Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 6 Chapter 5 (section)

==5.01 Inuko The Last==

On the zenith of a radio tower from where one could see the sea, Shishidou Inuko was hit by the sea breeze.

The townscape of Holland City spread behind her back.

"…"

Sitting on top of the cold steel, she gazed at the rippling sea with a blank expression.

The truth thrust in front of her eyes in that empty factory… It took her several days to accept it as it was.

And as she did, she became unable to think of anything.

Only a gaping, dark emptiness occupied her chest.

As Inuko gazed into the sea, the scenery of that abandoned factory flashed in the back of her mind.

"Uu…"

She held her head with shaking hands.

"Uuuh… Uuuuuh…"

Her normal thinking ability paralyzed, she fell into a state of panic.

Inuko's face, hit by the wind, seemed much more haggard when compared to a few days ago. When she closed her eyes she would recall Shachito's pitiful form. Never mind sleeping, she couldn't even eat properly.

The lollipop in her mouth was cracked by her molars. 

"Uuuh… Uaaah…!"

What in the world had she done wrong?

Had she made any mistakes in her teaching methods?

Or was the problem in Shachito?

No, he was perfect. Even though he hadn't learnt from her seriously, his natural talent absorbed all of it, and even on a mental level he was the right amount of "broken" to be unable to live without fighting.

Inuko herself also gave him the perfect training.

She was supposed to have finally gotten her hands on the strongest warrior.

It was supposed to be the culmination of her duty.

He was supposed to signify her life—to become her life witness, one who would forgive her still being alive. 

This meant that at the very, very end, fate had decided to betray Inuko.

"I was… I was…! I was supposed to be forgiven…! If only I'd managed to perfect Shachito into a warrior, I was…!"

As her face distorted in agony, there were no traces of the combatant once feared as a berserker in it. 

Shachito was also a berserker like her.

To the extent she believed without any doubt he would become stronger.

And of all things, even their dreams closely resembled each other.

Now that he had been reminded of his dream, and thus of his fear and despair, he would probably become unable to fight ever again. 

A warrior scared of getting hurt? What a bad joke.

In the past, Inuko also lost in a battle as a result of recalling her dream. And she had lost the power to resist her own Mushi.

Mushitsuki cannot choose dreams.

As Inuko had embraced an evil dream, she had no way of resisting the Mushi nesting inside her. Because she had no reason to protect that dream.

That was why, instead of a dream, she needed a reason to live. If she obtained a heart obsessed with life she would be able to resist her Mushi. 

Inuko lost her duty, so she couldn't live anymore—

"I won't have any more chances. …Was it all for nothing? Was it all meaningless? Everything I've done so far, even my life, it was all…!"

She had no spares for the candy in her mouth anymore. It was the last.

The candies provided by the SEPB contained plenty of iron easy to digest for humans. If Inuko didn't have those in her mouth, she would soon become anemic. That was because as a backlash of the ability to control magnetism, the iron in her blood was consumed abnormally fast. 

But even having the candy was no more than prolonging her life.

Now that she had used too much of her power in the city, she had little remaining time. Even now that she was like this Inuko's fatigued mind and body raised a shriek. 

"So that means I'm also destined to be removed from the next battle as well…!"

In the past there were many fights that could be called decisive battles. 

When Fuyuhotaru had been detained for the first time, Inuko couldn't participate as she was still in training. This could be said to be the first big battle. 

The next big battle was on Aoharima Island. It was the operation to annihilate Sanbikime, one of the Original Three.

But by that time Inuko had already lost her ability to fight. She had sunk into despair and was also on the verge of losing her very reason for living. 

There were also battles she didn't know about. There were few people who knew about the incident where the lance-user girl disappeared from the battle of Mushitsuki. Since Inuko had only recovered there was no way she could have participated.

Finally, there was last year's Christmas Eve.

The decisive fight against Ladybird at Hashiba City.

Inuko herself who was in the middle of her journey obviously couldn't take part in it, but even the students she had personally trained were still developing. Since they were still growing, they all had their hands full in their own fights.

