Editing CubexCursedxCurious:Volume17 Chapter6 (section)

===Part 5===

Returning as soon as one it had been dodged, attacking as soon as one thought it had been withdrawn, that was the kind of power driving the sword of Dainsleif. Despite attacking in straight lines, the trajectories were strange and complicated. Just as Fear desperately blocked an attack&mdash;

"...!"

She saw something behind the wheelchair, twisting in a serpentine manner to take on a scythe-like shape.

And there were two of them.

In the next instant&mdash;

"«Chupacabra Bandage»! And the... «Tragic Black River»&mdash;!"

Kirika suddenly rushed over, waving her arms as though dancing. The white bandage, which had been transferred to her left arm, and the black belt on her right arm&mdash;returned to its original location&mdash;formed two writhing spirals.

"Hmm!"

The Dominion Lord groaned and turned the wheelchair while swinging Dainsleif in a horizontal slash. However, the two monochrome strips, one black and one white, differed slightly in timing, extending independently like using both hands to attack consecutively, assaulting the Dominion Lord in wave after wave.

"Hah... Although I'm bringing this to a fight without practicing, I didn't expect it to work so well...!"

"Kirika!? That's...!"

Easier said than done. In fact, it probably required substantial willpower and concentration. Her forehead covered in sweat, Kirika said:

"I happened to find it in the adjacent tent. They probably thought they didn't need to go out of their way to destroy a mere belt... Or they simply forgot. Anyway, this is mine. Although I took it back without asking, they're not going to object!"
[[image:C3 17-242.png|thumb]]

"All you did was retrieving an insignificant and frail Wathe! Don't get too full of yourself!"

Yelling, Dainsleif used her own blade to slice through «Chupacabra Bandage» and the «Tragic Black River». Then the wheelchair slid between the two of them to close in on Kirika. Long before Fear gripped her sword, someone had already squeezed his way in front of her.

Obviously, it was Haruaki.

For some reason&mdash;He was holding a Japanese sword in each hand. In his right was an elegant Japanese sword in its black scabbard. In his left was an unbridled and unsheathed Japanese sword.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhh!"

After blocking Dainsleif, Haruaki instantly counterattacked with speed and power, a consecutive offense that made use of complementary advantages. Fear originally thought Haruaki's left hand which she had maimed would have trouble holding a sword, but Kotetsu looked even heavier than Konoha and through judicious use of both sides' weights according to the principle of leverage, thereby compensating for grip strength while generating destructive power.

After clashing evenly with the Dominion Lord for several rounds, Haruaki jumped away greatly as though saying "enough."

"Huff... Huff..."

"Compared to Nirushaaki-sama, you are too lacking in stamina. I am very dissatisfied."

"...That's only to be expected, right? Don't compare me with that kind of natural-born battle maniac."

"Kotetsu, you may exert more force on the left arm without any concerns. Although not to the point of tearing muscles apart, so long as muscle ache is the only aftereffect, Haruaki-kun will just have to endure it."

"Yes, understood."

"Uwoah~ What a spartan approach..."

Haruaki sighed and slumped his shoulders. Then as though lifting his spirits, he grinned and looked at Fear over his shoulder.

"It's not all over yet. You want to punish that idiot father, right? Let us help."

"Yeah, count me in as well. I suppose he's one of those monster parents who've become fashionable lately. Although it's absolutely ridiculous, he won't understand unless we resort to force."

Kirika also chimed in. Had they all heard what she said to the Dominion Lord just now? Fear felt a little embarrassed&mdash;But immediately, she thought candidly to herself: "Fine, whatever."

She felt her courage multiply just from the fact that she was facing the same direction as Haruaki and the others. She glared at the Dominion Lord.

"Foolish behavior... Just as Dainsleif stated, the mere increase of one or two insignificant Wathes will not turn the tide."

"Really? How will we know without trying...? If anything, I believe the gap in combat strength has definitely shrunk."

"Even this statement is also&mdash;a foolish answer."

The Dominion Lord suddenly extended a wrinkled finger, pointing at&mdash;

The spear standing upright next to the throne area.

