The baton was cut in half right in front of his eyes. He could see a smooth cross section, like a cucumber cut with a kitchen knife. While his attention was taken with the explosions behind him, the first man attacked with his "invisible blade." At the same time, there was a light impact on his forehead. For a moment, the image of his head and helmet both in round slices appeared in the back of his mind, and reflexively he threw off his helmet. Blood slipped down his temples. The blade had cracked his face shield and reached his forehead. But it was only a slight wound. Preparing himself for the next attack, Kusuhara held the halved baton at the ready, and brought it up to his face. Then the man in the black beanie pulled back the man in brown, and took a step forward. Beta Class. That's what patrol officer Tamura had just said. It was probably about that guy. What did it mean? Was it the strength of his power? Or the type? The man in the brown beanie attacked with an invisible blade, but the man in the black's weapon was most likely invisible bombs. Would he be able to block it with a stick? Hit the bombs he throws like a baseball… Could he do such a thing? As he churned these thoughts, the expression of the man in the black beanie reflected in Kusuhara's eyes. His cheeks were twisted in a smile, and he thrust his fist in his direction-- As he opened his hand, in the far distance in front of Kusuhara a small thing burst out. A clump of very high energy with neither color nor shape--it seemed like the very air itself was compressed. In the next moment, it shone like the sun-- -- Will it explode!? Kusuhara dropped the baton and covered his face with both his hands. At that moment-- Ting! With a high pitched noise, the explosion was sealed. "Wha…" Kusuhara opened his eyes partway. The strange and dangerous bomb was like a small sun the size of a fist, but an even more mysterious thing was covering the dazzling ball of light. It was a shining blue cube, about ten centimeters on each side. Like the bombs and the blade, it was not a normal object and seemed like a distortion of space, but it appeared in a shape he could clearly see. The bomb sealed inside was violently pulsating to release its fatal amount of heat, but it was firmly constricted, like shut inside a living crystal. The blue crystal sealing the pulsating ball of light was a strange work of art that slowly spun before Kusuhara's eyes. As his eyes were enraptured with that unrealistic sight, a voice from far behind him spoke, "…You are quite the natural at this." It was a calm, well-carried voice. He turned around, and in the black smoke that lingered over the road, there was a strange group. It was a group of about twenty, wearing an unfamiliar blue uniform. Each carried a long saber at their waist, and walked together at a calm pace. The image of them in two lines was almost like that of blue castle walls. Kusuhara was used to the sight of blockade lines made of armed riot policemen, but what made him still think so was that each man's existence was filled with some sort of energy; an immensity of each presence. The man standing in the middle of the line stood out even among them. He was most likely the leader of this group. From his rather thin and tall body and spectacled, intelligent features he had a presence that almost overwhelmed everything around him. "There are many of those who manifest their power in the shape of a sword. That is because the sword itself is the symbol of the most fundamental offensive ideal and the will--it is an extension of your arm in a hard and sharp form." Keeping his pace, the man in glasses spoke to Kusuhara. His interest was for some reason directed not to the bombs that destroyed the large vehicles, nor the injured lying here and there, nor the superpowereds who caused their injuries, but to Kusuhara. "However, those who can use their sword for protection are few. You strike against and stop a sharpened and concentrated will off attack with your own just as, or even more, concentrated will. An innate talent over simply technique is necessary for such an unusually difficult action." When the man came in front of Kusuhara a smile appeared on his face, and he placed a hand on the protector's shoulder. "Indeed. That was you just now. It was truly excellent. …But afterwards was not so good." "Huh…?" The man in glasses concentrated power into his hands slightly, and Kusuhara took a step back. Then he extended his hand to the crystal remaining in mid air, and it moved to his palm and began to slowly spin there. "If you hold on to your will strongly, everything within reach of your sword will become the sanctuary your will controls. Even the most primitive of accidental power discharges will not encroach on that." Playing with the crystal in the air, the man turned to the superpowereds in the doorway. His associates also passed Kusuhara and stopped a few steps in front of him. "…Scepter 4!" The man in the black beanie flung his right hand sideways at the ranks. Five bright balls of light appeared in front of them and-- Ting! They were all sealed within cubic crystals without waiting a second for an explosion, and floated in a stack on the palm of the man in glasses. In that opening, the man in the brown hat attacked with his invisible blade. But, a woman in the blue uniform jumped out in front from behind the man in glasses, cutting into the blade's path and repelling it with the saber scabbard in her right hand. She then held her scabbard at her waist and saluted him. "1315, transfer of authority in this incident as a Beta Case has been recognized by the Metropolitan Police Department." "Very well." The man's finger met with the bridge of his glasses and he gave a faint smile. He then looked up and spoke as though he was chanting to the heavens-- We of Scepter 4 carry out duties of the sword. Forgiving of neither war in the sanctuary, nor chaos in the world-- We will advance with sword in hand, for our cause is pure!
