Cop Craft – Dragnet Mirage Reloaded

He scowled at the elevator display. Tilarna continued in a grave tone.

「The power possessed by a high mildita cannot be simply dismissed as mere sleight of hand. Many a warrior’s eyes have been fooled by their magic, their tempered blades and arrows deflected in the blink of an eye. Furthermore, they are capable of releasing poisonous flames from their very fingertips. To say nothing of Dorini weapons……」

「You saying they won’t work?」

「Yes. Your arms do not possess a soul.」

「Umm, a soul, eh? Don’t know what you guys mean by that.」

Drawing his favorite pistol, Matoba checked its remaining ammo.

「Well, this baby’s got a soul. That’s for sure. A Sig Sauer P226. 9mm cartridge. Power’s so-so. Capacity too. But it’s a damn good gun. You can tell the designer put all their heart into making it. Accuracy, operation ⸺ all of it’s perfect. Been a while since I got this thing, but I’ve cared for it ever since. She’s always been with me even in the toughest of times, so I’ve kinda gotten attached to it. Even so, would you go so far as to say that she’s just another soulless Dorini weapon?」

A well-worn black pistol covered in scars ⸺ there was no doubt it was a pro’s weapon. Tilarna carefully examined the gun.

「I see. It is slight, but I do indeed sense a sliver of rahtena coming from this gun.」

There was no cynicism in her words; she stated with a straight face.

「That so?」

「That is so. The thought is what matters; rahtena shall dwell in any object containing such feelings.」

「Then, what about this?」

Alongside the pistol, he showed her his Zippo lighter. It had been in his possession for quite some time as well. As Tilarna brought her nose closer, she scrunched her face up.

「It just smells of oil.」

「The hell is up with that…..」

「Anyways, we must remain on our guard. Otherwise, we might be unable to save that little one…..」

As the elevator approached the top floor, Tilarna began to act out-of-place. Constantly turning her neck, she knitted her eyebrows and covered her ears.

「Try swallowing.」

「What?」

「Y’know, gulping? It’ll fix your ears.」

「Mm……so it does.」

Tilarna did as he instructed, opening her eyes in surprise.

「Let’s go.」

Reaching the top floor, the elevator doors slowly opened.

Readying his gun, he prepared himself for the worst as he stepped out of the lift. A dreary service corridor revealed itself to them on both sides. He glanced at the floor plan posted on the neighboring wall. Straight and up the stairs. There was the roof. Going down led to the showroom.

Beside him, the telephone rang. It was the security center.

『You appeared to have reached the top floor. Keep in mind the helipad on the roof……』

「Over here.」

He hung up the phone, forgoing any semblance of etiquette. Turning the corner, they dashed up the stairs, opening the door to the roof.

「Wait.」

Tilarna grabbed the hem of his suit.

「Do not stray too far away from me, Kei. I am the only one capable of detecting any surprise attacks that mildita may unleash.」

「Still⸺」

He thought back to that time in Alabares’ apartment. That time, they had been acting separately from each other, which proved a burden on the other. He did not want to step on her toes this time around. And vice versa.

Sensing that, Tilarna said.

「I am aware of your distrust in me. However……」

Their eyes met. She peered into his face with those big, charming eyes of hers. He wanted to say the words on the tip of his tongue, yet he could not muster the courage to do so.

「If you cannot bring yourself to trust me, I do not believe we can call ourselves partners.」

Partner. Partner, huh?

Just yesterday he would have said 『Partners? You gotta be fucking kidding me.』. But now, he no longer felt that sense of discomfort. As an adult man, it did not feel right to rely on this child…… he could not bring himself to say that now.

「Fair enough. I’m counting on you.」

「I shall keep that in mind.」

They stepped foot outside, climbing another flight of stairs, all the while the cold, outside air pierced into their skin. A strong wind was blowing atop this skyscraper. The dull sight of steel and concrete. In this dim light, rows upon rows of mercury lamps lit up the darkness. Further up the stairs was the helipad.

A strand of purple was slowly becoming visible in the pitch-black sky. Signaling the break of dawn, no doubt. Three steps up the stairs, Tilarna suddenly pulled his arm back.

「Stand back!」

Matoba did not bother to resist. Following her instructions, he tilted his body, taking two steps backward. At the same time, a bolt of blue flame descended from the heavens, blinding his eyes as it scattered like fireworks. Just a little closer and it would have shaved off his nose.

「Ghrk!」

The afterimage was so powerful, the pupils of his eyes burned. Blinking repeatedly, he pointed his gun above his head and took aim.

「Do not shoot! Advance to the front!」

A slender finger pushed his back. Obeying Tilarna’s words, he gave up on shooting and ran forward. He rushed up the staircase two steps at a time. Not a moment sooner, the same blue flames struck their previous position.

「What the fuck is going on?」

「Do not be so loud. He will discover our location. That man is blind, remember?」

As she ran alongside him, Tilarna whispered into his ear, her lips almost touching his earlobes. Of course, this was no time for sweet temptations. Matoba recklessly charged forwards, finally arriving at the roof proper.

「Where the hell is he?」

「I am looking for him no⸺」

An impact. Striking the freshly-painted handrails, sparks gushed out of the flames. Ducking their bodies, they continued advancing onwards.