Fear shuddered and swiftly turned her head to confirm the large clock installed on the side of the school building. Time. The current time&mdash;

"...!"

Their time limit of 2pm had already passed.

As though saying there had been enough stoppage time, the clock's minute hand kept advancing.

Then when Fear held her breath and looked back at the Dominion Lord's direction&mdash;

He had his hands on the wheelchair's armrests.

Slowly&mdash;

''Walking down from the wheelchair, he stepped onto the sports ground and stood up straight.''

Dying as soon as one exited the territory under their rule&mdash;Governed by this curse, for him to accomplish such an act meant that&mdash;

"'Dominionization' is complete."

The Dominion Lord glanced at the spear tip's progress&mdash;it was entirely buried in the ground now&mdash;and exhaled.

Then quietly, he spoke simply to inform them of the truth.

"This land where I stand is already the Second Knights Dominion."

Fear and company were staring at the spear in shock.

"No... way...!"

"We failed to make it in time...!?"

A hair-raising, icy cold and dark feeling shrouded their backs. Try as they did to push it away, it hassled them relentlessly, refusing to let go, whispering softly in their ears to face reality.

The time had passed.

The spear tip had entered the ground completely.

The Dominion Lord who would die as soon as he left his territory was currently standing away from his wheelchair.

The meaning represented by all this.

Really? They did not make it in time? For the sake of eliminating them, the Knights Dominion was already able to bring out 100% of their power; that home's meaning was already lost; the place they belonged to had already vanished?

No way, no way, impossible.

It felt very unreal. Consciousnesses grew hazy as though paralyzed. Senses used to detect the surrounding situation were plunged into turmoil.

Among all this, they even noticed something else.

The Dominion Lord was standing. His facial features. Cheeks. Back of his hands. His wrinkles seemed to be decreasing&mdash;

''Possibly a psychological effect? He looked like he was getting younger.''

Konoha said as though groaning:

"Your face...! How could this kind of thing be possible...!?"

"A foolish question. Zilch Ground is simply the minimum soil to provide me with mobility, but the Second Knights Dominion is a territory far more vast and even more official than Zilch Ground. A feudal lord standing on an official fiefdom deserves to be granted commensurate and proper dignity. My semblance earlier was only temporary. This is truly my usual appearance as the Dominion Lord."

To confirm Dainsleif's weight, the Dominion Lord swung her with his hand which had decreased in the number of wrinkles. Not rejuvenated to the extent that one could call him a young man, he was still an elderly man. However, he did not give off any vibes that ought to belong to an elderly man who had just gotten off his wheelchair, simply exuding a mind-boggling air of strength, resembling an ancient tree that still stood young and flourishing.

Strong, robust, vigorous. Rather than quantity in muscle, these adjectives adorned his body through exuded vibes difficult to articulate. He looked downwards at the Dainsleif he was swinging.

"My first knight, there is no need to hold back any further. Remove even more of the scabbard."

"But what of your body?"

"A foolish question. Given this current body, there is no cause for concern."

"Affirmative."

The Dominion Lord swept his hand across the violet-glowing body of the broadsword's blade. In the next second, the thin steel plate with the patterned surface fell off from the blade's body. No, it was no ordinary plate anymore. Fallen by the Dominion Lord's feet was a slender piece of steel. It felt understandable. The Dominion Lord was correct, this was the Dainsleif broadsword's final scabbard. Something serving as a stone weight, serving as shackles.

Remaining after the scabbard's removal was the elegant appearance of Dainsleif, thinner in thickness than before.

An outline of orthodox and intimidating straight lines, a bare blade clouded by nothing. Enveloped in a faint violet glow, it even looked mysterious and fantastical. One could feel that it had shed all redundant and forced additions to reach perfect balance. This appearance convinced any viewer that this was truly her original and rightful form.

The Dominion Lord looked down slightly towards the sword in his hand and said:

"The demonic sword of mythical times did not unleash its full power on every occasion... Sometimes, it was beyond the ability of the wielder's body to withstand, sometimes it was mired in the inability to react and adapt on the spot. Hence, I crafted this set of shackles to install on her."

