Plague

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A/N: Okay I'm gonna be brutally honest here, this arc is really starting to drag on, so I'm going to try and wrap it up quickly so that we can move on to more exciting things and a quicker progression of the plot. In fact, the reason this chapter took so long owes in part to the fact that it's not super engaging for me to write. Hopefully it hasn't been quite as dull for you readers, but I have noticed an uptick in negative comments recently, though not all aimed at this arc. Regardless, sorry if it has been a negative reading experience. I will admit it's kinda hard to motivate yourself to write when what you've written has not gone so well. Alas, that's the world of writing. Also my other fics like NULL/Virtue and my commissioned work on Patreon have kept me busy. So I'm aiming to get a move on with this arc and wrap it up, I promise!

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[Impromptu Quest: Stop Nine! has been completed!]

[Rewards:]

64 Synthetic Shadow Slots

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"Twenty minutes to next contact," Kaina reported as Momo continued to pick through the wreckage on the ground. They had just made landfall on a small beach to the north of Chumikan. After choosing a landing site, Momo had the Ravagers shell the area until it was decorated with craters. The Russians knew the path they were taking, so they had a bunch of infantry and tanks lining the coast. Unfortunately for them, the Ravagers' range far exceeded theirs.

"Whatchya looking for?" Rumi asked, leaning over Momo's shoulder like a little kid.

"Still trying to figure out how they're managing to get their technology working with Magic. We've destroyed pretty much everything we've come into contact with, or had more pressing issues to deal with." She picked up what looked like a normal piece of metal. "I can create Magical items with my Quirk, mostly via instinct, but when I understand the physical makeup of something, I can forge it much better. Magic is... well... Magic... It's the opposite of science."

"I thought sufficiently advanced technology was indistinguishable from Magic?" Kaina asked, mostly in jest.

"Hang on..." Momo looked up at the sniper. "So far, we've yet to understand Magic because we can't examine it closely enough. Any high-powered research machine can only capture static, if it's not completely fried that is. But your eyes aren't technology."

"Ohhh!" Kaina realized where she was going, moving over to their little huddle.

"You guys building sandcastles or something?!" Mori shouted over at them as the Japanese off-loaded onto the beaches.

All three girls ignored him as Kaina focused her eyes on the metal scraps.

"Molecules and atoms are mostly empty space, so I'm not even sure you'll be able to see anything, but if you can, and sketch it for me, I might be able to figure it out." Momo was trusting in Kaina's Magic eyes to see that which no human could see without advanced technology. Momo pulled a notebook from her arm and a pen, handing it to Kaina.

"Ugh..." Kaina held a hand to her head and closed her eyes for a moment.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah it's just... weird... like my entire perception of reality changed."

Miruko raised her hand. "You mean like when you zoom out of a map and it adjusts to show you everything on a different level?"

"That's... not exactly what happened, but it's not a bad comparison," Kaina admitted, trying once again. "Okay, I can actually see stuff this time around." She narrowed her eyes. "Isn't our depiction of particles simplified for understanding them?"

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