Ten kilometers above the sky.
There was a jumbo airplane in that sky. With sea of cloud below, while the powerful
jet engines were rumbling loudly, the plane was heading straight for America.
But, the flight of that airplane was in a situation that wasn't normal at all. It was
because there were multiple fighter aircrafts following behind that airplane from
slight distance. It wasn't because there was near miss between planes or because this
airplane was actually the exclusive airplane of the president. The reason why fully
armed fighter aircrafts were flying behind passenger airplane keeping watch was one.
It was for the sake of shooting down the airplane in the worst case, before damage
could be inflicted to the country. Because an airplane that was hijacked by terrorist
wasn't any different with a flying cannon shell possessing great mass.
Yes, that passenger plane was currently being hijacked by terrorists. Due to the
terrorists that somehow slipped handguns aboard the plane, inside the plane was now
being ruled by nervousness and fear.
[Oi, you...]
[?]
Everyone was staying quiet, only waiting for this fearful time to leave. A passenger
businessman stole a look at a patrolling terrorist before calling with a small voice at
the young man across the pathway beside him.
So that he wouldn't be standing out, the young man only lifted up his hanging down
head slightly. When he directed a glance at the businessman that was calling him,
immediately after a small paper scrap was thrown on the lap of the young man.
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The young man was startled and he directed his gaze at the businessman, but at that
time the businessman was already looking down and sitting quietly on his seat, as
though nothing had happened.
The young man was feeling a sensation of cold sweat going down on his back while
being careful of the patrolling terrorist, he spread open the folded paper scrap inside
his palm.
――17:35
There was only that written on the paper. Normally such writing would be too cryptic,
but the young man felt a shock as though electricity was running through his body. He
guessed it. The written time which was ten more minutes from the current time, was
the time where the situation inside the plane might change greatly.
With a glance, the young man gazed at the businessman at his side. The businessman
also moved his gaze without moving his face, and gave a small nod. The will to rise in
counterattack in order to resolve this hijacking incident, existed in that businessman.
Most likely this paper had gone not only to this young man, but also to other people.
It was unknown who was the one that started circulating this paper, but the person
who dispatched this paper, should be expecting for even one more people to answer
the call.
Surely it was because that person had vaguely guessed the objective of the terrorist,
that he decided to make a sink-or-swim gamble. In the recent news, there was an
abundance of topic regarding suicide bombing. The features of the terrorists' face
obviously looked like the characteristic features of the people of the country where
the famous terrorist organization that was reported everyday in news belonged. In
that case, it was possible to imagine the worst case regarding the objective of this
plane hijacking.
The young man, thinking that they would die anyway if this situation kept on, scolded
his heart that was withering in fear and nodded briskly at the businessman. And then,
in order to increase the number of courageous comrades even just by one, he secretly
handed over the paper where the time for counterattack was written to other person.
Before long, inside the plane where eerie silence was ruling, the watches of the
passengers were about to reach the time that was written. Tension was suddenly
rising. Beside the young man, the businessman was wiping the sweat on his forehead.
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The young man also understood really well that feeling. Their fate might be decided
at a few minutes later. The tension the businessman was feeling wasn't something
average. The young man himself was feeling the sweat that was trickling down on his
back and neck and the feeling of his body growing cold.
But, at that time, the back of the plane suddenly became noisy. Angry yell and scream,
and then *pan* the sound of gunshot resounded. The young man lost color. It finally
began.
The young man and the businessman, and then several men――a father with family, a
middle aged male who seemed to ride the plane with his wife, and so on, they were
looking for chance while their face was straining with tension.
And then, the terrorists who noticed the strangeness at the back of the plane rushed
from their post while saying something, it was at that moment
[UOOOOOOOOH]
[Hold them down-]
[Steal the gun-]
The passengers who had conspired beforehand simultaneously revolted. One of the
terrorists who turned his back was tackled from behind, the tackler desperately held
down the hand of the terrorist who didn't let go of his gun even when he fell. One other
terrorist, when he turned his gaze at his tackled comrade he was also immediately
wrestled by the father with family who was right at the terrorist's side and both of
them fell on the floor.
It became noisy inside the plane. At the same time, the hope that perhaps at this rate
they would be able to subdue the terrorists, were beginning to spread between the
passengers.
But,
*pan-*
A single gunshot resounded, at the same time, the businessman who was holding
down a terrorist slumped down while groaning. And then one more shot. *pan* A
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gunshot resounded, and the father with family who was holding down another
terrorist screamed and fell.
