Zero-Type Squadron Cross Ranger Episode 4: Selection

1. The Curtain Rises

By the time Aoi arrived, the area in front of the high-rise evacuation building—Narathip Tower—had already turned into a scene of carnage.

Black smoke hung low, and the smell of burning leaked from the damaged emergency exits. Several ambulances were entering and leaving incessantly, and the injured were being carried out on stretchers one after another. On the street, people covered in blood and dust sat in a daze.

“—Th-this is...!”

Just then, Rei and Saya rushed over with heavy footsteps.
“You! You went off and acted on your own!”
Along with the angry shout, Rei grabbed Aoi by the collar.
“Do you have any idea how many people got hurt because of this?!”

“Stop it, Rei! It’s not Aoi’s fault, is it!”
Saya stepped in between them and restrained Rei’s hand.

Rei pushed Aoi away and looked down in frustration.
“...I know. I know it’s pointless to blame her... The evacuation center was the target from the start. Those Vesper bastards—!”

“No way... This building was their objective...?”
Aoi gasped.

“Yeah. It didn’t matter whether you stopped the floodgates or not! To plunge the people who had finally escaped the flooding into even greater terror—that’s exactly what those anti-futurist fanatics would think of!”

At that moment—a young man being carried on a stretcher muttered as if delirious.

“...Must go... Benzie... Garden... Arena...”

Aoi, who had been slumped in defeat, turned around in shock.

“...Come to think of it!”

Just then, a communication came in to the three of them from Kyoichi, who was directing the evacuation on the west bank.

“It’s me. There’s something that bothers me. Several citizens have been trying to cross the muddy torrent to get to the east bank. The soldiers are trying their best to stop them, but—”

“This is Aoi! The analysis logs from last night mentioned 'Benzie' quite a bit, didn't they? Could Vesper’s true target be the concert venue...!? Could it be that the people trying to cross the river are also...”

“Huh!? What are you talking about? A concert on a day like this would obviously be canceled!”
Rei said in disbelief.

“...No, it doesn’t look like that’s the case...”
Saya lowered her voice while operating her holo-terminal.

A hologram unfolds, and posts from enthusiastic fans appear one after another on the screen.

#BenjieAdventFestival #LiveConfirmedToday
#GardenArena #NotEvenRainCanStopUs!

The three of them look at each other, frozen.

《...The visual guidance at yesterday's Neo-Prom... that was to test the crowd's behavioral patterns. Then, stopping the MRT Line 14 to force a flow of movement toward the arena... and furthermore, attacking the 'supposedly safe shelter' today to stir up confusion and terror among the people...》

“Damn it... so even the shelter attack was a diversion...” Rei mutters, placing his hands on his knees.

《──It's Adam.》

At Kyoichi's voice, everyone's expression changes.

《With anxiety and anticipation stoked to the maximum, Adam will definitely appear before the audience...! When does the concert start?》

“It's at 1:00 PM! We have less than 10 minutes left!”
Aoi responds to the communication from Kyoichi.

《As soon as I finish up here, I'll head over immediately. You guys hurry to the arena first!》

“Understood! Rei, Saya, let's hurry!”

“I know that without you telling me!”

Just as they started running—Aoi suddenly stopped.

“U-um! I have an idea...”

1:00 PM—Pitayam Garden Arena.
The concert for rock star “Benzie” has begun.

A light rain continues to fall. However, the roof was wide open from the start. Taking advantage of the semi-outdoor structure, the sound reaches even outside the arena. The heat of the venue is making even the city air tremble.

Center stage—amidst the intersection of smoke and light, a figure with an uncanny presence appears.

A draped robe with layers upon layers of silver and purple lace. A deep slit runs up one side of the hem, and every time they dance, a purple afterglow colors the air.
A massive hologram mimicking butterfly wings spreads across their back, and tiny nano-LEDs are embedded in their braided, silver-gray long hair. Like stardust, the light pulses in sync with the movement of their hair.

As if an AR wind is blowing through, the stage is enveloped in sparkle. Within it, Benjie quietly opens their lips. ──The hit song 'Fly with Me'.

Along with a melody that feels like soaring through the sky, the hearts of the audience become one. As they sing with movements as supple as the wind, cheers and applause spread like ripples throughout the entire arena.

And then, the song ends.

