Hey, Tatsuya...
Seriously?
I'll be calibrating your CAD. Just accept it.
No use griping about something that's been decided.
Got it, Tatsuya.
Whatever... I guess we're gonna have to kick some butt!
Then let's plan our strategy for tomorrow.
Let's start with formation.
Leo, I want you on defense.
No problem.
But what exactly does a defender do?
You protect your own Monolith from enemy attacks.
You do know what you have to do to win Monolith Code, don't you?
Either knock out the other team,
or enter the code hidden inside the Monolith into a terminal, right?
Right, and in order to read that hidden code,
you need to fire a special Magic Sequence with a maximum range of 10 meters at the Monolith.
Meaning that the defense's job is to keep the enemy from getting within 10 meters of the Monolith.
And to jam up the enemy so they can't read the code
even if they do punch that special code into the Monolith.
That's right.
But how do we hold off the enemy?
We can't use physical attacks, right?
I mean, I'm so bad at Remote Attack Spells it's not even funny.
I'm thinking of using this.
Direct attacks without the use of magic are off-limits,
but using a spell to hurl a mass at the enemy wouldn't be a violation.
I see.
Next, I'd like you to handle guerilla tactics, Mikihiko.
Guerilla tactics?
Your job is to backup both offense and defense.
Tatsuya.
What is it?
Tatsuya, you said it yourself, didn't you?
That my... the Yoshida family's magic spells are too convoluted,
and that's why I can't wield my magic the way I want to...
Right.
I admit that my spell that day was camouflaged to obscure the true nature of the spell.
But I think that's probably what led to those redundancies you pointed out.
Back when lengthy incantations were necessary, such tactics would have been effective.
But not so for modern-day magic, which has been accelerated by the use of CADs.
Right, I get it.
So Ancient Magic, which is more powerful in terms of potency,
has no chance against modern-day magic.
That's where you're wrong, Mikihiko.
Going head-to-head, modern-day magic,
with its vastly superior activation speeds, has the edge, but that's it.
In terms of extrasensory surprise attacks,
the powerful and stealthy Ancient Magic would surely have the upper hand.
The Elder, Mr. Kudou said so himself.
How you use it is key.
I recommended you
because I thought that your Ancient Magic ambushing skills would be a powerful weapon for us.
Ambushing, huh?
That's the first time anyone brought that up.
Gotcha! I'm putting my faith in you, Tatsuya.
Thanks, Mikihiko.
8-10 / Eighth day of the competition Rookie Event Monolith Code Qualifying First High School vs. Eighth High School
Eighth High School vs. First High School
There he is.
You're right.
I never thought he'd appear as a player, though.
Let's see what he's capable of.
What?
Don't tell me that was Gram Demolition?
But that's...
Gram Demolition...
Spell Dismantling, huh?
I did have my suspicions, but you can use it after all, Tatsuya.
You mean you know what that was just now?
Spell Dismantling...
Bullets made of compressed Psion particles are fired directly at the target,
bypassing the Idea Dimension, and detonate.
Any Psion information bodies with magic information recorded onto them,
like extra Activation Sequences or Magic Sequences, are blasted away with this Counter Magic spell.
Aside from its short range, it has no real flaws.
Among counter-magic spells in actual use, it's the most powerful,
but hardly anyone can use it.
Then just as we thought, the accident that day...
They did it! The Monolith is opening!
Why are they moving away, when the Monolith just opened up?
Even for my brother, entering 512 characters while under enemy fire would be no easy feat.
Where are you?
Stop hiding! Show yourselves!
The rest is up to you, Tatsuya.
That must have been Resonance just now. The Non-Systematic type.
So he took down his opponent by causing resonance between biological waves and Psions?
Looks like it's game over.
They won! They won!
Awesome, awesome, awesome! They won hands-down! Hands-down!
Your brother totally owned them!
Congratulations, Miyuki!
Yes... Thanks!
George, how would you take him on?
I can't shake the feeling that he's totally battle-tested.
The way he carries himself, his anticipation, his positioning...
If you ask me, we should be more wary of his combat skills than his magic skills.
And how are his magic skills?
Let's see...
I was stunned by the Spell Dismantling, but as for that final Resonance,
despite setting up an impeccable ambush from behind,
it wasn't enough to knock his opponent unconscious.
I'm guessing that he's unable to wield magic that powerful.
I don't think you need to be wary of anything but that Spell Dismantling.
What you do need to watch out for is falling into his traps.
Meaning that there's no reason to fear a frontal assault?
Right.
How to force him into a head-to-head...
If you can figure that out, you'll win, Masaki.
Even if the match is set on the Open Plains Stage,
our victory is almost a dead certainty.
Nine Schools Competition Part VIII
8-10 / Eighth day of the competition Rookie Event Monolith Code Qualifying First High School vs. Second High School
Mikihiko, let's do this.
Roger.
I can see it.
Tatsuya, I found it.
The Monolith's position is...
Roger that.
All right!
Halt!
You're playing dirty!
I can understand not using Decomposition,
but isn't he cutting too many corners by not using either Flash Cast or Elemental Sight as well?
He must have a reason for wanting to keep them under wraps.
You do know that, don't you?
But I'm pretty sure that he'll end up using Flash Cast.
He'll be playing in the final next.
After all, even he...
...can't very well battle the Prince and the Cardinal armed only with a low-spec CAD.
Brother...
The final round starts at 1 pm.
I think you should get a little rest...
No, there's Third High's match at noon.
I can't afford to miss it.
Brother Tsugu!
