Assault Lily Wunder: Chapter 5

Assault Lily Wunder The Odaiba Counteroffensive

Chapter 5 What Remains of the Miracle

Part 1
From where they were standing on Nozomi Bridge, Kondo Misaka and the rest of the second division were looking up at the dark sky.

Only moments earlier, a Mercurius gunship had appeared in the skies above Aomi and started to fire. The Second Division stared blankly at the resulting explosions. None of them had expected a Mercurius gunship to be here.

Altea Alessandrini, the commander of the division, peered at the gunship with an unamused expression. "That's Mercurius's fifth gunship, Raguel," she said. "Tiuccia must have called it here. How reckless she always is."

"So that's what the cannons of a Mercurius gunship can do..." Amano Soraha murmured in an impressed tone as she watched the cannon fire scourge the earth.

Misaka had seen Mercurius's gunships before, but this was the first time she'd witnessed their cannons firing from this close a distance.

After the gunship had finished firing, it disappeared into the dark clouds again. Black smoke rose from the area it had shelled. The Second Division continued gazing at the devastation until they suddenly heard a roar akin to that of a distant beast.

It was much like the roar that had resounded across all Odaiba when the nestless Ultra had first appeared. The Lilies' eyes immediately snapped over to Wakasu Park.

"Don't tell me that was..."

As all of the Second Division gazed at Wakasu Park, they saw the lightning there was fiercer than ever before, and the howl had come from within the light of the giant Cave. There was no doubt it had been the howling of the nestless Ultra.

"I think the Ultra's just about ready to go for a stroll," Amatsu Marei muttered as she glared at the lightning.

"Hey, shouldn't we attack it before it goes anywhere?" Misaka asked the others, but Kiko Totori immediately reined her in. "Not so fast," Totori said. "The giant Cave's still surrounded by Huge. It's much too dangerous to launch an attack on it just by ourselves."

"But once the nestless Ultra's moving in earnest, there will be no stopping it," Seto Veronica Ichika protested. "We've got to do something, and soon."

Tsukioka Momiji, the vice-commander, made a proposal. "Let's re-establish contact with the other divisions," she said. "To defeat the nestless Ultra, we're all going to need to work together."

"True," said Altea. "We shall first endeavor to contact the Third or the Fourth—" But as she was speaking, they suddenly heard voices in the distance.

"Misaka-sama! Momiji-sama!"

The Second Division turned their head in the direction of the voices, and saw two Lilies running towards them from the Daiba area. They were Takehisa Nakaba and Kawanabe Nazuna, from the junior high school division of Odaiba Girls' School. The two were running so fast that when they finally reached Nozomi Bridge, they toppled over onto the ground.

Alarmed, Misaka ran to the two of them and helped them back to their feet. "Why didn't you two evacuate past the Light Wall?" she asked.

Nakaba and Nazuha should have been safely inside the Light Wall, not still here on Odaiba. Both girls' uniforms were torn up, and they were hurt in a number of places. But they'd come running here like it was a matter of life or death.

As soon as Nazuna had caught her breath, she spoke to Misaka. "W-We've got a message for you from the First Division..." she said.

"...From Chihana?"

The faces of the Lilies of the Second Division tensed up. Nakaba, still breathing hard as she did, lifted her head and spoke next.

"First, there's some good news. Thanks to the Fourth Division, we got all the civilians through the undersea tunnel and inside the Light Wall."

Misaka's face brightened upon hearing that. "Great!" she exclaimed. "Now we can go all-out fighting the nestless Ultra!"

"Hold on. They're not done talking," said Totori, and nodded to the two girls. "Please continue."

"We have a message from Takegoshi Chihana of the First Division," Nakaba said. "Right now, the First Division has broken through into Uminomori Park via the southern route and is distracting the horde of Huge there. While they're preoccupied, she asks that the Second and Third Divisions join forces and, under the leadership of the Second Division, kill the nestless Ultra."

"...W-We're supposed to kill the Ultra?!" Sengo Yuna exclaimed, the message coming as a shock to her.

Suddenly having the crucial task of killing the nestless Ultra thrust upon them left the Lilies of the Second Division rattled. Among all their number, only Kondo Misaka was thrilled by what she was hearing. She would, at last, get to play a starring role in the defeat of their greatest enemy.

Misaka grinned, clenching her hand into a fist. "It's finally time for us to show our stuff!" she said.

"The First Division must have gone to Uminomori Park as bait for our trap," Altea said, her hand covering her mouth. "That is to say, in order to thin out the Huge on the northern route so that we and the Third Division stand a chance at launching an all-out attack."

"Even Chihana's division is going to have a hard time fighting that many enemies for long," Hasebe Touka said, with a worried look on her face. "We have to kill the nestless Ultra right away or the First Division will be in danger!"

The Huge had turned Odaiba into a sea of flames, and the First Division was going up against their main force. The First Division was assembled from the strongest Lilies belonging to each Garden, but nonetheless, it would be a harsh battle for them... and that meant the Second had to put an end to the nestless Ultra as quickly as possible.

"Don't lose your composure," Totori said to Touka. "This strategy is probably the last chance we've got. We can't go into it worrying ourselves to death. Let's do as Chihana asked and join up with the Third."

"......"

Touka was still visibly anxious. Misaka laid a hand on her shoulder.

"They'll be okay," said Misaka. "Chihana, Yuyu... I know they'll be able to survive this. That's why we're going to repay Chihana's trust in us and kill the nestless Ultra. No matter what."

At that, Touka gave Misaka a small nod. "You're right," she murmured. Misaka turned away from her and towards Nazuna and Nakaba. Having done their duty as couriers, the two girls were sitting on the ground, exhausted.

"You did well at getting us that message," Misaka told them, gratitude in her voice. "Just leave the rest to us now, 'kay?"

Next to her. Altea addressed Momiji. "Contact the Third Division and have them meet us at the International Exhibition Center," she said.

At that moment, the commander of the Third Division, Banshoya Ena, was heading to Toyosu Market with her companions.

Ena's group now contained a mixture of Lilies from the Third and Fifth Divisions. They'd dealt with the remaining Huge in Toyosu and confirmed that there were no civilians anywhere. Next on their agenda was to join up with the other teams of Lilies.

Kawabata Hotaru and Fujita Asagao had gone with one such team to kill the gravity-manipulating gigant-type. Hishida Haru, Yokoyama Azusa, and others had gone to defend Toyosu Market. After that, Hotaru had contacted them to let them know the gravity manipulator was no longer.

As Ena and the others approached the vicinity of Harumi-ohashi, they saw Hotaru and Asagao waving at them.

"Hey! Ena!"

It wasn't just Hotaru and Asagao there, but Igusa Subaru and the other Lilies of the Odaiba Defense Team. None of them were visibly hurt.

Ena made her way over to Hotaru. "Good work," she says. "It looks like you were able to avoid injury."

"Naturally! It was a piece of cake with yours truly, Hotaru-sama, there!"

"What are you even saying?" muttered Asagao, standing by Hotaru's side with an exasperated expression on her face. "Earlier you were so exhausted you looked like you were going to nod off on your feet."

"I thought we agreed you wouldn't tell them about that, Asa-chan!"

As Hotaru and Asagao bickered among themselves, Igusa Subaru reported the situation. "Haru's squad informed us earlier that they were unhurt," she said. "However, word's reached me that Fujimi Bridge has been destroyed. The military reports that, best as they could tell, Haru destroyed it herself."

"Haru did that?" asked Ena with a frown on her face, but Asagao spoke up, wearing a serious expression as she did.

"She must have done it to protect the evacuees in Toyosu Market," Asagao said. "...Even though she knew there were still Odaiba Lilies and other civilians in Ariake."

"On that note, what's the situation in Ariake?" asked Yoshimura Thi Mai.

"It's taken care of," Hotaru replied cheerfully. "The Second Division says they got them all to the undersea tunnel and out of Odaiba."

"Oh? That's good news for once."

Ena and the others let out sighs of relief, but Asagao's expression was still grim. "Everyone's still going to say that Haru left people to die," she said. "And she must have known that when she destroyed the bridge. That's why she did it alone. So that no one else would take any of the blame."

