Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 12 Chapter 2 (section)

== 2.04 OPS1 Part 5 ==

The girl standing in the dark hallway didn’t have the expression of a wax model.

Although the illumination was lacking, her skin was deathly pale and her eyes were cloudy. There was no doubt that this was the same Shishidou Inuko she’d seen before, but the twisted smile and hockey stick which could be called her trademarks were nowhere to be seen.

Seeing her figure, agitation spread throughout the suicide corps.

“Teacher…?”

“Is it really… Teacher…?”

“Wanko-san…”

“T-Teach…”

''This is bad—

Most of the people there were Inuko’s disciples. As they’d undergone her harsh training, they’d been made to feel both respect and awe toward her.

The small instant of an opening that Makoto created was not missed by Shishidou Inuko.

“—!”

It was as though the footage was suddenly switched.

Makoto stood in a field of flowers.

Choked by the scent of honey and fluttering butterflies—a swarm of chestnut tiger butterflies.

As Makoto’s group stood completely stunned, the chestnut tiger butterflies filling their sight glowed purple.

“—Gah!”

“Eeek!”

“Kwah!”

Including Makoto, all of them prostrated themselves. As if their head was hit—no, as if they were strongly attracted to the ground, they bumped their heads against the flower field.

[[File:Mushi Uta 12 p211.jpg|thumb]]

''We’ve been drawn into an isolated space…! She activated her ability way too fast—

As far as Makoto knew, only a small part of Special Type Mushitsuki could use this ability. Using their ability to its utmost and creating another dimension, as well as drawing people inside.

“Gwah…! The heck’s this!”

“T-this feeling… Inuko…?”

They could hear Kasuou’s and Shachito’s groans from the goggles.

''Even those two were brought inside despite their distance…? This is ridiculous range…!

In just an instant, she deployed an isolated space of frighteningly extensive range. Even Shinpu’s main body took some time to activate his ability—

“Kuh…!”

Makoto tried touching her throat, but her body couldn’t move.

Inuko’s ability was the control of magnetism. The entire group was forcibly brought to the ground by a powerful magnetic force, so she couldn’t even raise an arm.

With their movements completely sealed, they were sitting ducks.

If they couldn’t absolve this isolated space this instant, they’d all be annihilated within second.

“A-anyone at all..! Destroy this isolated space, quickly…!”

“Hien—”

At the same time as someone mumbled this, a golden light filled the flower field.

A fan of lasers launched from above ground shot through the transient blue sky. They also aimed for the chestnut tiger butterflies dancing around, as well as at Shishidou Inuko standing in the field.

A rain of golden light, each ray with unparalleled piercing power.

Makoto had once seen that during the battle that occurred in her own jurisdiction.

The blue sky broke audibly, and the flowers quickly wilted.

“I hate that Special Type ability…!”

The world returned its proper form. In the former gloomy underground corridor, Kaguya rose with an angry expression.

Kaguya was a Rank 2 Mushitsuki, the same as Shishidou Inuko at her peak. —She hated his simplistic personality, but it seemed like he was useful as an ally.

“Kaguya… If you can destroy a Special Type’s isolated space despite being a Minion Type, you should’ve said so!”

“You’re also a Minion Type but can do this, right? Then I can do it, too.”

Apparently it was his first time to attempt this. Makoto revised the strategy in her mind.

''If this guy can also destroy isolated spaces, that raises the chances of our ‘final method’. Well, this is only if we manage to reach C alive, though—

Makoto turned back to Shishidou Inuko who was in front of them.

“This is different from back then when you could go overboard. There are now many Mushitsuki as strong as you.”

Grimacing, she spoke further.

“Well, it’s also thanks you, at least a little.”

''And.

''I also grew stronger—

Makoto was different from how she was back then when she got captured by Kakkou and Inuko.

She heightened her abilities, went through many battlefields and now even became a Rank 2. Well, it was just a title, but now she stood shoulder to shoulder with that berserker at her prime.

Not only that, but if she managed to survive by some fluke, she could even rise to—

“…!”

With Makoto glaring ahead, Inuko soundlessly retreated. The berserker vanished into the darkness.

She was certain she’d come to kill her using her famed teleportation, but was caught by surprise.

