A few hours later, Cloe's wishes were almost fulfilled when her companions were brought before Yukihime.
"Yukihime-sama! Is it really you!?" (Kohaku)
Kohaku was the first to notice her, followed by Kuro, who was resisting against the guards escorting them to their destination. Kimiko had been dragged forcibly, seemingly showing no signs of resistance, her eyes empty as if devoid of hope. Fumio was the last to be dragged in front of the [omega mage], who could not contain her relief at seeing them alive.
"Guys, are you...." (Yukihime)
Defining their physical state as fine would have been an appropriate analysis from Yukihime, but the years she had lived taught the vampire to see beyond what her eyes could perceive.
"(They are deeply wounded, all of them.)"
The 200 years she had behind her were useful here, in seeing through their happiness at being saved.
"(I've arrived too late... damn it, I should have come sooner... where is Hajime?)"
Before anyone could say more, a side door opened, and Kugutsu entered the room. The artificial vampire wasted no time. In an almost instantaneous motion, she was in front of the serial killer. Before anyone could stop her, Yukihime had already grabbed the [Black Corps] by the throat, slamming her with uncontrollable fury against the nearest metal wall, which bent under the pressure exerted. Ice began to appear on the floor, immobilizing the feet of every [Black Corps] in the room and instantly freezing the dolls around them.
Kuro, Kimiko, and Fumio did not waste the opportunity given to them. Cloe's stepbrother used his elbow to strike his escort's sternum before delivering a backward kick to the stomach. Fumio limited himself to making his enemy fall forward with a martial arts move. Before Kugutsu's two subordinates could move, the ice ended up covering every part of their bodies. The last one among them, the one holding Kohaku, ended up being surrounded by the two [New Dawn], who were still tired, mentally wounded, and powerless, but more than ready to fight.
"Stop! Or the [esper] dies!"
"Let me go! Don't worry about me! Kill this bastard!" (Kohaku)
Before someone could make a move, a voice halted all hostility.
"What do you think you're doing, [New Dawn]?! These weren't the terms!" (Kugutsu)
"Don't call your dolls, and tell those hidden in this room to stop approaching my subordinates, or I'll tear your head from your body this instant!" (Yukihime)
Tightening her grip on her throat, Yukihime made her threat clear. The serial killer felt so much fear that she couldn't hide it while stopping her dolls from attacking the vampire's subordinates.
"I thought you would respect the terms!" (Kugutsu)
"I am, but you told me they were unharmed!" (Yukihime)
"They are! Can't you see!?" (Kugutsu)
"I'm not talking about their bodies! What did you do to them, or rather, what did you say while they were here!?" (Yukihime)
"I wouldn't have done anything if they had just told me where to find you; it's their fault!" (Kugutsu)
"Pathetic coward! I should turn you into an ice statue! Here and now! The world would be cleaner without you!" (Yukihime)
"Maybe! But not safer! If I die, Goto will know everything! You know I have insurances!" (Kugutsu)
Those words diverted the [omega mage] from her murderous fury, enough to make her think.
"Tell them to release her! Now!" (Yukihime)
"Do it! Let the girl go!" (Kugutsu)
The last of the [Black Corps] hesitated for a moment before looking around and noticing that the room was almost completely frozen, and that Fumio and Kuro were determined to kill him with their bare hands if necessary to free Kohaku.
"Understood, Kugutsu-sama."
After the [Esper] was freed, Fumio lunged at the enemy, or at least tried to.
"Fumio, that's enough! We're leaving!"
"Yukihime-sama!" (Fumio)
"These bastards deserve to die, all of them!" (Kuro)
"I know, but now we're leaving. I'll take you to safety." (Yukihime)
In the end, the Vampire let go of Kugutsu, but not before scaring her a bit with her murderous instinct.
"Tell me now... where is Hajime Kamijou? Choose your next words carefully, or they will be your last" (Yukihime)
The woman swallowed at Yukihime's question, after having caused such psychological and physical stress to that boy, who after Fumio had endured a worse torture than his other teammates.
"He's in maximum detention, he tried to escape, so I had to keep sedating him with anti-mage serums and drugs, otherwise he would have tried again... but he has no addictions of any kind and—" (Kugutsu)
In that second, everything stopped, as if everything was frozen: people, sounds, voices, sweat drops, everything was at a standstill, as if something had halted the normal flow of time itself, and it was Yukihime who had done it, she had moved to go to Hajime, tearing the enormous Glephnir gate as if it were a sheet of paper to rip apart and she saw him.