"......"

Ena and the others were silent, but then they heard a voice from behind them. "I'm prepared for what will come," said Haru.

They turned around to see that Hishida Haru, Yokoyama Azusa, and the other two Lilies tasked with defending Toyosu Market had rejoined them.

"We've confirmed there are no Huge remaining in Toyosu. They'll be reopening the Light Wall and evacuating those who are sheltering in Toyosu Market shortly."

"I see," said Ena, stopping herself from saying anything further. When she looked into Haru's eyes, she could tell that the choice to destroy Fujimi Bridge hadn't been an easy one for her. The deep wound it had left on her heart would not soon be healed.

Ena made up her mind to ask Haru just one question.

"Can you still fight, Haru?"

Haru lifted her head, a look of grim determination on her face. "Yes," she replied. "I'll be fine."

"......"

Azusa, standing next to Haru, gave her a worried look. But Ena decided to trust Haru's words. She knew that they would have need of her power in order to kill the nestless Ultra.

"Now all that's left is to figure out how we kill it..." Ena muttered, but just then, she heard a voice from her comm device.

"Ena, do you copy? This is Soraha." It was Amano Soraha from the Second Division.

"Loud and clear, Soraha," Ena replied. "Is everyone okay on your end?"

"So far, so good," said Soraha. "But more importantly, Chihana's counting on us to take out the nestless Ultra. Let's meet up at the Exhibition Center, fast as we can. We'll fill you in on her strategy there."

Upon hearing there was a plan to fight the nestless Ultra, the Lilies' expressions grew tense. "Understood," Ena said. "We'll be right there."

No sooner had Ena ended the call than they heard a warning siren from the towers of the Light Wall. The Lilies turned in that direction, and saw the section of the Light Wall adjacent to Toyosu opening.

"There! Now everyone in Toyosu Market ought to be able to get to safety."

Ena and the others let out a sigh of relief. Then they heard another voice over the comms.

"This is Tono Natsuki. Ena-san, do you copy?"

It was Tono Natsuki from the Fifth Division. She'd been injured during the Fifth's last stand on Shin-Tatsumi Bridge, and so she'd retreated to Odaiba Girls' School to receive medical treatment... or should have.

"I, Osumi Azuki, and Danzuka Erisa will be returning to the battlefield shortly," Natsuki said.

"...Are you in shape to do that, Natsuki?" Ena asked. Natsuki's voice was gravely serious as she replied.

"I can't bear to rest while all of you are out there fighting. Azuki-san and Erisa-san feel the same way," said Tono Natsuki. She was normally quite a composed person, but in this, she too was a Lily of Yurigaoka.

"...I understand. Don't push yourself," Ena said.

"We won't. We'll be there soon," Natsuki said, and Ena cut the connection. Mai grinned cheerfully. "About time for the final battle, ain't it!" she said.

"Koume and Yasuna aren't coming, are they, of course..." muttered Noguchi Shinano, the commander of the Fifth Division.

"......"

Ena laid a hand on Shinano's shoulder. "We'll have to win this for them," she said. "We will, most certainly, kill the nestless Ultra." Upon hearing her words, Shinano nodded.

After reaching the plaza of the Tokyo International Exhibition Center, the Second Division settled in to wait.

In preparation for the final battle, Amatsu Marei—being an Arsenal—was doing maintenance on everyone's CHARMs. She fetched tools from within the Exhibition Center, then surveyed what was in need of repair. And even in the midst of that, she focused her efforts on making improvements to Amano Soraha's Gram Extra and Kondo Misaka's Sohaya-no-Tsurugi.

Soraha's Gram Extra had suffered some damage from the direct hit she'd taken while helping Misaka on Nozomi Bridge, while Misaka's solitary battle had left the Sohaya-no-Tsurugi rather the worse for wear. With her incredible skill, Amatsu Marei fixed up both of them. "These shouldn't cause you any more problems," she said.

The Gram Extra was a remodeled version of the Gram, a CHARM built for the exclusive use of Legion Álfheimr. At first, it had been intended only for use in a demonstration at the technical conference, but after the nestless Ultra had appeared, Soraha had been fighting with it.

The Sohaya-no-Tsurugi was a CHARM built especially for Kondo Misaka. Her specialty was dueling, and it had been engineered to assist her with that as much as possible.

Both CHARMs had been designed by Amatsu Marei herself, for she was known to be the genius Arsenal of Ryuto Girls' Academy.



Amano Soraha accepted the Gram Extra with a grin on her face. "You really are a wizard, Marei," she told Marei. "We're all lucky you're here."

Misaka gave the Sohaya-no-Tsurugi a test swing, then spoke to Marei as well. "It feels better than she did before," she said. "Did you do more than just fix it up?"

At that, Marei chuckled. "That's my job, isn't it?" she replied, with a smile. "Put those CHARMs to good use, you two." Her gaze then lingered on Misaka's face.

"I must say, you're quite the fascinating Lily, Misaka," Marei continued. "After all... you fought a gigant-type, alone, for twenty minutes. Just how did you survive that?"

Misaka crossed her arms as she thought. "How did I survive, huh... It was kind of like I was in a trance, so I don't really know myself," she said.

"Hehe. That only makes you all the more fascinating," Marei said with a smile. "I'll have further questions for you later." That was when Touka inserted herself between the two of them.

"Gosh. I'm glad we were able to rescue you, but never do something that dangerous again!"

Her words made Misaka flinch. "I-I already promised you," Misaka said. "I won't do anything reckless without at least telling you first."

Just then, they heard distant voices calling out to them. The Lilies of the Second Division turned towards the voices to see members of the Third and Fifth Divisions leaping in their direction to join them.

The captain of the Second Division, Altea Alessandrini, had been discussing the battle strategy with her vice-commander, Tsukioka Momiji. When the Lilies were all gathered in one place, she headed over to them. "I appreciate you coming," she said.

All the members of the Second and Third Division were present, as well as all the members of the Fifth except for Sasaki Yasuna and Senda Koume. There were 28 Lilies there in total, all in fighting condition.

"We shall now commence the operation to kill the Ultra-type," Altea said. "To send that Ultra to its death with certainty, it will be necessary to use the Neunwelt Tactic on a grand scale. The Second Division can't do that alone. We'll be relying on your assistance, Lilies of the Third and Fifth Division."

"It will require the magie of eighteen Lilies, minimum, to kill that nestless Ultra," Amatsu Marei informed them. The faces of all of those present hardened at her words.

To kill the nestless Ultra, eighteen of them would need to pour every last drop of their magie into a magiesphere. But it was well known that having nine Lilies perform the Neunwelt Tactic was the most stable configuration. Increasing the number beyond that made the magiesphere more powerful, but also harder to control. Just how hard would it be to execute it with eighteen Lilies?

"......"

A look at their faces was enough to show how nervous Sengo Yuna and Serizawa Chikaru were. Putting a smile on her face, Misaka spoke to the two of them encouragingly.

"Don't worry! We can do this. We've got Álfheimr members, some of Irma's Elite Four, and people from St. Mercurius and the Funada Reserve Team here," she said. "If we all give it everything we've got, we can definitely pull it off!"

Altea addressed the others. "Misaka speaks the truth," she declared. "Victory is well within the means of those of us who stand here. The Third and the Fifth will focus on thinning the Huge and keeping the pass courses clear, while my Second Division will deal the final blow to the nestless Ultra. Is that understood?"

Banshoya Ena and Noguchi Shinano, the commanders of the other divisions, both responded "Yes!"

Then, with a tense expression on her face, Tsukioka Momiji began to speak. "According to the analysts at Odaiba Girls' School, the nestless Ultra will soon begin to move, and they expect a second wave of Huge to emerge at that point," she said. "Keeping the Light Wall in Full Admission Mode has taken a toll. Right now, if the nestless Ultra gets that far, the Light Wall won't be able to stop it."

After Momiji had made her report, Ena stepped to the front. "Keep in mind that the nestless Ultra's magie is not infinite," she said. "The Huge we've fought up to that point were supplied with their magie by the Ultra and the giant Cave. The sheer number we've killed has no doubt whittled much of that magie away."

