The current battlefield was unfolding on the beach.
Raising my hand toward the approaching amphibious vehicles, I activated Ice Capsule, forming a massive ice sphere that trapped them mid-advance.
As the enemy soldiers charged toward me with a hail of bullets, my magic shield—its spell program gifted by Miya and installed into my CAD—activated flawlessly. The barrier withstood everything, even an RPG.
I could've used Armament Haki to armor my body, or let the bullets pass through me by turning into ice mist. But that would risk hitting allies behind me.
When the enemy finally ran out of ammo, I retaliated.
Behind me, hundreds of ice bullets manifested in the air, hovering like a quiet storm. Unlike Aokiji's Ice Block: Partisan, I shaped mine as bullets to cover a wider area. When they fired, it was like a winter massacre.
Meanwhile, watching Tatsuya use his magic directly on human flesh was a surreal experience.
He deleted the enemy soldiers without a sound—and revived a dying comrade on our side. It was no exaggeration to say he was the most valuable asset here.
Together, we dominated the battlefield. Honestly, it felt like an easy round of a video game.
"Well, that was fast," I muttered with a sigh.
"Are you disappointed?" Tatsuya asked.
"No, I'm just tired of this crap. Kazama-san, what's next?"
Snapping out of his daze, Captain Kazama cleared his throat. "Good work. We'll wait for further instructions from HQ."
[This is HQ! Enemy vessel confirmed approaching from the north! Estimated artillery range: 20 minutes! Allied ships will not be able to respond in time—Evacuate immediately!]
The radio blared with urgency.
"Captain, I have a request," Tatsuya said. "I'd like to know the exact location of the enemy fleet."
What was he planning? Wait—of course. With his magic... this should be interesting.
Kazama agreed to the proposal, and we relocated to a high cliff overlooking the ocean. The deep blue stretched out beneath us, and far in the distance, enemy ships were on the move.
Tatsuya held a long rifle in his hands.
"You think you can reach them with that?" I asked.
He shook his head. "Not sure. I won't know until I try."
He aimed toward the sky. A magic sequence activated, forming a complex circuit. He was modifying space to reduce air resistance and increase the bullet's inertia—maximizing its range.
He fired twice.
"That's only 20 kilometers. I'll have to wait until they get closer," he said. Then, he looked at me. "Sasaki, in the meantime, could you protect us?"
I looked at him, then at Captain Kazama.
"Of course. That's why I'm here."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions rocked the area. Missiles were incoming.
I reached for my CAD and deployed a magic shield around us. The attacks were rendered useless.
"This is nearly on par with the Jumonji Clan's Phalanx," Kazama said, astonished.
"You're better than Honami-san, Sasaki. How long have you been practicing that barrier?" Tatsuya asked, sounding genuinely curious.
"Bruh, I just learned this today."
"What?"
"I know. Anyway—head's up, Tatsuya. Finish it."
He sighed and focused. A surge of magic pulsed from him as he extended his palm. The air crackled. Then—blinding light.
For a moment, my vision went completely white.
As it returned, a massive mushroom-shaped energy bloom appeared far out at sea.
So that was his plan. He'd fired the bullet earlier as a trigger—then converted it into pure destructive energy using Einstein's equation.
"Impressive. Got a name for that?" I asked.
"Material Burst," he replied. "I assume you understand the basics?"
"You say that like I know everything."
"But you do."
I sighed. Before I could respond, Kazama coughed.
"It seems... that wasn't the end of the war. HQ just confirmed: three aircraft carriers and twice the number of vessels as before are heading our way. We're now expecting an airstrike within the next 20 minutes."
Tatsuya and I exchanged a look.
They were serious about waging war.
"Where are they?" I asked.
"North of Miyakojima. It is too far for Tatsuya's magic to reach. Therefore, we'll have to evacuate and let the Air Force handle it."
"But that'll just drag the war out," I said.
"Yeah," Tatsuya agreed. "We should finish this here."
"Captain, I have a plan," I said. "Can you delay the Air Force for a bit? I'll destroy their plan and end this once and for all."
Kazama chuckled. "Very well. No time to argue—I'll trust you. Just don't break international law."
"Alright, alright. Tatsuya, wanna tag along?"
He sighed. "Sure. But what are you planning to do?"
I didn't say anything. Just hopped on the motocross bike we rode earlier and started the engine. "Well? What are you waiting for?"
Tatsuya stared at me like he was questioning reality, then climbed on the bike behind me. Honestly, it was a bit of a shame I had to use this instead of a cool bicycle. Oh well. Can't complain when I'm literally about to ride across the ocean.
