Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 15 Chapter 3 (section)

== 3.05 Daisuke Part 3 ==

The spire Arisu pointed at was a building that even Daisuke, who was familiar with GARDEN, saw for the first time today. C probably created it with the Revived’s powers.

Much taller than any other building, it looked as though it was made to be able to watch over all of GARDEN. Its tip was sharpened to a point, and its gently curving body stabbed into the ground. Some sort of construction that looked like a spiral piece of art coiled around the entire building, so it looked like a snake was hugging some treasured sword.

Shiika stepped toward that building that could be called a pagoda.

“Break…”

Whispering this was not Shiika herself, but her Mushi.

White snow became a protective wall around Shiika.

Trying to intercept Shiika and the other Mushitsuki, the fairies and C-butterflies increased their glow. The Revived also took battle positions at once.

“—”

However, the one who moved first was Sleeping Beauty, Arisu.

Swiping her spear horizontally, multitudes of scales gushed out from it. They covered the fairies and the Revived that blocked Shiika’s path.

When this happened, the fairies all started slowly closing their eyes. They noiselessly fell to the ground, unmoving. The C-butterflies and the Revived similarly collapsed one after another.

It was another of Arisu’s abilities. She had the special power to put Mushi to sleep.

“All hands, begin battle! Eliminate all fairies and Revived blocking the path!”

A girl’s voice echoed through the goggles.

“Create a path for Fuyuhotaru!”

Looking to the surface, a girl wearing the West Central Branch coat looked up to Daisuke.

She was Terasu.

“I won’t hand over command to you at this point—Kakkou.”

“…”

“You Rank 1 lot won’t listen to my orders, anyway.”

Apparently the opposition and hostility she felt for him remained unchanged even at this late stage.

However, she was reliable.

He knew that she was using the hatred she held inside her to lessen his burden.

She would take on overall command so he could fight freely with the Rank 1s—she was telling him that.

“Yeah. —Leave Fuyuhotaru to me.”

Terasu gave no reply as he decided to take care of the most important person. She silently glared at Daisuke, then turned to the enemy at front.

“Keep advancing while staying close together! Focus and aim your attacks on fairies that look like they’re going to shoot lightning! Sakura, set up lightning rods at fixed points! Tamamo, Kasuou, protect everyone with barriers! —If you get away from the squad even a little, they’ll finish you with concentrated attacks!”

The Mushitsuki’s attacks made the fairies and Revived retreat little by little.

“Because she controls so much power, C’s main body shouldn’t be able to leave from the facility supplying her electricity! We’ll get to that tower no matter what!”

Now with less pressure on her, Fuyuhotaru managed to advance step by step.

However, her gait was slow and she would require some time to reach all the way to the pagoda.

“Hey, Lady! How about we go over there for a little date?”

Tachibana Rina raised her face at the flame devil’s invitation.

Ahead of their two gazes was the towering pagoda.

“—Sure.”

Rina looked at Shiika only once and nodded. Riding her seven-spotted ladybug, she rose to the sky.

Harukiyo wrapped himself in flames and then looked at Daisuke.

“…”

Daisuke couldn’t stop the seven-spotted ladybug and the crimson fireball from flying together to the sky.

Even he wasn’t planning to count on Fuyuhotaru alone. He wanted to strike C down if he had the opportunity, and since those two could fly, they were well-suited for a surprise attack like that.

Leaping over the Mushitsuki fighting on the surface, Rina and Harukiyo flew toward the pagoda.

If these were the opponents he’d fought against this far, they’d never be able to stop those two.

However—Daisuke’s ears caught a certain sound.

“Come back, Lady! Harukiyo!”

The moment after Daisuke shouted this, some smoke appeared.

Clouds of white smoke from the entirety of GARDEN.

They numbered more than one or two. As if eruptions happened all around the city, those clouds of smoke pursued the seven-spotted ladybug and the fireball with great speed.

And that wasn’t all. Flashes of light launched from the surface along with roars assaulted those airborne Mushitsuki.

The night sky was wrapped in great explosions.

Furthermore—there were golden lightnings, bursting with violent glows.

“—”

Having witnessed this tremendous attack, all Mushitsuki stood in place, shocked.

What Daisuke heard—were the sounds of bombardment.

They were surface-to-air missiles.

The attack launched from the surface in a delay probably came from autocannons. It was apparently C’s lightning that set off both the missiles and the autocannons.

Having been attacked by this concentrated bombardment in the sky where there was no cover to protect them, the two started crashing down to the surface while raising smoke. Although they heard Daisuke’s voice and took evasive actions, perhaps it wasn’t enough.