"And that's thanks to how hard you've all fought," Shinano said with a smile.

The Lilies here on Odaiba, in their respective divisions, had faced countless enemies and slain them all. By doing so, they must have drained the nestless Ultra and the Cave's magie reserves considerably.

"It's true that there's a lot less enemies around now," said Seto Veronica Ichika of the Second Division.

"The time is now," said Altea, with a firm nod. "We shall destroy the nestless Ultra and the giant Cave in a single strike!" The other Lilies around nodded in agreement.

Ena then proposed her strategy to Altea. "We, the Third and Fifth Divisions, will lure the Huge away as we destroy the Cave on the near side of Wakasu Bridge," she said. "That will allow the Second Division to advance without issue."

"We'll want to preserve as much of our strength and magie for the battle with the nestless Ultra as we can," Kiko Totori said in agreement with Ena. "But I'm sure the Huge will fight fiercely to defend the Ultra."

Odaiba Girls' School had predicted a second wave of Huge would reinforce the nestless Ultra. If they had to fight those Huge as they advanced, it would sap their endurance and magie greatly. When they reached the nestless Ultra, would they still have the strength to kill it?

Then Misaka, who had been listening, grinned widely. "Hey, let's launch our attack on the giant Cave using a gunship!" she suggested.

Everyone's eyes widened at her unexpected idea. "Can gunships get to the Cave?" Touka asked.

"They can," Misaka replied. "We'll ride a gunship to Wakasu and attack the Cave that way. One of Mercurius's Arks ought to be able to get us there real fast, right?" She looked at Altea hopefully, but Altea shook her head.

"I fear that's not possible," Altea said. "Raguel only provided us some covering fire while en route to other places. We can't use it as a troop transport. Because of the nestless Ultra's presence, the Huge have gotten stirred up even outside of Odaiba, and Mercurius is focusing on keeping those incursions under control."

"Besides, if any airship gets close to the giant Cave, flight-capable Huge will attack it and might cause it to crash," Sengo Yuna protested. "It's too risky a plan."

Misaka let out a sigh. "I see," she muttered. "So we can't do that... and here I thought it was a great idea..."

"Wait up. I'm on board with Misaka's plan."

Misaka turned to look at the Lily who had unexpectedly voiced her support, and saw that it was Amano Soraha, right beside her.

"It'll work if we ride a military gunship just to the very edge of Wakasu," Soraha said. "If we're going to take down the nestless Ultra and save the First Division, we need to take a few risks, don't we?"

"That's my girl," said Misaka, grinning at Soraha. "I knew you'd get it!" As Soraha smiled back, Totori raised her hand. "I'm also in agreement with Misaka's plan," she said.

"...Huh? You agree with me?" Totori's words made Misaka's eyes grow as wide as saucers.

"What's with that look, Misaka? I'm doing you a favor here!"

"Well, I mean, you're always chewing me out for being so reckless..." As Misaka tried to explain herself, flustered, Totori let out a small sigh.

"It's reckless, that's true, but there's sense to it," Totori said. "If we do it just right, when the Third and the Fifth break through their front line, we'll catch the Huge in a pincer attack."

"Yeah! That's something we could pull off, isn't it?" Misaka agreed. Totori shook her head and fixed Misaka with a serious look.

"Misaka," she said. "Remember when I decided, along with Chihiro and Homare, that you should be the captain of Sanngriðr? That's when I decided I'd have your back. So I know that any strategy you come up with is going to work. Because Sanngriðr needs it to."

"Totori!" Misaka abruptly hugged the other Lily. "I knew you wouldn't let me down, old friend!"

Ena let out a sigh. "I feel like Misaka has eroded everyone's common sense around here," she said. The other Lilies gave her troubled smiles.

Altea nodded. "But that settles the matter," she announced. "The Third and the Fifth will distract the enemy as our Second Division rides an gunship to Wakasu Park. Then we'll join forces and launch our assault on the nestless Ultra." Everyone nodded in acknowledgement of her words.

Just then, an emergency transmission came in from Odaiba Girls' School.

"Second Division, do you copy? This is Kifuji Suzu, from Odaiba. We have some bad news."

"What's the matter, Suzu-san?" asked Momiji, and Suzu continued in a tense voice. "There's some junior high school Lilies from Odaiba Girls' School whose last known location was the shooting range near Wakasu Park," she reported.

"What?!" Fujita Asagao exclaimed, unable to stop herself.

"We thought they'd evacuated beyond the Light Wall, but we have no idea of their current status," Suzu said, in a tone of defeat. "It's possible that they're already..."

The faces of the Lilies grew dark. If there had been people trapped right next to the nestless Ultra and the giant Cave, it was hard to imagine that they were still alive.

But as everyone was about to lose hope, Misaka spoke up in a cheerful voice. "Hold it, girls! Don't give up on them yet!" she said. The other Lilies turned to her.

"We've survived this long while fighting a battle that seemed hopeless. It's a miracle that no one's died yet. And when I say a miracle, I don't mean that it's something that just happened by chance," Misaka continued. "We worked together, all of us, and fought for this miracle to happen. And that's why we aren't going to let a single person die. Those girls are alive, and they're waiting for us. So let's go save 'em!"

Totori let out a sigh. "Is there anything that could put a damper on that optimism of yours?" she wondered.

"That's one of the great things about Misaka," Touka said with a giggle. Then Ichika nodded.

"Misaka's right. We are Lilies. We are the hope of humanity. And that is why we, ourselves, must never lose hope."

All of the Lilies present at the International Exhibition Center nodded in agreement.

"Now, let us go slay the nestless Ultra!" Altea declared, and a chorus rose in agreement. As it did, Misaka's eyes never wavered from the giant Cave that was looming over Wakasu Park.

At that moment, Takegoshi Chihana's First Division was still fighting in Uminomori Park.

Uminomori Park and the Central Breakwater were two man-made islands that faced the sea adjacent to Odaiba. Normally, the weapons and fortifications set up by the military repelled any Huge that tried to climb up from the sea onto them, but those had been overrun by a massive horde of Huge.

"Haaaaah!"

Shirai Yuyu cleaved a mid-type in twain with her Gram.

The First Division had stopped in Uminomori Park and were busy slaughtering the Huge there. But more came, without end, from within the Caves and over the Tokyo Gate Bridge. Though they'd slain a vast number of Huge, more Caves kept opening, and there was no end to their battle in sight.

Ten of the mid-types opened their mouths and prepared to spit fireballs at them. Hibino Waku shouted "Yuzuriha, I'm using Phantasm!" as she activated her Rare Skill.

Waku's rare skill, Phantasm, let her find the most optimal future from among countless possibilities and transmit it to those nearby using telepathy.

"Got it! Testament!"

Kawamura Yuzuriha activated her own Rare Skill, Testament. Often called a "widening skill," it made it possible for the Rare Skills of other Lilies to affect a larger area.

Every member of the First Division saw the same future that Waku had. They knew the trajectories of the mid-type Huge and the fireballs they were about to let loose. When the fireballs went flying, the Lilies of the First nimbly dodged them and fell upon the mid-types, mowing them down like grass.

Izumi Botan grinned at Yuzuriha. "Testament's really something, isn't it?" she exclaimed. "Good thing you're here, Yuzuriha!"

"Hey, I'd rather have had Phantasm myself, you know," Yuzuriha replied with a troubled smile.

It was in a battle right here on Odaiba that Yuzuriha had awakened Testament. But she'd wished so strongly to awaken Phantasm that it had come as a shock to her.

"With the power of Testament, you can protect your sisters-in-arms," Taniguchi Hijiri said encouragingly. "You should take pride in having it."

Exceptional Lilies from a variety of Gardens were in the First Division, and most exceptional of all was the tactical genius of its commander, Takegoshi Chihana.

"Two large-types coming on the left. Sachie, Himari, you take them out. The rest of you, support the two of them," Chihana ordered. "Got it!" replied Fukuyama Jeanne Sachie and Ichinomiya Himari, immediately heading for the enemies.

