Editing CubexCursedxCurious:Volume3 Chapter4 (section)

===Part 9===

A stunning beauty was standing some distance away from the group, her long hair fluttering freely in the wind.

"I have only one word for those of you over there, occupied with cell division&mdash;Stupid. Your naivety in failing to kill me this very instant stands as a fatal mistake. Once I begin taking action, people of your ilk shall find themselves absolutely incapable of stopping me. Should you possess the ability to read the future, hurry up and weep, fools. Even if you cannot read the future, weep anyway, fools. You will lament for want of weeping, finding weeping to be essential and well worth the effort."

Her attitude was excessively supercilious. Arms crossed before her chest, the beauty declared arrogantly as if she were the very truth ruling the world. The confidence she exuded was more than enough to attract the attention of all the Bivorios.

"Very well, the stupid should just die already, thereby putting an end to stupidity. Experience this truth with your very own bodies, you, you and you. The starting words shall begin from my very arm here, ending with its descent&mdash;Go sing a song of your sad demises while you still can, saturated with admiration and ecstasy!"

The girl raised her arm. The image resembled a saint or perhaps a magician.

Visually&mdash;the effect was very beautiful and intimidating.

Even Haruaki, who clearly knew she was just an ordinary mortal, was convinced for an instant that she would work some kind of supernatural magic.

The Bivorios raised their Cannibal Cookers to enter a battle stance.

Keeping her arm raised, the girl&mdash;Shiraho&mdash;grumbled with a slight frown:

"...Could you please hurry up already, this is so embarrassing."

A brief moment later, a figure finally climbed atop a neighboring pile of freight containers.

"Eh... Uh... Umm... The Masked Maid of Justice has arrived&mdash;! Bullying people is definitely not allowed!"

The voice and attire did not quite match the situation. Standing on a freight container, her maid outfit floating lightly in the incoming wind, she was Sovereignty of course. As a side note, she was not wearing any sort of mask.

"W-Why would they..."

"...Because I felt that they are also supposed to be part of 'Yachi Haruaki's friends.' Well, I had no idea if they would agree to come or not, but I decided to inform them by phone anyway..."

On the verge of death, Kirika threw Haruaki a glance and whispered to him. But even if they came here, it would not change the situation&mdash;Just as this thought crossed Haruaki's mind, he realized he was mistaken.

Standing high above, the maid gazed upon a certain "object," took a deep breath and yelled out:

"I hold sovereignty over every doll. Those bearing visual semblance, listen and show proof of your worship&mdash;Obey!"

The Sovereignty Perfection Doll's power: manifestation of the royal authority bestowed upon her.
[[image:C3 03-260.jpg|thumb]]

Indeed, she held the power to coerce any humanoid object to move&mdash;!

In that instant, the hitherto unnoticed existence started to move. The forgotten existence, dismissed as no threat. Although her ability to move autonomously was sealed away, her body could still be moved via external force. And now, under a certain person's control, she was moving.

Kuroe.

"My friend&mdash;Take care of that mirror!"

"Understood~!"

Manipulated by Sovereignty's control, Kuroe's petite body took a leap. Normally, this kind of attack would probably be struck down easily. But the current situation was different. Due to the dual impact of the bluff delivered through Shiraho's acting skills and the sudden appearance of the bizarre maid, in a fortuitous turn of events, Bivorio could not react in time as a result of the distraction.

An instant was all that was needed. Leveraging the momentum of her descent, Kuroe kicked the mirror hard. A loud shattering sound rang out.

"Oh no...!?"

The residual impact of Kuroe's kick sent the Holy Mother falling to the ground. For the very first time, her voice was mixed with anxiety. But despite the complete destruction of the mirror, its ability&mdash;«Hello to Another One»&mdash;apparently continued to persist for some time. Or perhaps the copies would survive until they reached their time limit. Numerous Bivorios rushed at Kuroe, including the one by Fear's side and the ones restraining Kirika.

However&mdash;

Another of the mirror's abilities&mdash;«Welcome to the Other Side»&mdash;apparently lost effectiveness simultaneously with the mirror's destruction.

"You really caused me a lot of stress. Sorry, I'm not going to show any mercy&mdash;Mode: «Killing Machine Masakado»!"

Kuroe's hair instantly lengthened, turning into capturing ropes as strong as steel wires. The Bivorios were instantly entangled. At such close distances, especially with the explosive divergence of Kuroe's hair in all directions, the Bivorios were unable to escape. The only one spared was the source of the clones, the real Bivorio who had fallen on the ground. Rolling a few times along the ground to distance herself from Kuroe, she stood up, wielding Cannibal Cooker in her hand.

"Haru, these fakes will disappear sooner or later as long as I keep them captured like this. I'll leave the real one to you!"

"Hey&mdash;Fear, are you okay? Hurry and get up!"

"Yeah I know... I'm fine."

Using her drill for support, Fear slowly stood up. It looked like she had finally recovered her calm.

Then slightly fearfully, her tearful eyes, almost about to cry, turned their gaze towards two locations. One was Haruaki's right hand whose wound was hidden by a handkerchief. The other was the corpse of Bivorio's clone. However, Fear's rage ultimately trumped her terror.

