Apocalypse Witch: To the Strongests of an Age of Plenty
Episode 4

What they needed to collect them was simple.

They may be hard to come by in Japan, but they are not really rare in the country.

Karuta and Marika were walking in the gap between the slums and the rich area. It was a unique sight where a driver was waiting inside a black limousine right next to where a man in a worn-out coat was collecting empty cans.

"That's enough for a shotgun bullet" Karuta said. "I'd love to buy as much as we can carry, but they'll probably be suspicious if we buy too much in one place. Maybe we should visit some different stores."

"What about the trap?" ask Marika.

"Filling it won't be too difficult. One spark alone is enough, so we can make a fuse from the battery and aluminum foil. Of course, we're gonna need a different device to power it up."

"We're gonna blow it up with a radio? But there must be a signal on all kinds of frequencies flying around all the way to the helicopter port!"

"Not to mention the annoyance put up by obsessive fans. Yes, it may be better to pretend to be a tourist as we stroll around the building and check what frequency is being used. There must be bandwidth that is not used by anyone. More importantly, Marika, you are our only hope here since only you can use the standard Crystal Blossom. Do you really think you can do this?"

"Yaaa, I could. Actually I'd like to use a laser or a maser, but it looks like a non-nuclear photon rocket is the best one here."

"Whatever the case may be, you should test it first. We don't want to know too late that the impact force will take one of the hoses out of its place."

"of course. In this case, I will need a rubber fastener that can be affixed to the walls of the building and some retaining materials if we have a budget.”

Both are shopping.

Meanwhile, Aine stays at the RV to support the Student Council President in case anything happens. It won't make much difference if one of the Problem Solvers finds them, but Aine will be able to fight off the criminals who tried to rob the place.

"I don't believe in the former Crystal Magician like we have to buy weapon parts at a hardware store" Marika said.

"I agree on everything that gives us a chance,"

"Also, Aine-chan really helps a lot, so what if you buy her a gift?"

"You mean a snack coated with gold leaf or powder? Do you think it can actually build a semiconductor circuit inside his body?"

"Everything is too amazing to say. I've never even heard of another Crystal Blossom eating."

"And he was stored inside my body, so what would happen to me if he built a pure golden circuit inside of him?"

"Wait, I think the golden leaf dessert can't be digested."

They discussed that while pushing a shopping cart through a large store.

The hook of the train reads “Stainless Steel - Fifth Generation Material”.

(You even see it here.)

This is a sign of Elicia Luxverg. He used his dinosaurs to rip up passenger planes and tankers collected from around the world because of the way it was very efficient at breaking them down into recyclable resources. That's why first-generation resources, such as iron or aluminum directly mined from mines, are almost never seen again.

News is playing on the phones of passing customers.

"The price of steel fell by 2 dollars and 50 cents today while aluminum remained stable at 40 dollars and 27 cents. Speculators say that its effect on first-generation resource deals will be..."

Marika whispered while reaching for a product.

“There is nothing wrong with human society when unprocessed stone is of higher value.”

They already had a list of what they needed, but as they had said before, buying it all in one place would arouse suspicion. They did not have much time, but still had time to take a walk to different shops to buy bit by bit from their list while also visiting insignificant figures along the way.

“Oh, I just remembered you, all my new swimsuits are still on the bottom of the sea with the sunken ship.”

“Truly, Marika?”

“May I buy one, just one! That will help disguise what we do!!”

“You've bought a racing swimsuit for diving, remember? And you managed to buy a casual model because the sea here is so warm!"

"Listen, Karuta-san. Just as school bags and famous brand bags are completely different things, that swimsuit and this swimsuit are also completely different!!"

And finally, he was pulled into the sports store.

The sight of his childhood friend had already greatly frightened him.

"Oh, I love this feeling of dizziness when surrounded by so much price. Heh heh, I can buy everything, right? Can I buy anything, right?"

"You crazy, greedy boy!? You just use the price on the label to feel rich! Besides, we don't have a steady income!!"

"We're collecting a bunch of valuables from a sinking ship."

"But this is infinite. In addition, we decided to leave 95% of that stuff in the cave for when Gekiha and the others finally woke up. We only have things around that we need."

"Bikini is good, but the design is too perfect so there's not much room to have fun with it."

"You didn't even listen, did you!?"

"This is the necessary part of the required item only. Now, let's check out the one-piece swimsuit ... ohhh! They've got a very complicated one here, boss! It does not cover the stomach or back at all! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA !!"

He didn't know why it was so funny to him. At the very least, she knew that it had nothing to do with good fashion sense. He is the stereotype of a shopaholic who would definitely calm down half a day after buying it and deeply regret his decision.