"Himari-san, with me!" "I'm here, Sachie. As I fight by your side, I can see the battle I've always dreamed of!"

Takegoshi Chihana was renowned as Álfheimr's "Goddess of War", and it was her command ability in particular that was said to be nothing short of godlike. She had a perfect grasp of every Lily's abilities, and combined with her aptitude for assessing the situation, the attacks she directed fell upon their foes like divine wrath.

The First Division fought with their backs to the undersea tunnel connecting Uminomori Park and Aomi, defending it, and yet whenever a gap opened in the enemy lines they instantly rushed forward to destroy a Cave. Their members perfectly coordinated, they fought with all their strength, all but putting their lives on the line as they did.

As she cut through the enemy with her Tyrfing R-type, Himari shouted in delight. "This is what it is to fight freely and beautifully!" she exclaimed. "This is what I've always dreamed of!"

Himari continued to fight joyfully, but just then, Sono Mao yelled out a warning. "You two! Watch out!"

Sachie and Himari had only just begun to react when a massive fireball detonated right in front of them.

"Aaaah!" "Ugggh!"

With screams, the two of them were sent flying. The Lilies of the First looked at where they'd landed, and saw a newly opened Cave there, from which ten large-types emerged. "Oh, no! Run, you two!" Takegoshi Chihana shouted upon seeing them.

But Himari and Sachie were still fallen on the ground, and one of the large-types charged at them. At the very moment it seemed like the two of them were about to be crushed to death—

A single Lily flew forward, swift as the wind. With a resounding thud, the large-type's giant arm slammed into her CHARM, which did not yield.

"I won't let you kill them! Not like you did to Onee-sama!"

It was Shirai Yuyu. With her Gram, she'd protected the two Lilies from the enemy attack.

"Yaaah!"

Gritting her teeth, Yuyu shoved the large-type away and immediately slashed through it with all her strength. She cut down another large-type with the return stroke, but then a third one pummeled her with its attack.

"Gah!"

Her slender body went flying, and then hit the ground.

"YUYU!"

When Sachie screamed her name, Yuyu tightened her hands around the Gram. Even as blood flowed from her wounded cheek, she twisted towards a large-type and charged at it as fast as she could.

"...Lunatic Trancer!"

Crimson madness filled Yuyu's eyes. Negative magie began to radiate from her body. For Lunatic Trancer is a dangerous Rare Skill which draws the very same polarity of magie used by the Huge into one's body.

Yuyu's transformation was not complete. The dark color of her hair gradually faded, replaced by white.

Chihana's eyes opened wide as she beheld Yuyu. "Don't, Yuyu!" she screamed. "You mustn't use Divine Possession!"

But it was already too late for her words to reach Yuyu.

Her hair completely white by now, Yuyu charged alone into the horde of large-types.



"AaAAAaAAH!"

With a fierce scream, Yuyu swung her Gram, cleaving a large-type over five meters tall in half. On the return stroke, she cut down a second one. Two of the large-types surrounded her and pummeled her, but she immediately stood back up and killed them. The remaining large-types stood no chance against her relentless assault.

With not a single thought about what might come of it, Yuyu fought with all her strength. The other Lilies of the First could do no more than stare as they watched her furious slaughter. It wasn't long until she'd killed every enemy and destroyed every Cave in sight.

Yuyu stopped moving, and around them, stillness reigned.

"...Onee-sama..."

Yuyu's legs gave out from under her, and she fell to the ground.

"Yuyu!!"

Sachie dashed over to her in a panic and hugged Yuyu to her.

"What were you thinking...?"

Divine Possession is a state in which a Lily draws amplified magie energy from her CHARM into her own body, increasing her capabilities by an overwhelming amount. But when used at the same time as Lunatic Trancer, it causes the negative magie inside that Lily to rage out of control—something exceptionally dangerous, and possibly even fatal. The two powers are never to be used together.

Chihana walked over to the two. "How many times have I told you never to use Divine Possession?" she scolded Yuyu.

Taniguchi Hijiri came up to Yuyu as well and began looking at her injuries. "I'm sure that she did it because she didn't want to lose another friend," she said. "Isn't that right, Yuyu?"

"......"

Kawazoe Misuzu, who Shirai Yuyu had taken the Schutzengel's Oath with, had died during the Koshu Withdrawal. After that, Yuyu had withdrawn into herself and never allowed herself to grow too close to anyone. Chihana, Hijiri, and every other Lily at Yurigaoka knew that was because Yuyu never wanted to lose someone important to her again.

Sachie wiped the tears from Yuyu's eyes. "Despite the danger, she risked her life to protect us," she said. "Shirai Yuyu, you're a Lily I can trust to do the right thing."

"Let's let Yuyu rest for now. I'll take her position in the formation," said Himari, determination in her voice. Recognizing that determination, Chihana nodded to her, then turned to the other Lilies.

"Girls! We're going to stay alive, no matter what, until the Second Division's killed the nestless Ultra!"

As one, the First Division let out a fervent yell, then set off towards Wakasu Park.

Part 2
A military gunship emerged from the dark clouds above, and touched down in the plaza of the Tokyo International Exhibition Center.

The gunship bore visible damage in several places. Every last vehicle had been busy carrying civilians to safety, and they had naturally needed to contend with attacks from the Huge, exploding buildings, and other such threats as they ferried people to the other side of the Light Wall.

The mixed group made from the Third and Fifth Divisions was already on its way to Wakasu Park. The next step was for the Second Division to board this gunship and mount their own attack on Wakasu Park from the direction of the open water.

Kondo Misaka and the others stood before the gunship as the military commander addressed them. "To my great chagrin, the only thing we can do is carry you to where the enemy is," the commander said. "We'll be praying for your safe return."

"There's no need for that. We're grateful for all your help," said Tsukioka Momiji, the vice-commander of the Second Division, with a smile on her face. "We Lilies fight the Huge, and the military keeps people safe. Your role is no less deserving of praise than ours."

Altea Alessandrini, the division's commander, bowed her head with her hand pressed to her chest. "And now the time to fulfill our role has come," she said. "Rest assured that we shall defeat the nestless Ultra." The other Lilies from the Second Division nodded vigorously.

They boarded the gunship, and as its engine revved up, the aircraft lifted off the ground. The military soldiers saw the Lilies off with an all-hands salute. Misaka and the other Lilies, in turn, lined up by the windows and bowed to them.

Then the gunship flew towards Wakasu Park, which was wreathed in lightning. The light of the giant Cave came into view, and then, so did a massive white figure at the center of the lightning.

Misaka curled her hand into a fist, her eyes fixed upon the giant Cave in Wakasu Park. She turned her head and saw Hasebe Touka, who was next to her, gazing back at her with a serious expression.

"Misaka," Touka said. "Let's make it back from this alive. All of us."

Misaka reached out and gripped Touka's hand firmly, a smile on her face. "Leave it to me," she said. "No one's dying on my watch."

And thus it was that the fighting maidens set off towards their final battle.

A short while prior to this, the Third and the Fifth had made their way to Shin-Kiba Station and proceeded from there towards the Wakasu area.

The commander of the Third Division, Banshoya Ena, was in charge of the mixed group. She lead the seventeen other Lilies in her command towards the Cave near Wakasu Bridge. They had made plans to regroup with the Second Division after they destroyed the Cave.

A horde of innumerable Huge—the second wave—was coming from the Wakasu area. It wasn't made of Soldier Ants alone, but mid-types and large-types in numbers thick enough to block the roads. Ena called out to the other Lilies.

"You needn't wipe out every last enemy! Our objective is to destroy that Cave!"

The civilians of Odaiba and the military personnel had all been evacuated, and Tokyo was being protected by a sturdy barrier—the Light Wall in Full Admission Mode. There was no need to be on the defensive any longer. The Lilies could finally fight without worrying about what would happen if the Huge slipped past them.

The eighteen Lilies continued forward into the Wakasu area. They avoided confronting the enemy head-on, instead proceeding along Shin-Kiba Greenway towards the Cave in front of Wakasu Bridge. But they found themselves met by a large group of Soldier Ants that had sensed their presence.

