Ch 179: Here comes the War Maidens.

"Good morning, everyone." smiled Akeno as she and Rin enter the gymnasium.

Their disciples greeted them back, but they had grave expressions, and Akeno immediately noticed that there were only two red and gray uniforms.

"Oh, Airi and Touko are absent today?" asked Akeno as she looked at Shiori's face, and she understood that something was very wrong. She looked like she was about to cry, and Kyouko Fujibayashi was standing aside, speaking on the phone.

"What happened?" frowned Rin.

"Airi and Touko have been kidnapped." replied Masaki, his voice raw with anger and worry.

"It seems to have happened when they were returning together from school yesterday." said Kyouko as she joined the conversation. "Both of their families received messages from Touko and Airi's phones saying that they were spending the night in Shiori-san's house, so they weren't worried."

"Shiori-san noticed something was wrong when they didn't meet with her this morning on the way to school, and she contacted the Isshiki household to see if Airi was ill or was running late. She ran here to alert us."

"Akeno, Rin, please, is there anything you can do to find them?" asked Shiori, tears running down her cheeks.

"…Rin?" asked Akeno.

"…If I had a pendulum and something belonging to them, I should be able to get a direction. But there's no guarantee of success with this method if they are too far away."

"I'll get someone to deliver what you need ASAP." nodded Kyouko as she walked away to make another call.

Akeno was furiously thinking. They needed to find where Airi and Touko were, and also to have a good chance to recover them without them being killed. And for that, a Servant's ability to dematerialize and scout ahead without being seen would be a priceless advantage.

Her decision made, she took from her inventory her smartphone and called Noah.

"Akeno?"

"Hi, Noah." said "I call for an emergency. Two of my disciples, students from Third High, have been kidnapped. I'll summon a Heroic Spirit to help find and rescue them. Do you have a suggestion?"

"…An Assassin, for their presence concealment and their ability to move independently for a long time. And the best one for searching or protecting multiple individuals would be…"

Akeno listened as she took several chunks of chalk from her inventory and gave some to Rin, who immediately understood and started drawing on the ground the formation for a summoning ritual. After making another call to Type: Moon to request the Servant recommended by Noah, she helped Rin with the drawing.

As they were busy, she spoke. "Everyone, you are going to get a different lesson on Magecraft than we intended today. Very advanced Magecraft, that you won't be able to use yourself, sorry about that, but the situation is as it is."

"Akeno-sama, are you going to summon a… what is a Heroic Spirit?" asked Izumi on the side.

"I'm afraid the details are confidential. But you could say that Heroic Spirits are a legend given life."

"We do not have any footage of the kidnapping. The street cameras were out of service, and the people monitoring it only saw footage on a loop. Whoever is behind it is a pro, and with a lot of capacity." sighed Kyouko. "Do you mind if I record the summoning?"

"I don't." replied Akeno.

They worked fast, and it only took them three minutes to finish the formation.

"Hey, Akeno. Can I do the summoning?" asked Rin.

"It's fine. It doesn't matter which one of us does it." replied Akeno. This new summoning would likely be a huge drain, but with Rin benefiting from Noah's attributes, she could easily accept the load.

Akeno, Kyouko and the students stood to the side and watched as Rin took a deep breath and started.

"Set.

For the elements, Silver and Iron.

For the foundation, stone and the Archduke of Pacts.

Raise a wall for the wind that shall fall.

Close the gates of the four directions. Come forth from the crown.

And follow the forked road leading to the Kingdom.

Fill, fill, fill, fill, fill!

Repeat every five times.

Simply, shatter once filled.

I announce.

Your self is under me, my fate is in your sword.

In accordance with the approach of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this covenant, then answer.

Here is my oath. I am the one who will become all the good of the world.

I am the one who will slay all the evil of the world.

You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, come forth from the circle of binding, O guardian of the Scales!"

Tatsuya, Miyuki, Kyouko and the others watched intently as she spoke. The formation shone with increasing brilliance, and arcs of lightning started appearing inside it. The light became blinding, then suddenly was gone.

Inside the formation stood not just a single Heroic Spirit, but six of them.

