Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 4 Chapter 4 (section)

==4.05 The Others==

“''GRRR…!''”

Something was growling from somewhere.

Kanata set the blue centipede upon Aijisupa. His Mushi further expanded in size. Currently, the red and blue centipede had swelled to several times the height of Kanata.

Raising a tremendous roar that seemed to burst the eardrum, the centipede opened its huge jaws and tore holes in everywhere including the floor and the ceiling.

“''Kuu…!''”

The headbanded youth jumped away immediately from where he was, dodging the fangs that bit into that spot right after. However, the fragments of metal and glass blasted everywhere caused him to be lacerated all over his body. But, even as his blood scatter everywhere, Aijisupa’s composed gaze remains trained on Kanata.

Aijisupa pointed his left index finger in the direction of Kanata.

The air currents shifted unnaturally and a moist and chilly wind swept across Kanata’s cheeks. —This cooling feeling belonged to water droplets that had condensed from the air even as heat and smoke radiated from the floors below. An irregular-shaped Stag beetle made out of mist standing on Aijisupa’s fingertip opened its mouthpiece.

He thought he saw a red light coming from the youth’s fingertip momentarily.

“…!”

Right after, Kanata’s view was dyed a pure white. The red centipede had reflexively served as his shield.

A shockwave swept over him violently.

The carapace of the red centipede was vaporised, and Kanata was smashed into the wall behind.

As Kanata recovered from the defensive position he took when he was slammed against the wall, he saw the cold gaze of Aijisupa right in front of him. Having taken advantage of the explosion to close the distance between them, Aijisupa’s fist loomed before Kanata.

However, the combat-proficient Kanata stooped his body and easily evaded the attack. He threw an uppercut towards Aijisupa’s torso in counter.

But, before his fist reached the youth’s body, it was repulsed by an invisible cushion. A white mist spiralled around the front of his fist. The white mist that condensed around his fist detonated all at once.

“''GRRRR…!''”

A layer of white frost froze around Kanata’s arm as he was blown backwards. The red and blue centipede cut in front of where Kanata landed, blocking Aijisupa from both sides.

Aijisupa calmly raised his arms and crossed them. A white mist accumulated around his thumb, index and middle finger. The next moment, a red light shot out from both of his hands.

The sound of something rushing out resounded from somewhere with a ''pushii''. Condensed water droplets rained down upon the surroundings.

The released shockwave pierced through the two-headed centipede. The explosion did not just engulf the centipede, but also penetrated through the wall, leaving a large hole. The air within the tower was expelled out of the tower together with smoke and flames.

“''GRRrOAAA…!''”

A loud groan overlapped with the howl of the centipede.

Even as the centipede was buffeted by the overwhelming impact of the shockwave, there were only light depressions on its carapace. The body of the half-crazed howling centipede further expanded in size as if it was a balloon injected with air.

“…You monster…!”

Aijisupa spat out disgustedly.

“''Grraa…! RuUOAA…!''”

Kanata ‘calmly’ analysed the ability of the youth in front of him.

He estimated that they must have reached around the eighth floor. The white mist that was wrapped around Aijisupa’s arms, as well as the water droplets formed right before the explosion and the red light from his fingertip. Lastly, the invisible barrier around his body—all those were probably the effects of Aijisupa’s Special type Mushi.

Water vapour.

Kanata was certain that that was the true form of Aijisupa’s ability.

The youth was able to manipulate the water vapour scattered in the air using his ability. He was able to compress it into a wall to deflect attacks, in addition to causing it to expand in an instant, cooling it and turning it into a liquid. All these were made possible by a heat source within his fingertip.

He collected the cool water vapour in the air, and applied a strong heat source with a large temperature difference to it. That rapidly vaporises the condensed water into steam, causing an explosion—commonly known as a steam explosion. It was also probably due to the intense heat source in his fingertips used to rapidly vibrate the water molecules, that water vapour condenses around his arms due to the temperature difference, forming a mist coiled around his arms.

“''GRrOoAA…!''”

What a troublesome foe. On top of that combination of offence and defence, it had huge destructive capabilities. However, it seems like he is unable to do both compress and release, and expand the water vapour at the same time. Kanata would have to shift between attacking and guarding, while waiting for him to make a misstep.

—That was the tactic that Kanata would have come up with, up till yesterday that is.

But, the current him had no need for such approach.

The carapace of the roaring centipede was repairing itself right in front of his eyes. With acid drool dripping from its large maw, it could even swallow up Aijisupa completely just by opening its jaws now.

“…!”

Aijisupa covered his face with his hand.

The blaze had reached up till the ninth floor. Thee headbanded youth spared a single glance at Kanata before turning around and dashing up the escalator.

You think you can escape…!

“''GRrAa!''”

Kanata jumped onto the red centipede. The blue centipede bit into the escalator and continued to chew it all the way up till the tenth floor.

Aijisupa carried on running up the escalator.

Kanata too continued to chase the youth, while destroying the pillars and the escalator along the way.

After ascending a few floors, Aijisupa ambushed Kanata.

“Go to hell!”