“Gather, everyone! If you get away you’ll become a target! —Himiko! Watch Asagi’s movements and tell us if she approaches!”

“I-I cannot see her…! The remaining embers of the isolated space are scattered here and there, so I don’t know where teacher’s ‘flame’ is…!”

Makoto gulped.

She created a smokescreen using her ability’s remains.

Shishidou Inuko was experienced even in fighting against sensors—

“So that shitty Wanko came back to life… bring it on! I’ll tidy up things here and settle my years-long grudge! Let’s finish this, stupid Shachi!”

“Ah? Y-yeah… right, let’s finish off our weakened enemy—”

Kasuou was convinced of victory.

Hearing their conversation, it revived Makoto’s past memories like some divine revelation.

''—I wooon!

Makoto, elated at her victory over the collapsed Kakkou.

However, the one who attacked her right after that—

“Kasuou! Assume a defensive positioooon!”

Makoto shouted without thinking.

“Asagi’s coming for a sneak attack!”

The same time her warning came, a large vibration assaulted the underground Fort.

About the same as during the attack launched by Kasuou and Shachito before, there was an intense shaking and a loud reverberation.

It went without saying where its origin was.

“Kasuou! You fine?”

Rather than striking Makoto’s group, where most people were, she chose the smaller group that had only three people in it. And she even saw through the timing when their guard would be at its lowest.

It might have been natural, looking at that berserker’s way of fighting.

Makoto’s group had only just gotten into the Underground Fort. But since Kasuou’s group of three people soon dropped out, it might lead directly to the failure of the mission.

“Kasuou!”

“—Your complexion’s lookin’ real bad there, shitty Wanko. Ate some trash off the ground like a stray or something?”

“Inuko…”

“She really does… look like Teacher.”

Hearing the trio’s voices, Makoto relaxed. As expected from the veteran Kasuou. She most likely managed to reflexively defend herself by the time she heard Makoto’s words.

However, leaving Kasuou aside, she felt some anxiety at the men’s responses.

“Kasuou, let’s change our strategy! Come back with Shachito and Yakugami! Ignoring these two and advancing is too dangerous—let’s beat them together!”

These opponents were too bothersome to fight while splitting their forces. And both of them were high-ranked warriors who survived for many years. Now that Kakkou was gone, the experiences they accumulated was in the top class even within the SEPB.

“T-Terasu’s right! Even in my simulations, if we fight in the current state our chances of success are below 10%!”

Although not ordered to, Rinrin went and made his own calculations.

''Telling that to Kasuou’s going to have the opposite effect…!

Makoto’s fears were right on the mark.

“C was like that too, but you intelligence division guys sure love your numbers. —Shut up. I’ll butcher the two of them by myself!”

''Even at best, you’re going to just agitate Asagi’s disciples and become useless!

Makoto just barely stopped herself from shouting this.

“Fine, then go from here! Rinrin, send us the route to where they are! And hurry!”

Cleaning up the mistakes of the haughty members was all in a day’s work for Makoto.

It was this way from a while back, and it would surely keep on being like that.

“Gwah! Just like always, it’s a hell of an ability to face, no matter if she’s far or close…”

“Territory Isolation!”

Makoto shouted. As long as her voice reached, her ability would work even in distant places.

“Woah. Shitty Wanko’s ability released…?”

“Tell me when you need support!”

Following the route displayed on the goggles, Makoto rushed through the corridors.

“We need to think up of a strategy to beat Asagi and Shera! At the very least we have the people who’re most knowledgeable about Asagi here, right! Anyone know her weakness?”

As she said this and turned around, everyone looked unwell.

''Can we really beat that Shishidou Inuko…?”

Their faces made it clear they were thinking this.

Just as she grew angry, she heard Shachito’s voice from the goggles.

“S-say, Terasu-chan—is Inuko really dead?”

Something really snapped inside Makoto.

“Are you actually—“

Forgetting about the situation around, she stopped in place. She raised her voice and screamed.

“Give me a break! Kakkou’s a Fallen! Also—Asagi died! Don’t start getting so sentimental about those guys! What is it, am I the only one here who wants to complete the mission? Am I the only one feeling better that they’re gone? They were nothing but an eyesore!”

She knew that saying this would do nothing but antagonize her comrades. —She knew this in her heart of hearts, but couldn’t stop herself.