Akeno was surprised by their appearance. When Noah had suggested she summon a bunch of Valkyries, she had expected a group of women wearing leather and metal armor. Instead, the Heroic Spirits were all dressed with the same outfit. A one-piece black swimsuit, a black bolero jacket with orange accents and dangling orange nylon straps, fingerless leather gloves, high-heeled sandals, and a black beret on top of their heads.

Equally strange were their weapons. Instead of spears or swords, each held a bullpup assault rifle, with a pistol holstered against their right thigh.

All six young women had red eyes and very similar faces, and small feathered wings sprouting from the sides of their heads. The main difference between them were the hair, of different colors and styles from straight blonde to green twintails to golden crowned braid.

They looked around for a moment, then turned toward Rin as one.

"Are you, our Master?" asked the closest one.

"Yes." nodded Rin gravely. "I am Rin Tohsaka. It is nice to meet you all."

"Likewise. We are now bound by a formal pact, so we acknowledge you as our Master. Let us meet success on the battlefield."

"Awawa, t-their legs…" muttered Honoka, blushing fiercely. The Servants glanced at her, then back at their legs, and back at her, not understanding her reaction.

"Can you guys tell me your names?" asked Rin. "There is no Holy Grail War going on and you will not face other Heroic Spirits, so there is no point hiding them."

"If you say so, Master." shrugged the one with straight long blonde hair and red eyes. I am Thrud, of the War Maidens. Although a lot of people call us Valkyries."

"I am Rindr." nodded the one with golden crown braid.

"Ortlinde. Pleased to meet you." said the Valkyrie with short black hair.

"I am Geirskogul, but please call me Irs." replied the girl with long, straight chestnut hair.

"I am Hildr. I look forward to seeing what the world has become." winked the girl with shoulder-length pink hair.

"And I am Olrun." nodded the last one, with light green hair in twin tails.

"Master, if I may ask, why did you summon us, if we aren't going to take part in a Holy Grail War?" asked Hildr.

"We have several reasons, some of them being much more important than a mere Holy Grail War." said Rin. "But the most urgent one is that two of our friends have been kidnapped, and we would like your help to find and rescue them."

"Master, are those people your friends? They keep staring at our legs." frowned Olrun as she looked at most of the students gathered to the side.

"Yes, they are our friends and disciples. Well, Akeno, here, is another Master, and you should consider her as my equal."

"Please to meet you all. I am Akeno Himejima." nodded Akeno with a smile. "We will tell you more about the situation later, but the reason they keep staring is that in this era, showing skin aside from your hands and head is considered… improper."

"Oh. I understand." nodded Olrun. "Will it be fine if we copy your current outfit?"

Rin nodded. "Yes. But feel free to revert to your original getup when fighting. I don't really care if others disapprove."

The Valkyries nodded, and bright blue mana covered their bodies, taking the shape of First High uniforms.

Kyouko cleared her throat.

"Ahem. Please forgive me if I am being nosy, but I was under the impression that a Heroic Spirit summoning ritual would summon only one Heroic Spirit, not six."

"That is typically the case, but there are a few exceptions." shrugged Rin before she turned to the Valkyries. "We will do something about your clothes later."

"Someone will be there with a pendulum and some of Isshiki-san's personal belongings within twenty minutes." said Kyouko. "Should we wait near the bus station in front of the school to gain some time?"

"Good idea." said Akeno. "But there's no need for all of us to come, either. It would draw too much attention. The Valkyries are no issue, since they can dematerialize, but for the others, I'll ask you to wait here and trust us with this."

"I'm coming." declared Masaki.

Akeno shook her head. She didn't want to risk him witnessing something inconvenient. She intended to learn who was behind this. Male kidnappers would be tortured on site, but if some of them were pretty girls... Considering the timing, she had a hunch that the USNA might be behind this, and if Lina was there… Akeno would have a spanking to deliver.

"Only the Lieutenant and those who have learned Shunpo can come. The risk is too big for the others." decided Akeno.

"Hey, it's not fair, Akeno." protested Leo. Masaki and Shiori were also stepping forward to protest when Akeno stopped them with a hand gesture.

"I do not doubt your bravery or skill. But if the kidnappers are who I think they are, this might involve secrets you are not cleared for."

"Do you know who they might be?" pressed Shiori.

"Maybe. But it will be up to the Japanese government to decide if they want to deal with this officially or pretend that they know nothing."