"Men, draw!" The uniformed woman waiting at the man's side commanded the other men. They all drew their swords at once, and held them in front of them at the ready with the blade standing. A blue, wavering atmospheric distortion spread out in a circle from each of their feet. This must be the "sanctuary" that the man in glasses had mentioned earlier. Kusuhara, too, had heard of their name in rumors. Created by superpowereds, the superpowered-response public security organization "Scepter 4" - this ground was already their territory. The situation was already far from the hands of normal people. When Kusuhara tried follow Tamura, who was being carried off on a stretcher by the relief crew, the man called to stop him. "Ah, you. Please wait. I'd like to show you an example." "An example…?" The man in glasses moved his right hand lightly, and all six blue crystals flew into the air. As he unsheathed his saber he gave a single slice in an elegant motion, and with that one blow all the crystals were cut in two. Boom! Said simply, six times the energy of the bombs that had destroyed the vehicles earlier was released in one fell swoop, and engulfed Kusuhara and the Scepter 4 troops in explosive flame. No, the blue sanctuary created at the same time as the explosion from the feet of the man in glasses spread much larger and stronger than those of the other troops, and protected them all. And still, the energy pushed to the boundary of sanctuary and normal space swirled up to the skies and concentrated overhead at a mechanical equilibrium point, pressurizing. "…!" Kusuhara Takeru looked up and saw what was being born--a huge crystallization of concentrated space and energy. It was a sword of bombs. It was a symbol of a will suited for order, a symbol of a spontaneous discharge of power, and a symbol of an authority to control the world. His nineteenth summer, the first time Kusuhara Takeru saw that-- The Blue King, Munakata Reisi, and his Sword of Damocles.
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prologue: sword of damocles ( pt 2 )
Preparing himself for the next attack, Kusuhara held the halved baton at the ready, and brought it up to his face. Then the man in the black beanie pulled back the man in brown, and took a step forward.
Beta Class. That's what patrol officer Tamura had just said. It was probably about that guy. What did it mean? Was it the strength of his power? Or the type?
The man in the brown beanie attacked with an invisible blade, but the man in the black's weapon was most likely invisible bombs. Would he be able to block it with a stick? Hit the bombs he throws like a baseball… Could he do such a thing?
As he churned these thoughts, the expression of the man in the black beanie reflected in Kusuhara's eyes. His cheeks were twisted in a smile, and he thrust his fist in his direction--
As he opened his hand, in the far distance in front of Kusuhara a small thing burst out. A clump of very high energy with neither color nor shape--it seemed like the very air itself was compressed. In the next moment, it shone like the sun--
-- Will it explode!?
Kusuhara dropped the baton and covered his face with both his hands. At that moment--
Ting! With a high pitched noise, the explosion was sealed.
"Wha…" Kusuhara opened his eyes partway.
The strange and dangerous bomb was like a small sun the size of a fist, but an even more mysterious thing was covering the dazzling ball of light. It was a shining blue cube, about ten centimeters on each side. Like the bombs and the blade, it was not a normal object and seemed like a distortion of space, but it appeared in a shape he could clearly see. The bomb sealed inside was violently pulsating to release its fatal amount of heat, but it was firmly constricted, like shut inside a living crystal.
The blue crystal sealing the pulsating ball of light was a strange work of art that slowly spun before Kusuhara's eyes.
As his eyes were enraptured with that unrealistic sight, a voice from far behind him spoke, "…You are quite the natural at this." It was a calm, well-carried voice. He turned around, and in the black smoke that lingered over the road, there was a strange group.