Being grown as a warrior, she should have had no other path of living other than the battlefield. 

Yet Inuko kept being entirely left behind in important fights. 

"…I can definitely feel the scent of the next battle… And yet I'm… not allowed to live as a warrior, and they won't even let me die as a warrior… or leave any proof of my life as a warrior…!"

''Die as a pathetic loser—''

She felt as if fate personally declared this to her.

"Ha—haha…"

Crossing over despair, she started laughing.

"A meaningless life actually feels quite refreshing…"

Perhaps having nothing left and vanish inconspicuously would be fine. Such feelings welled from the bottom of her heart. There was no more meaning to keep living in disgrace like this.

But there was something she had to do before vanishing.

She had to apologize.

Since Inuko had disappeared from the battlefield, there was no doubt that he had already forgotten about her. Since he only looked ahead, he would take no notice of someone clinging to him from behind, writhing desperately. 

And yet Inuko had to apologize. She only lived so far so that she could catch up to him and fight alongside him.  She decided to use her little remaining time to apologize to him.

She pulled out her cellphone and dialed. It was a number not directly connected through the organization, meaning a rule breach of the SEPB. 

After a few rings, the other side replied.

"Yo, it's been a while. How are you?"

As she spoke with a voice as bright as she could make it, a bored-sounding voice replied to her. Because it was amusing to tease him during times they weren't fighting, she played with him often in the past.

"Don't call me Wanko<ref>Basically, "doggy". The "Inu" from Inuko's name is also "dog".</ref>! Since you're calling me like that the entire East Central Branch does that too. —Hmm? No, I don't have any business with you really. Just thought of renewing an old friendship. By the way, what are you doing now?"

She heard a sigh. He appeared to not be in the middle of a mission, so he probably gave up and resolved himself with becoming Inuko's conversation partner. 

"Oh, so you're heading to Nishito City, that's a nice place. You seem to be as busy as always. —Yeah, I'm on my journey. I'm at a city with a nice ocean view, it's called Holland City. It might be similar to Ouka City. It reminds me of the days I've trained with you. —Haha, maybe, but whatever you say, you weren't able to beat me in hand-to-hand training even once. No no, there's no mistake, I won every time."

Although she had forgotten her family, everything related to combat stayed in her memories.

Inuko was a pure warrior—to an ironic extent.

"Oh, come on, let's reminiscence for a bit. Once that whole Fuyuhotaru fiasco was over I've been transferred to Central Headquarters, and we've both made a name for ourselves. When powerful Mushitsuki were discovered somewhere, we would be dispatched as a special team—that's not true, we were the best tag team. Well, there were times when I was a bit out of control and hit you by accident, that's true."

Her past as a warrior wasn't that bad that she couldn't boast of it. Yet Inuko kept speaking, and even though the person on the other side was careless, he kept going along with the conversation. 

"Right, you remember that fight? That time when we quarreled after annihilating our target and then fought for real. I've broken my stick, but I also broke your ribs. Even so, when you—"

However, perhaps tired of the long reminiscing, the person on the other side cut the conversation with a forceful "but more importantly". 

"Huh? You're asking me what I'm doing? I said this before, I'm at Holland City—"

She tried replying back, yet the other side interrupted her again.

"…Eh…?"

A foolish sound leaked out of her mouth unconsciously. 

''—When will you be able to return to the frontlines?''

The other side, whose face she couldn't see, said this.

"I-I'm— I'm—"

She couldn't talk.

It took everything she had to understand what the other side had said to her.

''Then does that mean that even though you're only looking ahead… you're still seeing me even now…?''

Even though the person in question had given up on it just now.

Even though she couldn't fight anymore, he was still waiting for her—

"…Yeah, yeah. I'm listening. Both about Fuyuhotaru escaping and about the disk. Yeah, that's right. I'm sure it'll turn out like that. Yes, she's probably holding the key."

He hadn't noticed Inuko's pitiful feelings of defeat at all. He kept talking about the upcoming battles as always. And although Inuko decided to stop in place, he spoke to her about the future without a doubt in his heart.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…"

As Inuko kept nodding, a drop fell to the ground at her feet.