"Bivorio...! Look what you've done!"

Turning the drill into a wheel of torture, Fear attacked the Holy Mother, once again engaging Cannibal Cooker in a violent clash.

"Haruaki, watch over Kirika for now! Is Cow Tits still unconscious?"

As much as Haruaki wanted to assist Fear, she had a point. Haruaki rushed over to Kirika.

"Class Rep&mdash;"

"Guh... Ah... Huff... Damn it, for her to go so far as to toy with another's body. Of course I won't die but I'll need to spend some time to heal, sorry."

"Yeah, get some rest for now. By calling those two here, you already merit the best accomplishment."

While talking to Kirika who lay on the floor as she clutched her abdomen, Haruaki turned his gaze towards Shiraho and Sovereignty who had suddenly appeared. Sovereignty was yelling: "Uwawa, so dangerous! Eh? Looks like my skirt got caught on something and flipped... And it's gradually slipping off&mdash;!" Just as always, she was acting inappropriately in light of the context. Finally, she managed to get down from the freight container and ran over to Shiraho's side where she stood in safety.

"We did it, Shiraho, the plan succeeded! We did great!"

"I was utterly embarrassed, however."

"Don't say that~ You looked like you were totally into it. Oh, Haruaki-kun. Uh~ How should we help next&mdash;" Sovereignty intended to walk over, but Shiraho grabbed her by the collar from behind.

"We are not duty-bound to go so far for them. It would be foolish to interfere and get hurt. Let's go home."

"Eh, but..."

Shiraho threw Haruaki a cold glare.

"We are indebted to these humans, so we are simply returning the favor today. I have no intention of paying extra interest."

"Uh... Well... Umm... Ahhh, stop pulling me, Shiraho! I-Is it really okay?"

Shiraho's outlook was very businesslike, but they had already provided much needed help at a critical moment. Hoping for more would probably bring about divine punishment&mdash;Besides, Haruaki could not allow two people with little combat ability to get into danger.

"It's okay, we'll handle the rest!"

Sovereignty responded to Haruaki by hunching her shoulders with a guilty conscience, waving goodbye as she went "Take care!" Then, dragged by Shiraho, they left. Seriously, these two were still acting the same as always, dispelling all the tension in the situation.

...But Haruaki and his friends could not afford to be careless. The tides had turned, but there was still something important to handle&mdash;

Haruaki turned his gaze towards the battle between Fear and Bivorio. They were dueling seriously.

A clash of weapons. And also&mdash;a clash of wills.



"Ara... Ooh, you're moving faster than before and you are stronger too, eh?"

"Of course! Because&mdash;I'm angry now!"

"But why? I love you so much, wanting to accept you as family."

"First of all! You hurt Haruaki. You made Haruaki get hurt! Secondly! You&mdash;You made me kill you! You made me remember that forgotten feeling, the one I wanted to forget!"

The inquisitional wheel that Fear threw out was blocked by Cannibal Cooker's «Shredding» and slid down. Fear did not pursue aggressively, choosing to pull the wheel back instead. This time, she performed a throwing attack.

"If you can recall it so easily, doesn't that mean there's no need to forget?"

"No way! Yes, I admit, that feeling was already etched deeply inside of me. The feeling of gouging a hole in someone with a protruding object, the feeling of a blade slicing through skin, the feeling of a human's life trembling in doubt, disappearing after a struggle! Because of that! Precisely because of that, I avoid this taboo!"

Bivorio deflected the thrown wheel using «Slicing and Dicing». Stepping forward while Fear was pulling the chain of cubes back, she said:

"Despite clearly being born for that purpose, you still wish to think that way?"

"That's right! For the sake of wiping out my past self&mdash;That very purpose is why I am here! You said you affirm curses. That's not affirming my past self but denying who I am right now! This one point&mdash;is one that I absolutely disagree!"

Wearing a nun's habit, the Holy Mother twisted her body, preparing to swing out her cross-shaped murdering culinary tool. At the same time, pulled by Fear, the inquisitional wheel returned to her hand. Then&mdash;

Bivorio performed the move that concentrated the destructive power of dozens of attack into one.

Simultaneously, Fear took her emulated form and turned it into a supermassive torture tool in no way inferior to the Cannibal Cooker.

"'Let's smash this over and over again!' Reenactment: «How to Process Mince-Meat»!"

"Mechanism No.22 bludgeoning type, spike-ball form: «Morgenstern», Curse Calling!"

The tips of the two hammer-like weapons clashed violently. The two were like batters who were facing each other, or mirror images&mdash;

For an instant, it seemed as if both sides became motionless.

Supernatural destructive power was fighting, vying for supremacy between the two of them.

"Why obsess over the present!? Is there any evidence that the current you is the right one?"

"Guuuuuuuu! What evidence... I don't... care about that at all! Because&mdash;"

Fear's «Morgenstern» faltered slightly. As if pouring new strength into it, Fear yelled loudly:

"Because of Haruaki&mdash;He said I could become human! Those words... They made me really happy! I want to believe in his words... Therefore! If my current self is denied, that means denying him whom I trust! I-I&mdash;don't want that! That's simply all there is to it!"

