Today, being the middle of a three-day holiday, even the back alleys one street off from Okinawa’s Kokusai Street had a decent number of people passing through.

Consequently, a person wielding a naked katana and chasing a young couple stood out quite a bit.

Screams erupted from the unlucky passersby who witnessed the scene.

When fleeing from a suspicious person, heading towards a crowded area is the best option, but these men clearly possess highly lethal weapons.

(Should we move to a place where we won’t involve unrelated people…)

With that thought, Suo Daiki made his immediate plan.

This wasn’t a decision made from simplistic danger avoidance but rather a judgment based on observing the attackers.

He realized from their initial attack, displaying movements far beyond normal human limits, that they too were wielders of sword spirit abilities like himself.

However, during the chase, the men weren’t enhancing their speed with the Soul Armor abilities on themselves.

The fact that they maintained a not-too-close, not-too-distant position while he ran, pulling along his sister who had ordinary human capabilities, supported this.

(Are they also aiming to move to a less populated area?)

Daiki glanced back at the men chasing them over his shoulder.

They held naked katanas.

Though their current coordinated actions towards their objective didn’t suggest it, there was still a possibility they might direct their swords at ordinary people.

People, when cornered, can act unpredictably.

(It’s annoying to go along with their intentions, but…)

Taiki knew it would be to his advantage as well.

“Marin.”

“Yes, onii-chan.. Ah!”

Suddenly, Daiki scooped up his sister Marin in a princess carry, prompting a short squeal from her.

Like lifting a plush toy, Daiki seemed to feel no weight at all as he effortlessly held Marin while running.

“We’ll keep moving to a deserted area.”

“Okay♪”

Despite being chased by assailants, Marin’s expression and response showed no concern for her safety, as if she were enjoying an amusement park attraction. Taiki, seeing this, nodded silently and accelerated with the power of his soul armor, at a speed that allowed the men to keep up.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

(Bam!)

Hearing the heavy oak chapel door slam shut behind them, Daiki finally put his Soul Armor technique into idle mode.

“Whew…”

“Aww, it’s over…”

Marin, who had been set down on a wooden bench in the chapel from the princess carry, looked at her brother with longing eyes.

“Now that we’ve found a suitable location, we sped up and put some distance, so they shouldn’t catch up immediately…”

The reason they fled to this chapel, standing alone on a grassy hill by the sea, was not because they were cornered.

This chapel seemed to be built on hotel grounds for weddings rather than as a religious facility, with its walls entirely made of glass.

On a clear day like today, it offered a perfect view of the blue sea and sky, creating a backdrop ideal for pledging eternal love.

“This chapel is lovely~”

Marin gazed around the chapel and its scenery with an enchanted look.

“Yeah. The surrounding grassy area is open, and with the walls being all glass, we can detect if they attack from any direction.”

Ignoring her practical brother’s words, Marin beckoned him to the altar.

This casual interaction still showcased their sibling bond.

“What is it, Marin? Did you find something suspicious?”

Responding to Marin’s beckoning, Daiki hurried to the altar.

“Let’s practice a bit, onii-chan.”

“Practice? For what?”

“Such a lovely chapel. Obviously, for the wedding kiss.”

“Marin, this is no time for play-acting…”

“Exactly, play-acting. Remember how we used to play house and pretend to get married when we were kids? It’s the same. It’s just play, so it’s fine, right? Please, onii-chan, please~”

With a sugary voice, Marin pleaded, emphasizing it was just a game.

“Hah… Really, at a time like this…”

Daiki knew from experience that once his sister was like this, she wouldn’t listen to anything he said.

Sighing, he stood in front of the altar.

“Hehe…”

At some point, Marin had taken a thin shawl from her bag, draping it over her head like a bride’s veil.

Realizing that she wanted him to lift the shawl covering her face, Daiki lifted the “veil” and saw Marin looking up at him with flushed cheeks.

“You look beautiful…”

He murmured unconsciously.

Was it the effect of the extraordinary chapel setting…?

“Onii-chan…”

Marin slowly closed her eyes, slightly puckering her lips in anticipation.

After a brief hesitation, Daiki stepped forward at the altar and gently placed his hands on Marin’s shoulders.

(Clang!!)

With a loud noise, the glass walls on both sides of the chapel shattered, and two men burst into the chapel.

The men had used their soul armor techniques to accelerate from a distance away, breaking through the glass and maintaining their momentum as they charged.

Taiki met the slashing attacks from two directions with a candlestick he had grabbed from the altar.

“Who are you guys?”

Skillfully parrying their slashes with the antique silver candlestick, Taiki questioned the men.

In the middle of a life-and-death struggle, Taiki didn’t expect an answer, but surprisingly, one of the men responded.

“We are the remnants of the private corporate faction that you destroyed.”

“I see. That’s a lie.”

Taiki immediately dismissed the man’s response.

“What…”

The men hadn’t expected their lie to be seen through so quickly, and they faltered.

“I wasn’t high enough in the faction to have assassins sent after me. Plus, when you first called my name in the cafe, your intonation was slightly off.”

“……”

“You’re an Asian foreign Soul Armor special unit, aren’t you? Sending special units to foreign countries in the current international situation risks immediate ceasefire violations and invasion justifications. Why take such a risk?”

“……”

The men answered Daiki’s question with silence.

“It’s related to Kamiya, isn’t it?”

As Daiki muttered this, the men’s murderous intent peaked.