The one to not believe in Inuko was none other than Inuko herself. 

''Ah, I hate this—''

From the bottom of her heart.

''I won't be able to fight together with you ever again—''

An unbearable regret welled up inside her.

Full of despair and pitifulness, she almost forgot even such pure emotions.

She felt as if she could finally understand the source of his strength.

"—Hey, I have something to ask you."

As Inuko asked this, a serene smile rose to her face.

She hated it all so much.

The fact she wouldn't be able to stand on the battlefield with him again was unbearable.

Yet she felt that it didn't matter to him—that's how strong he still was. 

"After losing me as your superior partner, you've found the new partner known as the spear user—Oh my, what a violent reaction. But it's rejected."

A laugh leaked from her mouth. Yet she soon inquired in a serious voice.

"Ever since losing that girl, have you kept fighting all by yourself…?"

[[File:Mushi Uta 6 003.jpg|thumb]]

The person on the other side sank into silence. Inuko knew well this meant yes.

"I see. …You're strong. You kept winning all alone, shouldered everything on your own, and you'll probably keep getting hurt all by yourself. But you know, there will definitely come a time when you can't win by yourself. I can sense a battle that big approaching."

He mumbled an answer.

''—I don't want to be told this by Wanko, who never comes back.''

She was happy at him calling her name.

"That's not me."

Yet Inuko denied his words.

Thanks to him keeping on fighting even now, she recalled.

Inuko had taught countless Mushitsuki how to fight until now. At the same time, this meant that they were fated to live as warrior because of her. 

Much like the Original Three.

Her own actions, inviting them into battle without giving them a choice, were perhaps just like that. 

But there was a definite difference.

"Those I've raised will eventually fight together with you."

It was Inuko herself who said the following to Shinpu, one of the Original Three. 

''—You can't even begin to imagine our "possibilities".''

What Inuko taught was merely ways to fight. She truly entrusted her hopes with her students' possibilities.

Inuko's own life, helplessly unable to join battles, was pitiful.

Yet no one could ever deny the possibilities of those she had brought up by her own hands.

"My power alone isn't a big deal. But the great power of the new generation I've raised will soon cut into your fight. They won't let you monopolize it anymore."

He went silent for a while, but then asserted bluntly.

''—I don't expect anything, but I'll be waiting.''

These were curt words typical of him. But that was fine. At least for now.

"Ah… the battle calls me."

Still grasping her cellphone, Inuko stood up.

Turning her back to the sea, she gazed down at the Holland City townscape.

Inuko's sensing abilities perceived evil waves wandering through the city. It was a much larger and fouler presence than she felt last time.

The sky, dyed orange by the sunset, was being encroached by black clouds.

"They're inviting me for battle… I gotta go."

As Inuko looked down, there were no traces of hesitation on her face. The person on the other side asked her what happened, so she asserted him shortly. 

"From now on the SEPB might be targeted. Please be careful."

The news that Shinpu had assaulted the branch in control of Holland City would surely reach his ears before long. Since it was him, he should be able to understand the situation without any stupid prejudices. 

"See you later… Kakkou."

As Inuko hanged up the phone, the sounds of a bell that seemed to shake the air reached her ears. 

She firmly grasped the waves of Shinpu.

As she thought—he still existed.

Some time ago she had defeated his wave and the strange corpse of a man from Akamaki City was left behind. Ever since then Inuko kept thinking.

What was Shinpu?

What were his abilities and special characteristics?

"I found out the truth about you, Shinpu."

It was a powerful wave incomparable to how it was before. Did that mean he no longer needed to hide his form? He moved through the city with astounding speed.

"If my thinking is correct… You're definitely not immortal."

Purple lightning surged through Inuko's body. She equipped the goggles hanging from her neck.

Leaping above the radio tower, she fell toward the surface. By repulsing her magnetic field from the radio tower's while midair, she soared toward the sky covered by dark clouds.