"Hmph. Truth be told, I hope you are not bluffing. There was once a man named Sasaki Kojirou who tossed his scabbard away with gusto, but ended in defeat."

The Dominion Lord remained expressionless after Kotetsu's remark but his voice answered in a tone of exasperation:

"Under the incomplete power of Zilch Ground, my elderly body is a poor match for Dainsleif's nature. However, things are different now&mdash;"

The Dominion Lord had been moving the sword tip slowly so far, but just as his motion suddenly seemed to stop&mdash;

''His body had already appeared behind Haruaki''.

"...Guuuuuh!?"

Haruaki groaned. It was incomprehensible for a moment. What happened?

The Dominion Lord's appearance and condition was so different from before, he was like a different person. The two Japanese swords crossed before Haruaki's eyes. Haruaki stumbled and fell, sitting on the ground. A bloody scratch appeared on his cheek&mdash;With that, he finally understood. It was a charging thrust. As earlier, the Dominion Lord had charged Haruaki with his entire body to execute a slash, propelled by Dainsleif's driving force of guaranteed death&mdash;thus achieving supernatural speed. Kotetsu and Konoha had blocked instantly, but not completely. Thus, Haruaki was cut lightly on the cheek.

Just the cheek. Had there been any minor deviation, a difference of a few centimeters, a change in the sword's positioning&mdash;

Haruaki shuddered, involuntarily bringing his hand against his chest.

It's okay. It's&mdash;

Haruaki got up frantically while muttering in disbelief:

"W-What's going on? That was way too fast just now...!"

"Ha, that terrified face of yours was like a caged pig's, an excellent match for one who lives in cohabitation with filthy Wathes. Did you think those slow movements were the extent of my curse as a demonic sword? What the curse of guaranteed death represents&mdash;Savor it with your own body!"

While Dainsleif was yelling, the Dominion Lord kicked the ground and jumped. The bare blade approached as though gliding through the air, fast as an arrow, like a bullet.

This time, their target was&mdash;This side!

"Nu... Gwoh!"

"Fear!"

A strange snapping sound. The instantly raised sword broke and flew up. A the same time, she was confronted with pressure and impact that felt like a car collision, sending her flying helplessly then roll on the ground. Or maybe she had jumped subconsciously. No idea. Striking the sports ground, her body creaked but at least she had avoided a critical injury. She forced herself to stand up, but just at that moment, the Dominion Lord immediately turned around after knocking Fear away and charged in the opposite direction. Probably having anticipated herself to be the next target, Kirika rapidly reacted and jumped to the side, but&mdash;

"Gah... Damn it, absolutely ridiculous...!"

"Kirika, are you okay!?"

"Just a scratch on my arm. It'll be okay soon!"

Judging from the amount of Kirika's bleeding, Fear did not believe that it was just a scratch on the arm. Her arm dangled limply while she forcibly stood up. Despite anticipating the attack and dodging at what she believed was perfect timing, she had failed to evade completely&mdash;This meant that the opponent's speed was beyond expectation.

Fear felt her heart rate rise. Her body kept shaking. The aching all over her body was such a nuisance.

Truly, the combination of Dainsleif's unshackled speed with the Dominion Lord's fully unleashed strength under «Dieu le veut»'s blessing was overwhelmingly powerful. Fear could not help but admit that.

"Don't clump up together, everyone! Spread out a bit!"

Haruaki was out of breath, but he still readied the Japanese swords in a stance.

The demonic sword flew again like a cannonball. Instead of blocking for now, Haruaki chose to evade&mdash;but failed to dodge completely. The result was Konoha and Kotetsu crossing blades with that demonic sword again, deflecting its trajectory with much difficulty. Haruaki frowned, was it because his shoulder was about to dislocate? Or his left hand was in pain? Or maybe both. Just as she tracked the Dominion Lord's whereabouts with her gaze, Fear rolled while sprawled on the ground. The blade swept past, over her head. She could feel several strands of silver hair fluttering into the air, sliced into many pieces.