Shiori nodded reluctantly and looked at Rin and Akeno with pleading eyes.

"Please, save Airi and Touko. I don’t know what I'd do if something happened to them."

"We'll save them." promised Rin. "Those bastards don't know what's about to hit them."

"We're going. You guys repeat last week's training while we're away. it shouldn't take very long." said Akeno, nodding at them before heading for the exit. Rin, Kyouko and Erika followed her, and the Valkyries dematerialized.

…

"Lieutenant-Colonel! We have an emergency!" yelled Rachel through the door.

"What?" asked Lina, instantly in a bad mood. She had gone to bed very late last night, because of an old video game called Megaman XX, trying to distract her guilty conscience, and she really wanted to laze around this week-end. But it seemed that it wasn't in the cards.

"The Colonel is on the line! We need to sortie ASAP!" replied Rachel.

"Shoot!" yelped Lina, quickly running her hands through her hair to try to keep her bed hair under control. It didn't look like she had time to change and would have to speak to her superior while still wearing her emerald pajamas.

Seconds later, she made a sharp salute in front of the screen.

"Colonel, Lieutenant-Colonel Angie Sirius reporting!"

"At ease, Lieutenant-Colonel. We do not have time for niceties. You need to gear up and reinforce the team that abducted Isshiki and Tsukushiin. It seems we have underestimated the Japanese."

"Are they escaping?"

"No. But our satellite surveillance is monitoring Lieutenant Fujibayashi, Himejima, Tohsaka and Chiba. They seem to have a way to track our prizes, because they're making a beeline toward them. If you leave now, you should barely have time to intercept them. We are taking down their entire civilian surveillance network, starting now. Try to capture those four if possible, but above all, make sure no one escapes to report that Angie Sirus is involved. Then escort bravo team and the captives to the seaport for evacuation before resuming your infiltration duties. Now go."

The call ended before she could utter a word.

Lina cursed as she turned toward Carla and Rachel.

"Lieutenant-Colonel, we've got your uniform and boots in the car, you can change while I drive." said Rachel, picking up a box that contained Lina's knifes, as well as guns and cast jamming devices for Carla and Rachel.

"Good job." nodded Lina, happy to have very competent colleagues.

Less than fifteen seconds later, they were on their way.

…

A nondescript black van left the main road to head toward an abandoned industrial sector. After the sharp decrease in population during the third world war, a lot of industries had downsized drastically, leading to the closed factories, and the smaller companies supplying materials to said companies shutting down or relocating in turn. As a result, there existed a lot of abandoned building all over Japan, and the rest of the world.

"We're getting close. About five hundred meters, I'd say." said Rin, sitting on the front passenger seat as she gazed at the pendulum in her hand. Akeno saw the pendulum definitely angle toward the front and slightly to the left, despite the van's vibrations and movements.

"Let's stop the van behind that building." said Kyouko to the soldier driving as she pointed to a warehouse.

As soon as the van stopped, the side door opened, and five Valkyries took off.

"That ability you girls share sure is convenient, Irs." said Akeno.

"Yes." replied Geirskogul.

The Valkyries had told Rin and Akeno a few things on the way. While they had had their own individuality, they shared the same spiritual core, and their minds were linked. They could share their senses if they wished to. For supplying them with mana, Rin or another Magus would be able to deal with any of them, and they would all benefit from it.

Irs was staying behind to more accurately relay any information coming from her five sisters.

They did have a drawback, though. The six of them working together were a force to be reckoned with, but in one-on-one fights, they were definitely weaker than the average Servant.

Rin and Akeno waited silently, and after a moment, Irs started reporting.

"We are entering the factory from different directions. There are armed men hiding behind the walls and near the windows… eight… ten… eleven of them. They know that you are coming but have not felt our presence."

"Good. Keep searching for Airi and Touko, please." nodded Akeno.

"Yes. we are going deeper into the building... Found them. They are chained up in a locked room, naked, gagged and blindfolded, and with wires connecting their bodies to a machine. They have bruises on their bodies. Two more men are in the room near the door."

With a grim expression, Akeno looked at Rin, and they exchanged a nod.

