S-Shit, I'm not losing any blood, aren't I? Looks like KC's Shared Damage Protection is in effect.

Heh…..I can't believe it.

My group crumbled at the first hurdle, and Jack is dead.

Jack is fucking dead….and I couldn't do anything.

Shit, my left arm….it's still pretty limp.Fucking hell. Even though KC is helping out, I gotta do something.

No matter what, I just….have to keep going.

I need to defend the Hallory Circuit group with my life.

I can't let my accomplice's death be for nothing!

--Keeping his composure on the outside, Yariko's internal thoughts continued to run wild as his Magical Beasts lay motionlessly beside him.

Killcreation had taken the entire damage from the bullet that had been shot into Yariko's shoulder using one of its special moves called 'Shared Damage Protection'.

Now with his partner struggling to adjust to the pain spike, he himself had, in a sense, been healed, but now lacked his powerful arsenal for the time being while being trapped in Shihon's vine barrier that covered them both entirely.

I'm happy and annoyed at the same time that Liohime's Magical Beast pretty much saved us. What do I even do now? I have to make sure that my co-workers are okay. I need their support more than anything in order to surpass this first layer.

Yariko, unable to remove the pain that Killcreation now carried, simply recalled it into his mindspace as he leaned back, preparing to take a risk and make a move, but-

Suddenly, the vines around him began to shake, and his heart skipped a beat as he instantly rose up with a heightened sense of fear.

"What's going on…?" he muttered out loud, before witnessing the barrier rescind back into the earth slowly, exposing himself back into the plains of the Paradisus Legion's first layer.

At the same time, all of his workmates had appeared as their barriers had been removed.

"At once, they all turned to view the towering building in the distance, peering into the distance in order to see if their attackers were still present.

And somehow, they could not see the large dots that represented the figures of their opponents.

They're gone…? And what's up with that giant hole in the tower?

"Yariko, you're not bleeding? That's good."

A voice had called out to him, and as soon as he turned his head in that direction, his eyes widened as he as well as eight others from his circle eyed the young man with surprise.

His clothes were covered with scattered white and yellow flowers, orchids and sunflowers, and vines, twigs, as well as beads of grass stuck out from his palms, face, and legs while he panted with frustration.

"I'll explain later," the man assured, and held out his left hand. "We need to meet up with Shihon, who's made it into the tower. We're gonna finish this, once and for all."

--Liohime Kitagami, who had used Shihon's Magical Beast powers, declared those words after rescinding the barriers, while the other groups of Shinigami Soldiers were now advancing closer than ever towards them as reinforcements.

***

Shihon had emerged, mentally forcing herself to eliminate everyone who had seen her human form and noticing her magical powers.

She had sped forward with unimaginable speed, dodging bullets from above, and just as she was in close proximity to the base of the tower itself, she kicked off of the ground and pounced straight into its side from several hundreds of feet away.

The primary watchtower guards from above could do absolutely nothing to stop her, and as soon as they heard the sudden boom from below that had signalled her presence, they all exchanged terrified glances.

"What….just what can we do?" Maya, one of the guards, pleaded to the others with trembling lips, as her will to fight had left her. "That…that thing crushed our entire battalion defence with one move. It endured and dodged our sharpshooting snipers. F-Fuck, it's now below us, several stories below. WHAT EVEN IS THAT FUCKING THING!!!??"

"We're…doomed," lamented Mitaka, who averted his gaze with no ounce of hope left. "A Magical Beast that could transform into a human? This isn't funny."

They both faced Adrian, searching for an answer on what to do next out of desperation.

He clenched both of his fists, and turned to head down the stairs to the lower floors, but was halted by a pull on his shirt sleeve.

"Huh?"

"W-What the fuck do you think you're doing!?" Maya asked. "You can't go down there! You don't have a Magical Beast, and all of our ammo has been used up!"

"That's why you're gonna support me with yours."

"-hk."

Taken aback, Maya widened her eyes as she was stunned by the young man's desire to keep fighting.

He turned to Mitaka, asking for his aid as well.

"This Magical Beast is separated from its Master. Plus, its mana capacity has to be at its brink. Together, we still may have a chance. So, why not take that chance?"

"B-But-"

BOOM!

A large explosion, followed by a series of war cries and screams followed from below, and Adrian could tell that a struggle had begun.

"There are our companions down there right now who are fighting. Hibono is one of them. We have to help them and give them our full support, or else we'll all be toast."

With that declaration, Adrian pulled both of his peers close to him and continued:

"MAN UP AND FIGHT FOR THE SAFETY OF THE PARADISUS LEGION!"

"R-RIGHT!!!"

Thus, the trio hastily descended as they were poised to meet the onslaught that would meet them.

***

"One minute left."

Shihon muttered those words, referencing the time that remained before her mana capacity had run out, marking the end of her magical power usage for a while until it had been completely refilled by the mana in the atmosphere.

Unbeknownst to her, many people would arrive from both her side and the opposition's, but she knew one thing.

I'm finishing this, and then I'm gonna enter the second layer, she thought, as she glanced at the nearby stairs that lead further down into the first floor.

That place was the gateway to the second stage, but with threats that she could simply not ignore in front of her here, she had to fight.

Thus, the climax of the first layer's fights would begin….

…Right here, and right now.

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