Immediately losing her speed, she rotated her body just before she crashed into a building. In the instant before both her legs hit the walls, she once again amplified their magnetic fields and repulsed them.

The distance between Inuko, teleporting through the upper skies of Holland City, and Shinpu, who was moving on the ground, was gradually shortened. 

"T-this is…"

Finally grasping the source of the wave, Inuko gasped.

A foul, dark mass rushed ahead through the main street of the town center. It was spouting miasma that completely covered the middle of the two-lane road where Shachito had once met another Mushitsuki.

One of Shinpu's powers, as hypothesized by Inuko, could be said to be the ability of camouflage. Rather than hiding himself, he was able to isolate the existence of his domain from the consciousness of normal people. Unless one had an intense will it would be difficult ascertaining his existence. 

Although they couldn't perceive it, those running into the miasma appeared to suffer some abnormality. The pedestrians and drivers all grimaced. 

"How dreadful. How on earth has he increased his power so much…"

As the miasma was much too thick, she could see nothing except the edges of the filthy robe in the center of the darkness. She couldn't even see what sort of flesh was under the hood flickering in and out of sight inside. 

He apparently noticed Inuko was pursuing him by moving from building to building. Shinpu's robe wriggled in the center of the miasma. The hood looking up to the girl contained, as expected, nothing but darkness.

"You lack nothing as my opponent."

Inuko wore a twisted smile. There was no bigger joy for a warrior than their enemy being strong.

"Do head to where you please. I will let you choose your grave."

There were too many unrelated people there to launch a preemptive strike. Even so, if Shinpu stopped even once, she had no intention of hesitating. Her berserker blood was boiling.

Thinking she should ask for backup from the local branch, she pulled out her cellphone. She didn't think they would be of use, but they could at least serve as a decoy to allow her to land a killing blow. Being fixated on fighting one-on-one was sheer stupidity, and using a decoy was also a fine tactic. 

"…"

Yet she was reminded of the strongest warrior she had spoken to just now on that phone.

What would he have done?

She didn't even have to think about it. Since he continued shouldering everything alone, he would obviously keep fighting by himself even at such a time.

"Ah… I see."

Inuko finally understood his feelings. 

"What you wish for is not to fight alone. You just believe that you're the only one who can survive such predicaments, huh. …What a conceited bastard."

He showed kindness in strange situations, yet there also the side of him known as a cold-hearted demon. 

Which of them was his real him?

"To enemies he can be as cruel as possible… but to allies he's too kind that they can't understand it. What demon are you talking about, isn't he more human than anyone? Or maybe that means—since I was about to lose even such humanity, that I was the real monster?"

Did this mean Inuko let the Mushi possessing her eat even her very heart?

She returned the cellphone to her pocket. 

"I also still have a ways to go. I keep learning new things even at the very end."

Her twisted smile changed into a calm one.

"I wanted to smash your conceit as thanks for teaching me this. Not by being acknowledged by you, but by smacking your cheeks and making you acknowledge it by force. —No, that's no longer my duty."

Moving below her, Shinpu finally left the town center. 

Since there were no more tall buildings around, Inuko lowered to the surface. Jumping on power lines, she used magnetism as a foothold and ran at high speeds, tailing Shinpu. 

Leaving the townscape filled with lights behind, she ran parallel to the now-silent national highway.

Soon seeing what appeared in front of her eyes, Inuko realized what Shinpu's destination was.

"So it's Oranje Land…!"

The beautiful and fantastic swarms of light spread out from afar. 

The light was especially strong in the area of the crowded facilities including the Concertgebouw. She could also see the reconstruction of a repatriation ship floating in the center of the man-made pond. There were also revolving lights coming from windmills on the vast grounds here and there.

Furthermore, the dome built right next to Oranje Land was vivid as well. It looked as if a massive disk of light was stretched out on the ground.

"Hmm—"

Shinpu's moving speed suddenly increased sharply. Zigzagging on the road in front of the premises, he leapt over the fences and entered Oranje Land. 

