Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 11 Chapter 3 (section)

== 3.09 Daisuke Part 10 ==

“WOO—AAaaAAAAH!”

Alpha held his head and screamed.

The Eyes shooting heat rays all blew up and vanished one after another in the sky.

It was Kasshi. Every time he erased his form, goggles glowing in red, an Eye exploded to pieces. Then, as Kasshi reappeared, he already focused on another Eye.

“Stop—”

From the zenith of the piled waste, Daisuke groaned without thinking.

Although guns and bombs didn’t work on the Eyes at all, Kasshi shot them down one after another. Witnessing this overwhelming power, Daisuke knew it was useless but he wrung out his voice.

“Stop this already…!”

If this was an event that happened in the past—

No matter what Daisuke did, it was useless.

“No, he will not stop.”

Mikko sitting at Daisuke’s feet spoke in a measured tone.

“As the first Fusion Type Mushitsuki, he was exceedingly powerful. However—he was imperfect.”

Kasshi finally broke through the Eyes’ defensive wall.

Nothing stood in the line of sight connecting Kasshi and Alpha.

“WAAaaaAAAH!”

Alpha raised a scream and fled from the spot.

Kasshi’s goggles focused their gaze of death. His figure vanished.

“—aaa!”

Bending backwards, Alpha had his chest bubble then burst. His body rebounded on the deck, was thrown off of the boat and rolled down to the landfill.

Spreadeagled, Alpha already lost consciousness. Despite the fact that part of his chest was gouged and raised smoke, he still appeared to be living.

As Alpha received this grievous injury, the camo suits leapt at him. They stabbed him with syringes probably containing some sleeping medicine, then restrained his body with tape.

The boy who defeated Alpha, Kasshi, stood on top of the funnel with an afterimage.

“Rui—”

As Kasshi looked down to the landfill, his forehead—

Burst and gushed fresh blood.

It wasn’t just his forehead. Blood gushed out from his entire body, and his hoodie was dyed in red.

“It’s just like you said. You must finish everyone here.”

Kasshi’s tone was calm, just like usual. Never mind his own wounds, not even his words had any weight behind him.

“You should finish this nightmare right here.”

The boy’s gaze looked at the luxury car behind Rui.

Seeing the young girl sleeping through the glass window, Kasshi’s mouth loosened.

A kind smile—almost as if he saw his own family, his younger sister.

“Is that so?”

Rui also turned to his beloved daughter.

As if holding something back, his shoulders shook.

“—Exactly.”

The youth raised his face, with large tears falling down from it. His tightly held fist turned pale.

While Kasshi nodded in satisfaction, the swarm of caterpillars attacked him.

“…!”

And not just them. From the opposite side the black tardigrades pushed like a flood.

“Whaa…? Hey, stooooop!”

Kii-kun raised a scream. Endlessly spouting from his body, the tardigrades all began to move toward Kasshi at once.

“Sensing its ‘natural enemy’, Kii-kun’s Mushi probably felt instinctive fear. Since he’d just become a Mushitsuki, he couldn’t control his Mushi.”

Mikko spoke.

“And Kasshi was just as immature.”

Kasshi’s goggles glowed red.

Tearing a hole in the wave of caterpillars and tardigrades about to cover him, he moved to the upper sky.

Although he escaped from that pinch, Kasshi’s thighs gushed blood.

“His ability is the disassembly and rebuilding of his physical body. —He managed to understand his ability and control it with quite the miraculous speed, but it wasn’t perfect.”

The caterpillars and tardigrades didn’t let Kasshi escape.

Using each other’s bodies like stairs, they climbed and aimed for the escaping boy in a hoodie.

Kasshi kept moving to other places to dodge—but red blood gushed from his back.

“Every time he moves, there’s a small defect—meaning, some part of his body being rebuilt is left out. If he’d trained as a Mushitsuki, perhaps perfect teleportation would have become possible. However, he didn’t have that time…”

And because he understood that, Daisuke had told him to stop.

However, Kasshi did not stop.

Moving all around the destroyed ship, he shaved through the swarm of caterpillars.

He was doing that to search where Diorestoi was hiding. As far as he could see the amounts of caterpillars lessened, but Kasshi also had more wounds.

“—”

Kasshi’s goggles captured a certain place on the ship.

Landing atop the destroyed wheelhouse, he stuck his arms inside the caterpillars.

He then pulled out the cloak of a man covered in crawling caterpillars.

“…How impudent—”

From within the gaps of the caterpillars covering his face, Diorestoi’s bloodshot eyes glared at Kasshi.

The man emitted black miasma from his body and leapt to the sky. From within the miasma that covered his head like a dark cloud there was the silhouette of a large structure like some holographic image—

An ear-splitting bell noise shook the air of the landfill.