That meant there was nothing he could do now.

She went straight into the dressing room in a sexy swimsuit.

"Hm, hmmm. Hm, hm, hm, hm."

"In hindsight, there's no good reason for me to wait for you here, is there?"

"Are you trying to kill me by being lonely by telling me to try on clothes alone? And look at this stupid swimsuit! It's funny!"

The curly-tailed Marika opened the curtain, and that was when it happened.

She was indeed wearing a swimsuit, but that powerful action caused her shoulder strap to come off, thus making her very bare-chested.

"Ah."

Karuta had to cover his face with both hands.

He was pretty sure that he had seen a pair of indescribable bright mounds(?), but it would be best not to continue the matter.

Yet...

"Look, what did I say!? It's really cheap!! They are poorly made, so you can't believe it!!"

"~ ~ ~ ~!! W-wait a minute!!"

Marika blushed in embarrassment and quickly ducked back into the dressing room. Inside the RV, she would sleep naked with only a piece of cloth covering her, but she still seemed reluctant to directly show off everything by accident. And, he seemed to be well aware that this was not Karuta's fault at all. Being a smart girl is hard sometimes.

Meanwhile, the young lady at the cashier smirked towards him. He had a bad feeling that the woman was the type of seller who let her sample almost break down and then claimed that whoever tampered with her had to pay for it.

"It's all just a trap!?"

"But, sir, you're enjoying the show, aren't you?"

"..."

It made her sad and could not deny it, so she paid him to silence the woman. He can only laugh.

"Bwa ha ha ha!"

"Ah ha ha ha!"

This is a world that contains only love and peace. Utagai Karuta's laughter was even uglier than when he felt so cornered by Problem Solver.

As soon as the fitting room curtain opened again, the two of them returned to being strangers.

"Ugh... What should we do with this broken swimsuit?"

"Even if we manage to defeat Saurus with it, let not this passage go into the history books."

He asserts his point with a more assertive appearance than is actually necessary.

Anyway, the preparation is done.

It's time to face one of the strongest in the world.

Time to attack one of the Troubleshooters.

It's time to take revenge on Elicia "Saurus" Luxverg.

The enormous broadcast station has a range that crosses national borders to span the entire Southeast Asian region.

Having grown into a building with 200 floors, there is one thing it definitely has: an elevator.

They require enough lifts to quickly and comfortably transport a large number of personnel and materials such as property.

There are public lifts for tourists and spectators, delivery inbound elevators that can carry full medium trucks, special elevators that allow entertainers to sneaky out of the back, and business lifts for other personnel.

Usually, the user of the elevator would be accompanied by the station staff as a guide, secretary, or bodyguard, but Elicia was different.

He had a simple reason to reject all of that:

"They'll get in the way."

The giant building has a very elaborate layout to ensure entertainers can avoid obsessive fans, but Elicia has learned how to surround the building by herself. He also set his own schedule to minutes or seconds, and he can fight an attacker who appears suddenly.

He is the strongest man in the world, alone.

With strength at his level, not hurting those around him was the most difficult part of solving any problem that occurred. As we know, his dinosaur did not allow for detailed control. He took pains to smile for the camera and give false speeches to the people, so he wanted to avoid making allies into pulp. That would throw away all the effort he had put into facial exercises for hours.

(Although it is best to keep the location a secret.)

In this case, being in a clear location and going by helicopter is not the best option. If he is honest, driving a used car half rusted through a small road surrounded by plywood and prefab buildings is more in accordance with his style.

At that moment, he smelled something inside the empty elevator.

He pulled out his phone and made a video call to the station master on the top floor.

"I'm scheduled for four interviews, one-on-one talks, and then dinner with some 'influential people', right?"

"Y-yes. I'm sorry for the hectic schedule when you must be exhausted, but think of how much good that will come from-"

"Cancel everything."

"Huh?"

He did not bother to respond to his blunt confusion.

He concluded as much as possible.

"You need to prepare yourself. There's an intruder."

His prediction proved accurate.

Moments later, the elevator lights went off, informing him that there was a power outage.

He heard a loud scream similar to a spark from a train wheel during emergency braking. The elevator stopped suddenly on its way to the top floor.

"..."

It was night time. The building is so tall that the floors above it extend the time before the sun sets, but it is still very dark. Does losing artificial light really make a difference of this magnitude?

His phone screen lit up the darkness a little, but his call was over.

The writing on the screen shows "no signal", so it must use the broadcast station and the tower to make calls. However, no chaos in the city can be seen through the glass, although power outages on a large scale are likely to cause accidents at traffic lights and train crossings. That means the electricity only goes off at the broadcast station.

