Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 11 Epilogue (section)

== Epilogue: Go to war ==

“—”

All Mushitsuki including Shachito were speechless, witnessing that.

“Curse you… Aria Varei’s—”

“Don’t call me that.”

Green glow surged all over Daisuke’s body. With afterimages of green lights welling out from the pattern on his body, he slowly advanced.

The caterpillar that had part of its head crushed used the recoil to once again try and cover Daisuke.

Daisuke used his body as a spring, sweeping it aside with his entire body’s strength.

About tenth of the caterpillar’s body was destroyed. A tidal wave of body fluids knocked down buildings.

“I’m Kakkou.”

The strongest Rank 1, Kakkou—

That was Daisuke.

With his fist thrust out in another immediate attack, he turned yet another tenth to foul liquids.

While his own blood mixed with the caterpillar’s body fluids, Daisuke charged. Every time he swung his fist, its tip shaved off the caterpillar’s body.

At the same time—

He could also feel something important inside him being burned away and vanish.

Among the memories of his many fights, there were also some fun memories.

“I’m—”

Kusuriya Daisuke.

He was someone who could be found anywhere, merely turning into a Mushitsuki from time to time.

If he used his entire power right here, he knew he would lose many things.

However, he had no other choice but advance, full speed ahead.

Otherwise, the Mushitsuki he’d finished off by his own hands would never forgive him.

Also—

His own dream didn’t allow it.

“—”

Daisuke readied his gun.

He felt his power and feelings gathering in the muzzle.

The battle of Mushitsuki would surely continue, however—

Dreaming of what lay ahead, he couldn’t stop in place.

Hellfire burning in bright red filled his sight.

A roaring strike swallowed the giant caterpillar.

The recoiling wind blew away the debris on the surface. Its momentum remained even after erasing the caterpillar, piercing the sky in the form of a fire pillar.

Burning everything up to the very last fragment, the gigantic caterpillar vanished without trace.

“…”

Along with remains of that bombardment, the green glow covering Daisuke’s body dispersed.

By erasing one caterpillar, the remaining two had their bodies crumble.

Thinking they’d vanish like this—they became a swarm of small caterpillars and pushed against Daisuke.

As if trying to take him along with them.

As if trying to cover him in the hatred they felt.

The large swarm of caterpillars pursued Daisuke at once.

However, he didn’t even see them.

Already unable to move a single finger, what he saw as his body slowly tilted—

“—!”

Was the face of a girl who rushed to him, shouting something.

Shedding tears, Anmoto Shiika grabbed Daisuke.

The two Mushitsuki were swallowed by the swarm of caterpillars.

And—

A blizzard blew.

A warm, beautiful white filled his sight.

The blowing snow purged everything.

Shiika and Daisuke.

Other than the hugging pair, this world allowed no one else.

Caterpillars broke down, were crushed, or melted, ripped, warped, and were erased from this world one after another.

He couldn’t hear their death throes.

Instead, he could feel himself being hugged by the cruel, merciless, cold snow as the swirl of hatred around vanished.

Those were—the last moments of Shinpu.

Remnants of the red miasma were melted into the blizzard and vanished.

“Kakkou-kun…”

As the battle finished and the space became soundless ruins, he heard Shiika’s whisper.

She was crying.

And warm.

Both her arms and the tears she shed on his cheeks were warm.

“When I… saw Shinpu’s insides… I realized… what would happen if we Mushitsuki made our dreams come true…”

Right, it was late, but he recalled.

Right now, the one Shiika was hugging was Kakkou.

His only regret was that he hadn’t taken off his goggles if it came to this anyway.

“No… maybe I already knew it… from when I ran away with Yuu-chan and Ubuki and saw that disk…”

He could see the surviving Mushitsuki rush toward them.

''Let us be alone for a little—

As he thought this, a golden light filled his sight.

“—!”

It was a pillar of light.

He couldn’t describe it any other way.

The caterpillar corpses were also engulfed in light, sucked into it as if melting and vanished.

''Crackle'', the surface burst—was that an electrical current?

“What was that just now…?”

With the puzzled-looking Shachito in the front, the Mushitsuki all rushed to Daisuke and Shiika.

However, he—

Was unable to welcome his comrades.

“Kakkou-kun…?”

Shiika’s face wet from her tears now froze.

Daisuke.

Kakkou.

Slowly closed his eyes.

“Kakkou…kun…?”

Other than Shiika, everyone in the ruins of this battlefield that spoke of nothing, suddenly heard a voice through their goggles.

“A job well done, everyone.”

It was Miguruma Yaeko.

“As you have presently succeeded in the recapture of Akamaki City, the Special Environmental Preservation Bureau will now move onto the next mission.”

The Mushitsuki all froze.

At this exhausted and hurt battlefield echoed this calm voice.

“We will commence the annihilation of the Mushitsuki responsible for the mist isolating Akamaki City, for releasing Shinpu, and also for absorbing the Original Three and trying to fuse them, namely—”

The SEPB’s Vice-Director, as well as the woman who held the secrets of Mushi—

“Ultra Class Rank 1, C.”

Announced the entry into the final battle.

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