Hajime lay on this bed, bound with chains and a blindfold covering his face. Everything they had used to immobilize him were tools to constantly absorb his mana, while he also had holes for injections.
"What have they done to you, my dear" (Yukihime)
The Vampire touched the boy's face, caressing it as if wanting to comfort him.
"I promise you'll be fine, I won't let Kugutsu harm you, it will never happen again" (Yukihime)
Yukihime, along with her entire group, with a snap of her fingers, immediately teleported away and time resumed.
"- as for his mental state, it's... uh... what? where? how?" (Kugutsu)
Kugutsu at that moment noticed how everyone had disappeared. Every person had gone away, escaped from the puppeteer's clutches, while the latter was still processing what had happened.
"...return to your posts... and as stated... we respect the leader of the new dawn's terms, come on, back to work"
Still unable to comprehend what had happened, while Yukihime and her group had returned to the central district, where their hell in the southern district was finally over.
***************
***************
They had gone to the eastern district for a relaxing vacation, but returned more shattered than when they left.
The bodies of Hajime's team had been healed and restored, but their minds were still wounded, much deeper than could be cured in just a few days.
As much as Hoshi wanted to punish the teenagers for acting on their own again, without considering the consequences, Yukihime firmly opposed the idea.
"Yukihime-sama, those kids are...!" (Hoshi)
"They've been through enough, Hoshi. Let them pick up the pieces in peace. They deserve at least that." (Yukihime)
"They don't deserve it, they put at risk..." (Hoshi)
The insistence of the esper sent the little patience that remained to the omega mage after dealing with Kugutsu to hell.
"We are not the Black Corps! We will not punish traumatized kids! Am I clear!? Make sure they come back in one piece, do it personally if you're so worried about their reckless actions!!!" (Yukihime)
"............" (Hoshi)
"Hoshi!"
With some reluctance, the woman accepted the orders. The aggressive look of the loli was enough to make her take a step back, both literally and metaphorically speaking.
"............as you wish, but if they ask about the pact made with Kugutsu? I don't intend to reveal anything to irresponsible children, even if they become insistent with their requests." (Hoshi)
"You don't have to...let's keep it secret even from their sensei, at least until he's recovered a bit. But I want to be very clear, do not dare insult or threaten them if they speak ill of me." (Yukihime)
"You saved them, besides a thank you they should—" (Hoshi)
"Hoshi! I understand your dislike for those who put the New Dawn at risk, I really do, and you know it...but for a moment, put yourself in their shoes, and try to be understanding." (Yukihime)
"Why should I do that? They are..."
"Teenagers who fight because we adults are too pathetic to keep them safe...you were a mother once, I know you haven't completely forgotten what it's like to have children..."
Yukihime's last words made Hoshi angrier than ever, as her eyes became incandescent and the temperature of the room rose.
Even the omega mage realized she had pushed too far with her intention to soften her subordinate's heart a bit.
"They are not my children! I gave birth to, raised, and saw my kids die, at the hands of the Black Corps! And they were about to ruin everything again because they are too self-centered and arrogant to stay away from our priority missions! Don't continue to defend them forever, or they will be our downfall, Yukihime-sama!"
The woman didn't wait another moment to leave the room, dissolving the door and handle as she went.
"(It could have gone better)"
Her boss remained alone for a few hours, deciding to let Hoshi cool down a bit while she reconsidered the pact made with Kugutsu.
The loli felt dirty just thinking about that serial killer but rationalized her actions as much as possible.
"(Hajime-kun and the others will see it as a betrayal...but there was no choice, I can think about stopping Kugutsu after defeating Goto.)"
***************
In the central district, immediately after Hajime and company left, important events and difficult choices occurred, all linked to Goto.
The leader of the Black Corps had compromised with one of his subordinates. Something that humiliated him and made him appear weak, something he hated with all his being.
But he had no choice, Mary, the Black Ghost who was supposed to keep Yuki Mikan, the mage daughter of the vice admiral commanding the fleet around the island, safe, had been killed and needed to be replaced.
The adoptive daughter of the esper had the necessary ability to buy Goto time, enough to get rid of the vice admiral with some "unfortunate incident" and replace him with someone he could control with a firmer grip.
Satisfying Mary was the price to pay for entrusting her with such an important task.
The woman was perhaps among his most capable Black Ghosts, and had the "right" connections that provided her a valid safety net, even to save her from Hajime's stepfather's wrath.
But she too would soon pay the price for her arrogance if she didn't manage to escape far enough.
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