"Irs, please tell your sisters to take action as soon as we get into their visual range, starting with the two enemies near Airi and Touko. We will attack them from outside, and you will take their backs. We want prisoners to interrogate, so do not kill unless it is necessary." said Rin as they got out of the van.

"I do not need to tell them, Master." pointed out Irs, materializing with her default appearance. Our minds are linked, and they heard your command as I did."

"Right, Sorry. Let's kick some asses."

…

With Carla driving like a madwoman, they were only two minutes away from the abandoned factory when something happened. Rachel had plugged her radio to the car's speakers, and they could hear the tense chatter of the operatives who had taken ambush positions near the windows and doors.

For the last few few minutes, the agents had announced their positions and reported not seeing any enemy. And then it suddenly changed.

"Bravo-4, contact!" said a male voice, immediately followed by the sounds of an assault rifle firing.

The radios of several other operatives also transmitted sounds of gunshots. But two simultaneous screams of pain stood out.

"Alpha-3, enemies inside the perime… ghaaa!"

"We're being taken out! khuh!"

"Shit! Who the hell are…"

In mere seconds, the radio fell silent. Mostly silent, at least. They could hear the sounds of footsteps, and heavy bodies being moved or dragged.

"L-Lieutenant-Colonel…" muttered Rachel, completely shocked.

"…Should we abort?" asked Clara with a low voice.

Lina cursed her misfortune. Part of her wanted to wash her hands of this matter and return to the home they were renting, and pretend they were never there.

"…No. Our original objective is probably a bust, but we need to rescue our men if they're still alive, before they are interrogated."

Lina didn't say the rest, but Rachel and Clara were experienced enough to understand. If any of their agents were still alive and couldn't be extracted, they would have to make sure they couldn't talk.

After turning a corner, Lina spotted an abandoned black van. Clara parked close to it, and they left the car, ready to engage at any time. Clara and Rachel both held a semi-automatic pistol in their right hand, and a Cast-Jamming Device in their left hand. The CJDs looked a bit like old torchlights and would disrupt any magic sequence in their area of effect. They both wore light suits that offered them some limited ballistic protection.

Lina, on the other hand, had put on the same light suit and her metallic mask, disguising her appearance into that of a redhead with golden eyes. She held her weaponized gun-shaped CAD in her right hand, and a combat knife in her left one. She also had a number of throwing knifes on her body.

She didn't have her Brionac with her, however. The weaponized CAD, looking somewhat like a hybrid of a cross and a spear, was necessary for her to fire her strategic magic, Heavy Metal Burst.

They were in a hurry this morning and had judged that for an operation close to a city and in plain day, using it would be too risky.

The three girls were about to reach the corner or the building when Lina heard a faint noise coming from above, and she lifted her head.

A young woman with green hair and wing-like hair accessories, clad in a scandalous black outfit that completely showed off her legs, was looking down on them. The bullpup assault rifle in her hands clearly marked her as an enemy.

"More enemies spotted. Proceeding to capture." announced the girl as she jumped down.

"Those are my words!" exclaimed Lina as she fired a magic bullet from her gun while the girl was mid-air. Her eyes widened as the girl contorted her body and avoided the projectile, then landed with the grace of a cat. Clearly, this was a strong opponent.

"Drop your weapon and freeze!" yelled both Rachel and Clara, activating their Cast Jamming devices and they kept them pointed at the green-haired girl.

Lina carefully observed the girl's red eyes, and understood that she had no intention of surrendering. She used her magic to move two of her throwing knifes with Acceleration magic, intending to make the girl drop the rifle by injuring her arms.

As the two knifes were flying toward their target on curving trajectories, the green-haired girl reached for the pistol, and a blade of bright blue light appeared under the barrel of her rifle, like an old-fashioned bayonet.

The green-haired girl fired once at one of Lina's knifes with the gun, hitting it with surprising accuracy and breaking it, and slashed with her rifle, cutting in two the other knife.

Lina almost felt offended by how easily their opponent handled her attack.

Clara opened fire with her gun, but the girl was already sprinting to the side, evading her shots with a speed and agility that few magicians could equal.

Lina couldn't understand why that girl could use Acceleration magic despite the influence of the Cast Jammers. but she also noticed that, while she was obviously a very good shot, the girl wasn't counter-attacking.