Benji slowly spreads his arms wide and looks up at the sky. The light of the nano-LEDs flickers faintly, shimmering as it catches the raindrops.

A moment of silence—then, he asks a question, as if exhaling a sigh.

"Where do you see your future?"

Those words completely change the atmosphere of the venue. The audience stops moving, and the sound fades away.

"Do you want to fly through the sky? To spread your wings and go anywhere—over the mountains, across the seas... do you dream of a future where you travel with someone you love?"

Images overlapping with the previous song cross the audience's minds.

"Yes, travel is always a symbol of hope. Everyone thinks so. That the future is surely something wonderful..."

There is a slight chuckle in his voice.

"But, was that really the case?"

Benji's tone changes. A coldness begins to mingle with the sweet resonance.

"Do you think you are traveling toward the 'future' on your own two feet? Or are you just being made to walk along a 'future forecast' written by someone else?"

The expressions of the audience waver.
Benji slowly lowers his arms and returns his gaze to the crowd.

"...You already know from the news, don't you? About the explosion that occurred at the Narratip Tower. According to Omega Theory, that was the safest place. It said that if you were in that building, you would survive."

A murmur ripples through part of the audience.

"...But what was the result?"

A sharp blade enters his voice.

"—Burned down, shattered rubble, screaming voices, and blood. The future did not protect you. The prediction betrayed you. It was proven that mathematical formulas cannot save lives."

The moment he laughs, "Heh heh heh..."—
Suddenly, the large hologram images behind the stage and on the walls surrounding the venue switch.

What is projected is the muddy torrent of the Chao Phraya River.
The moment the rising river threatens to swallow the city's buildings. A sense of reality, impossible for AR, surges toward the audience.

“Wait... wh-what... is this...!”
“Whoa, hey...!”

Amidst the mix of murmurs and screams, Benji continues. His tone remains unchanged; if anything, it sounds even more elegant.

“You all know the Reclining Buddha that lies just north of here, don't you? Even if the city were to sink beneath the water, that Buddha would never rise. It simply remains in a state of quiet enlightenment.”

As the AR flood footage continues, the audience's reactions split.
Those who try to flee, and those who remain motionless, continuing to listen to Benji's words.

“——I believe that the future should not be asleep. Is it really okay to just lie there and accept the predicted future as it is?”

Benji smiles. He doesn't mind the rain wetting his shoulders as he surveys the crowd once more.

“Heh heh heh... Come now, let me ask you once more—where do you see the future?”

——At that moment, a dull, low roar tore through the humid air and thundered across the arena.
The audience's gazes turned upward in unison.

“...Huh, what?” “Look up!”

A silver machine silhouette descended, stitching through the gray clouds.
A rugged, sharp silhouette—a military airlift.

The side hatch opened, and three wires extended from it.
Amidst the wind and rain, three human figures dangled and swayed.

——The one in the center was a glittering figure, draped in silver and purple robes, with long, braided silver-gray hair. No matter how you looked at it, it was “Benji.”
On either side were a man and a woman in black attire, reminiscent of backup dancers.
The man aimed a rifle at the stage, while the woman bent her body as if dancing in mid-air.

The next moment, the “Benji” in the air shouted into a microphone.

“Don't be fooled—that guy is a fake!”

A stir ran through the audience.
“H-huh, what does that mean?” “There are two... Benjis?”

The Benji on stage didn't move a muscle, staring quietly into the sky.

The rifleman in the air—the male dancer—quickly took aim.
His target was the grotesque monster lurking in the shadows of the hologram device beside the stage—Seraphim Ark.

He fired.

An electromagnetic convergence round erupted with a flash and struck Seraphim Ark directly in the chest.
The grotesque shadow groaned and flinched.
At the same time, the AR footage of the Chao Phraya River flooding that had surrounded the venue crackled with noise—and eventually, stopped completely.

“I-it disappeared... the flood...”

The moment the footage cut out, an eerie silence descended upon the arena.
Caught between the reality before their eyes and the AR, the audience held their breath, simply looking up at the sky in silence.

And then—the "other Benjie" hanging in the sky let out his voice once more.

"Listen, you fake! There is no hope in a future carved out by violence and destruction!"

The voice was certainly the same as the Benjie below... but the intensity of the words he spoke was like that of a completely different person.