There were barely any people in the windmill area. Come to think of it, Inuko recalled that tonight was the premiere of the musical "Beast". She knew that civilians would gather in the area of the Concertgebouw. 

Even the mass of miasma seemed to be heading there.

"And this is where we'll stop playing tag."

Leaping over the fences, Inuko's figure left an afterimage and vanished.

Shrouded in purple lightning, Inuko teleported in front of the robe covered in a dark fog.

Her hockey stick slammed Shinpu together with the miasma directly downward. 

"Won't you fight me, Shinpu?"

As the robe was hurled helplessly toward the night sky, Inuko teleported overhead. She enhanced her magnetic field, at the same time adding magnetism to Shinpu himself. 

Inuko's stick flashed. Repulsed by the powerful magnetism, Shinpu was knocked off toward the ground. 

A tremor shook the area.

The ground caved in as if a meteorite had crashed, but the remaining momentum caused Shinpu to bounce away, crashing into a windmill. 

Inuko alighted herself on the ground, rotating her stick and readying it.

"So it's just like I thought. Your miasma… it resembles the ability of the warrior Kasuou, but unlike her it can't defend against physical attacks. Also, that filthy robe as well as what's 'inside' it undoubtedly have physical substance."

The outskirts of Oranje Land have been decided as the battlefield. There were many windmills dressed up in lights around, but during the night there weren't many sightseers. The small man-made pond was nearby, reflecting on its surface the lights from the windmills. 

"Then I just need to keep my hit-and-run tactics and inflict damage until I fully annihilate you. —Originally, being unable to use your abilities outside of your domain and lack of mobility are Special Type weaknesses, but… since I overcame that with my teleportation, don't expect me to leave any opening."

Making this gallant declaration, Inuko's eyes reflected the figure of the robe standing up in front of the windmill.

—It happened without any advance warning.

"…If thou insist to block my way—"

Miasma filled the surroundings.

Even faster than the blink of an eye, the area Inuko and Shinpu were in was covered by darkness. The sky was covered by black clouds and the air was rapidly becoming foul.

Even the electrical decorations were swallowed up, and the surrounding space was polluted.

"Thou shalt become my flesh and blood… my child."

The sound of a bell reverberated.

The encroaching sound started transforming the surrounding ground in the speed of sound.

The soil and asphalt beneath Inuko's feet were changing into a swarm of caterpillars.

"My new vessel has already become completely mine…"

"So what you're trying to say is that your 'vessel' or whatever is different than that good-for-nothing one you've had before." 

Inuko's body lightly floated in air. Leaping high, she landed on top of a windmill that wasn't encroached by the caterpillars. When she spun her stick, the foul air was gone from around her.

"But that's my line. Burn the true form of a berserker into your eyes."

A violent electrical discharge burst from the front of her raincoat. Inuko expanded her domain to push back Shinpu's miasma. 

Having turned into a mass of purple lightning, Inuko's face quickly distorted. The influence of the two kinds of magnetic fields—attraction and repulsion—caused her right eye to become bloodshot and increased the iron concentration in her left eye, so that they differed in color.

Falling into a kind of trance, her beastlike, sharp eyes perceived Shinpu.

"GAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

Inuko's roar and the sounds of destruction came at almost the same time.

Teleporting above Shinpu and swinging down her stick, Inuko crushed even the windmill and the ground behind him to smithereens. 

The caterpillars gushing on the ground snapped into two just like in the story of Moses and the Ten Commandments. 

The powerful blow annihilated part of the dark miasma covering the robe.

But the tens of thousands of caterpillars became a large wave and surrounded Inuko. The robe shrouded by the miasma moved among them and vanished.

"WOOOOOH!!!"

However, Inuko's sensing abilities were able to precisely pinpoint the location of the retreating robe. Rotating her hockey stick above her head, she vigorously pounded the ground.

Purple lightning burst.

The area with Inuko at its center caused the very air to tremble by the disturbance of the violent magnetic field. Due to the electrical discharge and rising of temperature, the water filling the man-made pond was evaporated along with the caterpillars.

