※ Spoiler Warning

Epilogue 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 "Ah... it's a beautiful night."

In the park where the guests had left, The Leader muttered while looking up at the sky.

Asuka was sleeping happily on her lap. Parte had entered the tent a long time ago. Ludis had run off energetically, saying she found a good spot.

"Did you have fun, Asuka?"

The words leaked out as she gently stroked the girl's hair, not expecting an answer. In fact, she felt bad at the thought of waking her. Yet, she was the type who couldn't help but speak.

"...It really is a quiet, beautiful night."

Immediately after she said that, a roaring engine sound tore through the silence. It was a heavy, gut-rumbling sound, clearly different from ordinary machines—one The Leader remembered well.

"...You were always that kind of person. Bastion."

An armored monster machine stopped, crushing the wildflowers in the field. Stepping off was Rank 31, Bastion, trademarked by a giant prosthetic arm.

"I was just starting to feel good. Can you do nothing but ruin people's moods?"

"...And it seems you can do nothing but speak in an irritating manner?"

In the midpoint where their gazes crossed, sparks seemed to fly. Considering their past, it was only natural.

"So, you came all this way just to destroy the evening's lingering mood for this child, I assume?"

"...That's right. Hand her over."

"I see, I see. And then what? Are you going to spit out some cliché, worn-out, shallow line like 'Hand her over and I won't touch the rest of you'?"

The Leader shrugged as she spoke, but Bastion was not one for jokes. He grimaced slightly but did not lower his guard.

"Look, Bastion. I know you've worked hard for Amatsu, but it's time to back off from this girl. Even my patience has its limits, you know?"

"And you? Have you still not learned your lesson, even after having your precious circus troupe destroyed?"

This time, it was The Leader's eyebrow that twitched. But unlike Bastion, her expression grew increasingly grim.

"Learned? Learned what? That I should stand by and watch you crush such a small child with that stupidly huge arm of yours!?"

"That is the decision of Amatsu."

"The decision of Amatsu!? Ha! I don't care how high up the order came from, that's not what you want! This is a personal vendetta, Bastion!"

A switch flipped, and she raised her voice, forgetting that Asuka was sleeping on her lap.

"What did this child do!? Nothing! She just 'saw' a little bit! Amatsu calls that a crime! And you, who just happened to be unlucky, harbor enough hatred to chase her all the way here!"

"...Nothing? You saw it too. The light of that day, the hell where the whole world turned upside down."

"I saw it! And even so! That is not this girl's responsibility! It's not something she should pay for with her life!"

With a whistling sound, something grazed The Leader's cheek.

Rolling on the ground was the monocle Bastion always wore. Having thrown it, he glared at her, his usually stoic face distorted.

From his exposed left eye, an unnatural, iridescent flame was erupting.

"...Then, what is this?"

"That's your own carelessness! Because you used this girl for convenience, you used 'Visual Sync' to grasp the situation back then! And you 'saw' it too! That's all it was!"

Bastion's unique ability, 'Visual Sync.' As the name suggests, it synchronizes his left eye's vision with the target. By combining this with Asuka's 'Farsight Clairvoyance,' Bastion could effectively use clairvoyance. The accident occurred because he tried to exercise that naturally back then.

"At the very least! We, 'Luna Ridente,' do not accept this! There is no reason she deserves to die! This is the consensus of the members! And the decision of the Leader!"

In response to those words, the mechanical arms 'Gran Mano' on The Leader's back began to move. It was her combat stance, a declaration that further talk was useless.

"......I see. In that case, I shall crush you along with her."

The iridescent flames intensified. They erupted from the prosthetics on both his arms, cutting through the night darkness.

"...What! You're handling that better than I thought! Why don't you try to master it completely!?"

"...I look forward to seeing how long that nonsense lasts."

He took one step, then another. He knew The Leader's strength. That was why he moved into his lethal range.

"A clown speaking nonsense is the same as breathing! That aside... I have to say this one thing!"

"Last words? I'm afraid I won't be listening."

"Just listen! Why do you think the Leader started a group like the Camping Club? Knowing I'm being hunted, why do you think I'd do something that involves others!?"

"...A decoy for when the time comes?"

"That's such an Amatsu Ninja way of thinking! Oh, wait! You were an Amatsu Ninja! But you're wrong!"

She stood up, cradling Asuka who remained asleep despite the commotion, and spread Gran Mano wide. She gave the answer with a smirk.

"—Those two are supporters as well!"

A figure leaped from the tent. It was an ambush by Parte, who had been quietly equipping her gear and timing her strike while The Leader and Bastion were talking.

"Blow away, you rotten ninja!"

Missiles fired from her entire body. She circled, leaped, and dropped, surrounding him from all directions.

However, a ninja is not so soft as to be defeated by this alone. He stood his ground, wreathed in iridescent flames, and released them in all directions to incinerate the missiles.

In that opening, the accelerated Leader quickly grabbed Parte, who had fired all her missiles, and left the spot. But even if they ran, Bastion's mobility meant he could chase them all night. That's why she only took enough distance to wait.

"Such insolence..."

Bastion didn't realize. The smoke from the mass of missiles and his own iridescent flames had almost completely blinded his field of vision. He felt satisfied as long as he didn't lose sight of the target, Asuka, and The Leader who held her. Above his head, a massive magic circle spread across the starry sky.

Even from the stargazing spot, Parte's missiles were clearly visible. Ludis didn't even have to think about what to do in such a situation.

"Sorry if I hit you, Leader! 'Starlight Cannon'!"

A massive mana bombardment using the mana of the stars, not Ludis's own. Its only drawback was the inability to fine-tune coordinates or power, and it was fired straight at Bastion.

Everything turned white upon impact. But tearing through the center, Bastion leaped out, having turned himself into an iridescent bullet.

The battle was just beginning. 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　 　

　 　 　 　 　　 　 　 　

This battle lasted all night... but in the end, no one died, and Asuka was safe. It was a draw, though Bastion was at a slight disadvantage.

The Leader later recalled that the only real damage was to the park, which became a scorched wasteland, the Camping Club's tent, and Parte's wallet after she blew through a mountain of missiles.