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The situation in Japan was not good.

So much so that one could dare to call it the worst.

Until the firefighters arrived at the research institute, receiving the initial report, I thought it was just an ordinary fire.

Surely, a brief message simply stating “There is a fire somewhere in Osaka” and accompanying footage would suffice, nothing more than that—a standard fire incident.

The firefighters, though tense from the thick black smoke billowing from inside the building, bravely prepared to douse the flames with their hoses, as they always had. They planned to check inside using thermal cameras after soaking the area and then proceed to enter.

It was a textbook operation, a precise procedure.

I thought they would successfully suppress the fire as per the manual.

Yeah…

That’s what I was thinking.

But in that moment, as the firefighters mindlessly unleashed a powerful jet of water, a huge sound erupted from both inside and outside the building, followed by an overwhelming burst of light.

Sound?

The sound was akin to a typical explosion.

A noise the firefighters heard at any given time.

The very noise heard countless times during fires.

When electronic devices burst from the heat, when butane canisters exploded, when oil stoves ruptured, or when insecticides or sealed containers detonated—that kind of sound.

Of course, it was somewhat louder than those, but… the similarity remained undeniable.

It was a sound that, while it could warn firefighters, couldn’t invoke fear.

However.

However, the issue arose immediately following that familiar noise.

“Ugh….”

Light.

Light followed.

“Ugh….”

It was not just any ordinary light.

It was an astonishing amount of light that could blind the human eye.

Perhaps it felt like looking directly at a lighthouse beam.

The stark light flashed as if a stun grenade had detonated right before their eyes, forcing the firefighters to shield their eyes and roll on the ground. Even people nearby, vacantly watching the fire, screamed as tears of blood streamed from their eyes.

If only it had ended there.

Unfortunately, that was not the case, as additional damage promptly followed.

Ironically, this damage stemmed from the firefighters’ unwavering professionalism.

After that blinding flash swept through, the firefighters writhed in pain, collapsing to the ground. Some even genuinely fainted.

Yet despite the chaos, the firefighters still clutched the hoses.

They thought that if the high-pressure water sprayed towards people, it would be disastrous; so, despite their suffering, they held the fire hose tightly, attempting to muster their senses to direct the water toward the building.

Not toward the people.

But to douse the fire presumed to be erupting from the building.

Thus allowing the firefighters arriving behind them to extinguish the flames more easily.

With that noble spirit, they executed their duty.

But… sadly, that laudable noble spirit was merely a predictable variable to someone.

If it was a standard fire, they would have doused it with water.

But the bomb planted, anticipating the firefighters’ arrival, was incredibly wicked.

Using metal powder to create a bomb that would chemically react upon contact with water and produce flammable gas.

The aluminum powder mixed into the bomb exploded the moment the firefighters sprayed water, triggering an enormous fire in response. Additionally, the water from the fire hose, still being directed by the suffering firefighters, only amplified the flames, heating up and causing the fire to spread further.

The sight of those flames was intensely vivid, almost as if a deity of fire were dancing around, preparing to incinerate the world.

And so, the fire intensified steadily.

Paradoxically, it absorbed more and more water, swelling in size.

The eyes of the Osaka Prefecture were thrown into chaos by this horrifying disaster.

True to the nature of the Osaka people, who are known for their assertiveness and impatience, they quickly began seeking solutions and finally managed to come up with an idea.

Send the wizards.

With plenty of sand and the wizards, surely they could suppress that fire.

The Osaka Governor took matters into his own hands, enthusiastically commanding the dispatch of tremendous amounts of sand along with the wizards to the research institute. They even controlled traffic, making sure they arrived at the research institute as fast as possible due to the emergency situation.

With crazed energy evident in the Osaka Governor’s direction, cargo trucks laden with wizards and an immense amount of sand swiftly arrived at the institute, where the wizards used their magic to control and pour the sand from the trucks into the building.

The power of the wizards was incredible.

They cooperatively manipulated the sand as if it were water, creating waves and currents of sand flowing everywhere in the research institute, engulfing the flames.