“Guh…!”

Kasshi grimaced, his knees folding.

And it wasn’t just him. Kii-kun held his chest and kneeled, and Elvioréne floating in air also scowled. The camo suits and expensive suits on the surface raised suffering groans and crouched.

He tried ringing the bell again—

However, Kasshi’s fist did not let him.

The arm glowing in white momentarily vanished, then reformed as it shot through Diorestoi’s body.

The aftershock created from reforming energy at a super close range shook the entire ship. It erased both deck and caterpillars, and the impact that had yet to stop caused the surface of the landfill to cave.

Eliminated from his chest down, Diorestoi crumbled down like dust.

However—

“Does thou have a grudge, fool?”

A hoarse voice resounded from a different location.

Turning at the outer wall of the boat, a man in a white coat appeared.

His skin was charred back, and this man who was, at a glance, without any sign of life had many caterpillars clinging to him. Engulfed by black miasma, after half the caterpillars retreated—

The form of a man covered in caterpillars and wearing a splendid cloak appeared.

Mikko spoke.

“The three beings born here did not have a form. The many lives gathered for the test subjects mixed, staying inside the frame provided by those three who became their bases… also, they were still as weak as newborns—”

Seeing the grotesque form of Diorestoi, Kasshi mumbled calmly.

“—So you can control corpses. Looks like there’s no end to this unless I eliminate each and every caterpillar.”

Kasshi and Diorestoi’s battle started.

With the blow just before, Kasshi’s one arm was dyed in blood and became unusable. The swarm of caterpillars pushed at him, and he was about to be crushed by their weight.

Moving to the air, Kasshi escaped the net of caterpillars.

And, the next instant, he flew into the deck like the strike of a meteor, kicking apart caterpillars.

As he won in quantity, Diorestoi made use of the caterpillars as shields, at times used himself as a distraction, shaving Kasshi’s body little by little.

Each devoured the other to survive.

Every time each repeated their attack, more and more of the ship was destroyed to metal scraps.

“You surely know this, Daisuke. Even though you know this is meaningless, you still expected it, right?”

Mikko looked up at Daisuke.

“…”

She was right.

While watching this fight unfold in front of him, a small hope was born in his chest.

He was strong.

Kasshi’s strength went beyond imagination.

If Mikko’s words about Diorestoi and the rest being like babies with their powers were true—

Perhaps he could win.

Not just Daisuke. Any Mushitsuki would hope for this.

“I am the same. Even more than Diorestoi and the rest who were born beyond human understanding, I was taken in by the potential of Mushitsuki…”

Mikko’s singsong voice was drowned by Kasshi’s howl.

A white flash ran through the ship.

Kasshi’s form vanished and reappeared many times, dozens of times. Every time light burst, the caterpillars covering Diorestoi were erased, and finally—

The shield covering Diorestoi was peeled off.

Kasshi did not miss this chance. His goggles glowing red, he turned.

“OooOOoooh—”

As Diorestoi widened his bloodshot eyes, his body was blown to pieces.

The white glow afterimage brought a gale, raising debris high in the air. By the time it rained down the ship along with the rain—

Diorestoi’s existence vanished from the boat.

Witnessing this unbelievable sight, Daisuke was frozen stiff.

“He beat—Shinpu—”

The tardigrades no longer tried covering the Mushitsuki standing on the funnel again. They remained unmoving, fearing him.

“Kasshi…!”

Kii-kun looked up the funnel, his lower body crumbled. Even the boy who was always a coward and needed help forgot his own surroundings and gritted his teeth painfully.

Alpha and Diorestoi—

The Mushitsuki who won against those two disasters was already fully dyed in blood.

From head to toes, there was no place that wasn’t bleeding. In a glance it was even possible to think he fainted while standing. His hoodie and goggles had been eaten by caterpillars and were in shambles.

“—”

Wetting his face with fresh blood, Kasshi’s goggles turned above.

Up there—was the remaining disaster.

It was Elvioréne.

“If only his—the Mushitsuki called Kasshi’s power had been just a bit more complete.”

As she mumbled this, Kasshi’s form vanished.

Butterflies glowing purple were emblazed and vanished one after another—

Elvioréne’s upper torso that was in a straight line from him exploded and vanished.

“Or perhaps if Kii-kun had a completely different wish.”

However, the next moment, from the remaining lower torso, tardigrades glowing purple gushed out. These gathered, took form and restored the form of the beauty.

“—Hehe.”

Elvioréne’s pupils of the seven colors of the rainbow gazed at the distant Kasshi. 

Seeing her completely unharmed form, Kasshi was speechless.