Yoshimura Thi Mai, fleet of foot, ran to the vanguard. "Let's get 'em!" she shouted. The eighteen Lilies met the Soldier Ants head-on in battle.

Kawabata Hotaru fought furiously with the two CHARMs that Senda Koume had entrusted to her—the Ukonvasara and the Charlemagne.

"Feast your eyes on me, 'cause it's finally time for me to shine!" "Hey, Hotaru! You'll get yourself hurt if you keep doing that!"

Fujita Asagao, fighting by Hotaru's side, cleared the way forward. Miyamoto Komuku and Nakabayashi Kaina also cut a path through the enemies.

"We shall make amends for the Fifth Division's failure!" "For Koume and Yasuna's sake, let's kill that Ultra!"

The group of Lilies scattered the Soldier Ants, and proceeded to slaughter the other Huge that they encountered on the way to the Cave. In a short while, the Cave adjacent to Wakasu Bridge came into view.

From within its dark expanse, Soldier Ants were boiling forth. Just behind them was the gigant-type Soldier Ant who was steward of the Cave.

"Let us commence the Neunwelt Tactic!" Banshoya Ena called out to her companions.

Ena fired the magiesphere from her Gram, and as the members of the Third Division passed it among themselves, the Soldier Ants sought to block their way.

But with unerring precision, Serizawa Chikaru blasted them with cannon fire. "I won't let Odaiba become another Koshu!" she shouted.

Chikaru had, without a doubt, grown over the course of the Odaiba Counteroffensive. She, who had such little confidence in herself, was now gunning the enemy down without pause in her determination to protect her sisters-at-arms.

"Well done, Chikaru!" Ena said, the sight of Chikaru's progress bringing a smile to her face. With that, she set off running towards Wakasu Bridge.

The gigant-type Soldier Ant was waiting for them in front of the cave. The Lilies of the Fifth Division cleared the path ahead with gunfire, and soon, it was time for the Neunwelt Tactic magiesphere to be passed for the last time.

Ena prepared to pass it to Aoki Kaho, but suddenly, there came a shout.

"Please let me do the finish shot, Ena-san!"

Noguchi Shinano, the commander of the Fifth Division, rushed to the front.

It had been Shinano's fault that the Fifth Division had ended up in the state that it was in, and she hadn't been able to stop regretting it since. She couldn't keep herself from imagining that had she held firm back then, they would have been able to hold the enemy in check.

Ena understood how Shinano felt, and so she decided to let Shinano have the magiesphere. "We're counting on you, Shinano!" she said as she made the final pass.

Just then, the gigant-type Soldier Ant spat fire from its maw. The flames singed Shinano as they missed her by a hair's breadth, but she charged forward nonetheless, her resolve firm as she rammed her Risanautr into the magiesphere.

"Yaaah!"

The magiesphere impacted the gigant-type Soldier Ant's head directly, causing an explosion that killed many of the Huge surrounding it. When the gigant-type ceased to be, the Cave soon disappeared too, as if it were melting away.

Shinano had used all her strength. She collapsed where she stood.

"Shinano!" shouted Ena in alarm, rushing over to her to help her back to her feet. She saw that Shinano had tears in her eyes.

"...Koume. Yasuna. We did it," Shinano murmured quietly.

Ena and the other Lilies sighed in relief when they saw that Shinano wasn't hurt. At that moment, they heard the high-pitched noise of a gunship in flight, and saw a single gunship flying over the sea towards Wakasu Park.

Upon seeing that sight, Ena turned to her companions. "We're far from finished! Let's regroup with the Second Division!" she shouted.

The seventeen other Lilies standing before her nodded in determination.

Aboard the gunship, the Second Division was flying high above the water.

With the Tokyo International Exhibition Center as their takeoff point, it took less than an hour to reach Wakasu Park. The rear hatch of the gunship opened, allowing the Lilies to jump out at any time.

There was a swarm of flying Huge circling around the giant cave in Wakasu Park. They noticed the gunship drawing near, and flew towards it.

Altea Alessandrini, the commander of the Second Division, issued an order.

"Begin your descent!"

One after another, the ten Lilies of the Second Division leapt down to the ground. After all of them had landed on the shore of Wakasu, the gunship immediately ascended into the sky to escape the oncoming Huge.

The Wakasu area was the furthest north that one could go in Odaiba while still facing the open sea. It had full of greenery, particularly the former Wakasu Seaside Park, but there were also some shooting ranges and CHARM workshops operated by Odaiba Girls' School.

The nestless Ultra was in the very center of what had once been Wakasu Seaside Park.

When Misaka landed on the ground, she saw a pale giant in front of her. "So that's the nestless Ultra..." she said.

The light of the giant Cave had faded away, allowing them to clearly see the gargantuan, bone-white figure. It was over a hundred meters tall, towering over the nearby Tokyo Gate Bridge. Though it resembled a spindly humanoid in shape, it was devoid of color, like a fish from the depths of the sea. Indeed, it was akin to the sea monsters that ancient myths spoke of.

Misaka and the other Lilies were momentarily overwhelmed by the sight of the Ultra, but then the Huge that surrounded it began to swarm towards them. Many were the small-types known as Soldier Ants, but there were also quite a few large-types and even a few gigant-type Soldier Ants.

"I can't believe there's still these many enemies..." Tsukioka Momiji said, her face growing pale as she looked upon the overwhelming opposition.

Kondo Misaka readied the Sohaya-no-Tsurugi and charged forward towards the horde. "We'll just have to make quick work of 'em!" she shouted.

The ten Lilies of the Second Division began moving towards Wakasu Park, where the nestless Ultra was.

"I, Altea Alessandrini, shall cut open a path for us!" Altea declared. Standing on the front line, she skewered a large-type with her Murglais, blasting it apart. The thrusts of her blade, coming from a slender figure like hers as they were, seemed unbelievably powerful.

"That's the Tyrant of Mercurius, all right!" exclaimed Misaka as she witnessed Altea's feat of arms.

Altea was renowned as the "Tyrant of Mercurius", for there were none who could stand in her way. The Murglais was a CHARM designed especially to withstand her vicious thrusting blows and movements. It captivated many with its resemblance to an European sword in blade mode, and many people considered it the greatest of Grand Guignol's creations, particularly when Altea was wielding it most beautifully.

With her Lichtbringer in Blade Mode, Tejima Komachi cut deadly swaths through the enemy. "Himari and Waku are out there, fighting," she said. "I have to do my part as a Lily of Irma!"

At Irma Girls' High School for the Arts, Irma was famous as one of the Elite Four. Her CHARM, the Lichtbringer, could be used as both a huge sword and as a shield.

"Keep fighting your way through 'em, girls!" Amano Soraha shouted as she cut down enemies with the Gram Extra. Amatsu Marei had tuned it up, and now it was as powerful as could be. Even as Soraha attacked enemy after enemy, the autoguard shielded her from their counterattacks with a barrier.

The Second Division sought to reach the center of Wakasu Park, but the sheer number of Huge that were appearing in front of them made it hard for them to move forward. Not only that, but some of the small-type Soldier Ants had Regenerator, and refused to stay dead once they were killed.

As they were trying to mop up the small-types, another horde advanced towards them. At its center was a gigant-type Soldier Ant.

"If something doesn't change, we'll never reach the Ultra," observed Sengo Yuna as she fought fiercely with her Dragvandil. But just then—

"Misaka! Sora!"

The mixed group of Lilies, lead by Banshoya Ena, came running over Wakasu Bridge. "We'll fight with you!" they shouted as they charged at the Huge. They collided with the enemy, causing the horde to split into two.

When she saw the gap in the enemy lines, Altea called out to her companions. "Now! Let us commence the Neunwelt Tactic!"

Ena moved to load the Neunwelt ammunition into her CHARM, but as she did—

"GYUAAAAAH!!!"

The nestless Ultra let out a fierce roar. Without even making the conscious decision to do so, Misaka clapped both her hands over her ears.

As it roared in fury, the nestless Ultra began swinging its arms. And with each swing of those arms, the fins attached to its hands sent shockwaves of magie flying towards the Lilies.

