Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 7 Chapter 4 (section)

== 4.04 Akatsuki Part 9 ==
Oogui smiled bewitchingly.

"What a nice dream."

The beauty's open mouth sucked in the glow coming out of Ako.

Akatsuki could simply watch over her in that moment.

Ako herself had wished for it.

There was no other way to find the Demon Lord.

"Oh… Oooohh…"

Clenching his fists, Akatsuki's nailed dug into his skin, drawing blood.

''Why would you do that for this kind of reason—''

No matter what anyone said, Akatsuki would never accept it. He would never forgive Ako's reason for becoming a Mushitsuki.

If Ako hadn't stood in his way, he would have attacked Oogui without thinking.

Yet at the same time he understood.

He couldn't defeat Oogui by himself.

Oogui could use the abilities of all Minion Type Mushitsuki. This meant she also had Akatsuki's ability, as well as the worst ability, that of Fuyuhotaru.

Akatsuki couldn't stop Oogui no matter what.

"Uuugh…!"

A line of blood dripped down his bitten lips.

A friend was becoming a Mushitsuki in front of his very eyes and he couldn't help her.

Although the hated Oogui was right in front of him he couldn't do anything.

"Kakkou—"

His eyes clouded with anguish. Blood rushed to his head and he felt dizzy.

"Have you always… felt like this…?"

The Mushitsuki known as Kakkou had known about Oogui's ability from far back.

That was why, despite meeting her countless times, he couldn't act. If they'd fought, her ability would be exposed and it would cause a war between Mushitsuki.

Was he really fine with that?

Hadn't he felt anguished?

Akatsuki knew the answer to that.

There were no Mushitsuki who didn't hate the Original Three.

A Mushitsuki who was only barely able to restrain himself from attacking, and Kakkou who withstood that countless times—what was the difference between the two?

''—I just have to become stronger than anyone.''

So Kakkou said.

Something decisive was different between him and Kakkou, Akatsuki felt.

"Ako…"

In front of him, a blur like a heat haze rose from the girl.

The thing born as if splitting from Ako's body was a fist-sized Mushi. It fluttered its small wings, landing on top of her camera.

Its body divided to head, chest and abdomen was round, looking like it was made of glass. Its surface always swaying like rippling surface of water, there wasn't anything like eyes on it. Instead two feelers growing from its head had several half-plates from the bottom to top. There were two black specks on its wings, making it resemble a two-spotted cricket.

When the glow vanished, the light returned to Ako's eyes.

"Don't make such a pitiful face, member Akatsuki."

Smiling, Ako turned the digital camera toward him. On top of it the two-spotted cricket shining in marine-blue scratched its head with its short legs.

"As a member of the honored journalism club, we must put an end to the Demon Lord's scheme."

''Never mind about that—''

He forcibly swallowed the words that almost came out of his mouth.

Rejecting Ako's words would be rejecting her resolve. It would mean her courage would have all been for nothing.

"…!"

Akatsuki hung his head once and screamed inside his heart. He simply wrung out a meaningless, wordless scream, throwing away the violent feelings filling him.

"…Yup."

He raised his head, wearing a smile.

"You're cool, Ako."

She nodded with a serious expression.

"I'm the True Journalist, so obviously."

The cricket on top of the camera raised its head with a twitch. Its antenna-like feelers turned to the side, and then its body turned around as if pulled by them.

Akatsuki and Ako also turned to that direction.

"We have won the gamble."

From the direction of the town, a human figure came running the road.

Gradually it became clearer, and Akatsuki widened his eyes.

The appearing figure stopped in shock.

"Ako…chan? Akatsuki-kun…?"

It was someone Akatsuki knew well.

The first time he'd met her, she was a plain and featureless girl. She was one year his senior and tall for a girl. She wore her uniform according to school regulations, had black hair and glasses, and hid her face with her bangs. She had such a thin presence you wouldn't notice her even if she stood next to you.

"You have finally shown yourself."

Finally seeing the enemy she'd glanced, Ako asserted in a low voice.

''No way—''

In front of Akatsuki's eyes was a pretty girl unimaginable from their first meeting.

She said she'd switched her glasses for contact lenses. Her long hair was parted, revealing her abyss-like black pupils. She generously revealed her bountiful chest and long legs, and her expression covered in makeup exuded beauty.

The only thing Akatsuki didn't know was the large suitcase she was holding.

