Editing Tasogare-iro no Uta Tsukai:Volume2 Final Play (section)

===Part 2===

Silently, the glow of the light fairy disappeared. Was it another grey Recited creature? Enne instantly became on guard, but after a while, she let out a sigh of relief.

After she composed herself and looked around, there was nothing worth taking notice of. The light of the fairy had simply been hidden by another light.

A faint beam of light lit up the dark hallway. It leaked out from behind a closed door and shone like rays of sunlight filtering through the leaves of trees.

“……That must be the main hall.”

Enne knew that Zessel was talking to himself, but she nodded anyways.

Within the research institute blanketed in darkness, only the main hall deep inside the building was lit up. It would be a lie to call this just a coincidence. Judging from the situation until now, the possibility that they had arrived at a completely safe location was nearly zero. Even deciding whether or not to enter the room would be a risky bet. What awaited them there was probably—

……However, they had no choice but to enter. Beyond the door was a place to take refuge. Kate’s body couldn’t endure much longer. They had to make a quick decision and head for medical supplies.

Zessel kicked open the door. Even though the brightness of the room was forcing him to close his eyes, he took a look around the room.

Squinting, Enne looked around.

—So it’s like this, huh?

She gritted her teeth. Finally, they could see through the troublesome farce.

“So this is the cause of everything.”

In the center of the spacious room, lying on an ornate lantern studded with gemstones, was a grey <Egg>. It was just like a grey king sitting on a throne that shone with five colors. Glancing around, Enne and Zessel could see five colored <Eggs> in the corners of the room.

“……So this really is an institution just for refining these catalysts.”

Zessel, who carried Kate on his back, muttered sarcastically.

He had heard that one <Egg> of each of the five colors had been brought to Tremia Academy.

If so, then it wouldn’t be unusual to have a fair number of <Eggs> still remaining in this institute.

“Did an <Egg> run wild in this research institute as well?”

“We can’t say for sure yet.”

Enne shook her head lightly.

She had heard that only catalysts of the five existing colors had been brought to the campus. If the <Eggs> refined in this institute were only of those five colors, then just what was that grey <Egg>? Furthermore, they hadn’t seen any grey <Eggs> so far except for the one in this room. A single catalyst going out of control wouldn't make sense considering the large number of grey Recited creatures. To call out so many of them, there would need to be at least two, no, at least three <Eggs>.

And then there were the words written in blood on the stone monument……

—That’s enough.

“We should stop worrying about the complicated situation for now.”

Right now, they didn’t need to analyze the situation. Safely overcoming this dilemma and escaping was their top priority.

“Zessel, don’t touch that catalyst.”

Touching the <Egg> would force someone to conduct a Recitation. Although they didn’t know what the trick behind that was, it had already been proven before during the recital contest.

“……Kate, hang on.”

Kate already had no strength left to raise her upper body. Although he also looked tired himself, Zessel shifted the position of Kate on his back.

In the back of the room, standing out from the grey walls surrounding it, was a scarlet door. It was like what he had seen on a map of the research institute. Going through that door should lead outside.

Suddenly.

“……An earthquake?”

Zessel raised an eyebrow slightly. As if in harmony with that movement, Enne felt faint vibrations at her feet. Dry flakes of paint peeled off from the ceiling.

It felt strange. She had experienced this feeling before.

Deja-vu? No, it was different. She, Zessel, Mirror, and Xins had felt the ground shake in exactly the same way during the recital contest.

The <Egg> was going out of control. Back then, the ground had rumbled as the creature came into existence.

“Enne!”

Zessel's tone of voice changed into one that sounded like there was a scream or warning mixed in. On the other side of the door they had come in from, grey creatures slowly crawled forth from the shadows of the corridor.

“Damn, just how many traps did they set?!”

“Zessel, let’s hurry! We can’t handle all of—”

—Her feet stopped.

“…………No way.”

Of the egg-shaped catalysts that rolled around freely in the four corners of the room, two were activated and emitting light. It would be fine if that was the only thing. But the problem was, they were the two <Eggs> closest to their escape route.

The Recitation light disappeared and a Recited creature emerged from each of the two used <Eggs>.

Behind Enne and Zessel were a group of grey Recited creatures. Floating in front of them was a {{Furigana|small yellow spirit|will-o’-wisp}} and coiled up beside that was an Amphisbaena with a green body.<ref>Literally written as {{Furigana|two-headed viper|Amphisbaena}}. In Greek mythology, the amphisbaena are two-headed ant-eating serpents that spawned from the blood dripping from Medusa’s head.</ref>

—They were surrounded. The circle of creatures gradually closed in around them.

“Kate…… I’ll do what I can, but…… Sorry, this might turn into the worst possible scenario.”

Slithering on the floor, the Amphisbaena came at them from below. Grey snakes crawled along the ceiling. On either side were grey lizards and the {{Furigana|small yellow spirit|will-o’-wisp}}.

There were too many of them!

