Apocalypse Witch: To the Strongests of an Age of Plenty
Episodes 10

London is drowning in a pile of trash and is experiencing a solar eclipse.

The city manages to create a strange harmony between paved roads and old-fashioned brick apartments, but piles of garbage bags fill the sidewalks even overflow into the street. The stacks were tall like adults. Although it looks like a strike or a boycott from cleaning workers, it is not.

This was due to Elicia's defeat.

Although he is responsible for waste management, he does not actually handle household waste for 5.5 billion people. He handled the breakdown of large passenger aircraft and tankers, but with his role no longer fulfilled, one had to take on that responsibility. Like traffic density due to a slight drag, the pressure slowly spreads and eventually rises to the surface like this.

But no one openly complains about it.

They have bigger problems to worry about.

The fog city was in a state of high alert.

There is no night ban, but there are checkpoints and police and armored vehicles patrolling intermittently. Helicopters equipped with floodlights flew through the sky in false darkness and patrol boats crossed the rivers. People who just want to drink in their regular pub before coming home drunk will soon be sober after being attacked by a storm of questions from the police.

A carefree voice rang out from the disaster radio at the edge of the flower bed. Probably abandoned by a homeless man who was forced to leave by the police.

"It appears that the upward trend in Coronel Pharmaceutical stocks is related to the global delay in waste disposal."

“Alright, if unhealthy conditions can cause disease outbreaks, then sales of disinfectants and antibiotics will definitely increase. In addition, Coronel recently bought a startup that promises to get into the field of insecticides, so they should expect an increase in the anti-flies and anti-cockroaches market as well.”

“Finding ways to benefit from anything is human power, right? Now, all investors are already taking note of these things, so it is impossible to buy a stock at this point will bring in huge profits. So what brand will go up next? It is possible that Gaia Agriculture received many orders for home compost kits?”

“Stain Breweries may not be bad. I bet a lot of people will want to drink after seeing the flood litter in their city. Ha ha ha ha.”

In one of the towns, Karuta and Marika exchange a word after getting out of an RV vehicle.

"Okay, let's do as planned."

"Could be ascertained."

They're walking in different directions. Marika also did not fly. He ran on the ground because flying and gaining attention was a great way to become the target of one of the great spears of light.

Street lights in London remain quite bright despite the eclipse, although the atmosphere is far from cheerful given the high level of vigilance. This was probably thanks to Yukino Arakawa himself. He provides the world with electricity, for, that allows existing power plants to provide electricity to government supercomputers and accelerates particles that are making progress in the development of new drugs for incurable diseases.

However, he had killed so many people as if they were trash.

This will make true philanthropists cry.

Karuta evades the street lamp that feels like a symbol of pride of mercy and walks over the dark, deserted sidewalk while flicking the modified military flashlight he has in his blazer pocket. He muttered something under his breath while confirming his presence.

"Enable."

The back of his blazer swelled and a mysterious crystal girl named Aine appeared. His hair was silver, dressed in white, carrying a crystal sword, and a laser rifle on the short end of his sword jitte branch. He held the weapon gently while waiting for the order calmly.

Karuta focused on the flower petals on his chest that would renew themselves after being scattered.

"You too, Aine. We're separated from here."

"..."

The pale cheeks of the girl expanded slightly from the inside.

Maybe he didn't like the idea.

"It's about efficiency. I've already explained why this is the most effective plan, haven't I?"

"understood. Take care of yourself, Sacri-sama."

"Should you really call me that?"

The two people did not sound too happy with what they said to each other, but they still separated without any further words.

(London, huh?)

English food is bad.

Back at the Ocean Crystal Magic Academy, she had doubts about the common belief, so she sneaked into the cafeteria kitchen and tried cooking experiments with the help of exchange students from London. The result was a bit off and he ended up suffering from stomach pains, but since the exchange student himself raised his head while eating it, it was possible that Karuta's Japanese cuisine was already mixed in it. The truth remains a mystery to him.

The exchange student is no more.

Everyone had turned into a shattered crystal statue.

"..."

He threw away his sentimentality and refocused on the cold world of revenge.

Their plan this time was very simple.

"Troubleshooters act as a type of symbol, so they cannot leave their posts during the G21 Summit. If they were seen running around, it would be reported as something terribly wrong."

A transmission that did not use electricity sounded in his ears.