Kii-kun’s expression froze.

“Wha—why are you… the same as me…”

Kasshi vanished again.

Unable to do anything, Elvioréne’s body burst apart.

However—

Once again, tardigrades gushed out from the body and restored her as if nothing happened.

“This is useless—”

Daisuke groaned.

Since he’d fought Oogui many times, he knew this very well.

Oogui could use the abilities of those she made Mushitsuki.

Kii-kun’s ability—was the power of the Undying.

Accordingly, Elvioréne who’d given him this also possessed the power of Undying.

“If fate had changed gears but only a little—perhaps everything born here would have vanished and the world wouldn’t have changed.”

Looking up to see Kasshi repeat his attacks without stopping, Mikko spoke.

“However.”

The blood-smeared Kasshi landed on the funnel. Crumbling goggles fell from the face of the boy looking up at the sky.

And in front of his empty eyes—

“Hehehe—”

Was the calmly sneering Elvioréne.  Despite having been erased countless times, not one wound remained on her body.

Kasshi tried to step ahead again—

“—”

However, his knees lost power and folded.

Exhausting himself, the eyes of the boy who lost his glow looked at the surface.

He looked at Rui and at the girl sleeping in the car next to him—

And smiled.

What did he feel in his last moments, that made him smile so happily?

Kashi collapsed with a smile—and never rose up again.

“KAAAASSHIIIIII!!!”

Kii-kun’s wail echoed in the landfill wrapped in fierce rain.

“The first Fusion-Type died soon after birth. And—”

The same moment as Mikko mumbled this, something crawled out from within the fissures made in the cracked deck.

It was white caterpillars.

Daisuke grimaced.

“So he lived—”

A single lump of caterpillars slid on the deck.

These gathered to the boy collapsed on the funnel—

“Thou who has destroyed me… I shall take thy body as offering.”

Kashi suddenly rose up.

It was obvious he wasn’t the same as he was alive from his bloodshot eyes and tone of voice.

“Now this power belongs to me—”

Kasshi sneered with a hideous expression, but his movements completely stopped. Apparently something happened, as the boy’s body began shaking.

“Guh…oooh! C-curse you—”

The arm of the trembling boy stabbed a syringe.

“Mine—rotting vessel—”

The wounds carved into Kasshi’s body became inflamed, and the skin turned red.

Mikko mumbled.

“—It was a trap. Scared of the possibility Diorestoi was still alive, Kasshi poured this medicine into his blood.”

Kasshi—no, Diorestoi—rolled and fell from the funnel.

He rebounded on the hard deck and fell to the surface.

“Gwooooh! Curseeees!”

Even as he leaked curses, Rui swung his hand toward Diorestoi.

“Capture him! A monster’s sealed in that body!”

He squeezed out this sorrowful order.

The camo suits shot Diorestoi full of tranquilizing bullets, then used tape and a steel box to seal him.

The people dressed in expensive suits behind Rui approached the youth.

“Chairman Ichinokuro. Leave the cleanup to us. This was, after all, the item I have offered up to auction.”

A long-haired youth and a beautiful woman who clung to him entreated Rui.

Rui bit his lips hard. His strongly clenched fist had its blood vessels popping.

“Got it. We will seal it forevermore in the Round Table—”

“Of course, sir…”

Looking down at this sight, Mikko narrowed her eyes as if in jest.

“The captured Diorestoi and Alpha were supposed to get dealt with by the Round Table, but apparently there was trouble created by conflicting interests. Members started fighting over them, and there were even some fools who got turned into Mushitsuki during that…”

“—Hehe.”

Elvioréne, who controlled the purple butterflies, turned her back to the ship. The camo suits assaulted her with bullets, but they obviously couldn’t beat her.

While seeing off the beauty distancing herself, Mikko rose up.

“With her natural enemy gone, Elvioréne became free.”

The purple glow was growing smaller in the sky—

And was fully gone.

“There are small differences, but this was an actual event from the past.”

Daisuke called toward the girl who was climbing down the mountain of refuse.

“Where are you going?”

“I have taken a small break. I think I will now fulfill my role. —In order to awake from this nightmare as well.”

Mikko turned to Daisuke with narrowed eyes.

As the masked girl climbed down the mountain of waste, she approached the ship.

Then, she coughed.

Rui noticed Mikko and reached to her.

“There’s nothing here anymore… come, Mikko!”

Mikko shook her head to the sides.

“If I could return to the past—I would have probably killed all of you the moment we met…”

Letting her mask hang, she revealed her smiling mouth.

“Kii-kun, Kasshi, Rui… as well as me… we shouldn’t have come here…”

Tears flowed out of Mikko’s eyes.

That scene caused him Déjà vu.

