Editing Hyouketsu Kyoukai no Eden:Volume 4 Final Chapter (section)

===Part 4===

Without forewarning, that appeared before them.

.

“……Oi, this ain’t no joke.”

Feeling the pressure of that from up close, Vaiel felt shivers run through his whole body.

Yuugenshu.

Carrying the ability to decay whatever they touched, the invaders from the Garden of {{furigana|Corrupted Song|Eden}}.

“Don’t screw with me; I didn’t hear nothin’ about this! The examiner or the unit captain, what happened to those guys that were crazy worked up!? You telling me they all got done in!?”

“───No, I can’t imagine the group of three including Sheltis was done in.”

The one who answered was Kagura. But the lips that were peeking up from under her machine helmet were pale and that tone that seemed calm at first glance was shaking with fear everywhere.

“It probably ran away to here.”

“Isn’t that the same thing!……damn it, what do we do about this guy!”

It was the first time the {{furigana|iron fist protectors|Knuckle Dusters}} he wore on both arms felt so unhelpful. It was a fear of death that he hadn’t felt from any gathering of valiant men in the unit battles. That was just how “real” the beast before his eyes was.

A real Yuugenshu.

It was a strange existence that would be rare for a Cadet Guard to fight, let alone even encounter.

……On this side are me and this Kagura. And behind are the four injured members of a unit?

……Like hell there’s a way to win.

“Oi.”

Even while backing away quickly, he whispered to Kagura who was standing directly beside him.

“We’re grabbing those four and running; fighting with those absurd bastards isn’t sane.”

“''…………''”

The girl didn’t reply. It was like she didn’t even hear him.

“Oi, you listening? Oi!”

“It’s futile. Running away with these four by ourselves? While we do that blockheaded act, we’ll get wiped out in one shot by mateki.”

“Then what the heck are you saying we do!”

But the girl once again fell into silence and didn’t answer.

“Damn brat, are you only powerful in times of peace!? You───”

……Zuu……zuzuu……zuzuzu……!

Without the time to speak more, the Yuugenshu moved, leaving traces of decay along the ground. Their eerily shining crimson eyes were locked onto them without a doubt.

───This is bad.

The mist beast jumped at Vaiel whose reaction was slow, lunging at him as if leaning.

.

Light filled his vision.

.

Being hit from a very powerful light from the front, the Yuugenshu stiffened.

What made him realize that it was a flash bullet from Kagura was the resounding noise of a small machine having fallen after being tossed high into the air.

“…………“

Wrapped in wrath that seemed to freeze the atmosphere, the Yuugenshu turned around.

“I didn’t think my machine helmet’s eye shield would become useful in a place like this.”

Once again, the small clattering sound of something light hitting the ground.

The machine helmet the girl had removed was rolling around on the ground.

“Now, this way!”

And then she added a shot, she now took out the medium range-use stun gun and shot it after turning towards the Yuugenshu. There was no way it would work but if that single shot made the Yuugenshu feel like it “received an attack”, then that was enough.

“…………Oi, what are you”

His eyes not working because he’d been bathed in the flash grenade at close range, Vaiel was staggering.

……I don’t get the meaning of this.

……This brat, challenging Yuugenshu like this……does she have a death wish?

“Stop, you idiot! Playing around like that”

“I’ll be targeted? '''It would be troubling if that didn’t happen'''.“

“───!?”

For a moment, he truly doubted her sanity.

“I will lead the Yuugenshu away to the best of my ability. If I buy enough time, Monica and the others will make it in time.”

Replying indifferently like that, the girl rode atop the {{furigana|machine pearl|Machina}}.

…………Oi, don’t tell me this brat.

…………In order to let me and the four behind me escape, she’s becoming……the bait……?

“Wait up, damn you! Such an arbitrary”

“The one who invited you to the unit was me. My responsibility……it is my duty to ensure that you are safe.”

The floating {{furigana|machine pearl|Machina}} let off a noticeably brighter shine. Halting its functions as a computer, it was concentrating all its output on propulsion as an escape pod.

“……Kuu……wha……what arbitrary”

His eyes couldn’t see well because of the flash bullet so he could barely stand up. While he couldn’t do anything, and while he couldn’t stop her.

“───If I come back alive, let’s do our best in the unit again, okay?”

Even though he shouldn’t be able to see anything.

Her smiling visage was vividly burned into his vision.

.

And once again, the forest returned to silence.

.

There was nothing in his vision that had finally cleared up.

Not the Yuugenshu nor the figure of the girl who fled far away to lead that Yuugenshu.

“………………”

He wordlessly tightened his fists, then.

“Ddddoo……ooon’t screw with meeeee!”

Vaiel roared.

The Yuugenshu and Kagura actions, whichever one didn’t sit well with him. ……As he thought, it was just as he thought. Nobody and nothing understood. About everything, everything───

“A dream……you’re dreaming too much……what’s this about Monica coming to save you or Sheltis coming to save you.”

There weren’t just those convenient events.

A Guard is a Guard. They weren’t like those heroes that came up in stories that would come running to someone’s predicament.

“……You’re wrong…………that’s wrong.”

There was nobody like that in reality. There wasn’t so somebody, somebody there would have to defend them in place of a hero. Even a man with no redeeming features had times where he would have to rise up.

Wasn’t that so as a human and as a Guard?

For example, that day when '''he piggybacked a girl that had collapsed in the desert'''.

“''Have I met you before?''“

“''No idea.''“

At that time, Vaiel had acted as if he didn’t remember. He didn’t like gaining debts of gratitude or having words of repayment spoken.

“……Damn it, that brat……causing people nothing but trouble…………I’ll hit that joking face of yours and make you remember.”

He bit down on his trembling lips and gripped his quivering fist tightly.

His feet ───────── forward ───────── forward.

Forward.

“That’s why……until I come to hit you……………………don’t die.”

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