“…Tch!”

Daisuke clicked his tongue and leapt down from the hanging bridge. Taking a detour around where Fuyuhotaru and other Mushitsuki were fighting, he was headed to the inner part of the city through the coastal road.

He rushed between buildings, aiming for where Rina fell down.

Several fairies stood in his path. They were linked to the C-butterflies around through golden lights.

Light burst beneath his feet, shooting lightning aimed at the sky.

He leapt, kicking the wall of a building to dodge.

Leaping over the fairies, he turned at an alley and came out into the road.

As he did, a shockwave passed right in front of Daisuke’s eyes.

“What did you come here for?”

Her face covered in soot, Tachibana Rina turned to Daisuke. She appeared to be uninjured, but the seven-spotted ladybug spreading its wings nearby had scorch marks all over it.

Nearby, there was a toppled autocannon. These anti-air autocannons were loaded onto a battery with caterpillar tracks. 

“Did you really think they’d get me so easily?”

So the city had not just fairies and Revived, but even modern weaponry. Since C was better at controlling machinery than people in the first place, perhaps that was obvious.

“No, I came here to warn you.”

“Warn me?”

“You need to get away from here—”

Before he could finish talking, several unmanned self-propelled artilleries appeared on the other side of the road. Furthermore, fairies and Revived came swarming out from the shadows between buildings.

Daisuke and Rina were completely surrounded in the blink of an eye.

“…! She sure responded quickly. Isn’t she supposed to be busy with Shiika and Harukiyo?”

“That’s not C.”

Daisuke could see a lone figure as he looked up. Rina followed his gaze.

There was a slim figure sticking to a wall of the high buildings. That figure stood upright horizontally as though both legs were glued to the surface.

It was a Revived wearing a yellow raincoat. It also seemed to miss an arm.

Rina’s face twisted and she groaned with a pained voice.

“So that woman’s controlling them…”

“I’ll deal with her. You go and deal with as many weapons and Revived on the surface as you can. —Since anyone flying will just get shot down, we have to somehow control the surface.”

“I know that. How about you go already?”

As Daisuke turned his back to her, he felt Rina sighing behind him.

“To think I’d end up joining forces with you here in GARDEN… I want to laugh, but I can’t.”

“Not to mention with Arisu and Harukiyo, too.”

Rina had expired within Daisuke’s arms around a year earlier in GARDEN. It would be much too cynical to call this a fateful place.

Looking even back further in time, there was also the fight on the night of the meteor shower. Originally, Daisuke, Rina, Arisu and Harukiyo were supposed to join forces there.

“Don’t make Shiika cry anymore… Kusuriya.”

And Anmoto Shiika herself—Fuyuhotaru—had been enclosed here in GARDEN for four years.

It felt as if the fate that got twisted over many times by now finally got reconnected here.

Obviously, if they lost here—it would all become for nothing.

“Of course, Tachibana-san.”

Daisuke and Rina. How much time it had been since those two spoke alone?

Perhaps they would never have this opportunity again. —At the very least, the possibility would be gone if they died here.

The fairies and C-butterflies were wrapped in a golden glow.

Daisuke leapt from the spot.

A moment later, the seven-spotted ladybug’s shockwave mowed down the surface. Both fairies and Revived were blown away in all directions along with destroyed buildings.

Daisuke kicked the wall before it collapsed by the shockwave and leapt yet again to aim for the Revived wearing a yellow raincoat—Shishidou Inuko, aka Asagi.

“Wanko—”

Turning his gun toward his past comrade in arms, he pulled the trigger midair. The muzzle spat fire.

Purple lightning flashed.

The raincoat figure vanished and purple afterimages rushed around the entire city. She easily dodged the bullet and in no time at all appeared directly besides Daisuke.

“—!”

An impact struck Daisuke’s temple.

Receiving this superspeed attack, Daisuke was pounded on the ground. Just as he sank into the caved-in asphalt, an unseen power pulled him out again.

After being struck directly ahead, this time he flew to the side. —This strange phenomenon assaulting Daisuke was created by Asagi’s ability. On her first attack she charged Daisuke himself with electromagnetism, then used it to draw him toward the towering building next to them.

“Gwah…!”

The impact caused by crashing into it made the building’s wall crumble. Daisuke got buried and was getting crushed both by the mass of the debris as well as the pressure of the steel concrete.

“—WoooHHH!”

The patterns all over Daisuke body glowed. He used superhuman strength to push the concrete away and stood atop the debris.

“Gah…!”

The moment he exited to the surface, an impact pierced his sides this time.