She gritted her teeth as she realized that she was just keeping them distracted as she waited for reinforcements.

Deciding to deal with her as soon as possible, Lina decided to close the distance, firing a few magic bullets times with her CAD. She wanted to get close enough to for the enemy to be unable to dodge, but not too close, as she didn't think her combat knife would be effective against that energy bayonet.

As if reading her intent, the green-haired girl aimed her rifle at the ground in front of Lina and fired a salvo of bright blue bullets, forcing her to jump back by reflex.

Lina was getting seriously irritated. She was being toyed with!

"Spread out and keep those jammers on her!"

"Ugh!"

Lina heard two sounds of something hard hitting flesh behind her, followed by the sound of two people collapsing, and decided to risk a look back, as the green-haired girl didn't seem to want to attack anyway.

Four more young women stood over the limp bodies of Clara and Rachel, dressed with identical outfits and with the same weird hair accessories. Like the green-hair girl, they didn't even point their rifles at her and only waited.

"Who the hell are you?" demanded Lina.

"We are the Valkyries." replied the one with long blonde hair.

Lina thought furiously as she kept a vigilant watch of all her enemies. She didn't know any group of magicians named Valkyries among the various Japanese organizations. Not that it really mattered.

This mission was a complete disaster, and she was trying to find a way to defeat her five opponents while rescuing Clara and Rachel, at the very least, when another person appeared, walking out from behind the building's corner.

Lina instantly recognized Akeno.

And she was… angry. Lina could almost feel it like a wave of heat radiating from her.

Akeno glanced for a second at Rachel and Clara before staring back at Lina, slowly walking until only five meters separated them. Akeno suddenly smiled, but Lina only gulped. She had never realized her friend could display such a sadistic expression.

"Ara ara, it seems you are getting that spanking after all."

If not for how tense the situation was, Lina would have been completely flustered.

"You seem to be mistaking me for someone else." said Lina. She knew her Parade was still active. She could hear her own deformed voice.

"I am not in the mood to play games, Lina. Not after I have seen the result of your friends' 'hospitality'. Airi and Touko are going to need a lot of therapy, because of you asswipes!"

Lina winced. It was the first time she ever heard Akeno use a crude word, and it made it all the more impactful.

"Surrender now, Lina, and I'll be more lenient on you."

"I can't do that. And you are still confusing me with someone else." sighed Lina.

"Have it your way." replied Akeno, and Lina's eyes widened as she saw a kind of magic formation appear under Akeno's feet. She was clearly seeing both of Akeno's hands, and they were empty. How could she launch a magic sequence without a CAD?

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted as Akeno seemed to teleport right in front of her, struck the insides of both of Lina's wrists before she could react, batting them away and creating an opening, and drove an elbow to her sternum.

"Ghaa!" gasped Lina as she took a few steps back, her eyes open in disbelief. She didn't wait to get her breathing under control and pointed her CAD at Akeno, firing as she deployed her four throwing knifes and aiming at Akeno's limbs, but several golden shields appeared, blocking her attacks, and Akeno disappeared.

She didn't have time to react before the back of her right knee was kicked in, making her collapse.

Before she could get herself off the ground, Akeno was on her, pinning her with a knee against the base of her spine and grabbing her wrists, squeezing them until Lina dropped her weapons with a grunt of pain.

Lina struggled, trying to leverage her military training to get out of Akeno's grasp, but she was simply too strong and fast, and in seconds, Lina found her arms cuffed against her back, and was forced to stand. Lina kicked at Akeno's shin in anger, but the blow didn't seem to do anything.

"Don't make things worse for yourself, Lina." threatened Akeno as she grabbed Lina's mask and removed it, deactivating her disguise.

"You lost, and that's it. I believe the Chinese have a saying about kicking an iron door."

"…I can see that." sighed Lina, glancing at Clara and Rachel, and finally giving up. They were truly screwed!

"How are you so strong?"

Akeno didn't reply, looking at Lina up and down. After a few seconds, she grabbed the communicator in Lina's belt, and small arcs of lightning ran through her fingers, frying the device.

"Once bitten, twice shy."

With a firm grip on Lina's arm, Akeno turned to the Valkyries.

"Great job, everyone. Can you please carry those two inside and keep watch on the surroundings?

