Editing City Series:Volume8a Chapter3 (section)

===Aoe’s Sight Mode: In DT’s Central Detroit District===

'''<Aoe’s Over Reload>

Aoe stopped running after switching to Sight Mode.

He held onto Yuo’s legs on his shoulder and dug his sandals into the dirt ground.

The sub-programs controlling his legs were unable to handle the rapid stop and he nearly fell. He pitched forward and staggered like he was going to throw Yuo from his shoulder.

'''“Stand firm.”

A sound of shattering glass came from his feet and hips.

Download.

He felt a weight in his hips like he was holding a large stone, but that was his center of gravity.

He lowered his hips.

“Kyah!”

Yuo grabbed onto his shoulder and shifted her butt back to make sure she wasn’t thrown off.

He completed his stop.

Then he heard sounds of the city’s destruction from the left. They were the sounds of wooden columns and roofs splintering and stone walls shattering. The chorus of damage burst out like spraying water.

If he looked left, he knew he would see the giant knight Yuo had told him about.

But he didn’t look that way.

He stared forward, at the deserted street stretching out below the blue sky.

'''<Aoe’s Over Zoom>

Three people stood there.

One was an unfamiliar man in a black hooded robe. The hood hid his face, but the visible skin was the distinctive brown of a black person. He was wearing a black vest and trousers below the robe.

But the robed man wasn’t the problem. Aoe recognized the other two.

One was a young man in a white robe and the other was a miniature woman in a white dress seated on his right shoulder.

Aoe found himself speaking the name of the young man who stood there with his long blond hair flowing down his back.

“Algo.”

Yuo similarly spoke the name of the shrunk woman on his shoulder.

“Alternative.”

They both spoke quietly and Algo was the first to react.

He cleared his throat and placed a hint of a smile on his lips.

Then Alternative lowered her eyebrows as she stared at them.

The last to react was the robed man. He took a step back without removing his hood. And he gave a shallow bow as he did so. Almost like he was letting Algo and Alternative handle this one.

Destruction and an alarm could be heard from the city to the left.

But Aoe’s eyes remained dead ahead.

“Kh.”

[[Image:DT01_125.jpg|thumb]]

Unable to speak, he clenched his fists. The action stretched his leather gauntlets, making them creak. Algo raised his eyebrows at the quiet sound. Amusement appeared on his face and then he started coughing.

“Excuse me. Were you hoping to attempt this again, Aoe-kun? When you are an ignorant Plus dropout?”

“Of-”

Before Aoe could say “of course I am”, small Alternative opened a window to speak.

<Don’t do this, Shouzou.>

He shut his mouth, his shoulders trembling. Yuo turned toward him.

“Senpai… Don’t forget that you have criminal settings at the moment. Your attack power is sealed unless I send you the unlocking program. You can’t punch him.”

“Mh,” he grunted, as if to say he would do it anyway.

After a moment, Yuo sighed and patted his shoulder just once.

A moment later, a transparent keyboard appeared in front of her.

He took a fighting stance in response.

Algo turned his head toward Alternative. He calmed his breathing after the coughing fit and spoke with exasperation on his face.

“Did you see how they communicated without a word?”

<We can do that too. For example, we agree what to do now, don’t we?>

“Of course. For now, we have no intention of fighting, Aoe.”

“So you’re running away.”

Aoe’s words were a statement, not a question.

Algo simply nodded.

Yuo asked a question, still typing away on Aoe’s shoulder.

“What do you intend to do, Algo?”

“To eliminate Alternative’s Words Warn- no, to erase the very disease of Words Warn from this world.”

'''<Aoe’s Over Zoom>

Aoe’s more detailed vision noticed a slight change to Alternative’s expression. Her gaze was directed toward Yuo on his shoulder. Her eyebrows were drooping a bit.

<Is she sad? No…what is that expression?>

Yuo must have noticed it as well. He could tell she was clenching the hand resting on his shoulder.

Aoe and Yuo were confused by this visual data, but then they heard a bitter laugh.

“You will find out soon enough what we are doing to achieve that. There is just one thing I can tell you at his point.” Still smiling, Algo shut his eyes. “We will be tearing away the false wilderness disguising DT and lay bare the wide, straight road build out of resignation.”

<Resignation?>

Algo answered Aoe’s question with a nod. And he lowered his hips.

“Yes, resignation. This Minus city once relied on resignation, but that fact was covered up. And the Demigods are using tomorrow’s open release to make their sins a thing of the past. They will claim the period of chaos has passed and it is all over, so they only need to apologize.”

Aoe heard the destruction of the city along with Algo’s words, so he raised his voice.

“What does that have to do with this terrorist attack on the city!?”

“The Kobayashi School teaches us that combat is the cornerstone of all things, Aoe. Fail to understand that and you will only taste defeat.”

Algo gathered strength in his body. His stance said he was planning to leap and then make his escape.

The robed man behind him had already disappeared at some point.

Aoe started forward to keep him from escaping, but then Yuo asked a question from his shoulder.

“What do you two claim to understand about this city?”

“You too will understand that, Yuo Natas…Demigod bearing the name of Satan.”



'''<Aoe’s Over Zoom>

Algo chuckled.

Aoe’s eyebrows rose at the man’s words and laughter.

“What’s so funny about Yuo’s last name!?”

Algo’s laughter stopped there.

“Hm. Satan is the loner of the demon army. But have you ever wondered why that is, Yuo?”

“Eh?”

“You might be interested to know that your name – Yuo – is the only wild name among the 13 Demigods. And the Natas name was only added after you were formatted in the 2nd Godtact Experiment.”

“…? Th-then I had a different last name before that!?”

“You can always wait for the open release tomorrow. Of course, it will be too late by then. You could say that is the last bit of deception that the Minus Elites who rule this city are betting their pride on.”

As Algo spoke those words, his body sank even further down.

Realizing he was about to flee, Aoe directed all of his body’s strength forward.

He prepared to run, but that was when Yuo grabbed at his shoulder.

“Don’t!”

He soon realized why.

A large boxy shape flew toward him from the left.

It was a house. The knight had kicked the stone house such that it flew overhead. The house was made of dummy data and was thus no more than a shape. It had already started to flash as it collapsed, but it wasn’t completely gone yet.

Aoe hesitated. Should he pursue Algo or avoid the house?

But just as the falling house’s shadow encompassed him, he threw all his strength to the left in order to dodge. His Downloaded legs were still active, so he gathered his strength in them and leaped left into an alley.

“Damn!”

After seeing that, Algo leaped in the opposite direction.

Aoe and Algo’s eyes met as the house fell between them.

The house hit the ground just as Aoe noticed a gentle smile in Algo’s eyes.

The splintering of the wooden roof and shattering of the stone walls rang loud.

A moment later, Aoe entered the alley Top Page.

'''<Aoe’s Sight Mode has ended>