"Satou Youko."

As if to scold Akatsuki who still found it unbelievable, Ako announced the girl's name.

"You are the one who distorts the truth and schemes to destroy the world—"

Satou Youko.

The girl who was once known as the Third Satou-san.

"The Demon Lord."

''Satou-senpai is…?''

He wasn't able to immediately accept Ako's words.

He let his final hope rest with Youko herself.

"You're the Demon Lord, Youko-senpai…?"

Looking at her confused face, he felt relieved. She didn't seem to understand Ako's words.

"I am…"

She would probably relieve him now. Youko grinned.

Yet the next instant, her smile changed its essence.

"Right—"

Sitting on top of the suitcase, she spread her long legs. One hand was on the suitcase supporting her body, and the other was calmly placed on her thigh.

"I'm the Demon Lord."

Her swaying pupils narrowed with a smile, Satou Youko clearly asserted this.

Her gaze viewed the very depths of people's hearts and dragged out whatever was inside.

Akatsuki finally noticed the true form of those pupils that made his heartbeat hasten many times.

The feeling he'd felt for her was definitely not love or admiration.

It was awe—

Grasping people's hearts, dragging them out, and playing with them—those were the eyes of the Demon Lord.

Akatsuki instinctually feared her eyes.

"Hehe, what a scary town."

The one who broke the strained silence was a beauty clad in a purple glow.

Oogui's rainbow pupils looked from Ako to Youko.

"There were two people who tried to use me—"

Akatsuki's heart thumped.

He noticed that Ako and Youko glared at each other, not even looking at Oogui.

"So that's why I haven't noticed the Demon Lord… Satou-senpai."

Haemori Ako's camera filmed the girl in front of her eyes.

Satou Youko snickered.

[[File:Mushi Uta 7 p321.jpg|thumb]]

"So it really was you, Ako-chan. You always were snooping around me."

"Unfortunately. I thought you were one of my few friends."

"That's a lie. 'Monthly AKO' was interesting, but… it was really just meant to shake me, right? Yet I thought the Demon Lord was a different person and that their armies of darkness were Mushi."

"Let's stop this. What you're doing will plunge the world into chaos."

"Hah, to think that the previous Demon Lord would be saying this. You weren't able to fully adopt this role, but I will. I only just noticed I'm the true Demon Lord."

Neither Ako nor Youko were willing to take back one step.

As if recalling Akatsuki's presence there, Youko looked at him. He stood in shock, looked into Youko's black pupils and gulped.

"Hey, Akatsuki-kun. You know, I possess great power."

Seemingly proud of it, she puffed her chest. With her face shining like that of a child exhibiting his favorite toy, she patted the suitcase she was sitting on. 

"If I use it I can read anyone's heart. I find what's inside people's hearts, grab it, pull it out and show it to them. —All of them view their dreams."

"…!"

Impossible—

But he knew he couldn't really say that.

Why had so many Mushitsuki been born in this one town?

If what Youko said was the truth, that would explain it.

"When I do this, Oogui comes. I make Loci-chan here eat the Mushi right away. Those who saw their dreams don't even remember becoming Mushitsuki. —And until the Mushi are fully consumed, they become Spirit Zones, areas into which only the Mushi's ability is leaking."

Akatsuki glanced at Oogui with awkward movements.

The beauty wearing an enchanting smile was surrounded by purple scales.

"I cannot stand against the great Demon Lord. If I don't run away I might get eaten, too."

Snickering as though from a joke, Oogui vanished.

"Oh, but don't misunderstand something, okay? Loci-chan isn't my Mushi. So even if you kill me it won't be gone."

Youko hurriedly spread her arms, and wore an unfittingly radiant smile.

"I was the one who raised it, though. I gave sustenance to its true body, making it grow."

"So is it one of the Mushi you've given birth to, Satou-senpai?"

"You sure are smart, Ako-chan. I'll convince you soon enough."

In front of the two girls staring at one another, Akatsuki was speechless.

This wasn't at the level of being "smart" or whatever.

Hadn't Youko herself understood how scary was what she could do?

Playing with people's hearts—

Utilizing the Original Three—

Toying with Mushi—

Not even looking at the SEPB—

Being able to do something like that was beyond the scope of a human being.

"…Demon Lord…"

Akatsuki unconsciously used that word.

