Anime Multiverse: Building a Pantheon from Scratch

As night fell, rows of streetlights bathed the roads on either side of the apartment in a pale incandescent glow.

In the parking lot, Kirika Tachibana leaned against the back of a small delivery truck, a cigarette between her fingers. She had just resealed the Kusanagi Sword back into the freezer. Her gaze fixed on the brightly lit apartment building illuminated by searchlights not far away. "There were gunshots just now. Still struggling, huh—Miss Sharon?"

"Seems like it," said Chisato Nishikigi, slurping instant noodles from a cup she held, "And I'm pretty sure those were sniper shots too."

"Dragging around that kind of body, no protection whatsoever, and still holding out against a full ops team? That Sharon lady's got grit," she added between bites.

Inoue Takina, overhearing this, immediately corrected her, "That's only because Assault Team A, which launched the direct assault, was wiped out. Only Encirclement Team B and Sniper Team C are still operational. That's the only reason she's lasted this long."

She glanced across the street at the support vehicle, watching as Team A—who had previously retreated—was already rearming and gearing up again. She added flatly, "Team A's regrouped. They're no longer caught off guard, and they've got injuries too. Sharon won't last much longer."

"True enough," Chisato replied, taking another loud slurp of noodles.

From inside the truck, Mizuki Nakahara shouted with annoyance, "Chisato! I told you not to eat something that smells that strong on-site! The stench is wafting all the way in here!"

"But I'm starving!" Chisato retorted immediately, raising her voice. "I just got back from the frontlines, you know! I burned a ton of calories, okay?"

"Well then don't stand in the wind with it! The smell's blowing right in!"

While the two argued, Takina moved closer to Kirika and asked, "Chief, are we really just going to stay on standby like this?"

"Someone else is doing the work for us—isn't that better?" Kirika replied, leaning lazily against the truck. Her tone was laid-back, lacking any of the sarcastic bite she had used earlier when clashing with Ryoko Yakushiji.

"In the end, while Sharon did ambush us first, the reason things have escalated this far is because our SDS unit lacks real deterrence. We need a well-known figure to serve as an example."

She exhaled a puff of smoke, continuing, "When it comes to recovering Abyssal Artifacts, if just any random group can step in and interfere, we'll never get the job done. That's why I decided to get blood on my hands."

"Originally, I wanted to use the effects of the Kusanagi Sword to kill Sharon while it was still active. But honestly, that girl's sudden counterattack caught me off guard—I couldn't guarantee we wouldn't suffer casualties either."

"So, since that woman Yakushiji wants to eliminate her, let her do it. As long as our people come out safe, it's fine. And if the assault team takes losses, that's on her."

Kirika took another drag of her cigarette and exhaled slowly, her eyes narrowing. "The important thing is whether or not this incident will serve as deterrence afterward. Yakushiji might be crazy, but she knows she's in the wrong here. She's only acting this aggressively because someone in her family got into trouble and now, she has to clean it up."

"Hmph, that woman is basically just covering her family's mess. And since she definitely won't want the blame of ambushing a high-ranking demon hunter, in the end, the credit will fall to us."

Kirika's expression turned mischievous as she glanced around at the group. "Also, Takina, do you know why I'm making you all wait here?"

"If Sharon dies, who do you think will get her 'toys'? That Ryoko Yakushiji from the police? Or us?"

Takina froze. So, the real reason they were on standby was to swoop in and steal the Abyssal Artifact once Sharon was taken down? Intercept Yakushiji and claim the loot for themselves?

"Whoa! As expected of our fearless boss—always delightfully underhanded!" Chisato, still eating and eavesdropping, gave Kirika a hearty thumbs-up.

"Just eat your damn noodles," Kirika rolled her eyes, then raised a hand to her earpiece. "Kurumi, did you link into that woman Yakushiji's communications channel yet?"

[It's connected. Want me to play it?] came Kurumi's lazy voice through the earpiece.

Hearing this, Takina, Chisato, and Mizuki all simultaneously pressed their own earpieces in anticipation.

"Play it," Kirika said flatly, squinting toward the distant apartment.

Just then, Ryoko Yakushiji's cold voice came through clearly over the line:

"Team A, post-repair: Groups 1 and 2 will be equipped with Type-20 assault rifles. Form a crossfire network at Points A and B in the lobby. As soon as the target appears on the first floor, empty your mags."

"Roger that!"

"Groups 3 and 4 of Team A, equip FN machine guns. Support Groups 1 and 2 to establish the fire net. Group 5, equip M203 grenade launchers and hold position."

"Team B will be split into two and construct fortifications at the rear entrance of the apartment. Mount the machine guns. Team C's remaining 12 members will watch the main entrance."

"Mortar Team—standby. If Teams A, B, and C all fail again, you are to initiate area bombardment immediately."

"Sniper surveillance units—report target position every five seconds."

Hearing Yakushiji's commands, Chisato exchanged a look with Takina. Both saw the same unease mirrored in each other's faces.

After a moment, Chisato said in a particularly subtle tone, "That level of firepower... for a wounded person? Isn't that a little much?"

Kirika couldn't help but add her own dry comment: "Mortars? In a city zone? That crazy woman never changes. The roadblocks and media handlers are going to have their hands full."

As she muttered, Kirika watched Team A fully equipped and moving in to encircle the apartment's first-floor lobby. Sandbags were piling up on both sides of the road, with Team B scrambling to build temporary cover.

The air was thick with murderous tension.

Seconds ticked by. About two minutes later, a gunshot rang out.

Takina's brows furrowed as she looked up and identified the sound. "That was an M24 sniper rifle."

One second after the shot, the first field report came in.

"Target appeared at the stairwell corner on the first floor. C1 sniper failed. Sniper rifle destroyed. Target has reached the first floor. Repeating—target has reached the first floor."

"Huh?" Chisato blinked in confusion, quickly evaluating based on the sound. After a pause, she said hesitantly, "That shot just now… came from 450 meters away, right? And Sharon… countered in the same moment and destroyed the sniper rifle from 450 meters?"

For a moment, not just Chisato—all of them sensed something wasn't right. A strange thought crept into everyone's mind.

Is the one surrounded in there… really Sharon?