Riding on the ocean.
"...Amazing," Tatsuya muttered honestly. "But won't you get tired?"
The bike moved smoothly over a narrow ice path I created beneath the tires.
"Nah, I'm good."
Tatsuya adjusted his grip. "Judging by our speed, we'll reach Miyakojima in about an hour. But at this pace, they'll launch the airstrike before we get there. I could use Material Burst or Mist Dispersion—if we're close enough."
"I know," I said, eyes forward. "Let's pick up the pace."
Suddenly, a magic sequence appeared in front of us, distorting the air. It felt like we were rising to high altitude, the oxygen thinning.
"You're removing air resistance," Tatsuya said. "Creating a vacuum around us to reduce drag and increase speed."
"Correct. Use your magic to keep the bike in good condition."
"Roger."
Pushing the bike this hard would've ruined it normally—but with Tatsuya's Regrowth, he could fix it again and again. Same method he used to heal those wounded soldiers.
Time passed.
Eventually, the bike sputtered… and ran out of fuel.
We were now in the middle of the ocean, parked on a small platform of ice I'd created. Up ahead, twenty kilometers out, I spotted them—three aircraft carriers and a full convoy. Cruising straight toward Okinawa.
Two soldiers in black war suits and helmets stood nearby, likely recon.
"Good work, Sasaki," Tatsuya said. "They're within range of my spell now."
I raised a hand to stop him. "No. Don't push yourself."
His breathing was heavy—too heavy.
"You've overused Regrowth, haven't you? Healing so many dying soldiers… there's a cost."
"I'm fine. I can do it."
Stubborn guy.
"Stop. You can't even aim properly right now. Besides, you think I came all this way without a plan?"
Tatsuya looked at me. "Wait… You're going to use the same spell you used on the submarine?"
I shook my head. "Nah. This one's different."
I walked to the edge of the ice and crouched, exhaling slowly. Then I dipped my right hand into the sea.
I activated Observation Haki, scanning for auras—pinpointing every enemy vessel.
Then… I opened my third eye.
Ever since eating the Devil Fruit, I'd started to develop something similar to Tatsuya's Elemental Sight. I couldn't match his clarity, not yet. But it was enough for what I needed.
I couldn't pull off Aokiji's Ice Age exactly—not yet. Freezing entire oceans was still out of reach.
But what I could do… was combine my Ice Devil Fruit powers with my magic.
I had been working on a spell. A final piece of the puzzle to replicate the wide-scale devastation of Ice Age.
The spell's formula aimed to drop the temperature to near absolute zero: -273.15°C.
The moment I finished aligning the magic formula in my head, missiles began slamming into the barrier around us.
I activated my CAD. The activation sequence pulsed through me, syncing with my Magic Calculation Area. Together, they formed the spell.
A massive, glowing magic circle expanded beneath my feet—visible even to the enemy from afar.
They panicked. The bombardment intensified.
But my barrier held strong.
When the spell finally stabilized, I smirked.
To keep myself hyped, I did the one thing I always wanted to do.
"ICE AGE!!"
---
(Shiba Miyuki)
A few days had passed since the war ended, and honestly, no weather forecaster saw this coming.
Snow falling in the middle of summer — in Okinawa of all places.
The whole world was buzzing about the Okinawa Naval Battlefield.
Especially about the two unofficial Strategic-Class magicians who basically ended the invasion.
First, that blinding light that wiped out the entire enemy fleet in a blink.
And the large-scale magic that turned the sea into ice—as if a third of the Arctic had appeared in Okinawa.
Even now, I can still watch the enemy ships trapped in ice on the news. There's no telling when this will all thaw, but it's definitely changed the weather in a big way.
"Snow in summer. Sasaki, what you did… Onii-sama, how did you survive back then? I know you could, but…"
My dear brother smiled gently, "I think it was because of his barrier spell. But it was completely destroyed by that magic. Later, he made a giant igloo for us."
"I see… I guess that's just like Sasaki."
Putting that aside, we finally fixed our sibling relationship. Unlike before, I don't have to treat him like a servant like Mother forced me to.
"That reminds me, Onii-sama, if he's done renovating his place, should we move into his dormitory?"
"That would be great," he smiled at me. "I was thinking the same since I'm going to start a company with him."
"What company?"
"Magic R&D. Well, I want to research flying magic with Sasaki."
"Flying magic? That sounds difficult, but…"
Maybe it's just my imagination, but with Onii-sama and Sasaki working together, I feel like they might accomplish something even greater.
---
A/N: End of the first Arc.