~ Support & Read 18 Advanced Chapters on Patreon

❁❁❁❁

When Natsumi came to her senses, she found herself held tightly in my arms.

Seeing her dazed expression, I reached out and ruffled her hair, a wide grin on my face.

"Hehe. No matter how you look at it, Natsumi is still just as cute as ever." I gently tried to smooth out her tangled locks. "Though, this hair is a bit of a mess. We should probably tidy it up."

Feeling the gentle hand on her head, Natsumi instinctively flinched. She looked up, her wide, emerald-green eyes staring at me, completely lost.

A moment later—Poof!—she vanished from my arms.

Natsumi had run away.

She didn't know how to face me. Terrified that I would hate her now, she chose the only option she could think of: escape.

The other girls exchanged confused glances. After making sure Tohka was back to normal, I gave them a reassuring nod and then vanished myself, following Natsumi's trail.

————

In a nearby park, Natsumi sat hunched over on a bench, completely dejected.

"What do I do..." she muttered to the empty air. "What am I supposed to do now...?"

'They'll definitely hate this version of me, right? He won't like me either... Calling me cute... he was just lying.'

But as she sat lost in her thoughts, she was unaware of the danger closing in.

————

"Ellen, have you found the target?"

"I have. The Witch is alone."

The speaker was Ellen Mira Mathers, Second Executive of Deus Ex Machina Industries. On the other end of the line was DEM's Managing Director, Sir Isaac Ray Pelham Westcott.

Ellen's mission was simple:

Capture the Seventh Spirit, Natsumi.

Her secondary objective was to confirm the identity of Kyoya and, if possible, capture him as well.

Despite video evidence of his power, Westcott refused to believe a human could be that strong. He had already classified Kyoya as an uncatalogued male Spirit of immense power.

The thought of obtaining his inverted Sephira Crystal made Westcott's mind race with excitement. His dream would be within reach.

Far from being intimidated, he was invigorated. He had dispatched a massive force of Bandersnatch combat machines and, to ensure success, had even called in the UK's anti-Spirit ace: Artemisia Bell Ashcroft.

"Oh? So you've found the Witch," Westcott chuckled. "Well then, Ellen, I'll leave it in your capable hands."

The line went dead. Ellen hung up, her gaze falling once more upon the small, despairing figure on the park bench.

She waited patiently until the last of the civilians had left, then began her approach, her face a calm, emotionless mask.

At the same time, dozens of figures flickered into existence around the park's perimeter. Bandersnatch units and DEM Wizards materialized from thin air, forming an inescapable cordon around Natsumi.

————

The sudden movement snapped her out of her stupor.

"Who are you people?" Natsumi asked, her voice wary. "AST? What business do you have with me?"

"Witch," Ellen's voice was sharp and clear. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ellen Mira Mathers, the world's strongest Wizard. If you don't want to get hurt, I suggest you surrender and come with us."

Her tone was absolute, leaving no room for argument.

Hearing her declaration, Natsumi's eyes went wide.

Then, a slow, mocking laugh escaped her lips as she stood up. All traces of her earlier despair were gone.

"Wahahaha! You want to capture me? I think you're wasting your time!"

She shrugged, a gesture of complete indifference to the soldiers surrounding her. "By the way, I really don't like being called 'Witch.' Could you just call me Natsumi?"

A flicker of annoyance crossed Ellen's face. In a flash of white light, her CR-Unit—Pendragon—materialized around her.

"We'll see if it's a waste of time or not."

"Hmph. Is that so..."

A cold smirk touched Natsumi's lips. She raised a hand, summoning her Angel and aiming it directly at Ellen.

————

Ellen's eyes narrowed slightly as she watched Natsumi summon her Angel.

'Haniel, the Witch of Forgery,' she thought. 'It can change an object's form. A tricky power, but not a serious threat to me.'

She raised her right hand, the blade of her laser sword humming to life. The two faced off, and the air in the park grew thick with tension. The surrounding DEM Wizards and Bandersnatch units raised their weapons in unison, ready to unleash a devastating barrage at a moment's notice.

Despite the overwhelming odds, Natsumi's defiant smirk never wavered.

"Ara, ara?" she taunted. "Don't tell me you're arrogant enough to think you can win with numbers alone?"

Ellen shook her head slowly, her expression deadly serious. "Of course not. Don't worry, I won't disappoint you. So…"

FWOOSH!

Before she could finish, Ellen vanished. She reappeared directly in front of Natsumi, her laser sword a blur as it swung in a deadly arc.

CLANG!

A sharp metallic ring echoed through the park, unleashing a powerful shockwave. Natsumi had remained vigilant, just barely managing to block the lightning-fast assault. If she hadn't, the surprise attack would have grievously wounded her.

"Regrettably, I have a more important mission," Ellen said, using the force of the impact to launch herself into the air. "So don't blame me for using overwhelming force."

The moment she was clear, the DEM forces opened fire. A volley of missiles and searing energy cannons screamed toward Natsumi.

"Heh!"

Even facing such a relentless attack, Natsumi remained fearless.

"Dong—"

She struck the ground with the end of her broom. As the attacks closed in, she cried out.

"Haniel!"

In an instant, a blinding light erupted from her, forcing everyone to shield their eyes. The missiles that entered the light were instantly transformed into an assortment of candies and chocolates, while the energy blasts were reflected back, detonating among the trees in a series of fiery explosions.

"W-Waaah!"

"What's happening!?"

"We've been turned into kids!"

A wave of panicked cries came from the DEM Wizards. When Ellen looked down, she saw a dozen unfamiliar little girls scattered across the grass, all wearing the tattered remains of her subordinates' uniforms.

Then she realized—she, too, had been transformed. Her body was now that of a child, while her CR-Unit remained its original size, making it feel heavy and awkward.

"Heeheehee~" Natsumi cackled, clutching her stomach. "You look much cuter like this!"

"Hmph~ This isn't over yet."

"Is that so?" Natsumi taunted. "What can you possibly do in that tiny body? You should just run home to mommy, ahahaha…"

Ellen ignored the laughter and focused on her CR-Unit's diagnostics. The data confirmed it: her physical abilities had dropped significantly, and even her speech was affected.

'A very troublesome ability, but…'

"It's still more than enough to deal with you!" Ellen declared. She gripped her laser sword and shot toward Natsumi with incredible speed.

❁❁❁❁

~ 18 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon

https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx

(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)