Editing CubexCursedxCurious:Volume1 Chapter5 (section)

===Part 4===

As blade collided with blade, both sides were sent far apart.

Haruaki looked in surprise at the axe wielded by Peavey. It appeared unaffected.

"What happened, Konoha?"

"Ooh... I—couldn't help it."

"W-Why?"

"I miscalculated. That axe is 'autonomous.' Of course, the wielder's body is also moving, but only as support, similar to us. But the Sword-Kill Counter relies on finding openings through predicting the attacker's habits or muscle movement, hence—"

"After all, the target's weak point has to be targeted with precision as fine as a hair..."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault... Anyway, she looks like she intends to keep going?"

The axe seemed to be convulsing as if impatient for slaughter. Peavey held the axe as she slowly approached.

"Impossible, this is too unbelievable. You can't possibly be gambling away your own life on a flimsy reason such as 'just because you want to' or the like?"

She resumed the previous conversation. Haruaki adjusted his breathing as he glared at her.

"...Then let me correct myself. It's not like there isn't a reason."

"Oh? Is is it something like love one would harbor towards a doll? Or a sense of possessiveness towards a machine?"

"—It's the sense of guilt."

Haruaki could feel the sword in his hand shudder once slightly.

"So you feel guilty if you stand back and watch them meet their demise? How strange. Even though they have taken human appearances and possess the ability to move and talk, they are simply tools."

"Stop talking nonsense. These girls are not tools—and neither am I referring to the kind of guilt you're talking about. Of course, what you described is included to some extent... But it's a different sense of guilt."

Sighing, Haruaki said:

"—The ones who cursed them, are us, humans!"

His hand gripping the sword was full of power.

"We are the cause of their condition. We are the ones who cursed them arbitrarily. Considering things from their perspective, humans are probably the ones who deserve contempt. Why turn me into this!? —I definitely would be crying out as hard as I could. However... Consequently—At least... Even if they hate us, as long as any of these fellows come here to rely on humans, I wish to help them as much as I can."

In the past, definitely... But now..  I really love... Truly.

Haruaki could vaguely hear the sword giving off this sort of faint voice... As if suppressing some kind of murmur.

"And then, if these fellows were to believe 'humans are not so bad after all' or 'isn't it wonderful to become human~'...  If they really wish to believe that more or less—wouldn't it be nice? At least it makes me feel some level of absolution! Of course, this is only an illusion, I know that! This cannot compensate for all of humanity's crimes, but—those who are at least aware of humanity's culpability... Knowing that we are culpable, if I don't do this, our crimes will simply persist forever! Perhaps what I'm doing might be meaningless, however... Right! In the end, I'm doing it because I want to! So what!?"

Roaring angrily, Haruaki poured out all the thoughts in his mind.

As for Peavey, her response carried neither anger nor jeering laughter—

"...How disgusting!"

It was simple revulsion. As if staring at rotten trash, she vomited once again.

"Urrghh... My apologies, boy, but your speech has caused me to reevaluate you as trash on the same level as Wathes. Ah, how unbearable, how vomit inducing, truly it is too disgusting...!"

Peavey approached once more, as if unable to suppress the axe's desire.

Thus, Haruaki was forced to play the role of her dance partner again. Her attacks were full of openings. But if one were to take advantage of these openings to attack, the instant Peavey was struck, the resulting automatic counterattack would prevent Haruaki from withdrawing unscathed.

This was stalemate at best. If this continued, Haruaki's stamina would be depleted. Furthermore, there was a negative factor that Haruaki had been deliberately ignoring, but whose presence was becoming increasingly obvious. As if released from floodgates, pain flooded the sensations of his arm.

His lungs suffered as they struggled for air, his heart was beating violently, his muscles screamed from overload, his brain began to imagine a dark future on its own. Everything was deteriorating. Deteriorating. Deteriorating. Truly deteriorating to the worst situation.

(Damn it! What should I do...!)

He sought a path of survival but could not see anything. His ears were only filled with the noise of repeated impacts of iron and steel, the metallic clanging continuing on and on—This was almost like—

The sounds of an ominous bell, ringing to declare closure of a party.