Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 13 Chapter 4 (section)

== 4.05 OPS3 Part 20 ==

Shiika had leapt into the isolated space created by C because she believed.

Recall understood Shiika’s aim just from the girl grabbing her hand and looking her in the eyes. It had been a very short time since she joined Mushitsuki and she was still a young Mushitsuki. Even so, the fact that she fought when she needed to could be said to symbolize the reborn Mushibane.

It wasn’t just Recall.

Shiika had many allies she could count on.

Shiika couldn’t do anything, yet these Mushitsuki supported her and believed in her.

Therefore, she had no doubt about using her own powers.

“Break…”

Being held by Recall from behind, Shiika raised her arms aloft.

Floating above her hands was the pale light glowing in the darkness of the isolated space.

It was a small firefly that used Shiika’s voice.

“Just a little…”

The snow that started inside the isolated space already captured the golden C-butterfly. The wings that were dozens of times larger than Shiika burst, broke down, shattered and scattered.

“Erii…!”

The debris floating right below Shiika’s eyes was a red fireball. Its wrapped surface was scorched black, and she knew it was emitting such violent heat wave due to its friction with the atmosphere.

The debris was still falling—

If Shiika broke the isolated space, it would fall down to the surface.

It would fall down on Alpha.

Although she knew that, Shiika didn’t let up her efforts.

“…!”

While the C-butterfly was losing its shape, light passed into the space wrapped in darkness.

The real world coming back with noise and electricity was filled with blinding light.

Daybreak.

Way above the museum, the morning sun was peeking from between the gaps in the buildings of the shopping district and showed itself.

“—”

The golden C-butterfly was completely destroyed, and what Shiika witnessed—

Was the exact scene she had believed in.

“Everyone, prepare!”

Mushitsuki who looked up the sky, surrounding the building Alpha inhabited.

With Aijisupa and Namie in the lead of Mushibane as well as the SEPB combatants under Kabuto’s command.

Shiika didn’t say anything.

She didn’t find an answer.

However, as Shiika took so quick of an action—she believed that they’d definitely be waiting for her.

“It’s heeeere!”

The afterimage of C’s isolated space was gone and the debris vibrated violently again.

The moment after, a gigantic white sphere formed between the debris and the museum. Its surface was misty but looking more closely, it was entirely made of small water vapors.

It was the lump of steam produced by Aijisupa.

The debris—finally resumed its fall.

“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!”

Shot just like a bullet from a gun, the debris clashes with the steam formed by the howling Aijisupa. The shockwave and heatwave created by the debris easily poked the surface of steam.

However, it couldn’t pierce through.

Although the large sphere was being warped, almost like a water balloon managing to stop a bullet, it just barely held back the fall’s momentum.

“Now! Push it back!”

Along with Namie’s order, the Mushitsuki on the surface all unleashed their attacks at once.

“—!”

Shiika, who had been brought back to the surface by Recall, was assaulted by a fierce wind.

The Mushitsuki’s unified attack supported the lump of steam from the surface. It covered the debris and, in order to not let the Mushitsuki destroy it, the steam changed shape from an ellipse to a disk.

“Eeek!”

A violent shockwave assaulted the surface. Shiika held down her ears and took a step back.

As if trying its very last resistance, the space debris spread around violent hellfire. The burning machine was instantly boiled by Aijisupa’s steam.

“Guh…!”

“OOOOOOH!”

“We can’t hold it…!”

Hearing the many Mushitsuki panic, Shiika startled.

Looking to the entrance of the museum, many transport vans appeared. One after another, Mushitsuki came flying out of the parked vehicles.

Those who made it in time were only the flyers—

Although C’s appearance helped them make it on time, their comrades running on the surface didn’t manage to. Right now, only about 30% of the entire forces were supporting the debris.

“OOOOOOOH!”

This especially loud war cry came from Aijisupa.

He was desperately trying to hold up the debris—

“——!”

The sky welcoming the dawn of a new day exploded.

The lump of steam and the Mushitsuki’s attacks were pierced by the debris.

Along with a roar, the debris was falling toward the building that contained Alpha—

And a moment before that.

“Eh—”

Shiika had definitely seen it.

A black arrow passed through the museum’s entrance, weaved a path between the running Mushitsuki—and flew inside the museum.

It looked as if that black arrow alone operated on another time than anyone else.

Was it just a hallucination? Perhaps she unconsciously tried to escape from reality.