Benjie on the stage looked up at him, a smile playing on his lips.

"Heh... hehehe... I see. This is going to be a good show."

2. Hero Show

The three silhouettes that had been hanging were suddenly released from their wires.
They landed with pinpoint precision on the circular stage set up in the center of the arena, right in the middle of the audience—commonly known as the "Center Ring."

At the same time, white smoke billowed up. The screams and cheers of the audience mingled together.

"Wait, what kind of production is this?"
"There are two Benjies..."

What had descended was truly "Benjie," wearing a silver and purple draped robe with butterfly holograms on his back.
Standing on either side of him were a man and woman in black outfits, looking like backup dancers—

A buzz began to spread among the audience.

At that moment, the "Benjie" standing on the front stage quietly stepped forward.

With a faint smile on his lips, he unfastened the chest of his robe.
The fabric slid off his shoulders and fell to the floor.

Flap.

He then placed his fingers on his silver wig and pulled it off with a slide.
Revealed was a man with black hair and a cold, calculating gaze—

"—Hey, who is that? That..."
"Could it be, a fake...?"

Tension rippled through the audience.

In the center of it all, the man—Adam—spoke quietly.

"Now, the live performance starts here. Isn't that right, 'Benjie'?"

Snap.

As Adam snapped his fingers, dry sounds echoed one after another from various parts of the audience.
With a sound like glass creaking—snap, snap—people in black hoods slowly stood up.

“Seraphim...! Even among the audience—!”
The man in black attire immediately took a stance.

Amidst the overlapping screams and commotion, nearly thirty Seraphim climbed over the seats and swarmed toward the center ring.

“...Good grief. Looks like this is going to be a flashy live show.”
The woman stepped forward lightly, swinging her arms in an arc as she took her stance.

“I’ll end this shitty live show right now!”
“Benji” cracked his knuckles and readied a hand-blade strike.

In that instant—the Seraphim leaped from three sides simultaneously, attacking the center ring!

“Benji” blew the enemies away with an elbow strike and a roundhouse kick, while the man in black attire twisted his opponent's arm and threw them with minimal movement to avoid involving the audience. The woman also controlled the distance with elegant footwork, mowing down several Seraphim in an instant.

“Eh, what kind of production is this?”
“Hey, hey...! Benji is fighting!”
“Kyaaa! Shouldn't we run away...?!”

The audience began to fall into chaos.

At that moment—
Purple electricity crackled along the rod held by Adam on the front stage.

“Heh heh heh... Let me have a little fun.”

The next instant.
The electromagnetic rod made a sound like it was tearing the earth, and a beam of light like a thunder god's spear sliced through the air, striking the center ring in a straight line—!

But at the same time, three shadows leaped away sharply.
The lightning gouged the floor, spraying sparks and white smoke.

“Tch... You’re really something!”

“Benji” roughly ripped off his wig.
What appeared was a man with a sharp gaze—Rei.

The woman next to him spun like she was dancing and shook off her black attire. Saya’s figure was revealed.

The other man also flipped off his black attire and threw it into the air. It was Aoi, glaring straight at Adam.

“—Let’s go.”
Rei’s single word.

The three of them reached for their cross holsters and shouted.

“Cross—On!”

The air tore open. Nano-metal particles burst forth, and armor of light enveloped their bodies.
Cross visors covered their heads, and their suits were constructed in an instant.

“Zero-Jade, Zero-Olive, Zero-Azure—”
Zero-Type Squadron Cross Ranger, deploying.

The three of them kicked off the ground and charged at Adam with enough force to tear through the air.

Amidst the vortex of audience screams and chaos—
The three transformed Cross Rangers charge toward Adam, cutting through the exploding smoke and sparks.

“—Moon Fang!”

Crescent-shaped blades attach to both of Jade's arms. The silver blades hum as they aim for Adam.

At the same time, Olive leaps into the air. The metal boots 'Reflex Greaves,' emitting a green light, deploy on both legs, and a sharp flying kick strikes at Adam.

“...Hmph.”

But Adam's expression does not change; he deflects Olive's kick with one arm and catches Jade's blade with the other. He then thrusts his elbow to strike Rei's abdomen and blows him toward the speakers with a side kick.

Immediately after, Adam swings his heel, hitting Olive in the side.

