen: "the world's strongest magician," "easily defeating an elf," "single-handedly fighting the entire Ratatoskr"...

(Me, fight Allen? Really? Are you kidding me! She's a monster who can take on elves one-on-one! Even Origami Master could only flee in a sorry state... I'll be instantly killed by her! Absolutely!)

His body trembled slightly, and he almost wanted to turn around and run away from the rooftop. He clutched his chest tightly, fear making it hard for him to breathe.

His survival instincts kicked in, and he screamed wildly. He instinctively took a half-step back, frantically searching for a reason to keep hiding.

But when he looked down again, what he saw struck him—

The battle below intensified. Allen's attacks were like a storm, and Tohka struggled to parry with her powerful sword, the Fierce Slayer, and signs of damage began to appear on her spirit armor.

In order to protect Shido, who was almost stunned by the shockwave not far away, she had to give up many opportunities to dodge and take part of the attack by herself.

"Bang!" A precise beam of light finally broke through Tohka's defenses and struck her shoulder. Tohka groaned and staggered backward, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth, as she retreated right in front of Shido.

At that moment, perhaps out of instinct, or perhaps out of a tiny, insignificant stirring deep within his heart, Shido struggled to his feet, spread his arms, and stood trembling yet resolute in front of the injured Tohka, shouting something at Eren in the air.

Even though his legs were visibly shaking!

Allen paused slightly, seemingly surprised that an ordinary human would do such a thing.

She glanced coldly at Shido, and after determining that he posed no threat, she focused her attention back on Tohka, and the light blade in her hand lit up once more—

It was that one glance! It was that insignificant pause, born from the courage of a tiny human being!

On the rooftop, the last thread of reason and fear in Phoenix Inu's mind snapped.

The contrast between Shido's foolish yet incredibly brave figure, Tohka's stubborn gaze despite her injury, and his own cowardice in wanting to escape after gaining power... was incredibly jarring.

At that moment, many images flashed through Chiin's mind: the last time he met Miku (Yoshiro Tsukino), and the sense of powerlessness he felt; the resentment he felt towards Nia's fate, yet his self-loathing for not being able to act; and... the daily banter with Shido and Kotori, even though he always thought about betraying his teammates, they were indeed... friends.

Intense emotions churned within him, ultimately transforming into intense anger at his own previous cowardice!

(What am I afraid of...?)

(They... are my friends...)

(Phoenix Institute Sennin! You bastard!)

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