Blue Archive: Free Princess Mika!

Thump, thump.

I knocked on the barrier with the back of my hand and realized this: I can’t break it with my bare hands. Probably.

Even if Mika’s body is incredibly powerful, it’s not limitless.

For instance, if someone asked me to take on a prophet like Vina with just my fists, I would seriously beat that guy up. There are things you just can’t do.

“Rion, you…”

[You figured it out.]

“…”

[That’s right. That barrier was specially made by reprocessing Vina’s remains.]

An image appeared above the barrier. It showed a desk that perfectly matched the one in her office and Rion sitting in front of it.

Her face was so serene that you couldn’t find a trace of tears anywhere…

“Uh, you didn’t wipe your cheeks well enough.”

[…?!]

Seeing Rion’s hand immediately go to her cheek told me… our Rion had cried after all. She looks all tough, but she’s such a soft-hearted kid.

“Umm, still. This doesn’t feel like the right time for jokes… Rion-chan, you know you’re not thinking about what comes next at all, right?”

[Right. I currently don’t have the luxury to worry about such trivialities. The situation is that if I don’t give my all to the problem at hand right now, success is not guaranteed. In a situation like this, acting all carefree could… lead to a huge disaster.]

Rion, sitting at her desk, tapped on something, and the content of the image above the barrier changed.

“Ugh…”

It clearly showed Neru, who was being unilaterally beaten, and Toki mounted on Aabi Eshuh.

[The strategy you prepared is undoubtedly the strongest one you’ve devised in less than half a day. I’ll admit that.]

“Honestly, this situation might be a bit troublesome…”

[But the fact that even that fell within my predictions… must truly be unfortunate for you and Neru.]

I couldn’t just stand by and watch as my reinforcements, Neru, got wrecked. I had to find a way out of here. And I had to help Neru…

[You took to heart Himari’s words telling you to be suspicious of me, but it’s just not enough. I’ve put everything on the line for this, Mika.]

“…”

[What about you? What have you resolved, what have you prepared, and what are you willing to fight for——]

“Rion-chan. Do we really have to go this far?”

I blurted it out, feeling a bit hurt.

Rion seemed momentarily flustered, flinching slightly. Even I could hear the sorrow dripping from what I just said.

[…Right. Mika, even though we made a resolution to prevent the destruction of Kivotos together, we can never just adopt the enemy’s methods. We have our own firmly established value system.]

“It was just a matter of compromising and finding a middle ground…”

[Impossible. When it comes to deciding Aris’ life or death, how can we find that middle ground? Sure, maybe we could find compromises in other areas, but since we differ fundamentally on the most important issue… there can be no compromise.]

I had to help Neru. But for that, I had to escape this place… and there was a problem.

First of all, this barrier. It wasn’t just blocking the path between Rion and me.

Even when I briefly entertained the crazy thought of escaping through a glass window hundreds of meters high, I couldn’t act on it. There was a barrier in front of the glass, after all.

There was also a barrier blocking the way I came in. I was like a rat caught in a trap.

As long as I was surrounded by this unbreakable barrier, I had no way out… four sides?

Then, what about going around in the other direction…

Testing the floor with my foot made me frown. It felt like any shock I could make would be completely absorbed.

[It’s a futile struggle, Mika. You might want to give up the hopeful notion that I’ve left some weak point. This building was originally designed as a trap to catch you. The thickness of the floor alone is equivalent to an entire level. The ceiling is the same.]

“…Wow, that’s really ruthless.”

[I’ll take that as a compliment. Now, it seems like the fight over there is slowly coming to an end.]

Sighing upon hearing Rion’s words, I realized that Toki, mounted on Aabi Eshuh, was completely pummeling Neru, to the point she couldn’t even properly counterattack.

They were dominated in speed. With the power of the machine, they were dominated in strength. In the most crucial tactical aspect, Neru was completely read.

It was the very peak of unreasonableness, denying even the chance to change positions in an unfavorable battlefield. Such a battle was unfolding right before my eyes.

If anyone were to witness this fight, they would seriously doubt if this was the strongest fighter in the Millennium.

To put it frankly, I wouldn’t have confidence in beating that thing either. It was something that could very well rival a Decagramaton prophet all by itself.

[That’s a blade honed to catch you, Mika. Naturally, it makes sense that it would lead to such a result in Toki thrusting something like that at Neru.]

Was I really this powerless?

Clenching my teeth, I approached the barrier.

Should I call it Vina’s exoskeleton? If the barrier was made by reprocessing that, then I couldn’t be absolutely sure I could break it with my strength.

But I had to break it.