(National awareness is key to restoring order in emergency situations. Current counter-terrorism measures have become critical infrastructure that must be activated in less than five minutes, but certainly they do not expect to strike during such a short time.)

The digital floor display has been lost when the power went out, but it is likely to be near the 190th floor.

The next sound he heard came from the middle of the elevator door made of metal. A katana-like blade made of crystal pierced as high as his chest. The sword slid down along the gap between the double doors and sliced off a kind of scoop like a hot blade that pierced through butter.

Automatic doors are forced open by human hands to reveal who is waiting for them.

"I recognize that blazer." The strongest person in this world kept his voice low but he smiled despite being trapped in a hanging birdcage. "A survivor of Grimnoah, I guess?"

"No."

It was a slim boy.

He was accompanied by a pale crystal girl who held a sharp weapon.

A light filled his eyes as he introduced himself.

"I'm the one who'll kill and surpass you."

How did they get to that point?

The bloated broadcast station was 200 stories high.

They certainly have a solid security network with security guards, cameras, and sensors, but the security at one point is pretty loose: the roof is dyed orange.

" No one would ever expect someone to enter the 200-story building from the very top," the strawberry-blonde Marika's laughter with a layer of transparent armor covered her entire body.

Of course, there are heliports on the roof of the station, so they have minimum control equipment. The entire station can serve as a large broadcast tower so they do not need to use external towers and they can use distortions in those signals to detect approaching aircraft.

but.

What if?

“If you fly directly up attached to the wall of the building, the radar can not detect you,” Karuta said after being taken up. “Although a normal plane or helicopter will definitely crash into a building if it tries to do so.”

On the 200th floor, they were over 1000m above the ground. The gripping equatorial heat was replaced by a cool chill. Beautiful alpine plants even grow in pots near them.

“In my opinion, we will not accept interviews on TV stations.”

Suddenly, he remembered what his friend had said.

"Wouldn't Crystal Magics like us be more like special forces? We will be wrapped in a veil of mystery that attracts the public without having to show off to the media. But we will be able to watch movies based on the Crystal Magical and laugh at the inaccuracies inside. Heh heh heh."

"..."

Suddenly, Karuta remembers that in the sticky corner of his book, there is a picture that forms a scene from one of the films he dreamed of.

Karuta squinted his eyes, let out a white breath, and whispered softly.

"Power up."

The back of her purple jacket swelled up and Crystal Girl Aine emerged from it. The color of his skin was pale and his body was decorated by Crystals.

"Aine, get your weapons ready. We're going to face one of the Problem Solvers, so don't hold back at all. When I give you the signal, you have to give everything from the first step."

"All right."

Aine swung her hand to the right and a crystal katana appeared there. The base has a jitte-like fork with a laser gun at the short end.

"You too, Marika."

"Leave it to me."

There are sensors on the roof exits, but that won't mean anything in a short time.

They don't even need to cut off sensors when the station will be entirely flooded with alerts.

Karuta and Aine cling to the side of the door while Marika heads to the arranged boxes where they do not block the heliport, which is a large air conditioning unit, water tank, and a large air conditioning unit, and a gear box for many lifts.

“Now we have to wait for that OSIS President.”

They took their positions and waited for things to begin.

And it did start.

The bright guide lights for the helicopter all went out.

As soon as the TV station building died completely, Aine's sword slid through the door hinges like a hot knife through butter and Karuta kicked the door. Marika jumped into the elevator cell from a different entrance.

The Student Council President's voice sounded through the vibrations of their Crystal Flowers.

Omotesandou Kyouka's job is to use gas line explosions to destroy normal cables and transformers outside the broadcast station, then observe TV stations using binoculars.

“Elicia uses the third VIP lift from the left. Um, should have stopped at the 190.” floor

“Understanding.”

“Electricity should turn back on within five minutes, so call before that!”

Karuta and Aine run down the dark emergency stairs to get to the elevator. He would have to use the crystal girl to neutralize anyone they met along the way, but fortunately, it was not necessary to do so. Perhaps it was thanks to the highest area used for its executives, so there was nothing close to the actual production area. There were very few people living in this very high place.

"It's all about to start."

Utagai Karuta bit his teeth as he left the emergency stairs and ran through the hallway.

The fear in his mind merged with the strange heat.

"This is the beginning of everything !! Aine, we will challenge Elicia 'Saurus' Luxverg, one of the strongest Problem Solvers in the world! You should also be ready !!"

"Yes, Sacri-sama."

They arrived at the elevator room on the 190th floor.

Aine's curved sword pierced through the iron door and Karuta helped open it.

And behind that door...