The sand waves climbed the walls against gravity as if to defeat the fire, while the currents crashed forcefully, penetrating deep into the building to extinguish flames wherever they erupted.

Thus, with the help of the wizards, the fire was brought under control.

They succeeded in putting an end to the terrifying disaster that had been comparable to the sun rising in the middle of the night.

The black smoke and horrific light?

They were gone now.

The fire was over.

This dreadful calamity had come to a close.

Everyone thought so.

But… unfortunately, the disaster was far from over.

And this fact was brought to light thanks to a single firefighter donning a fire suit attempting to enter the building.

Bang-!!

The moment the firefighter tried to enter the building, an explosion erupted from a distance, away from the firefighter.

This explosion was no ordinary fire-related blast.

It was a powerful impact as if hit with a hammer and an intense explosion, leaving thick fireproof suit riddled with nails and sharp shrapnel as if stung by numerous bees.

Nails.

“F-Follow me….”

And sharp fragments.

It was obvious what these two items were associated with.

“It’s a bomb-!”

A bomb, very clearly planted with malicious intent.

With an exceptionally lucky escape, the firefighter’s shout suddenly changed the tide of the situation.

In what was potentially a once-in-a-few-years horrific disaster scenario, history would find it hard to come by a bomb terror of such magnitude.

Explosion.

Bomb.

And then, terror.

The fear accompanied by sparks and resounding blasts seeped into the hearts of the crowd.

And amidst that fear.

People rushed in desperately to eliminate the horror.

The bomb disposal unit.

And Japan’s pride, the Special Assault Team (SAT), renowned for counter-terrorism.

Someone once said that an explosion is a blossom ignited by gunpowder.

As the flower blooms beautifully before wilting, so does an explosion unfurl before dissipating swiftly.

The petals fall to the ground, the flames flicker, spreading signs of their having bloomed.

Just like petals carried by the wind, the flames leave behind crackling sounds and the scent of burning to remind of their existence, evoking memories of their past grandeur amid recollections.

Behold.

Look at that explosion.

The red hue spreads, filling the narrow area with a scarlet glow, unabashedly showcasing its color.

Amidst it, it holds items like pollen, blooming endlessly, transforming a solid concrete building into a field of flowers.

Bang-!

“Argh!”

O scarlet hue, brighter than the purest lily stained by twilight, burning the sins inscribed upon the chest like letters, inflicting pain upon those trapped in sin.

Hidden between the petals was both pollen and thorns.

As they burst, the debris would fly into bodies, into walls, and even into equipment, captivating people, much like the properties of flowers entrancing minds with their scent.

Bang-!

“Damn it! Each step triggers a bomb! Who on earth is this crazy bastard! What kind of lunatics are they?! What kind of madness is this?-!”

As a person walks, flowers bloom.

The bomb, surrounded by a solid armor akin to a seed soaking up water, peeked out to announce its presence, quickly blossoming at an astonishing speed before vanishing.

Bang-!

Accompanying that was a resounding bang that could rob one of their hearing, an enormous shock pounding down on the shields and barriers.

Flames bloom.

And the shrapnel hurtling toward someone, aiming to turn their body to tatters as it weaves through the flames.

Bang-!

That’s not all.

There’s aroma lingering after the explosion.

Just breathing it in makes one lose focus, pull their senses away, and distort their vision.

Feeling as if there’s a lack of oxygen, even attempting to breathe doesn’t few away the dizziness, which spreads and makes the vision swirl left to right, twisting around, creating disarray as if swimming, tracing various patterns.

And amidst such distorted views, it drops people to their knees, guiding them towards death without so much as a fight amid the flickering flames and heat.

A horrible scent.

This is poison.

“Is it the toxic gas? I heard these bastards used all environmentally friendly materials?!”

“No! It’s not toxic gas! It’s poison!”

“Damn it! These bastards even put poison in the bomb? What are these freaks doing?!”

This is a nightmare of the worst kind.

“Retreat! We have to fall back! It’s become unbearable!”

 

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