I couldn’t just sit still watching Neru not give up in such an absurd battle.

After all, I’d asked for help, and here I was ready to give up first. Where else would there be a more pathetic sight than that?

So,

BANG!!!

I struck the barrier right in front of me. With all my strength, I swung my fist and managed to leave a visible mark on the barrier.

[Mika, why… why don’t you just give up?]

And yet, it stood strong.

Once doesn’t work? Then let’s try twice.

BANG!!!

If twice doesn’t work, then four times.

BANG——!!!

If that isn’t enough, then I’ll keep going until it works…

[Mika, stop…!]

Rion. You thought I couldn’t break this mere barrier?

If that’s the case… I might just be a bit disappointed.

[Mika, please… stop. I’m telling you to stop.]

The moment my final concentrated strike landed on the barrier,

BOOOOOOOOM——!!!

I was confident I’d succeeded. And that confidence was rewarded.

Finally, a hole was made in the barrier. I shoved my hand through, grabbing both sides of the hole and pushing once more. With all my might, I tried to widen it enough for a person to pass through.

Gah…

“Mika…!”

…I couldn’t quite widen it enough to pass through comfortably. However, seeing the hole made just wide enough to squeeze through, I managed a grin.

Yeah, I told you, this thing won’t—

“Why, why are you doing this…?!”

“Rion…-chan…?!”

Just as I was about to squeeze through the gap I’d barely managed to create, a strange sight caught my eye.

Rion was kneeling on the ground with her hand outstretched, reaching for me. And then she grabbed my hand—

Ahh…?!

“This, this can’t be…”

That was when I realized the state my hand was in. Bandaged and bloodied, it barely resembled a fist by the time Rion’s hand touched mine, sending agony shooting through me.

It was a complete mess. Only that word could describe the pitiful shape my hand was in. Rion held onto my hand, trembling, and her next words sounded like those of a weeping child.

“Don’t, don’t think that this will change anything, Mika… I absolutely cannot give up on this, no matter what. Even if you push yourself like this to come to me, you’ll never surpass the cards I’ve prepared… Struggling to this degree is all meaningless… But then why—!”

“No. Rion-chan, whether this is meaningless or not isn’t up to you. That’s up to me… Cough, really…”

Gosh, this hurts like hell…

“I trapped you in there because it was my final consideration. I didn’t want to see you get hurt, that’s all.”

Rion, holding my hand with both of hers, bit her lip fiercely, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Then, those tears gathered, forming droplets that trickled down her cheeks.

“The Aabi Eshuh was originally prepared to contend with nameless goddess princesses. But I didn’t think it would be enough to defeat you… No, this isn’t what I wanted to talk about. One last thing I ask: please, stop struggling any more than this, Mika. I beg you…”

“…But Neru-chan is still fighting. You want me to give up? Are you kidding—”

SHATTER!!!

Just as I was about to ask if she thought I would give up here, the glass shattered.

And beyond that, a figure appeared… Toki, grabbing Neru in the clutches of Aabi Eshuh.

Thump, Neru fell to the floor. Her Halo had already lost its light.

“According to orders, I have subdued the Colossus Double-O. The damage to the unit is within 5%.”

“…Good. Good work, Toki.”

Rion let go of my hand and stood up. With a swift motion, Rion wiped her tears and then looked at me with a cold expression, as if to ask if she had ever shown a weak side.

“I hope you don’t think of trying any further. Remember, if you keep fighting any longer, only you will end up bleeding.”

“Rion…!”

Rion seemed to uphold her cold face, trying to convey that she was merely stalling for time while waiting for Toki to finish off Neru.

But rushing to feign a cold front didn’t hide her vulnerable feelings.

Once again, I looked at Neru, and I had to admit that I was wrong from the very start. If I had openly traveled alongside her instead of leading her to follow me, we might have been in a better situation… But here I was, unnecessarily overthinking things…

“Give up, Mika.”

“…Sorry, Rion-chan. I can’t quite hear you. Just stay right there and wait, okay?”

Beyond the hole, I saw Rion letting out a small sigh.

“…Toki.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

In an instant, Toki’s Aabi Eshuh stood in front of the hole and swung a fist directly at me. Just barely raising my arm to block it, I tried hard to ignore the pulsing sensation radiating from my arm.

Aabi Eshuh greatly widened the hole. It kept expanding, making it big enough for itself to fit through.

Finally, Toki, having fully opened the hole, came over to face me.

Her opponent was a fully armed Toki with Aabi Eshuh.

Whether I had confidence in winning or not no longer mattered. The only thing left was the fact that losing was not an option.