(Damn... it...!)

They were struggling to resist in a one-sided fight. They were being toyed with in storm-like brutality.

The charging slashes were faster than the naked eye could see clearly. However, the opponent's high speed did not translate to agility. In the moment of contact, it was possible to feel the broadsword's sense of weight. Speed was being enlisted to convert into destructive power.

It was like having murderous trains rushing at you from all directions endlessly.

Although they endured desperately, it was impossible to stay uninjured. Whether Fear, Haruaki or Konoha, the wounds on their bodies were increasing bit by bit. Their bodies were also slowly starting to have trouble keeping up with their thoughts and intents. Even if Fear wanted to counterattack, she had no weapon and did not even have the time to search for a sword that had fallen on the ground. There was a feeling of darkness before her eyes.

Was there no solution? No countermeasures... at all?

This darkness and anxiety was probably occupying Haruaki's heart as well. He looked at the Japanese sword in his right hand and asked:

"Konoha...! Can you find an opening?"

"The speed is admittedly astounding... But their movements are constrained in straight lines like a pinball the whole time. As long as the attacks are seen clearly, it might be possible to counterattack..."

That made sense, she was right. So far, the Dominion Lord had simply charged like a train and backed away repeatedly. Even while wielding supernatural speed and power, he could still be taken down as long as they were able to see through his movements.

Having decided their temporary direction, they looked at the Dominion Lord again. At this moment, he happened to have stopped his incessant charging. Standing in front of them, he was twirling Dainsleif's blade tip just as he had done while seated on the wheelchair earlier. Was he using that motion to control the vector of charging?

The Dominion Lord glanced at the broadsword in his hand and said:

"Dainsleif&mdash;You are rushing into things too impetuously. Are you unable to exert restraint, having lacked activity for so long?"

"Yes! My utmost apologies for my poor patience."

"The simplicity of jousting has its merits, but only charging straight like this would be foolish behavior. Concentrate, refine and control the power of causality from the curse of guaranteed death&mdash;With that, your sword will be able to continue seeking causality like a knight's consecutive strikes without traveling through unnecessary distance. Can you accomplish this?"

"...If you would permit me a little time to calm down."

"Permission granted."

The Dominion Lord stared intently in Fear's direction and continued to brandish the sword's tip.

Kirika healed the new wounds all over her body while murmuring in puzzlement:

"What are they talking about? Why aren't they attacking...?"

In a hoarse voice evocative of a twitching smile, Konoha answered:

"From what I can see, they will immediately render our new strategy moot. Judging from the contents of their conversation, as long as they take a break to focus their concentration, it would be possible to perform movements different from the charging so far."

"...Putting aside whether that is actually possible, but supposing that sort of speed could be used to attack fiercely like using a normal sword, then it would be a bit..."

Kotetsu stopped mid-sentence. Most likely, his pride did not permit him to say more. It did not permit him to say anything that could be construed as doom and gloom.

At this moment, the panting Haruaki glared at the Dominion Lord and said:

"...But even if that's the case, we can't run away, right? We're almost completely exhausted, so let's use this time to recover our energy a bit. Regardless whether the enemy's movements will change, I think it'll be easier than doing it right now&mdash;"

"Oh? Can you lot really afford to be so laid back?"

Dainsleif's voice carried obvious mockery. Konoha shook.

"What do... you mean?"

"As expected of wretched Wathes that only know curses, too foolish. To think you have forgotten&mdash;You failed to make it in time, didn't you?"

"What...?"

"'Dominionization' is already complete. As king, my master is the first to receive its blessings. Naturally, the rest of them are next. Those who have lost consciousness are no exception... Of course, the dead are a separate matter."

Presumably as a sign of confidence, Dainsleif continued to speak fluently:

"Right now, the spear is slowly giving everyone the blessing of righteousness, turning knights into perfect knights. And perfect knights do not lie sprawled on the ground in unseemliness, because this power will make them stand up again. How much time do you reckon is required for the transmission of power to complete, for all of the unconscious knights to wake up?"

