Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 6th Episode 22 (section)

=== Part 3 ===

One of the Original Three, Oogui—the Prototype Mushi that looked like a human woman—could birth Minion-Type Mushitsuki.

“Round sunglasses and a blood-red coat, rainbow eyes… just like the rumors! You’ve come to make me a Mushitsuki, right?”

While Nanana tried rushing forward to her, Oogui spun her long hair. Leaving purple phosphorescence behind, she mixed with the passersby and distanced herself.

“Eh… Why are you leaving? Wait!”

Leaving both her stick and cat behind, Nanana rushed ahead, nearly stumbling.

Arisu came back to her senses.

“Don’t do it…!”

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As she pursued Nanana, by the time she’d leapt to the large road, she bumped against someone.

“Ouch!—Arisu?”

“Eh?”

The one she’d bumped into was her classmate, Saionji Ena. The late coming Daisuke was also surprised.

“Saionji-san?”

“Why are you here, Arisu? And Kusuriya-kun as well…”

“Sorry, Ena! We’re in a hurry!”

She felt bad for Ena, but she couldn’t waste time on this chance encounter right now. Leaving behind the shocked girl standing in place, she followed after Nanana.

Nanana also appeared desperate. While Arisu had bumped with her friend she had already gained a distance. Arisu and the rest ran desperately as not to lose her from behind.

Simply by having undergone combat training, Daisuke and Kausou’s stamina was a cut above the rest. They caught up to Arisu in no time at all. Only the young Erii was left way behind.

“Who would’ve thought Oogui was going to appear… is she really going to turn Nanana into a Mushitsuki…?”

Weaving between the crowds and out of breath, Arisu and the rest went on Nanana’s tail.

“It’s not impossible. It might just mean that her desire to become a Mushitsuki is that strong…!”

“Hey, Kakkou. Isn’t this—a good chance?”

Arisu and Daisuke turned to look at Kasuou who ran with her beautiful blond hair billowing.

“Don’t really care about the brat… but the extremely elusive Oogui appeared right in front of us, the two strongest Mushitsuki of the SEPB.”

Kasuou grinned.

“So, can’t we finish Oogui off?”

“…!”

“Looking at it another way, if the two of us can’t beat her, then the other guys wouldn’t be able to no matter how hard they try.”

“I-I’ll fight too…!”

Kasuou glared coldly at Arisu who brought out her silver rod.

“You stay back. You weren’t invited.”

“Wha—”

“No matter how powerful they are, idiots who don’t know how to fight will only be a burden. Right, Kakkou?”

“If it really turns into a fight, I wouldn’t be able to save you.”

Running next to her, Daisuke wasn’t even looking her in the eyes. Staring straight ahead, he opened the sports bag he carried on his back. He apparently wasn’t going to leave it to Erii who stayed behind.

“I’ll take responsibility for everything that follows. You don’t need to think of anything other than victims. —If we manage to catch Oogui let’s go at her with our full power, Kasuou.”

“I knew this would be the decisive moment. I’m gonna go wild.”

The calm Daisuke and the excited Kasuou. Seeing the two combatants, Arisu bit her lips hard.

Just like Daisuke and Kasuou said, it wasn’t her business. She couldn’t imagine them losing if both of them went all-out.

Then why?

Some kind of intuition separated from Arisu’s own will clamored in her chest. As if someone other than Arisu was blaring a warning—she simply couldn’t get rid of this vague sensation.

“We’ll leave securing that Nanana girl to you, Arisu.”

“R-right…”

Having run ahead, Nanana moved from the road to a side street. Arisu and the rest couldn’t see from their position, but since the girl hadn’t slowed down, she probably hadn’t lost sight of Oogui yet.

As they ran after Nanana, soon the scenery of green and fences leapt to their eyes. Going past the fences, they found a small promenade surrounded by groves.

Passing through the promenade, their field of vision opened up. These vast premises had a large parking lot and a huge, round wall.

Arisu knew what was there. It was a public sports ground managed by Akamaki City.

However, it was currently still in reconstruction, so civilians were supposedly not allowed entry. They saw Nanana going over the fences that sealed the entrance.