Altea whirled towards the others. "Those are dangerous!" she shouted. "Don't let them touch you!"

Misaka and the others tried to deflect the shockwaves with gunfire from their CHARMs, but instead, it was their energy bullets that vanished when they met the shockwave.

"Hold on, what just happened?!" "They just erased all the magie we fired?!"

When Sengo Yuna shouted in surprise, Amatsu Marei furrowed her brow, gazing at the shockwaves. "Its hands must be able to generate negative Magi," she said. "If we do a long-range Neunwelt, there's a danger that it will be able to use those hands to reduce the power of our magiesphere."

If the nestless Ultra could weaken their Neunwelt magiesphere with negative magie, there might be no way for them to defeat it at all.

"We've fought so hard, and now we can't kill it?!" Touka shouted in panic, but Misaka called out to her as she dodged the shockwaves.

"Don't worry! We just gotta make sure it can't block the magiesphere with its hands. And that's easy-peasy!"

"But how would we... wait, is that what you mean?!" Soraha said, dancing away from the shockwaves as each one neared her.

"Yeah, that's what I mean," said Misaka, grinning fearlessly at her. "We dodge past those hands and do our Neunwelt at point-blank range. The magie intensity will be real high that close to the Ultra, so if we make our passes there, we'll get an even more powerful magiesphere. And if we do it with more than eighteen people on top of that, I bet nothing it does with its hands can stop us!"

"You're making it sound so trivial! Do you have any idea how difficult that will be?" Totori shouted at Misaka as she sought to thin the horde before them.

'Magie intensity' refers to the level of ambient magie in the air. In the immediate vicinity of gigant-types and Ultra-types, this level is far higher, and that means when Lilies do Neunwelt passes while close to a strong Huge, they can create a more powerful magiesphere. But getting that close to the enemy comes with no small amount of risk.

On top of the seemingly endless numbers of Huge before them, the nestless Ultra's shockwaves were coming down like rain. And there was still a gigant-type Soldier Ant blocking their way. They would have to do Neunwelt passes while fighting their way through all that to the nestless Ultra.

Ena, who had heard them over the comms, suddenly butted into the conversation. "It will be challenging enough to do a Neunwelt with that many people, but pushing through a horde of foes at the same time in order to reach the nestless Ultra is going to be unbelievably difficult!" she exclaimed.

"It's only by surmounting many such challenges that we stand here," replied Altea, cutting down the enemy as she did. "The greatest of them all stands before us yet unconquered, yet if we do so, victory will be ours."

Marei looked over at Yuna. "Yuna's Rare Skill is Charisma," she said. "Charisma has the power to purify negative magie. If Yuna uses it, we'll be able to keep the magiesphere stable. That pares the challenging part down to getting close enough to the nestless Ultra."

"What?!" Yuna shouted. "The battle plan's going to rely on me?" She was clearly shaken by having such a huge responsibility suddenly thrust upon her.

Ichika, who was next to Yuna, addressed her in a rather unkind voice. "I thought Ryuto's Lilies were famous for their bravery," she taunted. "Is this who they really are? You'll have me backing you up, so just relax and help us out with that Rare Skill of yours."

"...Urgh..."

After a while, Yuna made her decision. "Okay," she said, her voice trembling. "I'll do everything I can to help you. Because it's the honor of Ryuto that's at stake here, too."

There was a sigh over the comms; it came from Ena. "Very well. We've come this far, so we shall take one last risk," she said. "Why not let that foolhardiness of Misaka's guide our way until the very end, after all? Let's have every Lily here take a turn with the magiesphere who's capable of it."

Altea grinned a fearless grin. "I concur," she said, then turned to Momiji. Momiji had been listening to their entire conversation, and as she fought, there was distress on her face.

"Momiji," said Altea. "I would place my trust in you, my good sir. Craft a strategy which can guide us to the nestless Ultra."

"Y-You want me to get us to the Ultra?" Momiji exclaimed, with surprise in her voice. Altea smiled at her.

"Tsukioka Momiji, I am told that when you were in the Funada Reserve Team, you were already a first-rate tactician. In this battle, I have seen proof of that with my own eyes. You, sir, are the most suited of any of us to devise our strategy to approach the nestless Ultra."

"But this is so critical," Momiji said, with fear and indecision written on her face. "If I make a mistake, then..."

They would get only one opportunity to kill the nestless Ultra. Momiji didn't have the self-confidence to believe that she could plan a strategy which could seize that opportunity and guide their makeshift team of Lilies to victory.

She had achieved fame as the tactician of the Funada Reserve Team, but when that team had disbanded, it had broken her trust in her own abilities. If her strategy wasn't perfect enough, it would place the lives of all the Lilies there in danger. Momiji looked as though, at any moment, she would crumble beneath her anxiety and the pressure she was feeling.

Upon seeing Momiji in that state, Altea made her way over to the other Lily and faced her directly. Then she spoke, her words and the sentiments they carried coming from her very heart.

"Momiji, please have faith in yourself. For in my estimation, you are among scarce few Lilies. Everything that I could wish for in one who stands by my side upon the battlefield is to be found in you, and all of it without flaw. Conceive of any strategy that you will, and look upon me as I make it happen," she told Momiji. "So, I ask you again—guide us to victory."



"...Altea-san..."

Granted courage by Altea's words, Momiji turned to the other Lilies with a serious look on her face.

"I propose that we use a zero-top strategy," she said.

"A zero-top strategy?" Misaka asked as she blasted away with her CHARM's cannon. Momiji nodded, then also returned to fighting.

"As things stand, when we fight our way to the nestless Ultra, the other Huge will undoubtedly encircle Altea-san if she's in the AZ. That's why I want to have her fall back to the midfield. If she can't fire the finish shot from there, we'll create a gap in the enemy lines and have her pass it to someone who can."

"So basically, the final pass is to Altea, and then she can evaluate the situation and either fire the finish shot herself or pass it to someone else?" Komachi asked as she cut down the Huge with gunfire. Momiji nodded to her.

Misaka grinned as she finally grasped what the zero-top strategy was. "So when it's time, it might be any of us who fire the finish shot," she said.

Normally, the finish shot of the Neunwelt Tactic was fired from the AZ, which was closest to the enemy. But right now, there were far too many Huge and they would have the AZ surrounded, meaning it might be impossible to even reach the nestless Ultra.

That was why Altea, who normally fought in the central AZ, would be falling back to the midfield. When the time came to end things, from that position, she'd have the options of either firing the finish shot or making a final pass to someone else.

It meant that instead of Altea, it could be anyone in the Second Division who fired the finish shot, and that intrigued Soraha and Misaka.

"That's a wild strategy, all right. Let's give it a go!" "If it means I might get to do the finish shot, I'm game!"

Momiji regarded her companions in the Second Division. "This strategy depends far more upon teamwork than those we've used before," she told them. "As we approach the nestless Ultra, you must not let yourself get cut off from the rest of us."

Totori and Touka both nodded to her.

"Understood. Let's fight as a team." "Having to trust your friends isn't so bad, is it?"

Ichika and Komachi spoke to the other Lilies as well.

"We've fought our way here together, so we'll get this done together!" "Let's take Odaiba back from the Huge, all of us!"

Misaka grinned at her sisters-in-arms, nodding to them. "C'mon, everyone, let's go kill the nestless Ultra!" she shouted. The Lilies raised their voices in a cheer at her words.

Then Altea and Ena spoke in unison. "We will now commence the Neunwelt Tactic!" they declared.

Thus began their grand-scale Neunwelt.

"I shall lead the way!"

Banshoya Ena, the commander of the Third Division, fired the magiesphere from her Gram and the members of the Third and Fifth began passing it among themselves. They had already done a Neunwelt to destroy the cave in front of Wakasu Bridge, so the mixed group had little magie and endurance to spare.

Even so, they would need a larger amount of magie than normal to defeat both the Ultra and the nearby gigant-type Soldier Ant. For that reason, thirteen members of the Third and the Fifth took turns charging the magiesphere. The other five members were on defense, ensuring that the horde of Huge couldn't disrupt the magiesphere as it was passed around.