The president of the Student Council, Omotesandou Kyouka, spoke to him through the vibrations of the Flower Crystal controlled by a printed circuit board that was smaller than a stamp.

"Yukino Arakawa is at Westminster Palace. It was the national parliament building famous for its clock tower. The distance is almost 10 km from the RV if measured straight. Sorry, but there's no way to get close to all the checkpoints."

"We're going to solve this problem" he replied. "In addition, what worries me is that spear of light."

“Will the attack not endow us, regardless of what we do?" cut Marika. “In addition, the attack moves at the speed of light, so you can't avoid it after seeing it coming."

“Not always true if you reach Regulation 3," said the Student Council President in a funny way. “I don't think we need to discuss the Magic of God's Adoration Yukino. It's pointless to think about. The average Crystal Blossom character cannot stop something like that."

“Then we have to make sure that he doesn't fire it".

"It's good, Karuta-kun. Yes, even though he had a satellite weapon that could target any part of the world, how did he aim it? He only shot at one point. If we're not bothered by the impact of everything, maybe we can only find a way to get through it."

Karuta considered that while remaining in the shadow produced by the pile of trash higher than him.

Targeting schools at sea will be easy. Even the escort ship was already quite large. Targeting with the eyes is easy enough in an empty ocean, but not so simple in a big, complex city like this.

The Problem Solving works for the government and is considered a representation of justice. Therefore they do not have to rely on illegal things like bugs or surveillance cameras. The Problem Solving can use all official security measures to monitor ordinary people.

“A lot of effort is being done on counterterrorism infrastructure in London, so they have over 5 million stationary security cameras, right?” ask the figure.

“You can also add phones, intercoms, road recorders, and many other devices to that list,” Kyouka added. “Total number of lenses may be more than 10 million.”

“Did you say that Yukino Arakawa used it for a specific purpose?” ask Marika. “But..”.

“That's right, Marika. The data from so many cameras is very difficult to manage with just human power. We can only hope we are not caught by a program made to detect suspicious people automatically.”

That was why Karuta deliberately chose the shadow that was getting deeper due to the bright light of the street lamp.

London is a crime prevention city with more than 5 million security cameras alone, but this plan feels accelerated and urgent. They should definitely acquire the number of cameras requested quickly and within a limited budget as each camera itself is of poor quality. Cheap cameras have difficulty with light contrast. When this camera automatically adjusts to a bright area, the shadow will be completely lost.

In this day and age, people can be identified through facial recognition, color graphics, skeletal structure, and walking patterns. However, nothing matters when the original data has been erased.

Piles of garbage bags are also a barrier in locations that are not counted in the initial crime prevention plan, so sometimes they physically block the view of the camera.

“But Yukino controls everything in satellite orbit, right?” ask Marika. “Can he see us from there?”

Karuta said, Although he can do it, satellite photos cannot use facial recognition as long as we do not look into the night sky. And we can deliberately change our walking patterns. The night image becomes grained when the brightness is increased and the thermal image shows only the silhouette. It meant that he could know there was someone there, but did not know who.'

'?', ask someone.

'Hee hee hee. Marika-san, London is a city with a population of 8 million, Kyouka said. 'Including tourists and workers who came, the figure reached 13 million. Although people there may always be on the lookout, there is currently no curfew and many people want to go just to take videos or social media content. So, he couldn't eliminate someone just because they looked suspicious.'

"After all, London has over 10 million lenses" Karuta repeated.

There were no witnesses other than his target during the attack on the Academy of Magic Sea Crystals. In fact, it was a very open, enclosed room, so he was allowed to use as much power as he wanted.

But things are different here.

The Trouble experts were the strongest in the world. The systems and services that protect and glorify them will bind Yukino Arakawa here.

"But, Sacri-sama,"

Karuta receives a transmission from Aine while a black flame burns in his stomach.

"..."

It was possible that there was an unknown surveillance system that had leaked their location to him.

Or perhaps he would lose his composure and fire his spear of light into London.

After thinking for a moment and letting out a slow breath, Utagai Karuta replied.

"That's why we parted ways before we started heading to Westminster Palace."

If one of them is captured or reduced to ashes, the other can reach Yukino.

Once they got close enough to him, an absurdly strong attack would hit him as well, so he could no longer use it.

That was their plan.

That's their choice.