He’d seen it before.

Inside the mist covering Akamaki City, he’d clearly seen this moment.

Wearing an expression that was half smiling and half crying, she declared clearly.

“Because of us, this country will get filled with Mushi and reach its end—”

It was like a prophecy.

However, it didn’t indicate the future.

Declared in an age that already passed, it was an ominous declaration that couldn’t be stopped by anyone—

That was the true form of the prophecy Daisuke had witnessed.

“RUIIIIIII! MIKKOOOOOO!”

Tardigrades gathered next to Mikko and appeared the zombie-like topknot boy.

His face twisted with hatred and anger, Kii-kun shouted, sounding like a completely different person.

“Isn’t this your faaaaault?!! Mikko, you actually used your father to continue the research, and the Round Table helped with that… you knew all this!!!”

“What—”

Daisuke gulped.

Never mind the Round Table, it was his first time hearing that Mikko was the one who conducted the research.

However, this was true.

Mikko herself said this.

The moment that the Original Three were born—all people on the boat had their consciousness mixed, and shared their memories.

“Then you know it, right, Kii-kun? I was simply devoted to father’s research, and wanted to help him forget the sadness…”

Mikko smiled sadly.

“You’re kidding me…! That excuse is—”

“Also, it is true that things becoming like this was my and the Round Table’s fault—but not just me.”

Kii-kun’s expression froze.

“Kasshi died and this world became one with Mushi—Kii-kun, it’s also the fault of your own dream.”

“…!”

“Because you wished for the power of Undying, Kasshi died.”

In the blink of an eye Kii-kun’s face became crying.

“My fault… is it really…?”

“But it’s fine. Even if you embraced this sinful dream that changed the world and transformed into something monstrous—”

Mikko sneered.

Her tears already stopped.

Instead, the girl’s smile—was filled with unfathomable, selfless love.

“I will still love you.”

Like an innocent child.

Or perhaps a bewitching adult.

It was a merciful smile that ensnared everyone who saw it like shackles.

“I saw the true Undying among you.”

As if to welcome the paralyzed Kii-kun, Mikko spread her arms.

“During the period I played in the ship, I couldn’t believe it. I simply thought it was the means to keep my father in his delusions. However, after seeing you, Kasshi and Kii-kun, I realized how shallow my thinking was.”

“Mikko…?”

Seeing the girl’s carefree smile, Rui was speechless. His arm reached out to save her now dangled listlessly.

“Ending this here is outrageous.”

Kii-kun, whose lower body became tardigrades, approached Mikko.

She lovingly hugged that foul body.

“Beings like Kasshi and you are the closest to Undying.”

Ahead of Mushitsuki was the Undying—

Mikko said this.

“—I can’t allow you to continue.”

Rui raised his arms.

The camo suits all turned their guns to Mikko.

“If I die here… you will become alone forever, Kii-kun.”

Mikko whispered to Kii-kun.

“We will never be able to give birth to another Undying like you—”

The topknot boy raised his face absently.

And then he slowly looked at Rui.

Raising a buzz, the tardigrades stood in front of Mikko.

“Kii-kun—”

Rui was speechless.

“Let us part here, Rui. Our paths are different.”

Mikko looked behind Rui. The luxury car with his sleeping daughter was parked there.

“And please do not get involved with us again. You do not wish to involve your family, right?”

“…!”

As Rui’s face changed color, Mikko smiled kindly.

Inside that hellish scene, the two waiting forms were blurred.

A milky white mist was starting to drift from somewhere.

It was familiar to Daisuke.

It was the same as the one that surrounded Akamaki City and invited him to the world of the past.

“Looks like this game is over too.”

Mikko raised her eyes.

Looking up at Daisuke who stood atop the debris, she narrowed her eyes.

“Let us meet again in reality.”

As the landfill was quickly being engulfed in mist, Daisuke looked down at that girl.

Binding those she gazed upon with the shackle called love and smiling like a Saintess.

He only knew one person in the world like that.

“So you’re the one who did this…”

He mouthed her name.

“Miguruma Yaeko—”

Scrapped ship.

Landfill.

Camo suits and rich suits.

As well as—

Ichinokuro Ruisu.

Ichiku Kimitaka.

Miguruma Yaeko.

This era, this time, and the people who’d witnessed the moment that the world changed, were all being covered by white mist.

“Find me as quickly as you can, Blaze Class Rank 1, Kakkou.”

In the moment she was erased by the mist, Yaeko erased her smile.

“Even now, our enemy grows stronger—”

“Wha…?”

Our enemy.

Daisuke was about to ask regarding that meaning, but his arm was hidden by the mist and vanished—

And his consciousness cut off.


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==Notes==

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