Immediately, the terrorists punched away the other passengers, and then they further
shot with their handgun while cursing and standing up. The young man who was
similarly shot on his leg was making a pained voice while turning his gaze, and there
he saw the figure of a flight attendant holding a small handgun.
[No way...why...]
The young man leaked out a bewildered voice. That was only natural. The flight
attendant was a blonde haired Caucasian, no matter how he looked her nationality
was different from the terrorists.
Due to the feature of the terrorists and the everyday news, the passengers were
completely under the impression that the terrorist organization was made up from
the race of that country only. But in fact, the terrorists had took methods of abducting
people of various countries which they brainwashed, before they returned the people
to their original country in order to cooperate with the terrorisms, so terrorists were
not necessarily limited to the race of only that country.
[Father-, father-]
[Dear-, hang in there-]
Anxious voices mixed with scream reverberated. Looking there, a young girl and a
mother were crying while clinging at the shot father.
The male terrorists who were swearing while venting their anger at the revolting
passengers, the moment they saw those family crying, their expression changed into
something ugly as though to say that they had found a good target to be made into
lesson. They then walked toward that family.
[The sin of treating with disdain our kindness of making you all accompanying us in a
honorable death is heavy. Just die meaninglessly, along with your whole family.]
The terrorist aimed his handgun at the family. The shot father, even while his
expression was growing pale from bleeding too much he desperately tried to cover
over his daughter and wife.
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Everyone imagined the tragic end of the family. The fact that their revolt ended in
complete failure would be planted inside the passengers with this public execution.
But, when the terrorist was about to pull the trigger, suddenly gunshot thundered at
the back of the plane. The terrorist's hand stopped moving due to that sound.
However, guessing that the same thing like here was happening at the back, he
immediately put strength into his finger on the trigger.
Right after that, gunshot sounds in succession could be heard once more. The
terrorist's movement stopped once more while thinking that they were being really
flashy at the back there. At that time, the terrorists who were in this area were
believing without doubt, that their comrades were also making example at the back
there.
After all, there was also brainwashed conspirator from other country hiding back
there too, so no matter what happened they could launch surprise attack, there were
also more terrorists that were stationed at the back compared at the front here.
Regarding the consecutive gunshots, there were a lot hot-blooded guys among the
terrorists, so the terrorists here thought that it was because of that.
[Oi oi, just what are those guys doing back there?]
[...Yeah. As expected they are shooting too much. Just what are they going to do if a
stray bullet hit the window.]
The terrorists looked at each other's face dubiously. The cause of that was because of
the intense shooting sound that was reverberating even now.
The objective of the terrorists was a suicide attack at the capital of America using the
hijacked plane. They couldn't let the plane to crash until then so they had to pay
meticulous attention even when they were using gun. Yet regardless of that, right now
the gunshot sounds audible from the back of the plane made them think that the
shooter wasn't making any consideration like that, instead it sounded like a shooting
that was done in desperation to death.
[Oi, Nadim, Karim, what are you all doing? Report the situation.]
Because the front and the back area of the plane were partitioned from each other and
they couldn't see what was happening, they were unable to grasp the situation by
eyesight. And so they used communication device to contact the others, but what they
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could hear was only[Impossible-! What, is that-] incomprehensible voice that was a
mix of terror, unease, and confusion.
[Oi, Nadim! Just what is going on! Report-]
『A woman is-, it's impossible-! The gun doesn't work-. The blonde woma――』
The voice of the man called Nadim cut off. At the same time, the fierce gunshot sounds
also stopped.
An eerie silence enveloped inside the plane.
The terrorist who was staring at the communication device gave a signal using his
gaze at the other man and the flight attendant. Both of them nodded and aimed their
gun at the partition toward the back area.
『This is Yosef. Saeed. What happened to Nadim and others? Just what is happening
over there?』
The communication from the terrorist comrade that was occupying the cockpit came.
The door to the cockpit was solidly closed, it had been arranged previously that the
door couldn't be opened no matter what happened at the passenger area. And so, the
terrorist who introduced himself as Yosef didn't come out from the cockpit, but he
could still communicate and asked for report that the other terrorist couldn't ignore.