The damage reached even Shinpu, who she could now see as her vision became clear. Once again a large part of the dark haze shrouding the robe scattered and vanished. 

Bell sounds echoed high overhead.

A crumbling church appeared in the starless night sky. Inuko's surroundings were rapidly being covered by the domain of darkness.

Yet her teleportation was faster. She broke through the domain produced by Shinpu, instantly moving to behind the robe.

Inuko's hockey stick swept him aside.

The impact like a lightning strike blew apart the dark miasma. Shaving the ground, it threw Shinpu a long distance. 

—When she went all out, Inuko possessed destructive power on par with a Rank 1.

She hadn't been made a Rank 1 on her golden days perhaps due to her inclination to lose her temper while fighting, or perhaps since she had a time limit to how long she could pull out her full power—there was even possibly something special in Rank 1 she didn't know about, but in the end it didn't happen and she never found out the reason for it.

"…I saw that your real body isn't that human form inside."

[[File:Mushi Uta 6 p299.jpg|thumb]]

Shinpu roused his body, swaying, while Inuko glared at him with the face of a beast. The impact she had given him caused the robe's worn-out sleeves to change into caterpillars, falling to the ground like muddy blood.   

"That filthy robe is your real form. The ones taking the form of a robe are the caterpillars making up your real body… so those caterpillars created when you attack are simply nothing more than the embodiment of your ability. —If either the activator which is the Church floating in the sky or your real body made of the caterpillars are annihilated, you'll be destroyed." 

Regarding the insight to fully analyze the enemy's ability, Inuko was second to none.

Natural talent and long years of battle experience allowed her to see through Shinpu.

"And you apparently require a 'vessel' for that robe to exist in the world.  Judging from the fact that some time has passed since you've abandoned your last vessel, it probably means that not just anyone is good. You probably choose only people who fulfill certain conditions as vessels. And when you have a bad affinity with your vessel, or when you don't have a vessel at all, you're unable to stay long in this world."

The foul domain that Inuko should have already negated was quickly revived. As the bell kept ringing, even the miasma covering Shinpu was being restored. 

As Inuko readied her hockey stick, beads of sweat gradually formed on the back of her neck.

"Anyway, it seems that just like you said your vessel this time is quite cozy…"

Could she even win with the amount of time she had left—

Such thoughts rose up to her mind. The enemy seemed to have acquired a strong power beyond her expectations.

Yet she tried encouraging and invigorating her weakening spirits.  

The biggest enemy in a battle was despair. If one imagined themselves losing it would actually happen. And so the ones who could blow away that worst mental image would also be them.

Inuko needed to use her biggest attack to annihilate Shinpu without giving him any chance to recover. 

''Will my body be able to bear this attack… I don't need to think about that—''

She had already died once as a warrior.

''I'll aim for a simultaneous kill—''

The warrior who resolved herself had no longer any doubts.

"Be destroyed along with me here, Shinpu."

Rotating the stick, she readied it. Inuko sublimated her ability to its absolute limits, causing the air around her to flicker. Purple lightning surged in the shape of a Chestnut Tiger Butterfly.

"…I shall bestow despair unto thee heading for ruin…"

Shinpu was also expanding the scope of his ability. The bell floating in the night sky echoed a broken sound.

"I have no intention to conceal mine power… The one to conceal me is the dirty organization thou belong to…"

"I also thought about that. Your true 'body' or whatever is probably somehow related to the Central Headquarters. I have no idea whether vice-director Miguruma knows about it or not, though."

Inuko asserted firmly without any disturbance. 

If she assumed what Shinpu had told her was true, it was consistent with recent events.

"Miguruma… That loathsome name… She is the one to fetter me both in the past and now…"

"…So she really is connected with this. That sly woman."

"My real body, although completely changed, exists even now… What lies before your eyes is naught but a single fragment…"

Unconcealed scorn was mixed with his hoarse voice. 

"I understood even that. Taking advantage of the failure of the experiments or whatever taking place in Central Headquarters, you released your fragment. —You have already told me this."

Even the enemy in front of her that held so much power was merely one part.