Lina's eyes widened as the rifles of two of the Valkyries seemed to dissolve into motes of blue light, and they picked up Rachel and Carla with ease. The other three girls also dissolved.

"Is that some kind of optical camouflage?"

Akeno didn't answer, and Lina had no choice but to walk with her toward the factory.

They entered inside, and Lina saw near the door all of the USNA operatives limp on the ground, cuffed and blindfolded. Standing guard beside them was another girl she supposed was a Valkyrie, from her outfit.

A little farther away, Rin, Erika, and the woman Lina knew was a Lieutenant in the Japanese army were surrounding Airi Isshiki and Touko Tsukushiin. Both girls were quietly sobbing, hugged by Rin and the Lieutenant.

They all glanced and her, Akeno and the others as they entered.

Lina didn't see any surprise in Rin's expression, only a nod as she looked back at Airi, but Erika was clearly shocked as she recognized Lina.

She angrily came to them.

"You!"

"Calm down, Erika." said Akeno, and Erika just barely refrained from slapping Lina.

"Lina will receive proper punishment once I find out just how much she is responsible for in this mess. How are Airi and Touko?"

"Not good, obviously." spat Erika, keeping her eyes on Lina and silently daring her to look away. "The bastards stripped them naked, chained them up, and tortured them with electric shocks and with their fists. They also boasted about how they were going to sexually abuse them later today if they didn't start talking. They didn't. Rin and I healed their injuries, but…"

"I see." sighed Akeno.

"Did you already know?" suspiciously asked Erika as she looked at Akeno.

"About Lina being Angie Sirius?"

Erika's eyes widened slightly, and she nodded.

"I knew. Noah told me. This kidnapping caught me by surprise, though, or I would have dealt with her before."

"Your boyfriend? How could he possibly…" Lina shut up as Erika glared back at her.

"And why wasn't I informed, Akeno?"

"Because you don't have a good poker face?"

"…I can't deny that." grumbled Erika. "What now?"

Akeno stared at Lina for a few seconds.

"Lina, are your superiors aware of what just went on?"

"…Yes."

"Are more of your colleagues on their way to this place?"

"I doubt it." sighed Lina. Not only was she unaware of any other USNA operative being close enough to help, but the Colonel had to have seen the fight via the satellite surveillance, and the awareness of how easily Lina, Clara and Rachel had been subdued was bound to make him hesitate.

"You didn't lie, that's a good point in your favor." nodded Akeno.

"Rindr, Hildr, would you mind bringing those two with me to the room where Touko and Airi were being held?"

The two Valkyries looked at Rin, who nodded, and Akeno followed them, still holding Lina's arm.

Once they were inside, Akeno nodded to Rindr and Hildr.

"Thank you. I need some time alone with those three. It will only take a few minutes."

"Are you going to kill them?" frowned Hildr.

"No. It would be a waste of their potential. I'll explain later. Rin and Erika can easily guess what I'm about to do, but the others don't, and I'd like to keep it that way."

Hildr nodded, and the two Valkyries left the room, closing the door behind them.

Akeno leaned down to touch Clara's neck, and Lina frowned as she saw a strange symbol where her finger had touched her.

"What is this?" asked Lina uneasily.

"A rune, to prevent her from using her psions. It's only temporary." said Akeno as she did the same to Rachel.

"How did you find about us? What made you go to Japan in the first place?"

"…We started hearing, rumors. If you intend to torture me to learn who leaked the information, it's useless. I do not know."

Akeno nodded as she turned Lina and drew a rune on the back of her neck as well. Lina felt the effect in a subtle way, like some part of her had gone somewhat numb.

"Are you going to torture us?" asked Lina, unable to completely keep her nervousness off her voice.

"I'm sure many would consider it torture, yes." said Akeno, somehow holding a crystal globe in her hands. "And I did promise you a spanking."

Lina didn't have time to ask Akeno how she intended to use the globe as a torture tool when her surroundings changed. Suddenly, she, Akeno, Clara and Rachel were in a large room full of furniture. Her jaw went slack as the nature of that room dawned on her.

"What the hell is this place?"

"We are currently in the basement of the house inside the crystal globe."

"That's impossible!" blurted out Lina. If Akeno was telling the truth, the implications were world-shattering.