She far surpassed the domain humans should touch.

Truly a Demon Lord.

Was there any other name for such a being?

"Indeed. This battle against the Demon Lord called Satou-senpai would rival those fights between Mushitsuki in the past—no, perhaps it would bring even larger chaos."

Even Ako didn't look at Akatsuki while speaking.

He finally noticed.

From the very beginning this was the fight between Ako and Youko.

Long before Akatsuki came to this town, the two Demon Lords fought beneath the surface.

The SEPB, Oogui and Akatsuki were mere bystanders.

Akatsuki had said that this battle wasn't relevant to Ako as she wasn't a Mushitsuki.

Yet that thought was sorely mistaken.

She had played not only with the SEPB but even with Oogui, a clash created from a chain of events that were all orchestrated by two girls who weren't even Mushitsuki—

"Akatsuki-kun."

Youko rose.

Akatsuki's shoulders twitched, and the blushing Youko spoke.

"I love you."

He couldn't understand the meaning of her words for a second.

"…Eh…?"

"I love how kind you are."

The Demon Lord playing with people's dreams smiled at Akatsuki.

She was so beautiful and overflowing with confidence she couldn't possibly be the same person.

Obviously. She could already control people's hearts and didn't even fear the Original Three. There had never been someone like Satou Youko.

Without Ako's courage, there would be many more Spirit Zones, and before long the very world itself would be made the same, perhaps.

"I'm—"

Becoming very sad, Akatsuki grimaced.

When had she started this?

Satou-senpai that was plain and had a thin presence, the kind girl who worried for Ako… when had she started treading down the path of a Demon Lord?

"Right now, I don't know which of the Satou-senpai I know you are."

Even hearing his words, Youko seemed unmoved. The expression of a girl in love gazed at his face intently.

"I know there's a person you like."

"…"

"But she's a Mushitsuki, right? Mushi are scary. I'll save you from Mushi as well, Akatsuki-kun. I'll kill your Mushi right away."

Youko grinned wide.

"And then I'll ask you again. To go out with me."

How scary was the Demon Lord?

The feelings that the Mushitsuki Akatsuki had for the civilian Satou Youko were nothing but fear and sadness.

"You're saying that while knowing that Fallen have to listen to orders, Satou-senpai…"

Akatsuki couldn't tell if he was crying or laughing. There was no doubt that he made an expression somewhere in the middle.

"Yup!" the Demon Lord nodded happily.

A human who had gone the path there was no going back from, just like Ako.

The person who skipped ahead on that road stood in front of Akatsuki.

He closed his eyes for a while.

When he opened them again, Akatsuki's expression changed. He was no longer agitated.

"—Satou Youko. I will apprehend you."

He had to stop her.

The actions of Youko who became the Demon Lord would involve other people.

Ako threw her body and turned around.

Then stopping her was the duty of Akatsuki and nobody else.

"How horrible, I don't think so. You're just being controlled by that woman, right?"

"That woman…?"

"The one who's supposed to be the Vice Director. I'm stronger than her."

"You know Vice-Director Miguruma?"

Youko wore a Demon Lord smile again.

"Like I said I'll save you, okay?"

A white object crawled up to the shoulder of the girl with the narrowed black eyes.

The rounded body raising its sickles looked like a small Mushi. It emitted a white glow from its body. Raising its head with sluggish movements, it opened its mouthpart toward the sky being dyed in orange.

The white Mushi—the one called Loki, according to Youko, raised a shrill roar.

White particles came gushing out from around them.

"…!"

Cautious, Akatsuki and Ako leapt back.

The glow absorbed inside the small Mushi became a large light spear and was shot toward the heavens.

A moment of silence.

The next instant, with the place pierced by the light as the center, a red glow started spreading in the sky.

"Wha—"

Blowing clouds away, the town's sky was dyed in the same red as the Mushi's eyes.

Immediately after, the ground started to rumble.

"It was really close to being completely grown-up, actually… but I have no choice. Even now it has enough power to remake the world."

The rumbling grew gradually stronger. Ako was unable to preserve her balance and fell on her rear. As expected she managed to still hold on to the camera.

''This is bad…!''

The earthquake assaulting the town was so strong no normal person could stand it.

Something large was gradually rising from the depths of the earth with great vigor—is what he felt.

"Kagerou…!"

A mayfly shining in gold materialized on Akatsuki's back.