“Wait! It’s dangerous!”

Ignoring Arisu’s shout, Nanana’s back was swallowed into the entrance to a dirty alley.

While running, Daisuke mumbled to himself.

“How strange.”

“Hah? What is?”

“If she appeared wanting to eat Nanana’s dream, why did she need to run away all the way here?”

“She’s probably tryna blow us off so she could savor that brat’s dream. Can’t let her do it, though.”

Daisuke still seemed unconvinced, but he apparently decided to focus on the enemy ahead. He brought out his pitch-black coat and goggles from his bag, wearing them.

Kasuou also brought out a white coat and goggles from the bag she was carrying. After equipping them, she threw aside the empty bag.

“…”

The bad premonition remained. Even so, Arisu followed the two others and extended her silver rod.

Daisuke drew his gun from behind his waist and a green checkered beetle landed on it. Its body transformed to tentacles, these stabbed Daisuke’s entire body and fused with him.

Around Kasuou an ethereal mist blew. Part of the mist covering her coagulated, forming sharp claws.

“Let’s finish this here.”

“You’re on!”

Daisuke’s fist and Kausou’s mist claw broke the fences down to the ground.

Charging past the sports ground’s entrance, they pressed into the gloomy pathway. After going around the corner, their vision was dyed in orange.

Arisu and the rest passed the spectator stands and leapt into the wide sports ground used for matches.

Inside the center of the circle used for track-and-field events, they could immediately see two figures facing each other on top of the grass illuminated by the sinking sun.

Clad in a purple phosphorescence, Oogui turned to Arisu and the rest with a smile.

“Nanana!”

Nanana, standing next to Oogui, did not respond at all to Arisu’s call.

“You’re the Oogui who produces Mushitsuki, right…?”

“Get away from Oogui, Nanana!”

“Make me a Mushitsuki! That’s why you came to me, right?”

Arisu clenched her teeth, readying her silver rod. The Morpho butterfly alighted down, changing its body and fusing with the rod.

Arisu just prepared her rod emitting a silver light and was about to rush to Nanana when it happened.

“…”

An intense purple light covered the entirety of the sports ground. A storm of scales pushed Arisu and the rest back.

“—Hehe.”

Oogui narrowed her rainbow pupils, enjoying the sight. In front of her was none other than Nanana.

Her hair fluttering, Nanana’s face brightened with anticipation. However—

“Eh…?”

The girl widened her eyes.

Oogui removed her eyes from Nanana as if disinterested. Looking up at a certain direction of town, she mumbled to herself in a sleek tone.

“There’s still some time until you ripen… but you have quite the delicious dream.”

Not only Nanana was surprised. Arisu and the rest also stood there in shock.

“Y-you’re not here to eat my dream…? You’re not going to make me a Mushitsuki?”

She hadn’t appeared to eat Nanana’s dream—

Then whose dream was she about to eat?

When Oogui had appeared there were hundreds, thousands of people around them. It was close to impossible to pinpoint a single person.

“Make me a Mushitsuki!”

But Nanana did not give up. Raising a sorrowful shout, she threw it at Oogui.

“I want to become a Mushitsuki!”

Oogui looked down at Nanana again.

“Hehe…”

Nanana wore a happy face, but the moment she was blown away by the storming purple phosphorescence.

“Nanana!”

Arisu rushed toward Nanana who rolled on the grass and was unmoving.

That was the signal to the start of the fight.

Daisuke aimed the gun fused with the checkered beetle at Oogui. A flaming bullet was shot accompanied with a roar.

Tearing through the purple scales and gouging the ground, the bullet wrapped in flames pursued Oogui.

“Hehe…”

Wearing a smile, Oogui flicked her finger toward Daisuke. —Light burst in front of her and a small Mushi was formed by gathering scales.

The surface of the Mushi with a vague outline glowed like a mirror, reflecting the incoming bullet.

The next instant—

The bullet that hit the mirror-like Mushi changed directions, being reflected back to Daisuke.

A tremor shook the public sports ground.

