A series of small explosions went off, blowing up the surrounding angels.

At the center of the blast, Clam advanced at an incredible speed.

“Kei…!”

Under her feet, a man-eating frog—Murder Frog—was generated, exploded, and launched her even further forward.

With every blast hitting her back, Clam pushed ahead.

In her mind, the image she’d seen remained vividly.

The sight of Sorciera suffering, entangled in thorns wrapped around her arm.

Moreover, those thorns appeared to be creeping toward her neck.

If they were to reach her neck—what would happen to her?

“Tch, I’ll definitely save her.”

How many times had she said those words with determination?

Trying to shake off the self-deprecating thoughts, Clam summoned a swarm of man-eating frogs ahead of her path.

“Mar-chans, huge explosion!”

The frogs she leapt onto bounced like trampolines, sending her flying upward before simultaneously exploding.

The explosion engulfed all the angels around her, pushing Clam even higher into the air.

“…There she is!”

Looking down from the sky, Clam spotted Sorciera.

Just as she’d seen in the vision, Sorciera was fighting angels alone.

Protecting the young man who had tried to kill her moments ago, while her own body was being consumed—just watching it made Clam’s heart ache.

“Tch!”

Triggering another explosion mid-air, Clam launched herself straight toward Sorciera.

Like a shooting star, she cut through the sky.

And to the girl up ahead, Clam called out—

“You’re safe now. I’ll definitely save you.”

Right before hitting the ground, an explosion from a summoned frog cushioned her, letting Clam land without a scratch.

Ignoring Sorciera’s surprised expression, Clam summoned man-eating frogs in front of all the angels.

“Mar-chans!”

The frogs all exploded at once, wiping the angels from the area.

As the dust settled, even the terrain had been transformed, leaving nothing behind.

“…Clam, you came.”

“Yeah.”

Sorciera smiled as always, acting unbothered.

But her left arm hung limp, still clutching her scythe.

“Hehe, what’s gotten you all riled up like this?”

“Hey, it’s okay to be honest in front of me, you know.”

“…Eh?”

At Clam’s words, Sorciera’s smile wavered.

But only for an instant.

She quickly returned to her usual grin and deflected, saying, “That’s just how stars shine.”

Clam knew Sorciera had a habit of hiding her pain.

So, without pressing further, she changed the subject.

“Should I protect that guy?”

“Yes. He’s a rare Demonsgear contractor.”

“And to you, what is he?”

“Eh?”

Sorciera looked surprised at Clam.

“What do you mean… what are you asking?”

“Nothing, forget it. Sorry. Anyway, just need to protect him, right?”

Clam summoned a large number of man-eating frogs.

Then, turning to the frogs waiting for her command, she spoke.

“Mar-chans, kill any angels you find. Now scatter.”

The frogs responded cutely, hopping off in different directions.

Nodding in satisfaction, Clam sat down on some nearby rubble.

Then she pointed to the space beside her.

“You should sit too. Just rest—those kids can handle it now.”

“You’re being cruel, I’ll die of boredom.”

“Please.”

“…Haah, fine. I’ll listen to you for once.”

Maybe her sincerity reached Sorciera—she sighed and sat next to Clam.

Holding her left arm, she flexed it as if checking its condition.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

The reply came too quickly, and Clam pouted.

“There you go again—”

“But you’re here. So I’m fine.”

“…R-Really? I-I see, that’s… good.”

She knew it was a lie to brush things off, yet her heart skipped a beat.

Telling herself now wasn’t the time to be happy, Clam looked at Sorciera.

(She looks terrible. Just sitting here must be painful…)

Wanting to ease her even a little, Clam gently stroked Sorciera’s head.

Startled, Sorciera trembled briefly, then leaned into her without saying a word.

Her unexpected honesty made Clam blurt out—

“S-Sorciera!?”

“This is easier… Just for a bit, okay?”

“D-Don’t just say ‘a bit’—stay like that as long as you want!”

As she stroked Sorciera’s head, now resting snugly against her, Clam scanned the surroundings to stay calm.

If angels appeared, the frogs would handle them, but it was better to stay cautious.

“…Just a little longer, and the Enforcer will catch the culprit.”

■

“Eina, is this the guy?”

『Ah, yes, that’s him.』

Rokuhara scratched his head, looking down at the young man beneath his feet.

“Weak as hell… the hell is this guy. What a joke.”

Thanks to Rinka, they’d roughly located where the culprit was hiding.

Then Eina detected a suspicious explorer—and surprisingly, they caught him without much resistance.