Furthermore, Yosef was able to accomplish the trespassing into the sturdy cockpit
that normally couldn't be opened by any mean in the middle of flight, was because
beforehand the terrorists had taken the pilot's family hostage. The pilot who was
pressed with mortifying choice, even while vaguely understanding that he would be
killed anyway in the end, even while comprehending that the option would only
worsen the situation, but when he was shown the image of his young son's soft skin
being pressed with a knife, he finally chose to obey the terrorists. The one who carried
the guns inside the plane and opened the cockpit door was also the pilot.
[I don't know. We will confirm it now.]
Saeed said that, and then he approached the partition to the back area while readying
his gun.
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But, before he reached the partition, the cause of the abnormality finally arrived from
the other side. A slender finger peeked out from the edge of the partition, and then
like that the partition was casually opened wide.
[Oo]
[...]
For a moment, Saeed forgot even the situation and leaked out an admiring voice. The
other male terrorist was also wordless, but his eyes opened wide in obvious shock.
The one who showed her figure from the back area, with smooth and fluffy golden
hair fluttering, crimson eyes narrowing with sleepy look, was a peerless beautiful girl
that was like a bisque doll. It went without saying, that it was Yue in girl mode.
In order to trample all the scheme of the terrorist and made all of their action to
become meaningless, she boarded the hijacked plane using space teleportation.
Yue's eyes ran through the terrorists in turn. Saeed whose gaze met Yue's felt his body
temperature rising against a girl who could only be seen as a girl in the first half of her
teen. Even though the appearance of this girl could only be seen as a small girl no
matter how he observed her, but the atmosphere she was clad with was the
personification of bewitchment itself. It felt like he was an insect that was lured by an
insect trap, if he let his guard down then it felt like he would assault the girl while
staggering on his feet.
Yue turned his gaze at the family who was trembling at Saeed's feet. The family was
also directing dumbfounded gaze at the beautiful girl who suddenly appeared.
[...It's fine.]
Yue smiled at the little girl who was clinging on her father and gave her those words.
And then, casually, without any wariness, she walked toward the family.
That extremely defenseless figure reversely caused Saeed to return to his sense, then
his gaze moved toward the back area through the opened partition. Over there
was...
[-, What, are. What are you doing...Carlo-]
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There, he saw a scene of his comrade on his knees, strangling his own neck by himself.
It seemed that the man was already unconscious, the white of his eyes was exposed
while foam was coming out from his mouth. It was really an abnormal scene.
[...I'm no match for Kaori, but this much is no problem.]
Saeed returned to his senses once more due to that voice which came from below him.
With a 'hah' he lowered his gaze, there the figure of Yue holding her hand over the
shot father, and the figure of the father enveloped in faint golden light could be seen.
It was as though time was being rewound, the blood was flowing back into the wound
of the father before the wound was visible closing. The bullet that entered the body
was also pushed out from the wound and fell down with a 'plop'. The mother and
daughter were dazed, staring at that miraculous scenery.
Yue who ascertained that the wound had been closed quietly stood up. She was just
right in front of Saeed. Perhaps because he had witnessed unimaginable scenes one
after another, the inside of Saeed's head was already all messed up.
Even so, his long years of training and experience of terrorism that he had moved his
body on its own accord, telling him only that the too beautiful girl in front of his eyes
was a threat for him and his comrades. His gun muzzle aimed at Yue's head and his
hand thrust forward the gun.
[Yo, you, just who in the――]
[...All of you too, it's fine already.]
Even with gun muzzle thrust at her, the girl didn't show even a bit of agitation. Rather,
Yue who looked like she didn't even acknowledge his existence caused Saeed's
expression to cramp.
Yue who acted as though she was not concerned of Saeed waved her fingertip like a
baton and scattered golden light. After that, the businessman who was on the verge of
death from heavy wound, the young man, and the other passengers who participated
on the revolt had their wound healed similarly like the father just now. It didn't stop
there, even the people who had already lost their life had their heartbeat brought back
and they recovered their consciousness.
For the passengers, that was exactly a scene of miracle.
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But, for the terrorists, it was a scene of nightmare.
Therefore,
[Kuh, this monster-]
*pan-*, Saeed pulled the trigger and the bullet flew toward Yue. It was a shot that was
impossible to miss from this close range. Everyone's mind showed them the scene of
death where the brain of the girl who manifested this miracle would be splattered
from her head.
But,
[Such, thing...impossible.]
The bullet stopped still at the space in front of Yue. In the air where there was nothing,
as though something soft was blocking the way, without any change on the shape of
the bullet it was floating still.
