Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 12 Prologue (section)

== 0.01 The Others ==

Accompanied by combatants, Miguruma Yaeko stepped into the disturbed battlefield.

There she witnessed Mushitsuki standing like statues. All were hurt and completely exhausted, but all of them looked as they forgot about this fact.

In their center—

Was a boy with a wooden expression and a girl hugging him.

“You can stop now, Fuyuhotaru.”

As Miguruma called to her, the girl turned around.

“…”

Contrary to her expectations, Fuyuhotaru was—not crying. Her former weakness was gone, her eyes were filled with strength and determination.

Had she gained confidence by defeating Kakkou, her fellow Rank 1?

Or perhaps—had she received something from that boy?

Her strong gaze concealing all weak emotions looked the same as Kakkou’s.

“The SEPB will handle the body.”

Seeing how Fuyuhotaru gained new powers, Miguruma wore a gentle smile.

That was fine.

That was why she was the strongest Rank 1.

A Mushitsuki who descended without any advance warning like a natural disaster. Ever since Miguruma saw a glance of her, she felt that this girl was the closest to Undying.

Her brand of Undying—was the death of others.

None could survive other than Fuyuhotaru. She allowed no other existence. She was an Undying with the absolute power required to make this possible.

Fuyuhotaru would consume all other people, survive and become stronger—

“Kakkou.”

On the other hand, there was the Rank 1 Mushitsuki who’d dropped out of the fight at a much earlier stage than anticipated.

Kusuriya Daisuke—Kakkou.

The boy wearing broken goggles and a tattered coat looked at empty air, his eyes lacking life.

“Raise your face.”

What remained of the strongest Mushitsuki raised his pale face.

Fallen.

Mushitsuki who lost their Mushi would lose their memories and feelings. Called Fallen, they became like moving corpses that obeyed all orders.

Miguruma raised Kakkou’s chin with the fingertip of her index finger.

“Looks like he’s definitely a Fallen now.”

Since this was Miguruma, who’d seen more Fallen than anyone, her judgment made everyone around gasp.

Mixed within the silence, she finally heard—

“Ha, haha—”

Someone’s hoarse laughter.

“Kakkou’s… that demon’s finally gone—”

Miguruma smiled. She whispered in her heart.

''No other Mushitsuki is hated as much as you—

He’d fought more Mushitsuki than anyone. Thinking that they relied on him every time they needed to capture a strong Mushitsuki, it was obvious for this place full of elites to have so many who hated him.

“—Kakkou-san!”

From behind came a screaming voice.

Arriving belatedly, Goroumaru Touko grabbed the boy’s arms as if trying to snatch him from Miguruma.

“Y-you’re kidding, right? No way that—hey, Kakkou-san! We still haven’t…! We’re just getting started… so you can’t! You can’t let it end here…”

No matter how strongly Touko shook him, not even the boy’s expression moved.

“No—then we’re already—”

Her knees folding, Touko glanced down, her eyes vacant. Lines of tears streamed down her face.

Kakkou being the main pillar of the East Central Branch was common knowledge. Since she was well-known as incompetent at her job, Acting Branch Head Goroumaru Touko’s reaction was natural—and the other East Central Branch members all felt the same.

Rank 2 combatant Kaguya scowled, shutting both eyes. Sinking down to the ground next to him, Special Class Rank 2 member Himiko also had her eyes misty with tears.

“…”

As Miguruma looked around her, she checked the other Mushitsuki’s reactions.

The reactions of high-ranking SEPB members were varied.

Especially noticeable was Kasuou, who looked as though she was frozen in time.

The member called Yakugami scratched his cheek with a cold expression, while the girl called Sakura kept staring at Kakkou emotionlessly.

Nene and Tamamo were shocked. Their faces full of disbelief, they faintly shook their heads. Yotsuba, who’d just been healed by Nene, raised her face and, upon seeing how Kakkou looked, pounded a fist into the ground.

On the other hand, Terasu made no attempt to hide her glee. She looked at him with a creepy smile while the other West Central Branch members were confused.

Many of the other SEPB members were similarly befuddled. Those who wore smiles in secret and those who looked relieved probably never felt favorable toward Kakkou. None of them seemed to be mourning his condition like the East Central Branch.

“…”

Miguruma glanced at another direction.

What she found unexpected was the reaction of Mushibane, for whom Kakkou was an archnemesis.

It wasn’t just their current leader Fuyuhotaru; none of them looked to be happy at the end of their sworn enemy. Namie, who used to be his comrade, did wear a complex expression. However, other members all wore similar expressions.

Did this mean that the new generation of their top brass changed to that extent? If this was the time when the previous leader, Lady Bird had been in command, they would have all danced in joy.

Miguruma turned to the speechless Kakkou again and spoke in her heart.

''And no other person has encouraged as many Mushitsuki as you did… as well—

The numbers of Mushitsuki he’d defeated.

The numbers of fights he’d survived.

The amount of hatred he gathered.

The path he lived through.

He made so many Mushitsuki look in the same direction.

Although by force, he managed to gather all these idiosyncratic Mushitsuki under one banner.

“Since ''it'' is a Fallen now, it can no longer be used. Transport it to GARDEN.”

Hearing Miguruma’s orders, the Mushitsuki’s gazes all focused on her.

The fight was not yet over.

A powerful enemy—and a danger that far surpassed even the Original Three—lay in wait.

However, would anyone even be able to bring together all these agitated Mushitsuki?

“It…?”

Fuyuhotaru looked at Miguruma with the exact same eyes as Kakkou.

It couldn’t be her. Although even now they played at being comrades and she was worshipped as Mushibane’s leader, her true form was that of the Undying who was surrounded by all other people’s death. She knew that one day, she’d end up feared and isolated.

“Yes, I will admit that I am somewhat let down by him stopping at this point. But since I have given plenty of love until now, I will obviously—“

She blocked Fuyuhotaru’s anger with a wide smile.

“Act with the same feelings against the opponent we will be facing now.”

She could hear a helicopter approaching them. Although they regulated all traffic around Akamaki City and Mushitsuki from the intelligence department ran interference on satellite monitoring, there were limits to how much they could conceal.

The existence of Mushi and Mushitsuki would probably soon be revealed. Not just to this country—but even to the countries always watching them from outside.

This was a turning point for the world.

A world without Mushitsuki would become a world where Mushitsuki certainly existed—

“We need a new leader.”

Miguruma narrowed her eyes, turning her back to the Mushitsuki who just finished their decisive fight.


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