Compared to her delicate sister Aki, Mai’s beauty was like a bold streak of rouge painted by an artist.
“Not twins, are you?” Caesar observed for a moment.
“Twins, biologically speaking, but not identical. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be such an ugly duckling, always lacking confidence.” The captain spoke nonchalantly, looking out the window.
She seemed a bit upset, which made her beauty appear more real. This expression made the boys aiming their guns at her feel reluctant to pull the trigger.
“You didn’t want to cover your face? Revealing your identity openly is fine too? Seems like Cassell College is seen as a place for casual visits now,” Caesar said.
“I’ve tried covering up, but it’s not effective,” Mai shrugged habitually. “People remember my body more than my face. I can’t exactly walk around covered in an Arab robe.”
Caesar nodded slightly. “Yes, especially for men, it’s hard not to be impressed.”
For Mai, her overly perfect appearance was her greatest flaw. Even if all the girls present wore white ballroom gowns and stood side by side, Mai would still stand out with her stunning figure, immediately attracting all the men’s gazes.
“Alright, what exactly do you want to say? Let’s start fighting.” Sakatoku Mai lost patience and pursed her lips. “Don’t expect me to show any weakness because of grief over my sister. Aki and I didn’t grow up together, so we don’t have any sisterly bond. Besides, I’m completely different from that ugly duckling.”
“I can see that.” Caesar nodded. “How do you plan to start?”
Mai thought for a moment, then took out her phone and placed it on the nearby podium. “How about like in Western movies? When the music ends, we start.”
“Ashitaka Sekki?” Caesar asked.
“Yes, Ashitaka Sekki. You know it, and so do I. When the music ends, we start.” Mai pressed the play button.
Caesar stood up, unbuttoned his suit, and lifted both “Desert Eagles” in his hands. Sakatoku Mai raised an eyebrow—she suddenly looked sharp, dazzling like the glint of a blade, making others afraid to approach. Behind them, more than ten guns were aimed at each side, with thousands of bullets in their magazines.
The music began, as if in a primeval forest, countless fireflies dancing while spirits sang ancient dirges. So much loneliness and sorrow merged into a grand symphony.
“The song is 2 minutes and 39 seconds long. The nearest C Group will need four minutes to get here. Who do you think will still be standing 1 minute and 21 seconds after the music stops?” Mai looked into Caesar’s icy blue eyes, an intense, blade-like aura emanating from hers.
“No one will come to support here unless I fall. Everyone will stay at their positions, guarding all the entrances to the Three Goddesses’ layer. We won’t fall for any diversion tactics. According to surveillance footage, you have thirteen people, but I only see twelve here.”
“Sharp, but not entirely accurate. There are two more. Professor Schneider really has full confidence in you to handle this place.”
“Can you tell me where the other two are headed?”
“One is heading towards the church, and the other seems to be lost.”
The music continued, with the combination of string and wind instruments. The spirits sang with tears flying, fireflies scattered, and the voice of the erhu broke through, expressing an emotion akin to a mountain of sorrow piled up at the top of the clouds—a lonely child holding a lantern that couldn’t guide the way.
Both leaders spoke slowly, seemingly drawn in by the music, their tone distracted. The tension of imminent battle that hung between their two teams began to dissipate.
“Thank you,” Caesar smiled.
“No problem, it’s not like you can do anything now. The woman giving the orders—although she always just eats chips and issues remote commands with a laid-back attitude—is, deep down, a true queen. Her orders may be illogical and demand 100% execution, but she’s never made a mistake in planning. And the one going after Chu Zihang now is a zero-degree, “three-no’s” girl: no emotions, no desires, no cooperation. She always wears a cold face and can never work well with anyone, but as far as I know, she’s never failed a mission.” Mai shrugged. “Compared to them, you should be glad I’m the easiest one to deal with in this team.”
“What are your objectives?”
“The remains of the Dragon King Norton.”
“So honest. Anything else?”
“A new era.”
“A new era? You fancy yourselves revolutionaries? Want a new era like Japan after the Meiji Restoration?”
“Far newer than that,” Mai said softly, a mist-like haze suddenly passing through her beautiful eyes, with a stunning brilliance behind the haze.
“Seeing a pair of beautiful eyes full of longing for that era—it’s hard not to look forward to it too.” Caesar lowered his head.
He began to count. The music had already reached its final climax, with the last long note lasting fifteen seconds, as if the ancient forest guardian, silent for thousands of years, watched the endless road with wrinkled eyes. He felt a little glad that, besides liking Puccini, he had also studied Japanese anime soundtracks.
The music seemed to be abruptly cut off!
The sound of eleven guns firing was like a single shot. Each gun accurately fired two bursts of three rounds—sixty-six bullets in total left the barrels. The music ended abruptly, not as planned with the 15-second long note. Sakatoku Mai’s version of “Ashitaka Sekki” ended with a triumphant march.
Before the students of Group B could pull the trigger, they were each hit by a bullet. Something impossible for ordinary people had become a reality for these intruders. The triple-shot bursts were supposed to form a tight group of three bullets to tear through a target, but in the hands of these attackers, the shots diverged. Instead of targeting a single opponent with three shots, they each targeted three different people!
In that moment of shock, the battle tilted sharply to one side.