Yue's gaze was turned at Saeed once more. There was no emotion at all in those cold
eyes. The moment Saeed saw that, he was made to understand whether he wanted or
not. That for the girl before his eyes, he was something without value, just like the
pebble at the roadside. There was no meaning in him getting born, he brought nothing
but harm by living, just a hindrance to be removed, he would vanish without anyone
even lifting an eye of it...that was the kind of existence he had.
[Uh, aaAAAAAAAA-]
His very existence was rejected. That terror, that humiliation, caused Saeed to burst.
From very close range, he continued to pull the trigger like possessed. Following after
him, the other terrorist and the flight attendant also aimed at Yue and fired.
The passengers screamed. However, that too happened only for a bit. When they saw
that all few dozen of bullets were floating still midair around Yue, their scream was
gradually dying down.
Saeed and others desperately changed their handgun's magazine and continued to
shoot until all the bullets that they had ran out.
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Like that, *kachink* such transient sound echoed. The handgun that had its top slid
back still, informed them of the end. Yue who was completely unmoving during all
those slowly ran her gaze through Saeed and others. The bullets floating around Yue
fell on the floor all at once and scattered. And then, a word.
[...so?]
[-]
[Ua...]
[Hih]
Saeed and others staggered backward. Their handguns fell on the floor with a thump.
Already there was only fear that could be seen in their eyes.
[You are, you are, what are――]
[....You have no need to know. For now, 『Shut up』.]
[-]
Saeed's mouth opened and closed trying to ask Yue's true identity. But the moment
Yue told him[Shut up] , his voice couldn't come out. While Saeed was staring in a daze,
Yue's words came out further.
[...『Kneel』]
Saeed and others simultaneously kneeled. There, Yue let out the finishing――"Divine
Statement".
[...『Slowly strangle, your own neck』]
Until the end, Yue's crimson eyes possessed no color of emotion at all toward them.
That became the last sight that Saeed and others saw.
Yue's gaze moved toward the last enemy, toward the terrorist who was occupying the
cockpit. And then, when she walked toward the solid door between her and the
cockpit as though such thing was only something trivial,
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*DOGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON-*
[-]
Fierce shock and thunderous sound assaulted inside the plane. Right after that, the
plane tilted down with a jerk, and oxygen masks fell down from overhead all over the
place. The passengers screamed. The passengers who were seated at the back area
witnessed black smoke spouting out intensely from the two wings of the plane and
their face turned pale all at once.
It appeared that all the four engines that were installed on the plane were destroyed.
Perhaps it should be said that it was a miracle that the wings themselves were still
intact. Or else, perhaps it had been calculated to end like that.
Yue's gaze quietly narrowed toward the cockpit. The cause of this was obvious. The
last terrorist judged that at this rate there was a high possibility the suicide attack to
America's capital would fail due to the abnormality happening inside the plane, so he
activated the set up explosive.
As a matter of fact, this was the third hijacked plane that Yue had boarded and
suppressed. The judgment of Yosef that was made with great resolve was surely
because he was thinking that even if the plane he hijacked himself couldn't fulfill the
objective, there were still the other hijacked planes. Rather than having this plane
completely suppressed and then taken back, he would prefer to crash this plane down
sacrificing the many American passengers, bringing as much tragedy as possibly for
America. He didn't directly destroy the body of the plane and instead only the engine,
was surely because of his thinking of making even greater damage by choosing the
place where they plane would fall.
[...Nn, this is my error. I'll balance this mistake.]
Right after Yue was talking to herself like that, she used "Heaven Existence" to erase
her figure from inside the plane.
[Am I, dreaming?]
The one who muttered that in a daze was the pilot who was following after the
passenger airplane. There was a voice demanding situation report resounding from
the radio, but the pilot didn't have the composure to answer that.
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But, surely it would be cruel for anyone to criticize the pilot for that. The reason was,
because at the end of his gaze, there was the blackly smoking plane that had just been
falling due to the sudden explosion which was then enveloped by golden light at the
next moment and continued to fly straight even now, it was because of this extremely
absurd sight that caused the pilot to be like that.
And what caused the pilot's gaze to be nailed in place, what forced him to be
dumbfounded, was the figure of a girl standing on top of that airplane. A person was
standing on top of a plane that was flying in high altitude――even though just that was
enough to make him doubted his own sanity, there was also how that girl was
enveloped in the same golden light like the plane and furthermore a pair of shining
wings were spread from her back.