The man on the right charged with his blade raised, utilizing his soul armor-enhanced speed.

Though the movement seemed clumsy and devoid of any swordsmanship grace, it was effective in actual combat, especially in a one-against-many scenario.

Moreover, since Daiki had to protect Marin while fighting, he couldn’t choose to dodge the charge. Thus, he had to confront it head-on.

As Taiki grappled with the man in a sword lock, the other man aimed to strike his side…

Just then, countless invisible slashes rained down on the man attempting the flank attack, easily slicing through his anti-blade clothing.

Though none of the wounds were fatal, the pain and shock of being struck by invisible slashes slowed the man’s thrust.

As Daiki deflected the weak thrust with another invisible slash, sending the man flying, he simultaneously used the same invisible slashes to knock away the sword of the man he was locked with, then kicked him in the solar plexus, sending him flying in a doubled-over position.

(Clang!!)

Without a moment to breathe, the stained glass ceiling shattered, and the last man jumped down from above.

His timing, with his sword raised in a downward strike as he fell, was perfect.

But at that moment, the man collided with something invisible in mid-air.

Accelerated by the Soul Armor technique, his speed surpassed free fall, and the impact knocked him unconscious.

“Sorry. I’m always wary of my direct overhead because of some bitter experiences.”

Daiki spoke as he extinguished the light blade extending from the silver candlestick towards the ceiling.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

“This is getting a bit messy…”

The large tree, peeking outside from the chapel by the breezy seaside, grumbled.

It was because several combatants with guns were visible coming towards them on the lawn ahead.

“There’s still no sign of enemy deployment behind. Though, it’s nothing but cliffs.”

There was no longer any escape.

“What about using your new technique, the Light Blade, to mow down the enemies, onii-chan?”

“That technique is still unfinished. If I extend its range, I won’t be able to wield it effectively.”

Even though it was somewhat reckless to expose the weakness of his own Soul Armor ability to his sister, Marin, Daiki still couldn’t help but be indulgent towards her.

(Buzzing)

As they pondered how to get through this situation, the only remaining sound amid the commotion was the music from the wedding BGM speaker installed on the ceiling.

[Oh, can you hear me~? Oh wait, there’s no mic input from your side, so even if you reply, I wouldn’t be able to hear you~ Sorry, my bad~]

Daiki and Marin exchanged glances involuntarily at the annoying voice coming from the chapel’s speaker, a voice they both recognized.

[Well then, I’ll just inform you one-sidedly~ Jump off the cliff promptly~ We’ll ensure your safety~]

After delivering the message unilaterally, the speaker fell silent again.

Even in such moments, the way of speaking was annoying, but it was a lifeline.

Moreover, the enemy’s encirclement was steadily closing in.

There was no time to hesitate.

“Marin… are you scared?”

“Yeah, a little… but I trust you, onii-chan.”

“Don’t look down. Let’s go!”

Reaching the edge of the cliff, the two of them firmly held each other and threw themselves into the air.

(Buzzing)

[Oh, I forgot to mention something. Make sure to decelerate the impact of landing yourselves~]

“”Too late to say that! Damn that annoying doctor!!””

Already in free fall, the two couldn’t help but curse loudly at Dr. Kirigaya, the owner of the annoying voice from the speaker.

“Silver Extender!”

Daiki thrusts out the silver candlestick towards the cliffside.

The blade of light emitted from the candlestick dug into the cliffside, grinding against the rocky surface, slowing down the momentum of their free fall for two people.

Marin, following Daiki’s instructions when jumping, tightly closed her eyes and clung desperately to Daiki’s neck with both arms.

The ground rapidly approached beneath them.

(When it comes down to it, even if it’s just Mako…)

Thinking so, Daiki attempted to twist his body to cushion Mako upon impact, but…

“We’ll die together, big bro…”

Whether understanding her brother’s intention or not, Mako buried her face into Daiki’s and resisted.

“In that case, I’ll just have to stop it at all costs!”

Daiki focuses his power into the blade of light from the candlestick.

From the excavated cliffside, gravel and dust flew more violently.

“And… stopped.”

In the end, just as they were about to touch the ground, their descent came to a complete halt.

“Huh? What’s this…”

Daiki suddenly realizes that something artificial is touching the tips of their feet, hanging from the light blade they relied on.

[Suo-senpai, Marin-chan. Glad to see you’re both safe.]

“Hinoura!?”

At Daiki’s feet was the bow section of a military amphibious unmanned high-speed combat boat.

Once again, they hear a familiar voice from a loudspeaker attached to the helm control section of the boat, which had been brought close to the cliff’s edge by caterpillar treads.

[Oh, you’re both safe~. Ah, this boat has a proper microphone input, so I can hear your voices too~]

“Dr. Kirigaya too!? Can’t you explain the plan properly!?”

“Well, I got to experience a lover’s suicide attempt, so it turned out fine in the end.”

As they board the boat, Daiki immediately complains to Dr. Kirigaya, while Mako expresses a somewhat catastrophic impression, but…

[Save the talk for later! The priority now is to evacuate from here. It’s noisy, so please plug your ears!]

“Come to think of it, is Hinoura operating this military unmanned boat? How on earth…”

Daiki’s question is drowned out by the gunfire from the boat’s mounted machine gun, firing at the enemy soldiers on the cliff, and the sound of the boat’s jet propulsion engine starting underwater.