He raised both of his hands which had a large volume of white mist accumulated in Kanata’s direction.

Water droplets rained over Kanata.

As a result of the steam explosion, the tower crumbled from above to below. Together with the flames rising from below, they consumed Kanata.

However—.

“''GRRroAAAaa!''”

His goggles cracked, mask torn, and his whole body covered by burns, even so, Kanata could not suppress his raging emotions.

The two-headed centipede crawled out from within the flames. Its two heads assaulted the petrified Aijisupa.

Aijisupa dodged the fangs of the blue head by a hair’s breadth. However, he did not manage to evade the fangs of the red head in time. Sharp fangs sank into Aijisupa’s right shoulder, crushing his bones. The smell of skin being burnt by acid filled the air.

“''Guaaah!''”

The youth’s scream of pain echoed in the tower. Kanata jumped down from the back of the centipede, grasping the youth’s neck with his hands trying to choke the life out of him.

“…''aAAAAAAA!''”

Aijisupa’s scream turned into a war cry. White mist started to spew out from the mouthpiece of the red centipede biting into the youth’s shoulder.

“!”

The red centipede swelled up with a ''bokon''. The steam explosion was discharged from within the red centipede. Its inside was unable to contain the massive pressure, causing it to rupture from within, scattering it everywhere. The damage inflicted on his Mushi rebounded onto Kanata, causing his chest to experience a sharp pain.

…I will fulfil my duty—.

Kanata stared with his eyes wide open at Aijisupa who looked composed despite being injured. He touched Kanata’s flank with his left hand, his bloody right arm hanging limply.

“So this is a fight till death. …Even though I didn’t have any intentions of killing you.”

“''Grr—''”

A red light flashed from Aijisupa’s left hand.

The instant Kanata felt a chill on his torso, his world started to spin.

Being hit right in the abdomen at point blank by the explosion, Kanata was sent flying tailspin through the storey, slamming into a support pillar.

“''Haah…! Haah…!''”

Clutching his strengthless arm with his left hand, Aijisupa stooped onto the ground on one knee.

“That was intense… is this going to be the norm from now onwards? Is this what it means to remain by her side—”

Aijisupa’s bitter soliloquy as he was gasping for breath was interrupted all of a sudden.

…I will execute my mission… and then, the next mission… I will continue to fight… for that is my duty—.

“''GRRR''…”

Kanata slowly got up. He confirmed the sensations of his limbs, that they were still moving properly. There was no particular impediment.

Kanata, who was completely soaked in blood from his body to his feet as well as his suit, glared at Aijisupa hatefully.

…Give me battles… to the next battle… and the next…—.

His fury was so great that he bit his molars so hard they cracked.

“''GRRR''…”

He had realised that the groaning voice he heard for a while had come from himself. —There were no doubts about it. There was something inside of him that was rousing him up. That ''something'' had messed up his internal wirings, causing him to go mad.

“How are you… still alive…? With that kind of injuries…”

Aijisupa muttered hoarsely.

[[File:Mushi Uta 4 003.jpg|thumb]]

Kanata was apoplectic.

As if just that white cat alone wasn’t enough, now even the boy standing in front of him was obstructing him. This made Kanata intolerably infuriated.

What’s more was the ''something'' that was plaguing him. That feeling was what was obstructing Kanata’s mission the most.

Who the hell is it… Who the hell is getting in my way…! What have you done to me!

“''GRrAAAAAAaa!''”

I’m going to kill everyone that gets in my way!

Aijisupa!

Fuyuhotaru!

And also, the one that planted whatever in me, along with the one that blew up this building!

I’ll massacre them all!

“''GUOo…!''”

The blue centipede hurled itself towards Aijisupa. A white mist instantly came between the centipede and the youth, but Kanata ordered the centipede to break through nevertheless.

“''OAAAAaa!''”

Breaking through walls and smashing through pillars, the centipede rammed its way through any obstacles on the floor between it and Aijisupa.

The whole floor was collapsing.

The portion of the floor which had lost its support crumbled, swallowing Aijisupa down with it.

“…”

Amongst the smoke and heat, silence descended upon the floor which was being consumed by flames.

The spitting flames from the floors below casted a long shadow of Kanata on the ground. On the back of the shadow behind him, there was a flickering figure.

It gradually consolidated into a fixed shape, resulting in the shape of a bee with a stinger on its abdomen.

—Who would have known that the one you were chasing to be… Fuyuhotaru of all people.

The face of a girl smiling provokingly crossed Kanata’s mind.

“I see… It’s you…”

The one who have caused him to descend into madness.

The girl who suggested for him to come to this building so that she could make use of him.

Kanata finally arrived at her true identity.

“''Ooooowl! You bastaaard! So you were the one getting in my way! Everything was your doing!''”

He looked up at the ceiling and shouted. He then grabbed onto the blue centipede and it began to chew its way through to the rooftop.

Crushed under the wreckages, blood flowed down Aijisupa’s head. His eyes were shut and he was collapsed with his head hung weakly.

The bellow of the centipede reverberated throughout Urban Tower.