“N-No way! He took down all those angels instantly!”

“As if that’d protect you, dumbass. Even other S-ranks wouldn’t last a second. If that kid with the Heavenly Sword were here, you and the angels would be ash.”

Rokuhara grabbed the guy by the collar and yanked him up.

“Alright, I’m arresting you under Enforcer authority. Also, stop summoning angels.”

“W-What kind of idiot stops just ‘cause you say so? L-Let’s make a deal—if you admit defeat—”

“Hey…”

The building right beside the guy vanished without a trace.

Rokuhara’s sword was in hand.

“I don’t have time for morons. You wanna go out painlessly, right?”

He pushed the guy back, letting the sword glint in front of him.

Recalling the building’s instant destruction, the guy trembled and shouted.

“I-I can control them with this thing!”

“Hah? A trumpet? You messin’ with me!?”

The guy held out a small trumpet.

Rokuhara snatched it, stared, and yelled.

It looked exactly like a fancy toy.

“It’s real, I swear!”

“You’re hiding more. Stand up and jump.”

“Ugh…”

“I hear jingling, damn it!”

『Ahahaha! That totally suits you, boss! You really look the part!』

Ignoring his laughing partner, Rokuhara searched the guy.

(No Dive Gear—so no expanded domain. Only coins in his pockets.)

“This trumpet’s for real?”

“Yes! The professor said it could control angels…!”

“Professor, huh? I see. Then stop the angels. Tell me about him. Do that, and I’ll put in a good word to lighten your sentence.”

Rokuhara patted his shoulder, and for the first time, the guy brightened.

“R-Really!?”

“Yeah. So use this trumpet to stop them. I’m not blowing it.”

Taking the trumpet, the guy glanced at Rokuhara and blew it.

Rokuhara then contacted Rinka.

“So? That should’ve stopped the angels.”

『Hold on… yeah, the summoning stopped!』

Angels within the domain faded away.

Rinka, confirming it via frog-mounted cameras, said in a drained voice, “That wraps it up.”

But then—

『Wait! Something’s appearing near Sorciera and Clam! Isn’t that the leader of those bird-things!? And angels are spawning around her again!』

Hearing Rinka’s near scream, Rokuhara calmly called his partner.

“Eina.”

『……Yes, confirmed. Judging by the magical depth waveform, it’s the central control unit for all the angels. In other words, he was faking and just betrayed us! What a jerk!』

By the time Eina finished, Rokuhara had already grabbed the guy’s collar again.

“Hey you—what the hell did you do…!”

“I-I don’t know! W-What’s your problem!? I did what I was told! The angels should’ve stopped…!”

“Then why the hell did the boss bird appear near Sorciera?”

“H-How should I know!?”

Rokuhara, seeing his teary-eyed face, drove a fist into his gut to knock him out.

He tossed him aside and sighed.

“Can I punch the angel boss and get back here in 12 seconds…? He’s still the culprit, so I shouldn’t leave him unattended…”

『Forget this guy. Kill the boss and grab your bonus—ah, something else just appeared by Onee-sama.』

“God… how obsessed is that thing with her…?”

Rokuhara muttered in disbelief as Eina continued scanning.

『Let’s see, this reaction is—』

■

Clam now stood face-to-face with an angel that had appeared out of nowhere.

Explosions raged around them—showing the increased rate of angel summoning.

“Sorciera, stay back. I’ll handle this one.”

“No, it’s too much for you. Let me—”

As she stood up, the thorns suddenly lashed around Sorciera’s neck.

She instinctively tried to rip them off, but the vines coiled tighter like a collar.

“Ghh—ahh…”

“Sorciera!”

Clam started to run over but froze—remembering the angel’s presence.

It looked like a bird’s nest made of stitched-together human arms.

Through the gaps, countless eyes glared—proving it was alive.

“…I’ll end this quickly.”

“N-No…!”

Ignoring Sorciera’s protest, Clam summoned man-eating frogs around her.

(Some exploded already but had no effect. Armor’s tough… then I’ll concentrate the heat with a massive blast—)

That’s when it happened.

“Aah, this was my bad.”

A carefree girl’s voice.

Then in the next instant, all the angels nearby were incinerated in black flames.

Even the nest-like angel Clam was about to attack turned to ash.

Without exception, every angel burned away.

As the ashes swirled on the wind, someone appeared.

A black cloak. A mechanical straight sword.

Seeing her, Clam stiffened.

“…You’re Nameless, huh.”

“That’s right. Oh, I guess this form is a first for you?”

With a graceful bow, the cloaked girl smiled.