The Huge surged forward towards them, like a tsunami. Yoshimura Thi Mai and Danzuka Erisa of the Fifth Division advanced to the vanguard, shouting as they did.

"We gotta keep that magiesphere safe!" "Let's do all we can to protect it!"

Serizawa Chikaru and Tada Shiera, from the Third Division, provided supporting fire from the rear without pause.

"I won't allow anyone to die here!" "That magiesphere is ours! They won't touch it!"

Nishikawa Miharu, too, moved to hold the enemy back. "Bear witness to our might, Huge, if you dare!" she announced.

As the magiesphere passed from Lily to Lily, it shined ever more brightly.

They hadn't broken through the horde of Huge to the nestless Ultra yet, and so their hearts were filled with unease. But they were fighting not just for themselves, but for all of the Lilies, all of the people, on Odaiba and in Tokyo. Their mutual determination to see the magiesphere on its way to the next Lily, without fail, did not falter.

Watanabe Akane and Yokoyama Azusa caught the magiesphere, then passed it along.

"Have faith in our victory, girls!" "Don't even think about what might happen otherwise!"

The nestless Ultra was still wildly firing shockwaves of negative magie at them. When the shockwaves hit the ground, they sent anything nearby flying. Hishida Haru managed to avoid it all as she made her way to the Second Division and passed the magiesphere, filled with the magie of thirteen Lilies, to them.

"You'll have to do the rest, Second Division!" Haru shouted.

Kiko Totori caught the magiesphere that Haru had passed to them. "Thirteen Lilies is quite a lot of magie, all right," she said. "Yuna, you're next!" She passed the magiesphere to Yuna.

"I have to do this, for the sake of Ryuto's honor!" shouted Sengo Yuna. "Charisma!"

Sengo Yuna activated her Rare Skill, Charisma. Petals of light blossomed around her, shining with dazzling brilliance. Thir light banished the negative magie that filled the air, much to the displeasure of the Huge. They let out keening wails, their movements growing sluggish.

"Marei!" shouted Yuna as she flung the magiesphere.

"Hehe, it's a delight to be fighting together with first-rate Lilies like you," Marei said, catching the sphere with the tip of the Durindana.

The Durindana was a CHARM Marei had modified for her own use from the Durandal. She'd simplified its transformation mechanism, making it capable of transforming at higher speeds. Marei put that to work as she switched the CHARM into Shooting Mode, and made the next pass. "Ichika!"

"Charisma's really something!" Ichika said as she caught the magiesphere with her Gungnir. "My body feels like it's weightless!"

Ichika activated her own Rare Skill, Heliosphere, and charged towards the enemy. She was known as "Miss Perfect," and she demonstrated why as she obliterated a rank of Soldier Ants with the magiesphere and continued onward.

"Sachie, Yuria, and everyone else... we'll all do this together! Komachi!"

Ichika made her pass. Komachi caught it while charging ahead at top speed and slaughtering every Soldier Ant she passed. She was known as the "Matador" for a reason.

"It's not just Irma here. All of us are Lilies. Our hopes will be as one!" said Komachi. "Misaka!" She passed the magiesphere.

"It's finally my turn!" shouted Misaka as she caught the magiesphere. She poured all the magie she had into the bullet.

The only Lilies who hadn't charged the magiesphere yet were Altea, Momiji, and Soraha. After those Lilies had held the magiesphere, it would be strong enough for them to make the finish shot.

Before long, the nestless Ultra was finally looming before them. "Commence the zero-top strategy!" Altea shouted to the others.

The Second Division shifted to the formation for the zero-top strategy.

Hordes of the Huge closed in upon them. "Momiji!" Misaka shouted, passing the magiesphere back towards Momiji, who was in the BZ.

At the same moment as Momiji caught the magiesphere from her position in the far back, the three Lilies in the AZ—Altea, Komachi, and Misaka—fell back to the middle. Their formation now had no top, and thanks to that, passing the magiesphere around would be easier.

When the Lilies changed position, the small-type Soldier Ants reacted by rushing at them. Seeking to destroy the magiesphere, the nestless Ultra was flinging shockwaves of negative magie everywhere. The Lilies of the Second Division evaded each and every threat as they took the new formation.

The gigant-type Soldier Ant charged towards them from the left, intent on interfering. "We need to stop that one, or this formation won't last!" Totori shouted.

"Leave it to me!" Misaka said, raising the Sohaya-no-Tsurugi high and charging at the gigant. "I held out against one of these on Nozomi Bridge, somehow or other. And now you'll all get to watch!"

"Wait! You're going to fight a gigant by yourself again?!" exclaimed Touka, trying to stop her.

Misaka turned around, reaching out with her hand towards Touka. "I'll be fine," she said. "Because you're here this time, Touka. You've got my back, don't you?"

Just then, the gigant-type Soldier Ant took aim and spat a fireball at Misaka.

"Heliosphere!"

Touka activated her Rare Skill, Heliosphere, in order to shield Misaka. A barrier formed around the other Lily, and the fireball dissipated harmlessly against it.

She then launched the bits of her Aspid-Zmey. The four drones flew around in their own trajectories, peppering the gigant-type Soldier Ant with gunfire.

"You're always so selfish, Misaka!" shouted Touka, marching right up to Misaka. "Do you have any idea how much you've made me worry about you?!"

"Touka?" said Misaka, taken aback.

"Back when you were on Nozomi Bridge, I was terrified that we'd get there and find you dead! I'm not strong, so there might not be anything I can do for you except tell you how I feel, but you still mean so, so much to me, Misaka!"

Misaka was stunned by the vehemence of Touka's words.

Despite all that had happened, she still had a place in Touka's heart. A place no less dear than the one Touka held in Misaka's own heart. The realization made her so happy she could hardly contain herself.

It was at that moment that Misaka realized what Touka truly meant to her. She didn't know how to put what she was feeling into words, but she knew that as she faced the future, she wanted Touka to be by her side.

"I've never once thought you weren't strong, Touka. I'm always counting on you for everything," Misaka said. "You've always been there with me to do the things that I can't."

As she spoke, Misaka blasted the gigant-type with cannon fire from her CHARM, dodging its counterattacks.

"Touka, you mean the world to me, too. So, please... let me protect you. When I haven't got it in me to do it alone, let me keep counting on you. And let me keep fighting by your side forever!"

"...Misaka..."

Upon hearing how Misaka felt about her, tears welled up in Touka's eyes.

"...Thank you, Misaka," she said. "I will."

Misaka drew the gigant-type Soldier Ant off to the side, giving Altea and Soraha room to pass the magiesphere. At the same time, Marei moved towards Misaka and engaged the pack of smaller Soldier Ants, pulling them away so they wouldn't go in Altea's direction.

Misaka brought the Sohaya-no-Tsurugi to bear. Magie welled up throughout her entire body.

"I'm going all out, so keep your eyes peeled and don't take 'em off me!"

Just as it had at Nozomi Bridge, Misaka's body shone with dazzling light. The light of her magie spread to envelop the air around her, twinkling like a star.

"Is that light Misaka's power?" Marei said, gazing at the magie surrounding the other Lily. "But what power could that be? I, too, feel strength returning to me. Is this Charisma, like Yuna has? No, it can't be. This is something different..."

Misaka attacked the gigant, the monster screeching when the Sohaya-no-Tsurugi cut into it. As the two fought, the Huge flooded in from the nearby areas. They charged at Misaka, and Touka defended her with the Aspid-Zmey.

As she swung the Sohaya-no-Tsurugi, Misaka shouted to Altea. "Leave this bunch to us!" she said. "The nestless creep's all yours!"

Maintaining the zero-top formation, the Second Division fought their way towards the nestless Ultra. Altea, in the AZ, cleared the space in front of the Ultra by drawing the enemy's attention and then falling back to the middle. Yuna did her part to distract the enemy as well, opening a route for Momiji to pass the magiesphere to Altea from her position in the BZ.

Meanwhile, Komachi was fighting to keep the pass course to Soraha clear, and similarly, Totori was using her Ancile's shield mechanism to force the enemy back and give Momiji room to pass.