The more he thought about it, the more dizzy he became. He tried to catch his breath as he passed by a group of police on foot and several police cars. Since the one in his pocket was only a flashlight, he was not in danger if they stopped him, but he still did not want any information to get to the Yukino above.

Although he only painstakingly passed through the mechanical lens and the human eye, the sound told him that something was wrong.

"Wait a minute. It's freaky. What's going on?"

"Omotesandou-san?"

He spoke in confusion, but not long after that he also noticed it.

It reached his ears, or perhaps to his skin.

A strange tension filled him like a weak electric current flowing through the surface of his body. Like a premonition of an impending explosion. The police must have received the information over the radio as they became more active.

“Hey, you're there!!”

“Kh. …Yes?”

A heavy voice called out to him and one of the policemen highlighted him with a flashlight.

He closed his eyes and covered his face with his hands to protect his eyes as the middle-aged officer ran over.

An unpleasant pressure overcame him and he slowly lost control of his veins.

However, the police officer let out a long breath and said something he did not expect.

“Are you a resident? Or are you a traveler? Whatever it is, you have to find a building to get into!”

“Um?”

“It started,” said the police with a strained sweat on his face. “The damage is starting.”

The national parliament building symbolized by the giant clock tower is the Palace of Westminster. At a time when security was high, the building was blocked by more barricades and armored vehicles than any other part of London.

An Asian woman with short black hair sat on the roof.

She was wearing a nun's robe, but the hemisphere in her skirt was too exposed and she didn't wear a cross anywhere on her. Moreover, he was holding a metal stick that was taller than his own body. She had a tall and slim body, and her closed eyes gave her a completely different calmness.

His name is Yukino Arakawa.

He is a Problem Solver that uses optical blasting known as a spear of light.

This task should be an easy task.

The death of Elicia Luxverg, also known as Saurus, has been an extremely painful blow. They also learn that the killer is here in London. However, the city is on high alert. If anyone did anything suspicious, the police network would immediately arrest them and he could throw a light spear there. They would not have the opportunity to dodge or defend themselves before they yawned along with some police officers.

Yep.

If he received a warning or two, he could handle it easily!

"We demand all governments and Troubleshooting to disclose all information they have about the Threat!"

"You have an obligation to explain what happened to the lost countries, territories, and cities!"

"How can we sleep in peace if tomorrow we get in trouble!? I have a child at home!!"

(Why do they all have to do this!?)

When the flood of sounds reached his ears like distant rumbling, Yukino slowly bit his teeth behind his calm expression.

His two earphones played out the voice of a request from a police officer who did not fully understand the situation.

They do not ask for help from the power of Problem Solving.

"Troubleshooting, don't move from your current position!"

We have to make sure that the G21 Conference ends with the best security possible, so we will lose if you move out of your post.

“Do not use tear gas! Get the water truck out! Damn it, why don't those shops lower the cover!?”

If his trap did not work, then he was in the middle of the forest with a savage beast.

The safest option is to get out of this place and hide, but the police won't let him do it. They insisted on staying in that place and waiting for the attack.

He was angry in his heart, yet someone contacted him.

It was a Problem-Solving Partner.

"That's it. Don't be so angry. And you call yourself one of the best Problem Solutions?"

"..."

"In addition, the police do not know what is going on. They don't even know that Elicia's dead. Of course they'll take a more relaxed look."

"I realized that."

The media has a strong presence here and there are also many amateur video enthusiasts who think they are part of the media. Keep wrinkling your face and you will lose all your false pride that you love so much.

Yukino thought for a moment.

The Problem Solvers maintain global order. If they are destabilized, it will cause unnecessary chaos in countries and cities around the world. That was why their image on the outside was so important, but that was also why they could not suffer any visible damage.

Even though it was just a blister that was obtained with some kind of terrifying beginner luck.

After doing the necessary calculations in his mind, he slowly stood up from the top of the roof.

"Then, there's something I can do" he told his partner. "I beg you, Lugh, the Celtic God of Light."

"Wait, you didn't do that in London, did you? I know I'm not a talkative person, but you can't 'hold back' with your guns. You have to let one of the others handle this or this will be a massacre."

"If necessary, I can ask Anastasia to take care of it."

"Are you really?" The person on the phone sounded half surprised and half amused. "You really plan to destroy London, a city of 8 million? And in the middle of a G21 summit like that?"

The nun in her trademark large clothes raised her staff while answering.

He did not hesitate to give this answer.

"If you need to."