Perhaps noticing the gaze of the pilot, the golden girl――Yue turned her face at his
direction. And then, she suddenly showed a smile. ――The fighter aircraft jerked
violently. The pilot was pressing on his chest as though he had been shot through by
something. He should quickly grasp the control stick instead of that.
Yue who returned her gaze to the front then normally began to walk on the plane, as
though the wind resistance and the temperature had no effect at all. She got down in
front of the cockpit.
[A, a girl? No, but, eh?]
[Wha-, wha-, wha-wha-wha-wha-]
The pilot who was bleeding from his head and Yosef were making really funny faces.
The copilot was lying down from getting shot. It seemed that he was still barely
breathing, but perhaps he could only kept his life just for a few more minutes. Yue,
while being enveloped in golden light too, quietly pointed her fingertip at the copilot.
Immediately, a faint light enveloped the copilot and healed his wound.
[Yo, you are-. This, monster-]
Yosef guessed the reason why he couldn't contact his comrades at the passenger area
and raised a trembling angry voice. And then, he aimed his handgun at Yue who was
outside the cockpit and he was about to pull the trigger. He planned to crash this plane
anyway. After this far he wouldn't even hesitate about something like breaking the
window of the cockpit.
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However,
[...『Don't move』]
[-]
Naturally, his movement was easily stopped. The pilot was bewildered at Yosef whose
movement hardened with a snap like a stone. But, at the next moment, Yosef's figure
vanished into thin air.
Yue teleported him. That Yosef the appeared right above the plane at the blind spot
from the cockpit. Yes, he appeared at the outside of the jumbo airplane flying at the
altitude of eight kilometer with speed of few hundred kilometer per hour.
Furthermore, he was looking up with his hands spread apart as though he was being
crucified, he was completely attached on the top of the plane.
[...Die while freezing.]
Yosef opened wide his eyes. Normally a normal human would immediately lose
consciousness in this condition, but savagely he was given protection of cold and
oxygen supply, so he wouldn't die that easily.
Yue softly flew backward. She flapped her golden wings and then she was flying while
matching her speed with the airplane speed. Looking from the point of view of the
pilot and the copilot who had recovered his consciousness, it looked like there was a
girl floating casually in front of a flying airplane.
Yue floated a smile at the two people who was staring at her in astonishment and,
[...Do your best.]
After saying that, her figure vanished with a puff.
Even after Yue vanished, the plane was still enveloped in golden light. There was only
one engine that was still operating, but the plane could still maintain its altitude. The
difficulty of the piloting was going up, but mysteriously the two pilots didn't feel any
anxiety of the plane crashing.
[...William. I am a criminal.]
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[Captain...]
The pilot was holding the control stick while squeezing out those words from his
throat. Hearing that, the copilot William made a complicated expression that couldn't
say anything. From the conversation of the terrorists, he had guessed that the pilot's
family was kidnapped and he was threatened that his family would be hurt right in
front of his eyes. Perhaps because he could see the expression of the pilot that was
filled with bitterness, that even now after he almost just died William was unable to
say any word of vilification.
The pilot told to such William.
[But, god has told a criminal like me, live. Do your best, deliver the passengers safely
home. If you cannot agree with this, then I'll stay quiet and yield the control to you.
But, if――]
[Captain. I too have a family. If my son meets the same experience like your son, a
confidence that I can say that I'll prioritize the passengers still...is something that I
don't have.]
The words of the pilot were cut off in the middle by William. And then, he nodded with
a serious expression while returning to the copilot seat. That gesture indicated more
eloquently than any words, that he would leave this plane to the pilot one more time.
[...My thanks. This is, my last flight. No matter what happen, I swear I'll land this
plane safely.]
[It's going to be fine, captain. After all, the protection of the goddess is with us.]
[Yeah, you're right.]
The captain's face warped difficultly. That was a complicated expression that was a
mix of relieve and regret, gratitude and apology, and various other feelings.
(Goddess. Please I beg you no matter how shameless this sound. My family….please-)
The captain couldn't help but pray like that in front of the miracle that he witnessed.
Half day later, the tattered airplane that was enveloped in golden light safely landed.
In the middle of the airport that was in uproar due to the unprecedented situation,
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the captain who was receiving questioning heard how his family was saved by a rabbit
eared beautiful woman. And then, he became a zealous believer of the golden goddess
and the rabbit eared beauty.