Ikuto Hagiwara, Worthless Commander (
Summary[]
Prior to the Anti-Cloud Gouger Special Forces' battle with Genichi Sojo, the six members meet in a room. Ikuto Hagiwara tosses a clump of black powder in his hand, telling his squad to take a look. Shiyumi Harima wonders if it is pepper while Hajime Kugara confidently voices it is black sesame. Kazane Machi questions Kugara's proclamation while Kiyohiko Uzuki is more concerned with the lax if brutish greeting Hagiwara had given. Makoto Kasahara simply questions if it is iron sand, which Hagiwara confirms.
Hagiwara tells his squad that he will sew some iron sand into each member's clothes, which will allow him to help his squad move around freely while mid-air. Harima is excited at the possibility of being able to fly. Tone growing more solemn, Hagiwara maintains that he will ensure they are not hit, to which Harima notes that if he falls, the rest of them will follow suit. While Hagiwara acknowledges this is true, he maintains that none of them will die before him; for the lives of the Anti-Cloud Gouger Special Forces are his responsibility.
On the 14th of October, Kugara, Kasahara, Uzuki and Harima lost their lives.
In the present, on the 14th of November, Hagiwara lies in a hospital bed and groans out that everyone knows he had led his squad to their deaths and let him be eliminated. A form of iron sand wearing Kugara's mask then shouts at him to stop whining and get up already, to which Hagiwara weakly replies he is a failure, and it would be better if he just lied there. A nearby infirmary worker watches in confusion, and as Hagiwara notices him, he states he is done.
The infirmary worker wheels the untouched tray of food away on a trolley. In a hallway outside, he tells a colleague it is unbearable watching Hagiwara constantly talk to himself. His colleague notes that he was apparently talking to his squadmate. The doctor had reported that he was subconsciously moving Kugara's mask using his sorcery, and was communicating with a figment of his imagination. While he seemed to know Kugara was really dead, his awareness was murky, having repressed the information. The agent comments that it makes sense, as Hagiwara had known the squad minus Kazane for over a decade, and known Kugara since they were five. He expresses his relief that Kazane managed to survive.
The trolley-wheeling agent asks whether the powder scattered in Hagiwara's bed is iron sand and his colleague replies it is, noting it had been woven into his squad's clothing and it comforted Hagiwara to have the iron sand laid around him, as if he were with them once more. Idly, the agent bemoans that the once-talented Hagiwara had been reduced to a hallucinating trauma-patient unlikely to be able to fight for some time.
Within the hospital room, the Kugara figment shouts at Hagiwara that he hasn't eaten, and he would die if he didn't eat. With dead eyes, Hagiwara responds that he does not care, but Kugara replies that his line of thinking was idiotic, and they should die fighting like warriors. Hagiwara mumbles that he should never fight again, as the Kamunabi were not in need of incompetents. An announcement then blares that enemies are attacking, and Level 1 can now move, with all non-combatants ordered to move to Level 3 or lower immediately. Kugara enthusiastically exclaims that this is Hagiwara's chance, and Hagiwara's eyes widen.
In the Core Station, the Core Station Vessel notes that to recover the barrier's state, the second Vessel must be found and eliminated; and they were among the Hishaku. Izaru asks if the Vessel is able to locate the second Vessel's identity, but the Vessel responds that Shinuchi's sheer strength is interfering with his detection field. Izaru urges him to be quick and orders to the facility to focus on eliminating the Hishaku as quickly as possible.
At Level 5, as two Kamunabi elites approach Uran and Bingo, Hagiwara suddenly appears to the side, once more donning Kamunabi uniform and levitating himself using iron sand given his lost legs, the iron sand form with Kugara's mask visible alongside him. The chonmage elite is surprised to see Hagiwara in the fray. Hagiwara internally notes to his comrades that they had died for the nation, and apologises for being a worthless commander, but is adamant that he will make this sacrifice for them. As he shouts his resolve, he is instantly frozen by Uran, and Bingo transforms his head to bite down. With a quick burst of iron sand, Hagiwara breaks free from the ice and impales Bingo's transformed head, Uran noting the iron sand was hidden in his clothes.
Somewhere else, at a previous time, the doctor who diagnosed Hagiwara states outright that Hagiwara is not in his right mind. He recalls that Hagiwara had told him as he was drowning underwater, pinned down by his legs, he saw a person's shadow reaching out to him; Kugara, who had pulled him back to shore. Obviously this was not possible, and the doctor states Hagiwara must have pulled himself to shore, but his psychological trauma had created an image of Kugara. While most would see Hagiwara and think his career would be over, the doctor muses that one of the fundamentals of sorcery is the natural circulation of spirit energy without conscious thought. Given Hagiwara currently interacted with his sorcery as if it were another person, he had reached the pinnacle of subconscious control; hence there were few superior to Hagiwara in terms of being readied for combat at present.
Hagiwara locates Yukisada, the Hishaku's Vessel
Hagiwara shouts to the Kugara figment to ready himself, before suddenly falling to the ground, noticing his body is heavy (due to Bingo's sorcery). Setting the thought aside, he refocuses on the fact that they just need to kill the target, the second Vessel, and as his bloodshot eyes widen, he proclaims that such an action will be easy. It is noted that magnetic resonance imaging (or MRI) applies a powerful magnetic field to the human body and uses its own magnetic properties to generate visual images of its internal structures. Shouting for Kugara to tell him where the target is, Hagiwara expands a gigantic magnetic field so he and 'Kugara' can scan the internal organs of everyone in Kamunabi Headquarters.
'Kugara' quickly points out the second Vessel, with the Vessel device visible in his body; Yukisada elsewhere on Level 5 who Uruha had kicked through a wall. With a gesture, Hagiwara orders for Kugara to stab him and the Kugara figment speeds away. Bingo's eyes widen in disbelief as the iron sand carrying Kugara's mask shoots through walls and the ground before bursting from the ground beneath Yukisada, impaling him straight through the chest. Hagiwara and 'Kugara' cackle as Hagiwara laughs that they still have their capacity to fight in them.
Quick References[]
Chapter Notes[]
- Hagiwara is revealed to have sewn iron sand into his squad's uniforms to help move them around in combat.
- The nature of Uzuki's death is revealed; slashed fatally through his upper midsection by Sojo.
- Hagiwara is revealed to have entered a traumatised state after awakening from his coma, refusing food and subconsciously animating iron sand waring Kugara's mask and talking to him, 'Kugara' responding back as a figment of his imagination.
- The Kugara figment repeatedly yells at Hagiwara to get up and move but Hagiwara refuses, believing himself worthless and wanting to die.
- It is revealed that the Anti-Cloud Gouger Special Forces minus Kazane have known each other for over a decade, and Hagiwara and Kugara have known each other since they were five.
- On the 14th of November, in the wake of the Hishaku's attack, the Kugara figment successfully motivates Hagiwara into moving.
- Hagiwara arrives at the Level 5 corridor where Uran, Bingo and two Kamunabi elites are. The two Hishaku sorcerers attack him but he effortlessly counters using iron sand.
- It is noted that Hagiwara believed he was dragged back to the surface by Kugara, though he had done so himself. The diagnosing doctor notes Hagiwara's trauma has conjured an image of Kugara and as a result Hagiwara has been viewing his sorcery as a different person; hence his subconscious control of his sorcery has become paramount, greatly increasing his sorcerous ability.
- Hagiwara uses a massive magnetic field to perform a scan similar to an MRI scan, detecting the Hishaku Vessel (Yukisada) and sending the Kugara iron sand form to impale him.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
Author's Comment[]
| Author Comment | |
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Takeru Hokazono |
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