The ground was gouged and part of the stands were demolished. Having managed to leap aside at the last moment, Daisuke landed in a distant spot.

Flying out of the blowing screen of dust was Kasuou. Clad in an armor made of solid mist, the blond girl approached Oogui while splitting the purple scales.

Oogui leisurely spread her arms. The scales filling the sports ground gathered, giving birth to enough Mushi to fill the surroundings.

Dozens of Mushi made from scales all attacked Kasuou at once.

“Take thissss!”

Kausou’s mist exploded. The countless claws tore apart all of the Mushi at once, the shockwave engraving marks into the ground.

Now that Oogui was defenseless and within Kausou’s range, she attacked.

An earthquake from directly below shook the area.

The claws of mist, swung by Kasuou so hard she almost flung herself with them, turned half of the sports ground to a crater.

“This is my first time seeing such an energetic child.”

A bewitching voice echoed from empty air. Probably having dodged the attack, Oogui who was clad in purple scales floated in the air.

The glowing scales burst apart.

Once again, innumerable Mushi surrounded Oogui.

“Come down here!”

Inside the crater, Kasuou howled. She tore the asphalt that served as the sports ground’s foundation with her claws and flung it toward Oogui.

Knocking off the Mushi made from scales, the massive asphalt lump pursued Oogui.

Leaving a purple afterimage behind, Oogui moved in air as if sliding on it. The asphalt passed through the space that the lady had occupied just a moment before.

“Hehe—”

As Oogui tried producing more Mushi, a black demon approached from behind.

“…!”

Gasping, Oogui turned back.

But by that time Daisuke was fully clad in a glowing pattern and swung his fist. —Using the asphalt that Kasuou threw as cover, he approached Oogui with superhuman leg strength.

“Uwohhhh!”

Daisuke’s full-powered blow pierced Oogui’s chest. The strike was like a meteor crash and pushed her to the ground.

Without even waiting to land, Daisuke also shot additional attacks at the Prototype Mushi with his gun.

Noise and tremors shook the ground.

“—”

Arisu simply watched this sight unfold in front of her, unable to make any move. —Just like Kasuou said, Arisu had no place to barge on this unimaginable battle.

“Finish her, Kasuou!”

“Yeah!”

Daisuke and Kasuou charged into the cloud of dust.

But a moment later, the blowing purple scales stopped their legs.

Blowing away all the dust, the figure clad in glowing scales stood up slowly.

“…!”

Faced with that sight, Arisu was paralyzed.

Oogui was beautiful, but her body had been cruelly destroyed. Her left arm was missing and the place that would hold her heart, were she human, was completely gouged out, nothing remaining there. Her sunglasses were broken and half her face was peeled as it suffered burns.

Yet the next moment a sight even more frightening than Oogui’s ruined form began to unfold.

Endless black beetles began pouring out from inside Oogui’s body. They instantly covered her wounds and changed their forms to supplement the lost parts.

“I thought that Daisuke-chan was the only to stand in my way…”

It took Oogui only a few seconds to retrieve her former beautiful form. Even her glasses were repaired; the lady smiled as if nothing happened.

“Could you perhaps make this the last time? You should understand that interrupting my meal is useless.”

Large amounts of scales gathered in front of the sneering Oogui. These were slowly creating a colossal Mushi.

“Eh—”

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Seeing the Mushi produced, Arisu unconsciously raised a hoarse voice.

“No way—”

Daisuke froze as well, not letting out any voice. Just like Arisu, he probably couldn’t accept what was happening right in front of his eyes.

“That Mushi—”

It was a Mushi with no outline, made of scales.

However, she would never forget the seven spots on the surface of its half-dome body. Arisu had once met a Mushitsuki with the same Mushi.

“This is Rina’s ladybug—”

The massive seven-spotted ladybug spread its wings with a roar.

“—Run, Arisu! Kasuou!”

While preparing his gun, Daisuke shouted.

Kasuou, who came back to her senses with shout, used her entire mists to defend herself. The silver lance grasped by Arisu too began spouting silver scales as if in a delay and created a wall.

“Hehe—”

The sneering Oogui’s form vanished on the other side of the massive shockwave.