「…………Ngh. Be most careful. If you are hit by his flames, your blood vessels will burst. Your lungs shall be exposed to his miasma, and unable to breathe, you will⸺」

「Death by asphyxiation, huh? Shit.」

Twice, thrice the flames shot down once more. Through Tilarna’s prompt warning, he somehow had been able to avoid the direct brunt of the flames. Bodies pressed against one another, they deftly moved from cover to cover, sprinting for the helipad.

「Above. They’re above……!」

Tilarna raised her eyes towards the helipad overhead. For a man like him to stand in the open like that. Most suspicious indeed.

「You sure?」

「Although there is no guarantee. The fairy is above us as well.」

「Fuck.」

Swearing aloud, Matoba rushed towards the staircase leading to the helipad. Clasping the lagging Tilarna’s hand, he desperately pushed his way forwards. Her cold, slender fingers were especially soft to the touch.

Zelada attacked.

Fire off all you want, old man. Without so much as a warning, countless blue flames materialized out of thin air. Thanks to Tilarna’s timely advice, he managed to get past them, all the way to the top of the stairs.

At the very center of the helipad, there lay a familiar glass cylinder.

The Spirit Bomb.

There was no sign of Zelada. Regardless of his aims, the barrage of blue flames had died down.

「This is a trap.」

「‘Course it is. No need to tell me that.」

Mounted on the bomb was an LCD. Even from their position, the two were able to spot the numbers on the display counting down.

《00:03:25》

Three minutes and twenty-five seconds left. Twenty-four seconds. Twenty-three, twenty-two……

「That bomb’s on a timer. It’s gonna blow any time now.」

「Can you destroy it with your pistol?」

「No can do.」

He muttered in a grim voice.

「One look at the thing tells me it’s just like any other bomb. You try do anything strange to it, it’ll explode right there and then.」

It appeared as though some form of electric current or radio wave had already begun coursing into the fairy, thereby activating the bomb. Judging by its make, the explosion would probably be instantaneous. In a way, the fairy was no different than a glorified gunpowder keg.

「Then, what shall we do?」

「No choice but to disable the circuit manually.」

「But, is that not what Zelada is aiming for?」

「Yep. Still, we’ve got no other options. I’m going. Watch my back.」

Matoba and Tilarna approached the Spirit Bomb lying in the middle of the helipad.

Zelada’s attack had not come just yet. It was most unsettling.

He observed the bomb’s mechanism. An electric circuit was attached to the frame. A large-scale condenser. And a sensor, to boot. Moreover, bits and bobs that did not make a lick of sense to him were scattered about the setup.

「Shit……」

This was all Greek to him. If it were just any other explosive, Matoba might have gotten by with his limited expertise. And yet, rather than a bomb you would find on Earth, it was more of a hybrid between that and a Semani magical device. After all, its creator had been that Elbajhi fellow⸺.

「Can you make sense of any of this?」

「Wonder ‘bout that. It should be electronic in nature. If we could just get bypass the circuit, I might just be able to trick it.」

At that moment, Zelada’s voice echoed through the air.

『Good heavens, such reckless actions.』

Ten meters away, Zelada stood at the other end of the helipad. He was dressed in his unmistakable red attire. Squatting on his knees, the rod in his hand gave off a dim light⸺.

「You bastard……」

『Please do not address me with such a boorish term. Might I not persuade you to turn back now? I assure you it is for your own safety.』

「Don’t sweat it, old man. I love messing around with grinning assholes like you.」

『My, oh, my. Even though you are powerless to do anything……』

「Shut the fuck up!」

There were no shouts of 『Don’t move!』or 『Put your hands up!』this time around. Matoba mercilessly aimed his pistol at Zelada and opened fire. Bullets entered his head, shoulder, and flank, eliciting a momentary cry from the magician⸺.

⸺No, nothing happened.

The 9mm rounds simply passed through Zelada’s body, colliding with the fence behind him, sparks scattering all around.

「See. You were unable to do it.」

Zelada’s image smugly laughed.

「Wha……」

「It is but an illusion……! Look up!」

Three bolts of flames were conjured up in mid-air, flooding straight into Matoba all at the same time.

Immediately, Tilarna sent them flying. However, she had no leeway to do anything else. One hit the ground. Another left a big hole in Matoba’s coat. And the last one⸺.

「!」

An impact right in the center of his back. He had directly received the brunt of the blue flames. It felt as though a bucket of concentrated sulfuric acid had been poured onto his back. His back burnt, an unfathomable pain coursed through the entirety of his body.

「Kei!」

Matoba collapsed to the ground. The pain in his back was gradually getting worse. Something hot, something cold had invaded his air ducts, lungs, and heart, constricting them with overwhelming power.

「Gah……」

『How disappointing, Matoba-sama! Once again, it is your loss.』

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tilarna lower her body, keeping a close watch on her surroundings. The magician’s image disappeared, appearing once again a few steps away. Sneering at Tilarna, who had jumped away in surprise, Zelada vanished once more. The blue flames were after her. Barely jumping out of the way in time, Tilarna had managed to dodge his initial attack. In front of the onslaught coming from this illusion, her hands and feet were tied.

「Well, what do we have up next…… Ooh, Archduke Devol’s…… How interesting!」

Zelada gave a boisterous laugh.

Despite having an old man’s voice, he laughed just like a cheerful, young boy in high spirits. He was enjoying this.

「…………kh.」

His body was numb; he could not breathe.

In anguish, his body writhing in agony, Matoba could only let out a hoarse voice.

He was suffocating. At this rate, he would most surely die.