"!"

What she meant was: The many knights, the many dozens of knights, whom they had spent so much effort to defeat, were going to wake up? They were going to attack with hatred, resentment and righteousness once again?

Fear swiftly looked behind her to the people who were holding back the «Wittelsbach Knights». Several sets of armor were collapsed on the ground but unbelievably, even the fallen armor seemed to be shaking slightly as though preparing to stand up and attack again.

Fear's back ran cold. Dark mist surged from the depths of her mind.

Even after telling herself not to think, she still could not help but think.

The Dominion Lord with Dainsleif, having obtained abnormal speed and power. High-speed charging attacks like cannonballs. Then there was the possibility of the two of them using that kind of speed to engage in normal swordfighting. Under such conditions, would they be able to resist? No idea. No idea.

They still did not know if they would be able to defeat the Dominion Lord and Dainsleif, who stood as an overwhelming threat&mdash;

And now, added to that...

The threats left behind them were going to reawaken? By this juncture, the knights' strength would be completely reset? No, if the enemy's combat potential, which they had spent so much effort to reduce, were to return at greater strength, then, in that case, no matter how much of a struggle they put up&mdash;

"Not yet!"

Haruaki yelled. The firmness in his tone of voice startled Fear, blowing away the dark mist in the depths of her mind.

"It's not over yet. Before other knights make their way here, before the situation changes, we will end things ''now''! That's our only option!"

"Although we still need to recover a certain level of energy, the next strike... will probably be the last chance..."

"Truth be told, this is a last stand."

"Hmm... We must do it. It's absolutely ridiculous coming from me, but even if this life had to be put on the line...!"

Well said&mdash;Fear encouraged herself again. We must do it. Now was too soon to think it was over. Too soon to despair. Since they had things to do, since there was a possibility, they must take action&mdash;

However, would it work? Were they really able to defeat&mdash;

The Dominion Lord who had obtained the full blessings of "Dominionization" first as king? And also the ancient demonic sword Dainsleif, cursed with the causality of death?

After defeating them, were they able to destroy the «Dieu le veut» spear behind those two...?

"Konoha, can you do it?"

"Hooh... I don't think there is a choice."

At this moment, Haruaki waved to Fear. Warily keeping tabs on the Dominion Lord's movements, she approached Haruaki.

Clamping Konoha under one arm first, Haruaki used his free hand to search his pockets&mdash;then tossed something familiar to Fear, something that even felt nostalgic. Two of them to boot.

Two Rubik's cubes.

"Ah..."

"I took these from Konoha's removed clothing just now."

Staring motionlessly at the Rubik's cubes in her hands, Fear only managed to say:

"Cow Tits, is this... okay...?"

"Of course it is not okay. But it cannot be helped."

Konoha answered gruffly with displeasure. However, Haruaki's shoulders shook lightly as he said:

"Haha, Konoha, you didn't even complete your sentence... Fear, what she means by cannot be helped isn't referring to having you do this in order to defeat that guy. Instead, it's because she heard what you said earlier to the Dominion Lord."

The Japanese shook as though protesting "Hey, Haruaki-kun!", followed by a sigh.

"...Since you said that you are filled with many things, show me. With that, if only for this one instant&mdash;That was simply my conclusion. In other words, I was only preparing myself."

If only for this one instant, you should be fine. You won't go berserk, right?

Then taking a gamble, she prepared herself.

That was what she meant, right?

A certain emotion surged in Fear's heart. After she clutched the Rubik's cubes tightly, the Japanese sword in Haruaki's right hand shook then spoke in a cheerful manner as though suddenly remembering something:

"Yes, basically that, like a certain occasion. Even if you go berserk, I will simply destroy you while humming a tune, so there's no need for you to think too much."

Konoha was clearly speaking in a joking tone.

Probably knowing it was just a joke, Haruaki simply shrugged.

Then, Fear also committed her resolve.