Azure cuts in with the Zero Blade, but Adam slides into his guard, grabs Azure's neck, and puts him in a headlock.

“Ga, gah...! Ah... guh...”

Adam whispers lowly to the suffering Aoi.

“Heh heh heh... I thank you. Because you stopped the release, I was able to reach the start of this live performance. You, too, are on the 'chosen side.'”

Jade and Olive stand up and immediately turn to counterattack, but while still choking Aoi, Adam fends them off with just his footwork and whispers to Aoi again.

“You wanted to show results quickly, didn't you? Be happier about it. ...Well, even if there had been a release—I would have just crushed more 'shelters.'”

“...!”

Adam throws Aoi's body, knocking all three of them to the ground together.

“What's wrong? Is the hero show already over?”

The murmurs of the audience grow louder, and even applause begins to mix in.

“Damn it...! He's strong...”

“Shall I teach you? The basics of combat.”
Adam picks up an electromagnetic rod and walks over slowly.

At that moment—

A sharp beam from afar grazed his feet.

“──!”

Multiple light projectiles closed in on Adam in rapid succession.
Adam dodged them while looking up toward the roof.

Standing there was Zero-Blue, aiming his beam rifle, the “VX-LANCER,” from atop the wet steel frame.

“Oh, so the captain has made an appearance...”

“──The basics of combat. It is to balance long-range and close-range. Stand up, Jade, Olive, Azure! Surround Adam!”

“Understood!”

Jade and Olive moved quickly, sandwiching Adam.
Azure lagged slightly behind.

Blue switched his VX-Lancer to area suppression mode and began firing rapidly at Adam.

Adam retreated while dodging the beams—but Jade’s blade closed in from behind.

“Hmph, not bad—Seraphim Arc ‘Ecclesia’!”

Responding to Adam’s voice, a grotesque entity appeared from the side of the stage. Its upper body was humanoid, while its lower body floated as if a bundle of cables were connected to the ground, and the eyes of its Noh-like mask glowed red.

Ecclesia unleashed whips of light from both arms, attacking the three on the ground. They barely dodged, but the pursuit continued.

Adam raised his rod and unleashed a lightning strike toward Blue on the roof.
Blue dodged and descended to the stage.
As if trading places, Adam leaped onto the roof.

“Hehehe... The ‘selection’ is already complete. It seems the list is ready as well.”
Adam looked down from the roof while operating his holo-terminal.

“Farewell, Cross Rangers. Ecclesia will show you the rest of this magnificent show. Hehehe... in a Bangkok trembling with fear...!”

Leaving those words behind, Adam vanished beyond the roof.

“Damn it...! He got away!”
Jade barked in frustration.

“Are you okay?”
Olive ran over to Azure.
“...Yes.”
Azure—Aoi—was stunned by the overwhelming power and the reality that everything had been orchestrated.

“Pull yourself together, Azure. Focus on the enemy in front of you.”
Blue said calmly.

“...Yes, I’ll do it...! I am, I am...!”

Azure summoned his Sky Burst from his hologram and gripped it tightly.

──I am a Cross Ranger. I will make them acknowledge me!
To my enemies, to my allies... and... to you, Father!

Toward the four Cross Rangers, light-imbued wire whips extend once again from Ecclesia's arms. The impact sends several audience members near the stage flying.

This is bad...! If we keep this up, they're going to get caught in the crossfire!

Jade shows signs of impatience. However, several of the fallen audience members stand up as if nothing had happened. With hollow eyes and a smirk, they attempt to climb onto the stage.

The brainwashing... it hasn't worn off yet!?
Olive's scream echoes.

...No.
Blue's gaze sharpens.It's not the surface layer of the AR. It's resonance interference with the deep neural layers... a control signal separate from the AR that resonates internally via low frequencies.

At those words, Azure frowns.

──That shot from my rifle I fired at Ecclesia's chest while still in my black attire. That was the trigger to cut off the flood AR... but the brainwashing itself didn't break; instead, the control system malfunctioned and went into a runaway state?

...Haha... so getting sniped was also 'part of the plan'...

Focus, it's coming!

Ecclesia swings the wire whips. A high-output electromagnetic field scatters sparks and scorches the floor.
The Cross Rangers immediately scatter and begin evasive maneuvers.

