Dimensional Kaguya Ōtsutsuki

However, at that moment, a dazzling light came from behind, accompanied by a sharp gust of wind, as if a bolt of lightning, aiming straight for Kaguya's back.

Clang!

A crisp sound echoed, and sparks flew.

Two figures clashed for a moment before separating.

In the nick of time, Kaguya swung her arm to deflect the attack, but what surprised her was the ferocity of the strike, which, despite catching her off guard, managed to push her back some distance. Although Kaguya wasn't taking things seriously, the fact that her opponent could force her back was remarkable. Since when did the AST unit have someone this powerful?

When Kaguya looked up, she saw a petite figure in blue hovering in the air. The girl had a blue ponytail, deep brown eyes, delicate features, and smooth skin. Beneath her left eye was a small beauty mark.

"Mana Takamiya," Kaguya said, slightly surprised upon seeing the girl in front of her.

She had been with the AST unit for some time and had met Mana several times at the base, so she recognized her. She knew that Mana was the younger sister of the protagonist, Shido Itsuka, from the original story.

Although Mana being sent by DEM to the AST unit was unexpected, it wasn't entirely unreasonable for her to appear here.

"You know me?" Mana Takamiya lowered her laser sword and asked curiously, "I don't think I know you. Are you the Spirit causing destruction?"

"If nothing else, I guess I'm the one you're referring to as the destructive Spirit," Kaguya said, holding her laser sword and smiling. "So, do you have a problem with that?"

"Another Spirit, huh?" Mana's elegant eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Why do you spirits always come out to cause trouble? It's really annoying, you know. Don't you realize how much of a nuisance this is for me?"

"A nuisance?" Kaguya blinked curiously.

"Isn't it?" Mana's lips curled into a smirk, and she hummed softly, "Because now, I'll have to eliminate all of you, and that's going to make things very troublesome for me."

"Oh?" Kaguya chuckled. "You're small, but you sure talk big. What? Aren't you afraid I'll strip you naked and spank you?"

"I'm not afraid, because..." A confident smile appeared on Mana's still-childish face. "You're about to die."

As soon as her words fell, she moved in an instant, appearing right in front of Kaguya. The laser sword in her hand shot forward like lightning, piercing straight into Kaguya's chest.

Blood splattered everywhere.

"A beautiful woman like you, but you're surprisingly dumb," Mana remarked, showing no concern for the blood sprayed on her face. She pushed the sword in even deeper without hesitation, the pure smile on her delicate face turning eerily sinister against the backdrop of blood.

Not far away, Ryouko Kusakabe, who had just been saved by Mana, stared wide-eyed in shock, unable to believe what had just happened. The silver-haired girl who had humiliated her moments ago had just been killed by Mana Takamiya. As expected of the girl DEM called a magical genius.

When Mana Takamiya had first arrived at the AST unit, Ryoko Kusakabe had been skeptical, thinking that no matter how impressive this little girl was, she was still just a child and didn't need to be here. Now, she realized how wrong she had been.

"Well, I almost got killed there."

Suddenly, a warm voice whispered in Mana's ear—it was Kaguya's voice.

At the same time, Mana felt a sudden tightness in her chest. Looking down, her pupils contracted sharply. A pale, delicate hand had slipped through the gap in her equipment and was now groping her chest.

Instinctively, Mana swung her arm to slash at the hand with her laser sword, but before the blade could land, the hand had already withdrawn. Mana spun around to see a dazzling figure in the distance, smiling wickedly—Kaguya, the very person she thought she had killed.

"Who would've thought, you look small on the outside, but you're surprisingly soft to the touch," Kaguya chuckled softly, lifting her hand to her nose and giving it a sniff.

"As expected," Mana's face flushed with anger, her eyes sharpened, and she gripped her laser sword tightly. "Spirits like you deserve to be completely eradicated."

"I'm afraid you don't have the skill, little girl," Kaguya sneered, her eyes gleaming with mockery.

It had only been a clone that Mana killed. While Kaguya wasn't seriously hurt, she was a bit surprised by Mana's sheer strength, which was powerful enough to rival that of a Spirit. Not only that, but her combat skills were advanced—an impressive feat for a fourteen-year-old girl, proving just how talented Mana Takamiya really was.

"Then let's test that," Mana, now fully enraged by Kaguya's teasing, gripped her laser sword tightly. Energy surged from within her, spreading throughout her body, and her equipment hummed as it operated at full capacity, exuding a formidable magical aura.

A fierce battle was imminent.

However, at that moment, Kaguya's expression subtly changed, her eyebrows twitching almost imperceptibly. She glanced into the distance, then turned back to Mana with a slight smile. "I was hoping to play with you a bit longer, but it seems I have something else to attend to. We'll have to continue this another time."

"What, you're running away?" Mana growled, barely containing her fury.

"How could I run? I'm not one to flee," Kaguya laughed lightly. "But you should wash up and prepare to have your butt spanked by me next time."

As soon as she finished speaking, Kaguya's finger traced through the air, creating a dark portal in the void.

"Stop! Don't run!" Mana yelled, panicking. Her equipment flared to full power, and she shot forward like lightning, swinging her laser sword down hard at the black portal.

But Kaguya had already stepped through, and in the blink of an eye, the portal vanished into thin air.

"Damn it!" Mana's face contorted in frustration for the first time, and she furiously swung her laser sword, splitting the building in front of her in two with a thunderous crash. Biting her lip, she growled, "Next time, I will destroy you!"