Inuko’s disciples and the East Central Branch combatants in fact all looked angry.

Kakkou was hated by plenty of Mushitsuki, but many among the high-ranking understood him. After all, they knew of Kakkou’s strength. Makoto also knew of it well.

Unapproachable, unwavering strength.

And Makoto—loathed it.

“Or are you just going to die here and tell them that in the afterlife? ‘I really couldn’t stand up to you. I did do my best though’— t-this isn’t a joke! It can’t happen! I get a chill just thinking about it!”

As long as they were alive, Makoto couldn’t relax one bit.

Kakkou and Shishidou Inuko captured her, made her into a fool and looked down on her.

Their mere existence made it impossible for her to escape her past self so pathetically begging for her life.

However, they both stepped down from the stage.

She couldn’t compare to them when they were alive, but if they were dead…

Makoto stood side by side with Shishidou Inuko. Because she became Rank 2.

Even if it was merely the title, thinking that she could stand up with them—was it cowardly? Or unfair?

“Isn’t this just perfect! You see Asagi’s corpse right in front of you! Should I tell you this while I can? You can’t stand up to your revered teacher! But don’t drag me into it! I’m going to beat this corpse being controlled by C, and then after finishing this mission, I’ll finally reach that Fallen Kakkou and say—”

''I became a Rank 1 just like you!

She was shocked at herself shouting all this.

“—”

Until now she only played it safe, but now she headed out to beat C while resolved for death.

In the end, the reason she could do it was because she wanted the title of a Rank 1.

She had no interest in anything as grand as saving the world or the like.

The one truly obsessed with the dead was perhaps none other than Makoto herself—

“…I’m sick of it all.”

She was flabbergasted at all Mushitsuki there, including herself.

“I’m tired of being played by those who are gone, by dead people… I hate them all. I also hate you, and myself… but—”

She hated the strong. As well as hated herself, since they kept looking down on her.

Now that Shinpu was gone, and Fuyuhotaru’s group was heading to defeat Oogui.

If they defeated C, the world would change.

It would become a world with no new Mushitsuki being born.

“If I survive now, just that’s enough to make me stronger than anyone…”

If the world changed, perhaps she would change as well—

If she changed that much, it should fix even her wishy-washy personality.

She could only wish for it to be so and fight.

“If you want to steal even such a small victory from me, you’re all my enemies… if you don’t wanna fight, it’s the same. Just go home already!”

After spitting this, she ran in the corridor alone.

Makoto would never be able to defeat C on her own. However, if she brought all these nuisances with her, she would die protecting them. —And it would become Makoto’s most hated form of death, dying in vain.

“Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!”

Suddenly this loud voice echoed from her goggles. Makoto’s shoulders twitched.

It was Shachito.

“Don’t misunderstand me, Terasu-chan. No warrior’s ever gonna run away from the battlefield. I was just trying to make sure.”

“…Make sure what?”

“If Inuko’s just being controlled by C, it means that C is playing with our teacher, right?”

He was probably fighting against Shera and Inuko as he was speaking. She could hear the sound of impacts and Kasuou’s shouts of anger.

“If that’s the case—there’s only one thing I can do.”

To fight—

This was the only answer for a hesitating warrior that granted them salvation and fulfillment.

More than fighting techniques, this was the one and only point they learned—

“I’ll think of a simulation to defeat Shera and Teacher.”

At some point Rinrin followed Makoto from behind.

And not just him. All members of the suicide corps ran after Makoto.

“However, to certainly defeat them, we need abilities that our opponents don’t know about. Perhaps even abilities that C doesn’t know… anyone here keeping some secret?”

“It’s probably impossible for those among us who had their abilities developed by Asagi.”

Makoto sighed and spoke.

“Fine, I’ll do it. I wanted to save it for C, if at all possible, but…”

This was a lie.

The opponent she actually wanted to use it on to show them—was already gone.

“If I’m to use it against Asagi, I’ll feel a bit better.”

Rinrin finished his simulation quickly.

This maneuver would never work against someone with the superior battle experience.

Accordingly, the strategy that Makoto’s group attempted—left about half to the power of numbers.

“This is a forced strategy. —But when I consider getting hit by it, it’s the way I’d hate the most.”