Shiika thought this way because she was seeing the cruel reality in front of her eyes.

“Alpha-san…!”

Shiika’s yell was drowned by the roar of the debris crushing the building.

A violent vibration assaulted the surroundings, and all Mushitsuki who were caught up in it were blown back. Steel, concrete, glass—the fragments of the destroyed building burst inside the museum.

Erii’s aim was too precise.

The debris knocked down the building, caring not what it hit. Since the Mushitsuki managed to kill about half of its momentum, it didn’t become a huge crater, and yet—almost all of the building had been blown away as though a giant’s hand scooped it up, and it continued far behind the premises.

The direct impact settled down.

“Recall-chan!”

While dust danced around, Shiika grabbed Recall’s hand. She assumed her aim, transformed her and Shiika’s bodies to smoke and moved them atop the wreckage.

“…!”

Standing at the very edge of the gouged earth, Shiika had witnessed this scene.

A ruined building and Alpha’s corpse—

Did not exist there.

It was a mysterious result.

Although the building had clearly been destroyed—Alpha remained there, sleeping in his life preservation system.

And it was not just Alpha there.

“—Chiharu…san?”

As if to protect Alpha—or perhaps as if to stop the debris from killing Alpha.

Chiharu was there, reaching out toward the life preservation system and to empty air.

And wrapping his arms around her waist was the boy housing Sanbikime.

How on earth had they managed to reach Alpha in that split second?

How did they protect him from the debris?

She immediately knew the answer.

“—It would’ve been impossible for us alone.”

Inside the rain of asphalt fragments, Chiharu slowly raised her face.

Chiharu was shedding tears.

“Erii—saved us.”

As the girl mumbled this, her hair flowed like water.

It flowed aside as though fanned by the wind—glowing deep azure.

Looking closely, it wasn’t just Chiharu. The boy who was unconscious while hugging her waist as well as Alpha were also wrapped in the blue light.

Chiharu smiled. Her eyes narrowed in seeming reminiscence were also dyed blue.

“Welcome back, Aria—”

Blue glow rose from the ground as though only now remembering to.

The glowing light became a surge, and behind Chiharu—created a rift that flowed all the way to the debris that was supposedly somewhere far.

“I knew it, our compatibility’s the best!”

Ayukawa Chiharu.

Seeing the girl with her azure glow, Shiika came to realize.

The girl who was once house to Aria Varei and turned Kakkou into a Mushitsuki.

She now—had Aria back inside her.

She apparently used her powers as Sanbikime to protect Alpha from the debris. Was she completely unhurt despite being unable to stop the debris due to her slipping through it?

“It really was in the nick of time.”

Shiika heard that voice from overhead.

“Ubuki!”

Shirakashi Ubuki was floating in the sky, her coat transformed to four wings. She was apparently the one who carried Chiharu this far.

Shiika was very happy at getting reunited with her friends, but she came back to her sense with a start.

“Erii…! What happened to her?”

Looking at the traces of destruction continuing afar, Shiika yelled.

Had anything remained of the debris ahead?

Or had it broken down to smithereens?

“Chiharu-san!”

Shiika looked at Chiharu.

The girl who united with Aria Varei again said that Erii had saved her.

Then for sure—

“—”

Shiika’s faint hope was crushed by Chiharu’s expression.

Chiharu—erased her smile. She stared at Shiika with serious eyes.

“She left a… message for you, Shiika.”

“…!”

Left a message?

From that phrasing, it was as though—

“Yes. —It was her final request.”

Shiika felt herself go limp.

She couldn’t save Erii—

Shiika was about to fall to her knees, but Aijisupa who appeared at some point supported her.

“Grieving comes later.”

As she looked at the boy, he was looking up to the completely opposite direction of Chiharu.

It wasn’t just Aijisupa. Other than Shiika, all Mushitsuki around were glaring at the same direction.

“But it’s definitely not just you alone, Shiika-chan. I believe she told this to all of us.”

Chiharu, with her azure hair fanned in the wind, did not look at Shiika.

She appeared to be looking at the sky behind Shiika’s back where the sun just rose.

Shiika turned around and became speechless.

The sky that until just now was illuminated by the morning’s light—was dyed in purple.

“She said, ‘please protect Yuu-san’—”

Speaking of Erii’s last will, Chiharu glared ahead.

Floating there in the purple-dyed sky—

Was the being called Oogui.