——[{{Furigana|Keinez|Red Song}}]——

Aiming at the several grey lizards that were closest to him, Zessel called out roaring flames. However, the flames were suppressed enough that they wouldn’t flare up and backfire. Zessel could clearly see grey shadows continuing to advance within the crimson heat wave.

—This much fire isn’t enough to stop them?

In order to defeat the Amphisbaena coming at them from the front, Enne shifted her position.

She took an instant to glance at her colleague. Nearly two meters directly behind him was the {{Furigana|small yellow spirit|will-o’-wisp}}. It had silently crept up so close behind him that it frightened her. Its attack range should be about as far as the height of a person. Then that distance was— Oh no!

“Zessel, behind you!”

Zessel quickly turned around. Because the {{Furigana|small yellow spirit|will-o’-wisp}} was too close, he reflexively backed up. But before he could do so, his knees buckled. In the face of imminent danger, he had forgotten that he still carried Kate on his back. Her weight hindered his movements.

The light emitted by the {{Furigana|small yellow spirit|will-o’-wisp}} changed from yellow to blue. Silk-like threads shot out from its glowing spherical body.

Zessel instinctively realized that couldn’t dodge them. 


'''''Get down'''''<br/>
''O muas dowa''


……Get down?

Before Zessel could comprehend those words, both he and Kate fell to the ground as if guided by the power of the Serafeno Musical Language.

The scarlet door that led to their escape route turned an even brighter shade of red.

At that instant, the door burst apart with a loud noise. The splinters of the smashed door struck the {{Furigana|small yellow spirit|will-o’-wisp}} in front of Zessel and crashed into the walls of the room at high speed.

……What just happened?

A giant crimson bird came to a stop on the floor of the large room in a way that couldn’t be called elegant.

Was that the {{Furigana|Divine Bird of Dawn|Phoenix}}?

Enne froze, even forgetting about her surroundings. Before her eyes was the extremely rare and famous Recited creature that had become like a fantasy among Reciters.

“Quick, Enne-sensei, come over here!”

“Ada?”

Seeing the face of the girl who rode the giant bird, Enne was dazed and speechless.

“Zessel-sensei, get on with Kate-sensei!”

Another girl, one with hair the same color as the divine bird’s wings, beckoned them over.

“Are you Kluele?”

Zessel opened his eyes. He realized that this was probably one of the students he had taught a lecture to.

“Sensei, do you know where Chibi-kun is?”

Ada jumped off the divine bird’s back. In her hand was— a long spear that gleamed metallically?

“Chibi?”

“Ah, I mean Neight-kun. He came here with me and Kate-sensei.”

“……Sorry, but we haven’t seen anyone other than Kate.”

But contrary to the teachers’ expectations, the light-hearted expression remained on Ada's face.

“It’s okay, it’s fine just knowing that. If we look around, we should be able to find him.”

Tossing only those words over her shoulder, Ada calmly walked away from them by herself. Did she really intend to go look for Neight?

“……A-Ada! What are you doing?!”

All at once, the Recited creatures that had paused in their steps now attacked the girl who walked through the main hall away from the {{Furigana|Divine Bird of Dawn|Phoenix}}.

“Ada, behind you!”

Kluele yelled, still sitting on the back of the divine bird.

Directly behind Ada was the {{Furigana|small yellow spirit|will-o’-wisp}} that should have been thrown back into the wall.

But despite the warning, Ada did not turn around.

“—Got it.”

The {{Furigana|small yellow spirit|will-o’-wisp}} stretched out a glowing tentacle. At the same time, with her back facing it, Ada stabbed her spear behind her. The glowing tentacle and the spear passed by each other—

“The {{Furigana|small yellow spirit|will-o’-wisp}}’s attack range is 1.673 meters. On the other hand, my {{Furigana|Exorcist Spear|Gil}} is 1.895 meters.”

The glowing tentacle stopped only a finger-width away from Ada’s back.

However, the girl’s spear pierced the {{Furigana|small yellow spirit|will-o’-wisp}}, which began to shudder.

“In other words, if I hold my spear at 0.2 meters away from one end and stab it out, the enemy’s attack will miss me by 0.022 meters.”

Miss. As Ada spoke that word, the {{Furigana|small yellow spirit|will-o’-wisp}} turned into specks of light and was sent away.

She had been…… only 2.2 centimeters away from death.

Ada still didn’t turn around to face her opponent. No, she hadn’t even looked at the spear she was holding. If she had gripped her spear only a finger-width farther down, what would have happened?

“I definitely won’t make a mistake, not even by a millimeter.”

As if reading their minds, Ada muttered.

“……That much practice has been hammered into me ever since I was young.”

Her voice sounded strangely sad.

Difficulty to suppress— Easy.

Enne finally understood why the girl hadn’t turned around to look at her opponent.

It could be described as ‘not interested’. Ada’s gaze had already turned to the next enemy she needed to defeat.

“There are twenty-seven creatures in total, thirteen of which I don’t know details about.”

The Amphisbaena attacked from below.

Fangs dripping with poison touched the end of Ada’s foot— The distance between them created that illusion, but the snake’s fangs cut only empty air.