Jade readies Moon Fang and charges. But Ecclesia deflects the trajectory with a whip and delivers a roundhouse kick from a fluid spin. Jade's body is sent flying, and sparks burst across the stage.

Olive jumps in immediately, attempting to land a kick imbued with the light of her Reflex Greaves──but Ecclesia floats up effortlessly and swings the whip down from directly above.

Guh...!

Blue shouts instructions while readying the VX Lancer.
Azure, draw its attention from the front.

...

Hey, Azure!!

Azure was trembling at the depth of the enemy's calculations.
──This is a real battle... I was far too naive.

Uwoooooh──!
Driven by anger and frustration, Azure charges head-on.

Ecclesia reacts slightly to that roar.
The next moment, Blue's sniper shot explodes. The high-speed beam from the VX Lancer scorches Ecclesia's left shoulder.

Did it work...?

A whip flies out from the smoke and slams into the ground at Blue's feet. Blue jumps back by a hair's breadth.

At that moment, Jade and Olive charged simultaneously from the left and right.

Now!

Jade's Moon Fang aimed for the right arm, while Olive's roundhouse kick targeted the left leg.

But—as if merging with the cables on the ground, Ecclesia twisted its torso unnaturally to evade them.

Ignoring the laws of physics, too!

In that instant, Azure leveled the Sky Burst and pulled the trigger with a shout.

I've already figured out how you work!

The full-power shot pierced the chest once again.

Ghh... Gyaaaaah!

With a scream like grinding metal, Ecclesia stopped moving.

Did we get it?

The next moment, a red light pulsed deep within the mask, and a massive energy reaction was detected from inside its body.

Get back!

As everyone leaped away in unison, Ecclesia's body exploded in the center of the stage. Sparks, smoke, and debris engulfed the front of the stage.

Silence.

The AR screens in the audience seating went dark all at once.
The rain that had been falling had also stopped before anyone noticed.

The color of sanity slowly returned to the faces of the audience members.

Where am I? Why am I at a concert?
More importantly... what kind of production is this?

Voices of confusion began to leak out from various parts of the audience seating—

Clap... clap, clap... Waaaaah!

Applause and cheers gradually spread like a wave.

Did we win?
Blue responded to Azure's voice.
Yeah—for now, at least.

"Ugh! Seriously, that was one hell of a shitty live show."
Beside Jade, who was looking up at the sky, Olive was waving to the audience.

"Thank you so much! Everyone!"

In a small Thai restaurant in the back alleys of Neo-Prom City—

The warriors were taking a breather after the battle.
However, Aoi was nowhere to be seen.

"Tch, seriously! What a selfish guy, especially for a rookie!"
Rei spat out as he downed his glass.

"Come on now. I told him where the place was, so he said he'd come later."
Saya added, offering a follow-up with a wry smile.

"I mean, really, why the hell was a guy like that chosen for the Zero-Style Squadron? Huh?"
Rei's cheeks were slightly flushed.

"Against opponents like Vesper who exploit the 'flaws' in Omega Theory, you need non-linear thinking. Aoi's performance in that regard was outstanding in every simulation. With experience, he'll be able to handle not just combat, but tactical construction as well—"
Kyoichi spoke quietly, yet a certain heat burned in his eyes.

"Exactly! I was surprised when he tried to charge in disguised as Benji."Saya laughed.

"Well, if anyone's gonna be Benji, it's gotta be me, right? Am I right, hey—" Rei was completely wasted.
"Hey, you're drinking too much!"

Beside him, Kyoichi quietly turned his gaze toward the window.

—How long do you intend to settle for just training the next generation?
—You know, don't you? That being 'expected' to do something and being 'entrusted' with something are different.

…I have my own way of living.

Kyoichi paused for a moment before emptying his glass.

On the banks of the Chao Phraya River—
Aoi stood alone, watching the river with its lowered water level. The current was still fast, and a sunset after the rain spread across the sky.

His first mission. He had been a little impatient.
But—

What crossed his mind were the memories of his father's back and an empty house.

The setting sun dyed the surface of the river red.

That night, Aoi never showed up at the restaurant.

(To be continued in Episode 5)

▼Links to future episodes

Episode 5: The Eve
Episode 6: The Spark
Episode 7: Clash
...

▼Supplementary records documenting the underside of this world—File.00