He had no leeway to hesitate.

He felt the fearsomeness of the Demon Lord on his very skin more than enough. If she was still trying to do something, letting her do as she pleased was much too dangerous.

The laser shot by the mayfly blew through Loci.

The small Mushi howling on Youko's back was evaporated, not even a speck of dust remaining.

"Loci-chan…!"

The Demon Lord shouted. However—

"—Just kidding."

Sitting back on her suitcase, Youko raised her hands to the sky. The white particles assembled on top of her palm, producing a Mushi exactly like Loci.

"This is just a puppet transmitting the host's thoughts, meow."

She was probably imitating Orion. Youko smiled, tilting her head cutely.

"Let me introduce the real body."

The earthquake became much fiercer.

It would soon reach there—

The earthquake from below turned into a vibration caused by a large impact.

"—"

Akatsuki was able to see the instant it happened.

Underneath the red sky.

Between the mountains, an even larger mountain was born.

Much like an elevator that rose beyond the top floor at full speed, it happened in an instant. Within the blink of an eye the town was covered by a large shadow.

That Kaiju movie-like scene didn't appear slowly.

It was much too sudden, and appeared much too naturally, so he couldn't even feel fear.

—A gigantic egg.

So it looked to Akatsuki's eyes.

The coffins he'd seen at the cherry tree gathered and took the form of a giant egg. He could see its clay-made, artificial-like surface pulse little by little.

White cracks appeared on the egg's surface.

From these creaks emerged sharp edges from the inside. They broke the shell, spilling shining white particles, and that shining thing soon revealed itself.

"My servant, the Mushi-Eating Mushi—"

Behind the whirlpool of light, Youko calmly folded her legs on her trunk. With a clear voice as if she was another person entirely, she asserted imposingly.

"Genius."

The Mushi who was born after breaking out of its shell raised a howl.

The trees growing on the mountain collapsed, and a vibration passed through the sky dyed in crimson. The shockwave even reached Akatsuki and Ako who were far from it. Their hair was blown backwards as if being pulled from behind.

It didn't even feel true to call it Mushi.

An orchid mantis with two folded, sickle-shaped forelimbs—the being that could be described like this was of too large of a scale for Akatsuki.

Its head, in the shape of an upside down triangle, had three red shining compound eyes, and its howling mouthpart was lined with sharp fangs. The body shining in pink was long and narrow, and countless wings sprouted from its back. Akatsuki couldn't imagine how far into the ground stabbed its sickle-shaped legs and four other legs that supported its gigantic body.

Akatsuki had never seen a Mushi so colossal and beautiful.

After raising its first birth cry, Genius raised its head. Just by this action the white particles drew an afterimage and a vortex of light engulfed the mountain around it. Bending forward, the Mushi tried leaving its egg.

Yet Genius's wish didn't come true.

One of the sharp scythes was still merged with the right side of the egg and it couldn't pull it apart. The other leg and part of its abdomen were similarly stuck, so it squirmed in anger.

From the groaning Genius's body, white particles gushed out again. The intensely sweet pheromone scent reached Akatsuki. —He was nearly enchanted by it.

"Oh dear, so it's not fully grown yet."

Youko's bright voice was shook by the tremor.

Genius seemed to have given up escaping from its egg. Dragging it along behind it, it moved slowly between the mountains toward the town.

"You want to create more Spirit Zones? What a glutton you are, Genius."

"The town—"

Finally rising up, Ako pointed her camera at Genius's form in shock.

Akatsuki lowered the visor from his head and equipped it on his face.

"Kaguya has ascertained the target. —There is no doubt that this is the enemy."

Opening the shared communication channel, the reply soon arrived.

""Roger that.""

The voices of multiple boys and girls all answered at once.

The movements of Genius approaching the town suddenly stopped.

"The pheromones are too densely packed and I can't get close. Do something about that."

"Roger, I'll create a path. …Domain Isolation!"

The strained voice of a girl could be heard from the communication device attached to Akatsuki's ears.

An extremely loud noise enveloped Genius and caused something to happen to the white particles around it.

Part of the shining territory vanished as if being cut out. The normal domain extended to the sky, and the setting sun's color peeked through the crimson part.

Youko narrowed her eyes enjoyably.

"So that woman's underlings are finally here."

"I won't let you do as you please, Youko-senpai."