At this moment, it was already late afternoon. The scorching sun was slowly setting, and the temperature gradually dropped. It was neither too hot nor too cold, with a gentle breeze rustling the leaves, creating a peaceful and serene atmosphere—the perfect time for afternoon tea.

However, in Kaguya's apartment, a fierce battle was raging.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Deafening explosions echoed one after another as massive flames roared into the sky, debris flying everywhere, and dust filling the air. The once magnificent apartment had been reduced to rubble, with walls collapsed and the ground littered with wreckage, leaving nothing but desolation in every direction.

In the sky above, several young girls were locked in intense combat.

On one side were Origami Tobiichi, Tohka Yatogami, and Yoshino; on the other were Ellen and Jessica.

With a dull "bang," Tohka Yatogami was struck in the abdomen by a lightning-fast kick from Ellen, sending her flying like a cannonball. She crashed heavily into a distant wall.

"Ugh!" Tohka spat out a mouthful of blood as she hit the ground.

From a distance, Origami Tobiichi's heart clenched in fear. She hadn't expected Ellen to be so powerful—so much so that even Tohka, who was formidable herself, was no match for her.

"What are you looking at? Hasn't anyone ever told you not to get distracted in battle?" A mocking voice suddenly came from behind her.

Oh no!

Origami thought, realizing the danger too late. She quickly turned to defend herself, but Jessica had already circled around to her back. The massive cannon on Jessica's shoulder began to glow with a searing light, and a beam of energy burst forth in an instant.

"Ah!" Origami, caught off guard, was struck by the beam. Her Realizer Unit's Territory Field only lasted a few seconds before shattering, and the beam broke through her defenses, hitting her directly. The intense pain made Origami groan as her body plummeted from the sky. 

"With that kind of strength, you still thought you could challenge me and my Scarlet Licorice? You're truly overestimating yourself," Jessica sneered, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

Jessica's Realizer Unit was the formidable Scarlet Licorice. Though extremely powerful, it put a massive strain on the user's body, and several past operators had died due to mental overload. Because of these dangers, the equipment had been sealed away. But now, Jessica had somehow obtained it, and judging by Ellen's expression, it was clear that DEM had allowed it.

Watching Origami fall from the sky, Jessica grinned viciously. "Traitor! Collaborating with Spirits is unforgivable. I'll punish you by burning you to ashes."

As soon as she finished speaking, the cannons on Jessica's shoulders began to glow brightly, gathering a massive amount of energy at the barrel. With a loud blast, a searing beam of light cut through the sky, heading straight for the falling Origami.

At that moment, Origami's Realizer Unit was destroyed, and her Territory Field could no longer activate. She had no means of defense left, and if that attack hit her, it would be fatal.

"Origami!"

Suddenly, a giant snow rabbit appeared, its enormous body positioning itself between the beam and Origami just in time.

Boom!

An earth-shaking explosion erupted, shards of ice flew in all directions, and steam billowed like boiling water, filling the air with fog and obscuring visibility.

"What!?" Jessica's face twisted in anger.

It turned out that at the critical moment, Yoshino had appeared, using her angel to block the deadly attack and save Origami.

"Are... are you okay?" Yoshino asked worriedly as she supported Origami, her face full of concern and panic. She was at a loss for how to handle such a situation, so when faced with this, she became flustered and confused.

"So it's you, that useless Spirit—Hermit. You dare to get in my way?" Jessica sneered. "Fine, I'll just take you both out!" As she spoke, the Scarlet Licorice Realizer Unit opened several pitch-black missile ports, and over ten missiles shot out, trailing long flames as they hurtled toward the giant snow rabbit.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The deafening explosions rocked the sky as the snow rabbit was blown apart, ice shards flying everywhere. Yoshino's face paled, and her delicate lips trembled in shock.

"Die! Die! Die!" Jessica cackled maniacally as her cannons and missiles rained down in a storm upon the crumbling ice rabbit.

Yoshino clung desperately to the unconscious Origami, huddled on the snow rabbit, her eyes welling up with tears. Her voice trembling, she called out, "Kaguya-nee, where are you?"

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield…

"I told you, you're no match for me," Ellen said calmly, approaching Tohka with a serene smile on her face. "Or rather, no Spirit is a match for me anymore. Your resistance is pointless. If you surrender now, I might spare you some pain."

"Never! You're dreaming!" Tohka growled, struggling to her feet with the help of her sword, Sandalphon. She wiped the blood from her mouth, her breathing heavy but her eyes filled with determination. "I won't lose to someone as arrogant as you!"

Ellen smirked, letting out a cold laugh. "It seems you still haven't learned your lesson. If you insist on being stubborn, then I'll have to teach you the hard way." As soon as she finished speaking, Ellen swung her arm, and her laser sword slashed through the air like lightning, colliding with Sandalphon.

With a deafening crash, Sandalphon shattered under the force, and Tohka let out a pained groan as she was thrown into the distance like a rag doll, slamming into the ground.

Coughing up more blood, Tohka tried to stand, but before she could fully rise, Ellen's laser sword was already pressed against her throat.

"Do you finally understand the difference in our strength?" Ellen sneered. "There's no point in continuing. And if you're waiting for her to come, I'd suggest you give up now—she's not coming."

"Who said I'm not coming?" A sweet voice suddenly rang out.

Ellen's eyes widened, and she quickly turned to face the direction of the voice.

A stunning silver-haired girl emerged from the shadows, her clear, beautiful eyes flashing with cold light. "It seems some interesting things happened while I was away," Kaguya said icily, her voice dripping with menace. "It looks like some people haven't learned their lesson. It seems I've been too kind lately. But since you're so eager to die… then you shall die."

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