A clear path from Momiji to Altea opened at the last second. Totori deployed her Heliosphere barrier, and shouted, "Momiji! The way's open!"

Momiji was ready. She swung the Futsu-no-Mitama, flinging the magiesphere at Altea with everything she had.

"As a Lily of Odaiba, I will put an end to this battle! Altea-san!"

The magiesphere flew forward with the speed and ferocity of a finish shot. But just before it reached Altea, its speed suddenly dropped, making it easy to catch. Momiji was known as the "Pass Artist", for her passes were nothing short of exquisite.

"Your reputation is well-earned, Tsukioka Momiji! Never before have I borne witness to such a beautiful pass!"

Altea cut down three Soldier Ants at once, then moved to intercept the magiesphere. But a large-type suddenly lumbered in front of her, as imposing as a wall.

The large-type tried to crush her, but it was too late—for Altea had already used her Rare Skill, Phantasm. Having read the monster's movements, she dodged the attack with a twist of her body.

"Hmph. One such as you could never stand in the way of the Tyrant."

With a fearless grin, Altea spun gracefully around. She flung the magiesphere in a gentle curve, aiming it directly at the empty space in the center of the AZ, immediately in front of the nestless Ultra. "Soraha!" she shouted.

Amano Soraha rushed in at top speed, in an overlapping run, from her place on the left side.

Soraha was one of the world's strongest Lilies. Even in Legion Álfheimr, her magie capacity and resilience were among the highest. The moment the path was clear, she charged at the nestless Ultra with speed that seemed inhuman. Thanks to her companions drawing the enemy away, nothing stood in her way.

Yuna's Charisma, and Misaka's mysterious power, had restored Soraha to full strength.

Altea and Komachi moved to the vanguard to keep the Huge from approaching, and Momiji readied herself for the minute chance that the magiesphere might be knocked in her direction.

"Sorry, my Ultra friend, but this is it for you!" Soraha shouted. She leapt into the air, catching the magiesphere with the tip of the Gram Extra and instantly pouring her magie into it.



Borne upon the point of the Gram Extra was a magiesphere containing the power of twenty-three Lilies. It shone as brightly and as beautifully as the full moon itself. Soraha was known as the "Wielder of the Blue Moon," and as she moved to make the finish shot, no name was more befitting of the glorious spectacle that she was.

The nestless Ultra swung its arms towards Soraha to crush her.

But at that moment, Soraha stopped moving—the finish shot she'd been setting up for had been a feint. She dodged the Ultra's attack and took aim at its defenseless head. In desperation, the nestless Ultra began flinging shockwaves around again, but Misaka blasted them all away with the cannon of the Sohaya-no-Tsurugi.

"Do it, Soraha!" Misaka shouted.

Soraha leveled her CHARM at the nestless Ultra's face.

"CATCH THIIIS!!!"

She unleashed the finish shot, charged with the overwhelming power of twenty-three Lilies. As she did, the report of her CHARM was like a deafening thunderclap. The nestless Ultra could do nothing to stop her.

Cracks began to run through its body. Bright light shone from within those cracks.

And then, with a flash of light that was nothing short of blinding, the nestless Ultra exploded.

Takegoshi Chihana, and the other Lilies of the First Division, saw the explosion all the way from Uminomori Park.

The Huge had pushed them back as far as the undersea tunnel, and there was nowhere left for them to retreat to. Shirai Yuyu had recovered consciousness and rejoined the battle, but their magie and CHARMs alike were at their limits. Even so, they were determined to fight for as long as they could—and then, they saw an explosion rising from the far shore of Wakasu Park.

With the nestless Ultra gone, the Huge dissolved one after another right before the Lilies' eyes.

Chihana realized that the battle was finally over. She let out a deep sigh. "It seems we managed to do it," she said.

The Lilies of the First, all of them, were exhausted. They dropped to the ground right they stood.

"We wooon! And I'm dooone!"

Kawamura Yuzuriha grinned, her face smeared with dirt, then toppled over. Upon seeing her do so, the other Lilies began to laugh in joy.

Tiuccia Paumgartner and the Fourth Division saw the light of the explosion from Aomi.

They were on the Aomi side of the undersea tunnel, fighting a horde of Huge that the First Division hadn't been able to stop. But then, when a booming sound caused them all to look over to Aomi Park, they saw a sphere of expanding light rising up towards the sky.

"I can scarce fathom it, but it appears victory is ours."

The battle was over, and the Lilies of the Fourth Division collapsed from sheer exhaustion.

On account of all the fighting, Tiuccia's lovely face and her elegant attire had both become filthy. Heedless of that fact, she twirled to face her companions and spread her arms wide, with a brilliant smile.

"Your efforts have been most commendable! Together, let us hold a grand banquet, where I shall recite the tale of this battle in verse!"

The other Lilies looked upon Tiuccia, who hadn't changed a bit, with troubled smiles.

When the light of the explosion faded, the nestless Ultra had disappeared without a trace.

The Soldier Ants and other Huge that had poured out of the giant Cave dissolved into motes of light and vanished, as did the gigant-type Soldier Ant.

Breathing hard with exertion, Misaka gazed at the spectacle before her. "Did we do it?" she asked. "Did we really manage to kill it?"

She looked around to see her sisters-in-arms standing stock still, all of them scarcely able to believe the miracle that they had created.

A few moments later, the dark clouds covering the sky above Odaiba began to break up. The rays of the sun once again shone down upon Odaiba, at first timidly, and then in greater and greater abundance.

The bright sunlight finally convinced the Lilies that it was all real. Smiles began appearing on one face after another.

When Misaka turned to look at Touka, the other girl nodded to her with tears in her eyes.

"We won! We really did it!" Misaka shouted. "All of us did it!" She flung her arms around Touka as the other Lilies all began to celebrate—clapping, hugging each other, and yelling in sheer joy.

In her excitement, Misaka lifted Touka up off the ground. "Stop it, Misaka! This is embarrassing!" Touka protested.



Totori gave the two of them a fed-up look, while Komachi smiled uncertainly. Yuna had collapsed from exhaustion, and Marei and Ichika were making sure she was okay. Momiji, who was nearly as exhausted, had sat down right where she'd been standing. Altea placed a hand on her shoulder, and murmured, "Splendidly done."

Misaka looked over at Soraha, who Ena and Mai had come up to. "Soraha!" she shouted. She jogged over to Soraha and raised her hand high, with a smile on her face. With a loud clap of their hands, the two of them high-fived.

Then Misaka remembered something important. "Oh, right! What about those girls from Odaiba?!" There had been some junior high school girls from Odaiba Girls' School trapped on a shooting range near here.

At that moment, she heard a distant shout of "Hey!", coming from Yokoyama Azusa and Watanabe Akane.

Misaka turned towards them, and saw several young girls in the Odaiba uniform, including Suzuki Chinami and Otake Sunao, being lead out of a nearby building. They collapsed just outside it in exhaustion.

Concerned, Misaka and the other Lilies ran over to them, but Akane gave them a smile. "Everyone's fine," she said.

"Thank goodness..." the Lilies said in unison, letting out sighs of relief.

Then Tono Natsuki, who had contacted the other divisions, shouted to them. "Everyone! The First Division and Fourth Division report no casualities!" she said.

"It really is all over, isn't it?" Touka said to Misaka.

"Yeah," said Misaka, nodding to Touka with a smile. She took Touka's hand in hers. "It's a victory, a miracle, and we made it happen."

The two of them turned, and gazed out upon the sky and sea of Odaiba.

Sunlight glittered on the water, so brightly it was blinding.

On that day, Odaiba was filled with voices of joy.

The appearance of the nestless Ultra had done great damage to Odaiba. But Lilies from Kanto's strongest Gardens had been there, and thanks to all of them, the nestless Ultra was no longer. Moreover, during the battle, not a single person—no Lilies, no soldiers, no civilians—had died.

That's why that battle is etched into the history of the war against the Huge as a miraculous victory.

The Lilies who won that battle each set off towards their own new horizons.

And the legend of the Odaiba Counteroffensive continues to be told to this day.

Assault Lily Wunder The Odaiba Counteroffensive

The End