The weather was ever-changing.
The bright blue sky of the morning seemed to have been covered, in the blink of an eye, by a layer of lingering dark clouds.
Within the Trinity Academy, anyone standing in a sufficiently open area only needed to look up to see the burning airship falling from the heavens.
It was a sight rarely seen even in Kivotos, drawing countless people to stop and stare. The bustling commercial districts, already packed due to the student holiday, became even noisier, more crowded, and nearly impossible to move through.
Among those crowds were three girls who had just left a café.
They looked around desperately, but all they could see was an endless sea of colorful heads.
"Where could Azusa-chan possibly have run off to all by herself at a time like this...?" Hifumi asked worriedly.
Not long ago, all four members of the Make-Up Work Club had been together, enjoying their leisurely holiday while lamenting the absence of their advisor, who was busy with work.
Then cries of alarm erupted outside.
Azusa had caught sight of what was happening through the window. After a brief moment of stunned confusion, her expression changed dramatically.
To be fair, everyone else had reacted similarly.
However, before she could even say a word to the others, Azusa had rushed out on her own.
By the time they chased after her, she had already vanished.
"It's not just Azusa..." Koharu's eyes filled with tears, her voice trembling. "Sensei is really on that airship right now...?"
"Ah, that's true," Hanako replied, "but Koharu-chan can have a little more faith in Sensei, you know."
"How am I supposed to believe when Sensei's life or death is still unknown?!"
At that moment, Hifumi scratched her cheek awkwardly.
"Um, Koharu-chan... maybe check your phone first. Sensei should've sent you a message too."
The self-proclaimed elite of the Justice Task Force froze for a moment before hurriedly pulling out her phone.
Sure enough, there was a message confirming his safety.
She immediately let out a sigh of relief.
"In any case, let's trust for now that Sensei and Azusa-chan can take care of themselves."
Hanako said,
"If we split up, we'll just create unnecessary risks. Let's put the Make-Up Work Club graduation gathering on hold and figure out a way back to school first."
After a moment of thought, Hifumi nodded in agreement with Hanako's proposal.
Still, she instinctively glanced toward the sky and pressed her lips together worriedly.
Then she turned around and headed toward the academy together with her friends.
More than that, this disaster-like scene was being transmitted live through news cameras, displayed clearly before everyone following developments surrounding the Eden Treaty.
"Viewers! An emergency situation has occurred!"
The announcer's urgent voice echoed through the broadcast.
"The airship carrying members of the Pandemonium Society and Schale's Sensei is about to crash after suffering an explosion of unknown origin...!"
Inside Trinity Academy's prison.
"Hey, Seia-chan..."
Mika withdrew her gaze from the television screen.
Her voice carried no discernible emotion.
"Could this be the ending of the story you wanted us to witness together?"
The blonde fox-eared girl did not answer.
Instead, she sat silently for several moments with a grim expression before standing up.
"My apologies. I've suddenly begun feeling unwell, so I'll take my leave for today."
"...Mm. Take care. Make sure you get some rest. I'll walk you out, though I can only take you as far as the door."
After all, she was still technically a prisoner.
Seia gave a slight nod.
Looking hurried, she left under the escort of subordinates from the Sanctus faction who had arrived to meet her.
After her friend departed, Mika returned to the sofa in the now-empty cell.
Staring at the image on the television screen, a picture that was moving yet somehow seemed frozen in place, she felt as though the announcer's voice was unreal, muffled by some thick and irritating wall.
Then she took out her phone and glanced at the newly received MomoTalk messages.
After a long time, Mika let out a soft sigh.
Wrapping her wings around her flat stomach, she murmured to herself:
"I told you from the very beginning, didn't I? This is the kind of world we live in."
"So... it really is just as Seia-chan said."
"It's a story filled with betrayal and pain, one that isn't pleasant at all."
As she spoke, the girl closed her eyes.
The corners of her lips curled upward into a faintly mocking smile.
Yet perhaps even she herself didn't know who exactly she was mocking.
From Trinity to Gehenna, from Millennium to Abydos.
News of the airship attack spread rapidly to every corner of Kivotos.
Yet the Old Cathedral, standing at the center of the storm, remained calm.
At least on the surface.
"Everyone, the time Sensei bought for us at the cost of risking his own safety is running out."
Nagisa spoke in a grave tone.
"According to our intelligence, Sensei is currently unharmed. What we need to do now is strengthen our defenses as much as possible and prepare for the attack Arius is about to launch."
Tsurugi responded with a strange cry.
Hasumi calmly answered with a simple, "Understood."
Hina, who had just arrived at the temporary command center, gave a small nod.
"I heard about the situation on my way here. However, there's still one thing I don't understand. What exactly gives the Arius Branch School the confidence to fight both Trinity and Gehenna at the same time?"
"Trinity's catacombs. Based on current estimates, Arius Branch School has been hiding there ever since its expulsion during the First General Council."
"The catacombs..."
Hina fell into thought.
"No wonder Arius remained undiscovered all these years."
Seeing that Hina was familiar with the ancient ruins, Nagisa continued:
"In fact, there is an exit leading to the catacombs directly beneath this Old Cathedral."
The white-haired girl raised an eyebrow.
"In other words, they'll most likely launch a surprise attack from here."
"Exactly. That's why nearly all of our forces inside the cathedral have been deployed around the catacombs."
Nagisa smiled confidently.
"As for outside the cathedral, a complete lockdown is already in effect. Hehe, this seems like the perfect opportunity to lure the snake from its hole and wipe them out in one sweep."
Hina considered this for a moment.
"I understand. Even so, don't let your guard down. Is there really no problem on Sensei's side?"
The Tea Party host replied:
"Please rest assured on that front as well. We've already asked Captain Mine of the Remedial Knights to provide protection."
"Then I have no objections."
Although her instincts kept telling her that something had been overlooked, Hina dismissed the feeling as merely anxiety caused by concern for a certain person.
As for the possibility of an airstrike?
The moment that thought surfaced, she rejected it herself.
Given Trinity's anti-missile interception technology and the fact that they were already on alert, there were very few forces in Kivotos capable of penetrating Trinity's air defense network.
The impoverished Arius certainly wasn't one of them.
Thus, everything was ready.
All that remained was the arrival of the east wind.