"Do you have a better explanation?" smirked Akeno as she picked up Rachel and sat her down on a stout wooden chair, padded with black leather. Many leather straps were fixed on the chair, and Akeno started fastening them on Rachel's limbs.

Lina wondered if she should try to attack Akeno again with here legs, but as she remembered her previous lack of success, she gave up on the idea.

"This must be some kind of sensory manipulation magic."

"Nice try, but nope. This is advanced dimensional magic."

When Rachel's body was completely secured to the chair, Akeno fastened a black leather collar around her neck, a leather blindfold over her eyes, and another strap on her forehead, keeping Rachel's head slightly pressed against the leather-padded headrest.

She then picked up Clara and placed her over some kind of padded bench, and strapped her down to it as well. Akeno fastened another collar and blindfold on her, then turned her attention to Lina.

She shuddered as Akeno led her to a nearly vertical X-shaped cross.

"I don't think I need to tell you what to do, Lina. Be a good girl and cooperate, and the spanking will be a bit less severe."

"It's not like I have much of a choice." sighed Lina as she placed her feet on the contraption's footrests. "Can you tell me more about Magecraft? That's the name of your magic, right?"

"Not quite, Rin primarily uses Magecraft, but I generally use other types. Rin and I come from another timeline. A parallel world if you will, where another Japan exists. That world doesn't have what you call modern magic, but it does have Magecraft." said Akeno as she fastened the leather straps around Lina's boots, then above her knees.

"That's impossible!"

"Two centuries ago, any man would have told you that flying is impossible. And yet, we invented planes and helicopters and hot-air balloons."

Lina had to concede Akeno's point as she removed the handcuffs and secured her right arm to the furniture, with leather cuffs around her wrist and another strap on her elbow. Akeno repeated the process with Lina's left arm, then fastened more straps around Lina's waist and chest, just under her breasts.

"What's the point of the collars anyway?" sheepishly asked Lina as Akeno fastened one on her as well. Although the one she used was different from those she Lina had seen her put on Clara and Rachel. Her collar covered her whole neck and needed two straps to be fastened. When Akeno was done, Lina couldn't turn or lower her head more than a fraction.

"They are a symbol of your new life." smiled Akeno. Lina wasn't aware of it, but the collars around the two operatives, whose names she still didn't know, were the special kind. Lina, however, wore a normal posture collar. She wanted to take her sweet time training Lina, both because she wanted to punish her, and because Lina was very beautiful. She understood why Noah wanted her, and like a gourmet savoring his food by eating it slowly, Akeno wanted to prolong Lina's training.

"I will leave the three of you alone for a while, since I have things to do outside, in no small part thanks to you guys. I will return in a few hours to give you some water. I am also leaving you ungagged, so you can explain the situation to your companions when they wake up." declared Akeno as she put a black leather blindfold on Lina, plunging her in darkness.

"And then what?" asked Lina. "You can't hold us indefinitely in this lewd and disgusting basement. What is your final goal?"

"The three of you will become my and Noah's sex slaves." smugly declared Akeno.

Lina didn't need to see to imagine Akeno's gloating expression.

"What? No way! I admit you're beautiful, Akeno, but I don't swing that way, sorry, and I won't submit to anyone!"

"You have no idea how many girls in Noah's harem made declarations along those lines." chuckled Akeno. "But they all fell, and the three of you will be no exception… Well, I need to go now, or the others will start to worry. See you later for your spanking, Lina."

"Wait, you can't just declare something like that and leave… Akeno?"

Lina somehow felt that Akeno wasn't present anymore, and started struggling against her bonds. If she could free herself and her friends, maybe they would get the upper hand somehow.

She eventually stopped when she didn't feel any progress for her struggle, and started wondering what kind of lewd things Akeno would force her to do. She would likely experience many of the fiendish features contained in this accursed basement.

…

When Akeno joined back with the others, Touko and Airi, now wearing training coveralls that Rin and Erika had made using their Creation Magic, tightly hugged Akeno and thanked her.

"It's going to be okay now." promised Akeno, giving her smartphone to Airi. "Shiori is in my contacts. You should give her a call, Airi, she's very worried."