Holding a Rubik's cube in each hand, she confirmed their hardness while saying:

"..It feels like now is the only chance, so let me tell you guys something. Dainsleif here in front of us has the final Indulgence Disk. By putting in that last disk, I will 100% never go berserk again, to become a harmless being. Definitely... Without a doubt."

"What!? Fear, are you serious!?"

"Yes, I am. Yamimagari Pakuaki told me."

Kirika reflexively frowned but Fear smiled and said:

"I don't think he's lying. If he tricked me, the one who knows far more about me than anyone else will have voiced a correction."

She turned her head to look. The Dominion Lord raised an eyebrow.

"&mdash;Foolish question. Indeed, that would be the result. However&mdash;"

Currently, she did not need to hear the rest, so she interrupted him.

"Yeah, as for what I actually wanna say... This will probably be my final act of torture, the last act of violence. So, I want to explain the meaning of this first."

"Meaning...?"

"Although it doesn't change anything by this point even if it's revealed, I don't to... hide things from you guys. This is about what kind of thing exactly I am."

Haruaki tilted his head, grinning in a slightly forced manner.

"Really, by this point. Although I can't say lightly that I knew a long time ago... As to what kind of thing you are, I already knew from the beginning, so&mdash;"

"There are things you don't know, which I wanna tell you."

Haruaki shut his mouth.

Then Fear thought back to yesterday when she had turned into a box to close off her mind.

Inside her room, back when she was conversing with Pakuaki over the communications device&mdash;



Do you still remember what happened at the cultural festival?

That's right, while you were operating your mechanisms, I recorded it for observations. This video is definitely very useful. We watched it repeatedly after the fact to analyze, investigate, and run calculations.

Even to the point of creating imitations.

However, we encountered a bottleneck at this step. On further thought, it was only natural.

Hey, don't you find it strange? Don't you think this is an unknown?

A steel box that can transform into thirty-two different mechanisms, can something like that really exist? No no no, aren't you actually existing right here? Not a philosophical question of this sort, but something more practical&mdash;Purely from the perspective of science and physics.

In terms of volume, mass, robustness, structure, mechanisms.

A transformable mechanism of that sort shouldn't be able to operate.

Physically impossible. A structure like yours breaks the laws of physics.

You're probably making a face right now that's saying "what's the point of telling me this?" Yes, I understand how you feel. After all, you were created in the real world. You never noticed the whole time because the most fundamental unknown inside your body is located at the very heart and root. Just like humans don't notice their hearts beating.

So, let's return to the subject of Indulgence Disks. An individual disk is able to prevent you from using one mechanism while applying a "curse weakening" effect on the remaining mechanisms.

Why would something that restrict your mechanisms have this power to weaken curses?

You guys might not have considered this at all, so let me give you a hint. Once you come up with this answer, you'll be able to explain what I just brought up, the issue of your mechanisms whose operation is physically impossible.

Namely&mdash;



Fear slowly breathed in.

She turned her awareness to the Rubik's cubes in her hands.

She imagined the last of her simulated forms that remained. The shape of something like her.

"Mechanism No.19 gouging type, spiral form: «Human-Perforator»&mdash;"

Indeed. Thinking back, she should have known a long time ago, right? How did this body of hers work? What was the power driving her, this mechanical box?

Putting aside for now the many different things that filled "her current self."

She did not deny what the Dominion Lord said, that she was an existence of error from the very start.

Because she could not deny it.

Hence, she could only accept and admit it.

There was neither terror nor anger in her heart, nor cowardice, nor unease.

Only a bit of sadness.

That was all.

She took another breath. This was the last delay.

Clutching tightly as though praying&mdash;

The cube she had found in cupboard, which Haruaki had given to her.

And the cube from her very first underclassman.

Then Fear said those words.

She said the words that represented her as an object, words which she had never paid attention to before&mdash;


"&mdash;Curse Calling."


Something appeared in her left and right hands respectively, then she felt their weight.

The sensation of two drills.

After gazing upon them as thought they were her own children, Fear turned her head lightly to look at Haruaki and the others.

With a sad smile, she said:

"''I... Before getting cursed, I was already machinery that operated by using the power of curses''."