That truth was enough to make Inuko despair. There still existed enemies in this world that Inuko had no idea if she could beat or not.

Was there any meaning in throwing her life away—

Even such thoughts were brought out of her.

Yet Inuko couldn't hesitate anymore.

"The only thing your despair or whatever has given me is hope."

While building up her entire body's power, Inuko raised a smile full of confidence.

"If you have endless fragments why did you run away from me? Why are you so frantically searching for a vessel to exist? I already know the answer. —The number of your fragments or whatever is limited. Yes, they're like parts of your body."

Shinpu's silence affirmed Inuko's hypothesis.

"Your old fragment or whatever had been defeated by Kakkou. And right now I will destroy another one."

Inuko's raincoat danced as if fanned by the wind. The domain controlled by Shinpu was repulsed by the purple lightning overwhelming domain. 

"I'll make a prediction. Even if another of your fragments appears next, another warrior will definitely destroy it. The next fragment will be also destroyed. That's because there're enough warriors to beat you living in this world."

"…!"

Although Shinpu acted as though he was a god, Inuko could clearly perceive his wave was disturbed. 

"—So you're scared."

Inuko's figure left an afterimage as she teleported.

"Do remember the one to give you that fear was a mere 'human'."

Transformed into a spear made of lightning, Inuko pierced the caterpillar-covered earth.

The wall of caterpillars born from the sound of bells directly clashed with Inuko's hockey stick.

"GAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

Inuko howled.

Embedded with an enormous magnetic field, the stick blew away the swarming caterpillars.

The stick stabbed the top of Shinpu's head clad in a dark miasma. The clash of their abilities caused the miasma to rapidly vanish. 

The single blow possessing all of Inuko's remaining power exposed the flesh-and-blood body hidden inside the robe.

"…! You're—"

That person smiled from within the annihilated robe.

It happened when Inuko's stick pierced through the robe and was about to touch that person's head.

"…My child thought that she could destroy me…"

Just before the robe that was Shinpu's fragment was annihilated, Inuko's body lost its strength.

She made a lonely smile.

''If I had just a bit more time—''

''If my body could hold out for just a bit longer—''

She should have been able to win.

But a battle had no "ifs". This was Inuko's limit.

"…"

She realized the cause for this by an unexpected feeling.

Her sense of taste.

The candy inside her mouth has melted.

—It was her deadline.

As Inuko had severed all contact with the SEPB, she had no spare candies.

"…My battle has been pathetic to the very end."

But even so, Inuko had no choice but to go ahead.

''—Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!''

She was the one to teach this to Shachito.

She thought that she could win if she was resolved for a simultaneous kill.

However, Inuko's body—was ruined even beyond what she herself had thought.

In front of Inuko's eyes, the robe that had lost its form was being restored as if rolling back a video.

"Ah, how sad."

A lone tear streamed on Inuko's cheek.

"You've been devoured by your own dream."

Shinpu's face hidden behind the robe was that of a person Inuko knew.

"I wasn't able to win against you because… I wanted to save you. Looking at you now my tears won't stop. Even my other self has lost."

The smiling person was covered once again in the dark miasma.

"Before thou humans can destroy me… I shall eat all of thee…"

"Guh—"

The swarm of caterpillars swallowed up Inuko.

While being bitten all over her body was thrown high up in the air, and she slammed into the ground with the remaining momentum.

"…GAH!"

Since Inuko couldn't use her ability, she fell on the asphalt without even any falling technique. Even Inuko had a flesh-and-blood body. The impact made all of her bones raise a nasty sound. 

"This vessel shall eat the dreams of countless people, transforming them into my flesh…"

Inuko's consciousness was rapidly fading away.

"I shall accumulate power… I await the moment when the king shall welcome me…"

It was as if he said there was no point to eat the remnants of her heart.

Not even looking back to the collapsed Inuko, Shinpu's presence was growing distant.

"…Hey, my other self. Listen to me."

At the same time—

"I'm different from you. I haven't lost yet—"

Inuko's sensing ability perceived the approach of another wave.