Cutting his visor's transmission, Akatsuki gazed at the beautiful Demon Lord.

He could hear the voices of members coming to face Genius one after another.

Receiving Akatsuki's report, the North Central Branch finally got off their backside. They had agreed to start the assault only if he actually managed to bring out the enemy.

Being sent there were a large amount of high-ranking members.

Why would they bring such a fighting force only now—his anger welled with frustration, but this was not the time to dwell on his personal feelings.

"It's just like Ako said. If you keep controlling that Mushi, you will reach the point of no return. I will never let you do that."

"Do you really think you can defeat Genius with that?"

Youko's smile was not moved in the slightest.

"Looks like it's going to get busy. I have to do my best to remake the world."

Looking at Genius, she spoke like an excited child. She no longer even saw Akatsuki in her eyes.

Akatsuki bit his lips, checking Genius's condition.

"I won't be able to maintain the domain for long. As expected, the gap in power is too great."

"Is there any sign of our attacks being effective?"

"Nope, none at all."

"Since it's so big I thought it'd just attack physically, but it's also using a strange power."

"If we step in any further we'll incur losses as well…"

"We need to think of this as a temporary retreat. We hafta borrow someone from the Central Headquarters, someone ''at least'' on Kasuou's level."

"It's our first mission failure in a while, but welp. We've never fought a giant like this either."

"Wha…!"

Akatsuki shouted.

Although it's only been a short while since they started fighting, the North Central Branch members were already losing their motivation.

"Temporary retreat…? Don't be stupid! What's up with this branch!"

As Akatsuki shouted without thinking, Ako pressed on his shoulder.

"You go as well, member Akatsuki."

"But…!"

"I'll be fine. More importantly…"

Ako's digital camera filmed the slightly shaking peaceful town.

"Please save my town."

Akatsuki looked at Youko.

The Demon Lord calmly sitting turned her black pupils to Akatsuki as well. Perhaps enjoying his reaction, she made no move other than grinning.

Was it true that Genius wasn't her Mushi? Even if they killed her, they wouldn't stop that large Mushi.

Akatsuki nodded.

"Got it. Be careful, Ako."

Seeing that Ako returned his nod, he kicked the ground.

The two journalism club members separated.

Akatsuki put the radio tower behind him, walking in the footpath between the empty fields.

Standing in front of him was the Demon Lord's minion, the powerful Mushi called Genius. Youko had said that it had eaten all Mushi other than itself to gain sustenance.

If those Mushi's sustenance came from their hosts' dreams, then he knew someone with the same ability.

The girl most important to Akatsuki, Haji Senri, had also devoured the vitality of other people to live. If Senri went on a rampage, would her Mushi also become something as fearful as Genius?

That was impossible—

Senri wasn't lonely like the Demon Lord. Even on the one-in-a-million chance she'd mistake her way, Akatsuki would be there to pull her back by the hand.

Perhaps Genius's true host also had no ill will just like Senri.

Yet he couldn't sympathize.

He had to defeat Genius, who went past the road of no return, no matter what it took.

"Gwoh…!"

"Is everything fine? This is just plain impossible. Bein' the rear guard, we need to prepare for everyone's retreat—"

Akatsuki gritted his teeth.

Running toward Genius, countless lasers were fired from Akatsuki's back.

The distance between them was still large. —Even so, the Mushi was in Akatsuki's range.

The mayfly fired laser beams one after another.

Fire.

Fire.

The several hundreds of light beams pierced the red sky.

The rain of lasers burst through the wall of white particles. All of them hit Genius without fail. The orchid mantis, still dragging the egg, tilted greatly.

"Who…ah…"

"No way…"

He felt dizzy for a second due to the consumption of power.

"Do you feel like fighting seriously now? North Central Branch."

Yet Akatsuki gritted his teeth and preserved himself.

There was tension in the communication channel.

"That guy pisses me off. There aren't any decent guys at East Central, huh."

"Yeah yeah, don't put your personal feelings into the mission."

"You still plan to fight? Fighting with all of your power will simply shorten your lifespan—"

"I have a trump card. Will you just fight along with me without complaining?"

He spat at them.

Perhaps pushed by Akatsuki's anger, the channel sank into silence.

They had to win no matter what. If Akatsuki lost here, it would put Ako's resolve and determination to waste.

Akatsuki clenched his fist, stepping into the space overflowing with white grains.