"Y-yes, thank you." nodded Airi as she walked some distance away with Touko.

"What have you done with those three, Akeno?" frowned Kyouko as she came back from the room Akeno had just left. "I hope you haven't made a mess for the government by letting them escape."

"No. We agreed that I would get to deal with Angie Sirius and her support team, didn't we?"

"Yes, as long as the government doesn't get implicated. Or do we have bodies to bury?"

"Of course not." snorted Akeno. "It would be a tragic waste of potential, and I do not know yet if they took part in the kidnapping or the torture. Keep Lina registered as a First High student, please. Maybe I'll let her out after a while, if she behaves herself and signs an appropriate contract."

"Let her out… out from where?"

"Kyouko, there are things that you are better off not knowing." shrugged Akeno.

"…I'll drop the matter for now. I think the government is going to pretend not being aware of anything happening today. We don't want formal accusations on the world's stage. Is it fine with you?"

"Perfect. But what about those guys?" asked Akeno as she glanced at the thirteen unconscious men."

"They abducted, tortured two civilians, and declared their intentions to rape them." said Kyouko with a flat tone. "If they were civilians themselves, they would get life sentences. But since we don't want them to get an opportunity to talk…"

"Bottom of a river with concrete shoes, I understand." nodded Akeno.

"Rivers are often explored by divers. We aren't that careless." said Kyouko as she shook her head. "I will simply ask a certain person we both know. I am sure he will not mind."

"I see. And why do I feel like it isn't going to be the first time you request this from him?"

"Akeno, there are things that you are better off not knowing." smiled Kyouko, and Akeno chuckled at having her own words thrown back at her.

"Airi and Touko are going to need some serious therapy." said Rin.

"The government will provide it to them." replied Kyouko, walking away to make a call.

Erika walked closer.

"Six Valkyries, Lina, and the two other captives. And I expect most of us disciples will clamor to learn Shunpo after today. You are going to be busy."

"By 'you', you mean 'we', don't you? I expect you to help us with this matter." grinned Akeno.

"Do I… have to?"

"…not really. I won't force you if you really don't like it."

"…I'd be willing to help with those three. But not with Honoka, Mayumi and the others, I think."

"Fine with me." smiled Akeno.

A few minutes later, Airi and Touko were safe in the van, with the Valkyries, Erika and Rin keeping them company. Only Kyouko and Akeno remained behind. Akeno was wondering why Kyouko didn't show any sign of leaving the factory, when she saw one of the male prisoners suddenly turn into a gray mass of subatomic particles, dissipating completely in a second.

One after another, the prisoners disappeared, and then the same started happening to their equipment. Tatsuya didn't intend to leave any evidence behind.

"He's doing that while still being at home, right?" asked Akeno to confirm.

"He is, yes."

"It's one thing knowing, and another seeing it happen right before your eyes. I understand why you guys keep him hidden. From the civilians to the foreign governments, everyone would lose their minds about him."

"Indeed. We should leave now. We have nothing to do here anymore, and I have a report to write. The worst part of my job." said Kyouko as she walked out.

Akeno nodded and followed, wondering how the UNSA would react.

…

Colonel Canopus tiredly leaned back against the back of his chair, staring at the ceiling.

His career was over.

He had just ended a call with the President himself, where he had to explain how his attempt to collect information about a few rumors had somehow caused the probable loss of their strongest strategic magician (at least, as far as the public knew). And if the Japanese wanted to play hardball, The USNA would be involved in an international dispute of first magnitude.

The president had not been happy, and tore him a new one for twenty minutes straight.

After considering his options, and watching a few more times the video feed of the battle from the surveillance satellite, he decided that any forceful attempt to extract Angie Sirius and the others was unjustifiable. The rescue team would likely end up dead or captured due to the sheer lack of information about the opponent's capabilities.

With a heavy sigh, he made a call to the Japanese's Prime Minister, asked a few probing questions, and was unsurprised when the shrewd politician acted like he wasn't aware of anything. now that he knew the Japanese's official position, he pressed a button.

"Colonel." saluted a staffer after entering his office.

"Send me Ed to prepare an official communique. The strategic Magician Angie Sirius honorably died while stopping a clandestine operation from a foreign country, one that couldn't be identified. We were sadly unable to retrieve her body."