Raising its heads, the Recited creature emitted a green Recitation light and was sent away.

“Twenty-six left. Yeah, I’ll be just fine. It’ll be easier to search for Chibi-kun after I finish them off.”

Ada stood behind the snake.

—She’s fast. No…… more like graceful?

She moved her body smoothly and naturally. If she were to move like that underwater, probably not a single ripple would form on the water’s surface. Her movements were so fluid that they could be thought of like that. Enne still couldn’t comprehend how Ada had dodged the attacking snake just now.

“Finish them…… all off?”

This was the girl who had been taking Enne’s practice test only yesterday. Remembering the name written on the exam sheet, Enne’s breath caught in her throat.

Ada Yung Gillshuvesher.

{{Furigana|Master of the Exorcist Spear|Gillshuvesher}}— Enne had heard that it was the greatest title among {{Furigana|Exorcists|Gillshe}}. Had this young sixteen-year-old girl already earned that title?

Even Klaus, the leader of the {{Furigana|Exorcists|Gillshe}} had earned the title in his twenties. But this girl who was studying Recitations at a Recitation school had already gotten it?

She couldn’t believe it so suddenly, but the scene before her eyes was an undeniable truth.

The girl danced, leaving behind only the quiet sound of her breathing. She directly confronted the Recited creatures with her own body.

This dance in which she wagered her life made even those watching feel afraid.

Was that because it was dangerous? No, the dance itself sent shivers up their spines.

Ada attacked the large snakes dropping from the ceiling while dodging the Amphisbaena by her feet and evading the lizards' claws by only a few millimeters. Synchronized with her amazing movements, the metallic spear was like a whip, cutting through the air as it attacked its enemies.

Delicate yet bold. Quick yet serene. Magnificent yet cruel. Even though it was just a spear, it was as sharp as a sword. Even though it was just a spear, it drew curves as beautifully as a bow.

In the first place, even though she was just a single girl, there were nearly thirty enemies. All of them attacked Ada as if they had forgotten everyone else. But despite being surrounded on all four sides, the girl danced without pausing even once. It was a dance of death filled with such tension that even Enne’s heartbeat seemed to freeze. But even so, there was no rage or impatience in Ada.

……No, she wasn’t the student Enne knew. She wasn’t the Reciter Enne knew. She was— Someone who shouldn’t be a Reciter.

Ada swung the spear, cutting down two more enemies at once. As Recitation light streamed out in their throes of death, the Recited creatures were sent away one by one.

There were thirteen remaining. Then, the girl’s movements stopped for the first time.

Ada carried the spear in her right hand, with her left hand hanging loosely at her side.

“Ada, your left hand!”

As if compelled by Kluele’s scream, Enne looked at Ada’s hand…… And her breath caught in her throat. On Ada’s tanned brown arm, her wrist that had turned grey was strikingly visible.

“……Did I get grazed?”

A monotonous voice escaped Ada’s lips. The remaining thirteen creatures before her were all grey Recited creatures.

“Ada, that’s enough! Step away from them!”

The girl had singlehandedly defeated more than a dozen Recited creatures. It was more than enough. She and the others needed to quickly escape this institution.

“I can’t do that.”

With her back facing them, Ada shook her head defiantly.

“Ada!”

Why? Why was she so persistent? What could she do, with one arm already turned to stone?

“……Because I’m a useless girl.”

That’s right. A useless girl who wanted to be a Reciter but couldn’t— Was it Enne’s imagination? She thought she heard Ada say those words.

Front, back, left, right. A group of Recited creatures advanced from every direction. It wasn’t a number that could be easily dealt with. What did Ada intend to do with only one hand?

At that moment, Ada shouted out.

“Sensei, what color?”

—Out of the five colors, which color was the Reverse Song of Grey Recitations closest to?

Only Enne understood the meaning behind Ada’s words. Perhaps that was because she had been this {{Furigana|Exorcist|Gillshe}}’s ‘teacher’, even if for not a very long time.

“It’s the color that you chose!”

Enne used all of the air remaining in her lungs to convey that message to the girl.

Instead of replying, the tip of the spear that Ada held shone white. The pearl embedded in the spear tip became active as a gemstone for reversing Recitations.

Then, the {{Furigana|Exorcist|Gillshe}} pierced her left hand with her {{Furigana|Exorcist Spear|Gil}}.

There was a sound like glass shattering.

With a clear, crisp sound, the curse that had turned her arm to stone was instantly exorcised. The movements of the grey Recited creatures slowed down, as if they understood the implication behind it. They hesitated for less than the blink of an eye. It was a length of time that couldn’t even be called an opening. However, that was more than enough for the {{Furigana|Exorcist|Gillshe}} girl.

——[{{Furigana|Nussis|Return}}]——

Leaving behind only afterimages of the spear tip, the white, shining {{Furigana|Exorcist Spear|Gil}} swung in all directions. Like steam rising up, all of the Recited creatures remaining in the room emitted white smoke and disappeared.

As if yielding her body to the smoke, the girl holding the {{Furigana|Exorcist Spear|Gil}} quietly closed her eyes.