The one to say it was Shachito. Even though he had his seemingly inexhaustible stamina, he was starting to lose his breath as expected.

“All members, have you deployed? Then—let’s corner them!”

Standing all alone in an empty corridor, Makoto gave the green light.

The trap had already been set.

All that remained was drawing the enemy into the specified location.

“Terasu! She’s coming to you! Don’t let her pass!”

Kasuou’s voice echoed.

“Coming straight to me…! Do I look that weak? She really pisses me off even after she died!”

Corridors of the Underground Fort were spread like a web.

A lone figure was quickly approaching Makoto who blocked one such path.

It was Shishidou Inuko. Once, she’d swing that hockey stick of hers with a distorted smile, but now she closed the distance to Makoto with a face like a Noh mask.

“Can’t see her, but there’s another person anyway…! Territory Isolation!”

Makoto’s emitted noise tore off the invisible assassin’s cover. In an empty spot, a half-naked beautiful woman appeared. Yet soon something like a thin membrane covered the woman, becoming a suit that covered her from head to toe.

Shera controlled a suit made of resin and fought using a similar method to Fusion Types. According to Rinrin, she could apparently make the coloring match the surrounding, thereby becoming invisible.

On the other hand, Inuko also decelerated. This was her special move—by controlling magnetism, she repelled herself from the surroundings objects to teleport around. Makoto had felt it before firsthand.

“Sense Isolation!”

Makoto’s follow-up attack blew Shera and Inuko away.

It was the power to paralyze the opponents’ body from the noise. However, it affected the two powerful warriors in front of her for no more than a few seconds. Inuko blew away the noise with purple electricity, while Shera moved not her physical body but the resin covering it, so they came to assault Makoto again.

“Sense Isolation! Sense Isolation! Sense Isolation! Eat shit!”

Slowly, the two opponents were forced to go back by the onslaught of noise.

That was fine.

Makoto never thought she’d be able to win alone in the first place. If it became a close-quarters combat, a single punch would shatter her.

Her real aim was to stop them in place.

“Sense Isolation! Sense Isolation! Sense Isolation!”

If she could buy just a little more time—

“Go over there, you sonnuva!”

As Makoto yelled at them, Inuko and Shera turned on their heels. They were distancing themselves with superhuman speed.

That was fine.

Once they realized they couldn’t get passed this corridor, the enemies promptly left.

Because they feared a pincer attack.

“T-they’re coming hererere! Eeeep, Kaguya-san!”

“I can’t see Shera—but I’m gonna shoot all over the place anyway!”

She could see golden light leaking from another corridor.

“Don’t hold back! Don’t let them get through, even if only for some ten seconds or so!”

Makoto heard everyone respond to her orders through the goggles.

While Kasuou and Shachito and the rest were buying time, the other remaining members had scattered among the corridors in advance.

Their aim was to block the corridors and lead Inuko and Shera to a certain direction.

That direction was obviously—where they set up a trap.

“They retreated!”

“—Here! I won’t letcha pass! Poison Punch!”

“I think we’re fine pushing them with numbers… since we can’t win in either speed, technique or experience, it’s the only thing we can do.”

She could feel battles from here and there inside the Fort.

Once they were surrounded by numbers, it was obvious they’d try to escape to empty corridor. Then they would fear surprise attacks, and the process would repeat itself.

If so, then they just needed to block all corridors beforehand and narrow their net little by little.

If they thought not of beating them but just focused on blocking their path it was possible.

“Still, if we keep narrowing the net—they might just act recklessly to try and break through somewhere. Because if they end up completely surrounded, it’s the end for them.”

“The enemies’ ‘flames’ are moving again!”

A tie was not something they wished for.

“They’re heading to that corridor!”

Makoto kicked the floor, heading to the trapped corridor.

“It’s an obvious trap, though. But Asagi knows our powers. The only one not fighting here—is Tamamo.”

“Got it. I’ve finished preparing the speakers I received from Terasu-san.”

“So, those conceited bastards will think like this. Even if there’s some risk, they could just force their way through someone like Tamamo—”

Inuko and Shera shouldn’t have been able to spot Tamamo’s figure. Because she’d been using her camouflage ability to its fullest in the narrow range of a radius of several meters.