"Ara ara, how incomprehensible!"

"&mdash;No, but I understand!"

"Haruaki...?"

Swinging the Japanese sword, Haruaki rushed over to Fear's side. If Fear was standing in the right batter's box in this analogy, Haruaki would be standing in the left batter's box. As though he were eschewing speed and accuracy in exchange for pure ultimate power, Haruaki twisted his body greatly&mdash;

"Konoha, I'm relying on you&mdash;Let's go&mdash;!"

The black scabbard smashed into the back side of the «Morgenstern» that was resisting the Cannibal Cooker.

Despite being merely a minor impact, it was enough to disrupt the stalemate in destructive power.

In that instant, «Morgenstern» broke the balance with assistance, surpassing the Cannibal Cooker and pushing forwards.

"Wha...!"

The Cannibal Cooker was deflected backwards so forcefully it seemed as if it would rip Bivorio's arm off. In addition to an ear-splitting crash, the sound of steel shattering could be heard. Cracks were appearing on the Cannibal Cooker as a result of the impact.

"Ha&mdash;insane Matriarch, I have a mother here as well! But unlike you, she doesn't yammer about love all the time and neither does she impose it on others! Learn well from her!"

Seizing the opportunity, Fear instantly transformed the «Morgenstern» to become&mdash;

"Mechanism No.29 embracing type, iconic form: «The Blessed Virgin Mary's Steel Embrace», Curse Calling!"

Consistent with its name, an iron statue of the Virgin Mary appeared. In no way inferior to Bivorio, the smile on its face was filled with tender affection while its outstretched arms appeared to be urging sinners to repent. However, its upper torso, and most prominently the chest, was shining with innumerable thorns. If these thorns were covered by a thin veil, would unsuspecting victims throw themselves onto the Virgin Mary statue at the behest of interrogators, praying to God for final salvation perhaps? Never would they expect the statue of Mary to be the tool for bringing about their demise.

However, Bivorio currently showed no inclination to confess to the thorned Virgin Mary statue. Hence, the statue of Mary took action on its own initiative, obeying Fear's will that was transmitted through the chain of cubes, charging towards Bivorio who had lost balance.

"Ooh..."

All Bivorio could do was push the Cannibal Cooker forwards to face the attack in her stead. The statue of Mary caught the Cannibal Cooker and began another contest of strength&mdash;However, signs of inevitable breakage were already apparent.

By this point, Bivorio's face had already lost its smile. There was only anxiety, doubt and puzzlement.

"Why would you refuse us so resolutely? I have said many times already, you are a transcender, a being far surpassing mankind. That is why we worship you, hoping to offer you the Family's love, wishing you could love us like family!"

"No, I am not some kind of transcender who is superior to mankind. Neither do I desire that kind of title. All I want is to become human, I just want to be human!"

"Humans are cowardly and stupid, possessing none of your strength. They are simply powerless and ordinary existences!"

Perhaps it was true. Humans were weak and fragile.

However&mdash;Precisely because of that, humans could gather together joyously, unlike tools that completed tasks alone.

Fear recalled.

What she had witnessed at Kuroe's shop, that excessively dazzling scene.

"Yeah... Very ordinary. Very ordinary indeed. The fishmonger, the fruit shopkeeper, the laundromat's owner&mdash;They're all cowardly and stupid, without the slightest power. I concede this point. However&mdash;"

She also recalled Kuroe.

She recalled the way Kuroe had become a part of the crowd. Perhaps that foreshadowed Fear's future self.

"They were all laughing! They looked very happy! I want to be like that, to join them, to become happy&mdash;What's wrong with wanting that? Until recently, I've always been alone and never had a chance to smile. That's why, the humans who can do what I cannot, to me, they are the transcenders!"

"Wha..."

Bivorio stared wide-eyed in shock. Seeing that, Fear was filled with delight and said:

"What I long for is the existence allowing me to laugh with these people and become part of their family. What I see as my goal is a way of living that is both gentle and weak. And this is called being human. And because you cannot understand this point, there can never be any consensus between us!"

Fear issued new orders to the Virgin Mary who was her emulated form. The springs, gears and other mechanisms installed inside the statue of Mary began to turn, causing the outstretched arms to come together with a grating sound. Embracing with strength that the confessor cannot escape, then pushing out the thorns covering its body&mdash;

"Impossible... How could... this be...! Because&mdash;Because no human could save me back then! The one who saved me... The one who saved me was... Ahhh! That is why humans as transcenders... That kind of notion&mdash;absolutely cannot be possible&mdash;!"

Ignoring Bivorio's words uttered out of confusion, the steel continued to grate.

Within one Holy Mother's embrace was another Holy Mother&mdash;Bivorio&mdash;and the Cannibal Cooker.

The sharp thorns pressed powerfully against the two entities. The tool, which had been used to cook dozens of people, shattered with a loud death cry as though it were weeping in contrition of its sins.

Naturally, the Holy Mother, who had been using the Cannibal Cooker as a shield, was also pierced with numerous holes of red.