“Little girl, this isn’t a place for someone like you to be alone.”
A middle-aged man, appearing to be a security guard, spoke to Mana Takamiya.
“How troublesome. It won’t do to keep treating me like a child. It’s quite vexing.”
As Mana Takamiya spoke, she produced a business card and handed it to the security guard.
Upon seeing the card, the guard’s expression immediately shifted.
He stammered, “My apologies, I didn’t realize you were a Magician from DEM Corporation. Your private jet will be ready momentarily.”
“Very well, I’ll wait here for a while.”
Mana Takamiya found a random seat in the airport and settled down.
‘Japan, is it? Though it’s my homeland, I have virtually no memories of it.’
Indeed, Mana Takamiya possessed no recollections of her past.
She had forgotten why she was in England, or how she came to possess such high compatibility as a Magician.
Yet, there remained one solitary clue regarding Mana Takamiya’s history.
‘My elder brother.’
Mana Takamiya withdrew a small necklace from her pocket, inside which lay a childhood photograph of a brother and sister.
The sister, with a tear mole at the corner of her eye and a neat ponytail, was undeniably Mana Takamiya.
The brother, however, had a relatively neutral face, smiling gently in a way that instilled a sense of peace in anyone who looked upon him.
‘Elder brother, are you well? This trip to Japan, Mana Takamiya will surely find your whereabouts.’
Mana Takamiya silently solidified her resolve within her heart, then picked up her luggage, preparing to board the plane.
“Miss, you can’t bring pets in here.”
“Oh my, oh my, excuse me, sir, but I’m actually on my way out!”
“Tch, I don’t care who let you in; pets simply aren’t allowed here.”
It was a mundane conversation, one that ordinarily shouldn’t have captured Mana Takamiya’s attention.
However, when a voice, both familiar and strange, echoed in her ears, she instinctively turned around.
Before Mana Takamiya’s eyes stood a young lady, clearly Asian, cradling a cat and arguing with the security guard.
Yet, the young lady’s appearance immediately put Mana Takamiya on high alert.
Long black hair was styled into two braids of differing lengths, falling gracefully over her shoulders.
A fringe covered the left half of her face, which possessed astonishing beauty, revealing only a mesmerizing wine-red right eye and delicate, cherry blossom-pink lips.
Her skin was pallid, almost sickly, and her waist seemed so slender it could break with a gentle squeeze.
Dressed in a black Gothic Lolita outfit, with black stockings encasing her two slender legs, she wore sturdy black ankle boots.
Amidst such beauty, there was a charm capable of captivating any man with a single glance, and a voice as alluring as a siren’s song.
But Mana Takamiya knew this was merely a facade.
The seemingly frail girl before her was, in fact, an exceptionally dangerous entity.
The most perilous Spirit—Nightmare.
Had Mana Takamiya not encountered Nightmare before, she would have found it impossible to believe that this beautiful girl was responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands.
Moreover, Mana Takamiya had killed her time and again, only for her to reappear perfectly unharmed each time.
Regardless of Nightmare’s objective, Mana Takamiya knew she had to seize this opportunity to stop her.
Pressing her finger against the emergency activation device on her forehead, Mana Takamiya resolved that if Nightmare made a move, she would use it to activate her Realizer and eliminate her.
As for the commotion it might cause, Mana Takamiya could only rely on DEM Corporation’s memory wipe squad to handle it.
“Oh my, oh my, how troublesome. In that case, pretend I was never here, Miss Qianye, I’m counting on you.”
Just as Mana Takamiya prepared to act, the cat in Nightmare’s arms suddenly let out a “Meow,” and a wave of pink light surged outwards, engulfing the surroundings.
“Huh, what was I about to do?”
Mana Takamiya stood frozen, touching her head, vaguely recalling an intention to do something, but utterly unable to grasp what that something was.
“Magician-sama, your aircraft is ready.”
The reception staff began to urge her.
“Oh, I remember now. I’m taking a plane to Japan.”
Only then did Mana Takamiya recall her purpose, and she quickly picked up her luggage and boarded the plane.
‘Still, I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve forgotten something.’
****
“Ahahahahahaha!” Kurumi’s laughter was fractured and unsettling. “Then, let’s begin!”
Kurumi stood on a rooftop, gazing at London’s iconic Big Ben, her eerie laughter echoing.
Then, pivoting on her right leg, she spun in a full circle, as black and crimson Spirit energy surged from the shadows on the ground.
Her black Gothic Lolita dress transformed into a battle-ready red and black Astral Dress.
The left side of her face, previously obscured, was now revealed, displaying a left eye like a golden clock face to the world.
“Now then, let the prologue unfold!”
In that instant, the Spacequake alarm blared throughout London.
****
“A Spacequake alarm? Here?”
Isaac Ray Peram Westcott, who had been sipping tea, set down his cup, a pleased expression gracing his features.
Ellen Mira Mathers, conversely, wore a somewhat displeased look, remarking to Isaac Ray Peram Westcott with discontent, “Ike, for a Spirit to manifest here, it’s practically spitting in the face of me, the strongest Magician!”
“A Spirit’s manifestation isn’t something they can decide themselves, Ellen,” Isaac Ray Peram Westcott replied.
“However, we can’t rule out the possibility of a Spirit deliberately causing a Spacequake.”
“Then why would she do such a thing?”
“Does that truly matter? What matters is that Ellen, the strongest Magician, is right here.”
Hearing Isaac Ray Peram Westcott’s words, Ellen Mira Mathers couldn’t help but lift her head with a hint of arrogance.
“Coincidentally, with SSS’s Artemisia Bell Ashcroft currently unconscious, who else but Ellen could defeat a Spirit?”
Isaac Ray Peram Westcott folded his arms across his chest, a delighted smile playing on his lips.
“Perfect, Material A also needs a companion.”
****
“Hee hee hee… hee hee hee… hahahaha, the British Magicians are hardly impressive, are they?”
Kurumi laughed maniacally, unleashing a hail of bullets upon the SSS Magician squad members.
She managed to suppress even those Magicians wielding Gatling guns.
“Such immense firepower! Is this the power of a Spirit?”
“Oh my, oh my, to think that SSS, with equipment superior to the AST, would be so lacking in experience. It seems this mission will be—ah!”
Kurumi painfully arched her head, a bullet having pierced through her chest.
With her last reserves of strength, she looked back, spotting a hidden Magician sniper who had delivered the fatal blow.
“I was careless…”
Having uttered her final words, Kurumi collapsed to the ground, motionless.
The Magicians cautiously advanced, and only after confirming Kurumi was undeniably dead did they erupt in cheers.
“We defeated a Spirit with our own strength! We truly lived up to Artemisia Bell Ashcroft’s expectations!”
“Oh my, oh my, while it’s impolite to interrupt your celebration, the game isn’t over yet.”
“What?”
The sweet yet perilous voice, characteristic of Nightmare, rang out once more.
The Magicians turned in unison towards the source of the sound, only to see three identical girls smiling at them with deadly intent.
“Three Nightmares? How is this possible?!”