“Here! They’re approaching—it doesn’t look like they can perceive meee! Only a few more seconds till contact, 3, 2, 1—”

While running, Makoto opened her mouth wide.

''But you’re not fighting Tamamo…!

Asserting this in her heart, she unleashed noise from her mouth.

“Territory Isolation!”

Loud volume noise echoed.

However, this sound was heard not from near Makoto.

It was heard from the corridor where Tamamo was hiding.

“Kuh…! It’s a direct hiiit! Shera’s hit confirmed! Teacher’s slowing down too!”

Each member of the suicide corps rushing out from a separate corridor, they met at the crossroads.

All of them looked toward a single corridor.

They confirmed the figures of their enemies inside the gloomy corridor.

The noise emitted by the speakers installed there in advance absolved the ability of all Mushitsuki there.

Tamamo, Shera, and Shishidou Inuko.

Seeing that, Yakugami stepped ahead. He swung his overly long weapon that resembled a scythe.

“I hadn’t managed to ‘touch’ Teacher ever since our training.”

Red-rusty chains flew from the scythe. As they touched the walls, the walls and ceiling all became covered in red rust spreading over them.

“She can no longer use magnetism on the walls and ceiling. You can’t teleport anymore, Teacher.”

“The enemy’s within range! I’m retreatiiing!”

Tamamo threw something she’d been hiding in her coat into the air and stepped back.

Since Inuko and Shera had their abilities nullified by the noise and rust, they couldn’t immediately get away.

“—Eat this.”

Makoto put one hand on her throat, and the other she thrust forward.

What Tamamo scattered around was special speakers given to her by Makoto. These were designed to not only amplify her voice, but even take in sounds from the surrounding, further echo and bounce them off.

“BOUN-DARY ISO-LATIOOON!”

Loaded with Makoto’s full powers, the noise filled the corridor.

This ear-grating sound twisted space itself. The surrounding walls and ceiling were crushed, gathering toward the scattered speakers.

“Don’t think that only Special Types can create isolated spaces…!”

As Makoto shouted this, she felt that this had an effect.

The two enemies were inside the quickly twisting space. Since they had their legs sealed, they had no way to escape that.

However—

“Ah…!”

Who was the one to raise this voice of surprise? Perhaps it was herself.

While Makoto and the rest were watching them, Shishidou Inuko suddenly clung to Shera, perhaps having some idea.

And then she curled her body like a cat—

“…!”

Emitting purple electricity from her body, she kicked Shera. Using recoil, Inuko leapt out of the twisted space.

“Eeek!”

Passing next to Tamamo while spinning, Inuko instantly vanished into the other side of the corridor.

“She made Shera’s body magnetic…!”

Nene’s groan was right.

Seeing she couldn’t use the walls or ceiling, she made Shera and herself magnetic and repelled off of her.

She probably judged the trap to be a threat and so escaped by herself. Shera became her sacrifice and was shoved inside the twisting space, where her figure was still getting compressed.

While everyone was stunned, the trap ended.

A pitch-dark cube rotated in 360 degrees in the center of the speakers scattered to all directions—

Inside the space that couldn’t exist in reality, the figure of Shera looking around was reflected. It was like seeing a fish trapped inside a black water tank.

“Haa, haa… Shera can’t see us from here. We’ve completely isolated her from the world.”

While breathing hard, Makoto watched the footage of the spinning Shera.

Her created space was about several meters square. This was Makoto’s trump card, that she could use only by borrowing the special devices made to echo her own voice.

“We’ve caught Shera—but Asagi got away…! Shit!”

They never expected her to escape like that. They tried to seal both enemies at once, but it backfired on them that way.

“Doesn’t look like she fully escaped it, though.”

Kabuto pointed to a certain spot inside the cube.

A thin right arm cut off from the shoulder was floating there. It even had the familiar yellow sleeve on it.

“What’re we gonna do? Follow Wanko?”

While looking at Inuko’s right arm, Kasuou spoke.

They could perform Shishidou Inuko’s last rites. —She thought it was a very attractive proposal, but in the current situation, she judged it to be a complete waste of time.

Rather than get obsessed over wounded enemy soldiers, they should make up for the lost time.

“No—we have to head down as soon as possible.”

Makoto ordered the suicide corps and stepped ahead toward the elevator.