What are you doing in a place like this?
You're supposed to be in Thailand on business till next week, as a kenjutsu instructor!
Why did you come here?
Erika... Calm down a little.
Brother, I don't want to believe it,
but you have left your duties to meet up with this woman, haven't you?
No... I told you, settle down...
I didn't abandon my duties to come here, all right?
Erika, at school I'm still your senior, you know.
Calling me "this woman" is out of line.
Ever since you got involved with this woman, you've become corrupted, Brother!
A master of Chiba Style Kenjutsu like yourself, forsaking his training for cheap magic tricks!
Erika!
Honing your skills means constantly incorporating new techniques.
That's why I'm doing this. Mari has nothing to do with it.
As for today, I was beside myself hearing about Mari's injury. That's all there is to it.
As it is, you're the one who should feel shame as a daughter of the Chiba family
for your rude behavior and remarks.
Come on, Erika, apologize to Mari.
I refuse.
Erika!
I refuse!
Nothing will change my mind!
Ever since you began seeing this woman, you've become corrupted, Brother Tsugu!
That stupid brother of mine is being seduced by that woman...
But he's a world-class swordsman, isn't he?
Even if you're being spiteful, you shouldn't say "stupid brother."
Huh?
How'd you know about that?
I heard about it from my brother.
Oh, right. Of course Tatsuya would know about Big Bro Naotsugu.
Erika.
Just because you're with us, that's no reason to start calling him something else.
It's Brother Tsugu, isn't it?
Oh, hey, forget about that!
That's so not me, all right?
Now, now, you adore Naotsugu, don't you?
I do not!
So you've got a brother complex, Erika.
You're the last person I want accusing me of that! You little bro-con queen!
8-10 / Eighth day of the competition Rookie Event Monolith Code Semifinals Third High School vs. Eighth High School
Halt!
Interference Armor, huh?
I thought that Move-Type Area Interference was the Jumonji clan's specialty.
Damn!
Take that!
First High School
He's exceeded our expectations, that Ichijo prince.
Somehow, his style seemed similar to yours, Jumonji.
I don't know if he's intentionally mimicking my style or not,
but it's definitely a challenge to Shiba, who's daring him to trade gunfire head-on.
A challenge?
And Shiba is sure to take the bait.
So he's going to lure me into head-to-head combat by deliberately opening himself up?
But this puts us in a bind, since taking the bait gives us our greatest chance for victory.
Impressive, Cardinal George...
Seriously, he's got us...
Totally! What kind of defensive power is that?
Not even getting a glimpse of any other players' hands besides Ichijo's is another blow...
I can more or less predict what Kichijoji will do.
The Cardinal Code that Shinkuro Kichijoji discovered is a Weight-Type Plus Code.
The event he competed in was Speed Shooting.
In that case, his specialty spell must be Invisible Bullet.
Cardinal Code?
I thought I'd heard the name Shinkuro Kichijoji somewhere before...
So he's Cardinal George, huh?
Right, so it's not as if Ichijo's the only player we need to look out for.
Still...
Before we start worrying about the Cardinal and the Prince,
we've got that match against Ninth High.
8-10 / Eighth day of the competition Rookie Event Monolith Code Semifinals First High School vs. Ninth High School
Dammit!
Where the hell did that come from?
Hey, look at you, Miki.
You haven't changed at all.
What, Erika?
No, no, it's nothing.
Hey... What are you doing here?
Since I have some time before the final, I came to see Mt. Fuji.
What about you, Erika? Why are you here on your own?
I came here to be alone.
I think...
Mikihiko...
What?
Do you feel it?
You came to suffuse yourself with energy, right?
So are you feeling it?
Mikihiko?
Oh, sorry.
Uh...
Erika, why are you calling me Mikihiko?
Well?
Are you absorbing the energy of the sacred mountain?
Mikihiko, have you noticed?
You're able to use magic just like you were before that accident,
back when you were known as the "Yoshida Family's child prodigy."
No, you're beyond that, I think.
Sense Tuning, Mist Barrier, Energy Absorption...
you're able to do them all as naturally as breathing.
Good for you!
If you can keep this up, Miki, you'll have nothing to fear from Third High!
Give it your all in the final, okay?
My name is Mikihiko.
Seriously...
I'm a counselor, not an errand girl.
It was Master who asked you to transport that, not me.
But you're right.
If you're not happy running errands,
then perhaps you're not interested in a tax-free windfall?
What do you want me to do?
Please find out where No Head Dragon's base is located.
How did you know about No Head Dragon?
I believe it's a no-brainer to look into the identity of an enemy that means you harm.
What do you have in mind?
Right now, I'm not planning to do anything.
But since I would be uneasy not knowing the enemy's whereabouts when it's time to strike back...
By the way...
I think people would get the wrong idea if they saw us like this.
So it's insurance.
You're free to make that inference.
All right. Give me a day.
Commendable. Just one day?
So the final will be played on the Open Plains Stage?
Monolith Code Finals First High School VS. Third High School Held At The Open Plains Stage
It's just as you predicted, George.
We've lucked out, Masaki.
All we have to do now is see if he takes the bait...
There's no question that he'll take it.
With no obstructions on the Open Plains Stage,
he'll have no chance of winning unless he engages in a head-on, one-on-one shootout.
Precisely because he's got the Gram Demolition trump card,
he'll have no choice but to use that as his way out, huh?
Exactly, Masaki.
This will seal our victory in Monolith Code.
Right. Let's do it.
Nine Schools Competition Part IX
NEXT TIME