It was a group of about twenty, wearing an unfamiliar blue uniform. Each carried a long saber at their waist, and walked together at a calm pace. The image of them in two lines was almost like that of blue castle walls. Kusuhara was used to the sight of blockade lines made of armed riot policemen, but what made him still think so was that each man's existence was filled with some sort of energy; an immensity of each presence. The man standing in the middle of the line stood out even among them. He was most likely the leader of this group. From his rather thin and tall body and spectacled, intelligent features he had a presence that almost overwhelmed everything around him.
"There are many of those who manifest their power in the shape of a sword. That is because the sword itself is the symbol of the most fundamental offensive ideal and the will--it is an extension of your arm in a hard and sharp form." Keeping his pace, the man in glasses spoke to Kusuhara.
His interest was for some reason directed not to the bombs that destroyed the large vehicles, nor the injured lying here and there, nor the superpowereds who caused their injuries, but to Kusuhara.
"However, those who can use their sword for protection are few. You strike against and stop a sharpened and concentrated will off attack with your own just as, or even more, concentrated will. An innate talent over simply technique is necessary for such an unusually difficult action." When the man came in front of Kusuhara a smile appeared on his face, and he placed a hand on the protector's shoulder. "Indeed. That was you just now. It was truly excellent. …But afterwards was not so good."
"Huh…?"
The man in glasses concentrated power into his hands slightly, and Kusuhara took a step back. Then he extended his hand to the crystal remaining in mid air, and it moved to his palm and began to slowly spin there.
"If you hold on to your will strongly, everything within reach of your sword will become the sanctuary your will controls. Even the most primitive of accidental power discharges will not encroach on that." Playing with the crystal in the air, the man turned to the superpowereds in the doorway. His associates also passed Kusuhara and stopped a few steps in front of him.
"…Scepter 4!" The man in the black beanie flung his right hand sideways at the ranks. Five bright balls of light appeared in front of them and--
Ting! They were all sealed within cubic crystals without waiting a second for an explosion, and floated in a stack on the palm of the man in glasses. In that opening, the man in the brown hat attacked with his invisible blade. But, a woman in the blue uniform jumped out in front from behind the man in glasses, cutting into the blade's path and repelling it with the saber scabbard in her right hand.
She then held her scabbard at her waist and saluted him. "1315, transfer of authority in this incident as a Beta Case has been recognized by the Metropolitan Police Department."
"Very well."
The man's finger met with the bridge of his glasses and he gave a faint smile. He then looked up and spoke as though he was chanting to the heavens--
We of Scepter 4 carry out duties of the sword.
Forgiving of neither war in the sanctuary, nor chaos in the world--
We will advance with sword in hand, for our cause is pure!
"Men, draw!" The uniformed woman waiting at the man's side commanded the other men.
They all drew their swords at once, and held them in front of them at the ready with the blade standing. A blue, wavering atmospheric distortion spread out in a circle from each of their feet. This must be the "sanctuary" that the man in glasses had mentioned earlier.
Kusuhara, too, had heard of their name in rumors. Created by superpowereds, the superpowered-response public security organization "Scepter 4" - this ground was already their territory.
The situation was already far from the hands of normal people. When Kusuhara tried follow Tamura, who was being carried off on a stretcher by the relief crew, the man called to stop him. "Ah, you. Please wait. I'd like to show you an example."
"An example…?"
The man in glasses moved his right hand lightly, and all six blue crystals flew into the air. As he unsheathed his saber he gave a single slice in an elegant motion, and with that one blow all the crystals were cut in two.
Boom!
Said simply, six times the energy of the bombs that had destroyed the vehicles earlier was released in one fell swoop, and engulfed Kusuhara and the Scepter 4 troops in explosive flame. No, the blue sanctuary created at the same time as the explosion from the feet of the man in glasses spread much larger and stronger than those of the other troops, and protected them all.
And still, the energy pushed to the boundary of sanctuary and normal space swirled up to the skies and concentrated overhead at a mechanical equilibrium point, pressurizing.
"…!" Kusuhara Takeru looked up and saw what was being born--a huge crystallization of concentrated space and energy.
It was a sword of bombs.
It was a symbol of a will suited for order, a symbol of a spontaneous discharge of power, and a symbol of an authority to control the world.
His nineteenth summer, the first time Kusuhara Takeru saw that--
The Blue King, Munakata Reisi, and his Sword of Damocles.