It was another of Asagi’s attacks. Purple flashes flew between all buildings, power poles and lamps—meaning, all magnetic bodies around GARDEN.

Meanwhile, Daisuke had his legs caught up by the steel concrete, and he couldn’t follow this fast enemy with his naked eye.

Not only did Daisuke have no means to attack from range, he also had no way to remove the electromagnetism from him. Although he knew the enemy’s ability—no, ''because'' he understood the enemy’s fighting capabilities, he had to admit he was badly matched against her.

However, he had to defeat her here.

He definitely wanted to avoid having Asagi’s experience and intuition to C’s calculation abilities. Even if they managed to corner C, Asagi might appear at any moment to trip them up.

“—Are you really that happy, Wanko?”

Could she hear Daisuke talking while bleeding from his forehead?

The raincoat girl appeared, directly facing Daisuke. She fashioned herself a makeshift hockey stick made by using magnetism on steel pipes and tubes, resting it on her shoulder.

“There is nothing as pitiful as a warrior being hated by the battlefield… you used to say that a lot. And now you’re finally able to participate in a large battle. Even in that form.”

The berserker clad in purple lightning looked like she was smiling—

It probably wasn’t just an optical illusion.

“You’re the only one among the Revived looking so lively.”

He said this and readied himself.

“There’s something I gotta apologize to you about—but I ended up not caring about it, seeing that face. You feel the same, right?”

While Daisuke made his entire body’s patterns glow, Asagi raised her hockey stick in affirmation. Golden fairies and C-butterflies gathered around the raincoat.

He thought they’d shoot another lightning, but he was wrong.

The fairies and C-butterflies joined and fused with Asagi’s hockey stick. As a Revived, Asagi didn’t have to worry about getting numbed by her own electricity.

She readied her charged hockey stick.

“Tch…”

He was always able to take a lot of punishment, but now he lost this sole advantage. Daisuke was definitely tougher than a normal person, but even he wouldn’t be able to survive getting struck by C’s lightning again and again in speeds he couldn’t follow. Never mind any of the other flesh-and-blood Mushitsuki.

Daisuke and Asagi kicked the ground at the same time—

“…!”

Suddenly, Daisuke’s sight was dyed by orange. The steel pipes fell from his legs.

“What are you doing?”

A boy abruptly showed himself between Daisuke and Asagi.

He was Shiohara Shachito. With his casual wear and flippant smile—as well as the hockey stick carried on his shoulder—he looked much more fitting to some sports venue rather than a battlefield.

“You have no sensing ability or speed, so it’s gotta be tough for you to take on Inuko. Stopping you here is also part of Inuko’s strategy, you know?”

The boy who called himself Asagi’s last disciple spoke.

Daisuke had felt dubious about this until now, but looking at him like this, he had to accept it.

His stance, smiling like that with a hockey stick in hand—was like a mirror image of the other berserker in front of his eyes, Shishidou Inuko.

—''One day, those I’ve raised will fight alongside you.

During the conversation they had in her last moments, she told him this.

Her prediction became reality in a way that surprised even Daisuke.

“Leave this student and teacher fight to me.”

Speaking casually, Shachito then erased his smile.

“Right… Inuko?”

His expression looked sad.

Daisuke glared at Asagi.

The gaze of his past comrade in arms—went from Daisuke to Shachito.

Seeing that, Daisuke also looked away from her.

“—Sorry, Wanko. I told you to return to the battlefield, but…”

He turned his back to Asagi, entrusting that place to Shachito.

It was just like Shachito said. Daisuke had to fight more than one Revived.

“I never would have expected—you’d manage to raise a warrior even stronger than you.”

Leaving this behind, he kicked the ground and went away.

He could immediately hear violent sounds of battle coming from behind him. He felt an explosion, then immediately heard lightning rumbling in the distance. It happened on both surface and air.

Daisuke ran through the city, eliminating any and all enemies he ran across.

He used a burning bullet to destroy an autocannon on the road. Revived trying to surround Daisuke closed the distance, and he broke their Mushi to smithereens with punches and kicks.

“…!”

The number of light sources illuminating the night sky increased.

These were fighter helicopters. Clad in a golden, electrical light, they were equipped with missiles and guns. Connected to the lightning strike from the surface, they created a waterfall made of electricity.

Dragged by these destructive waterfalls, the helicopters were deployed throughout GARDEN. They probably numbered more than twenty.

He could see these waterfalls of lightning—that acted much like pillars supporting the shrine—mowing down the surface. They also shot their machineguns embedded with electricity, spreading destruction in three particular areas.

They were probably attacks against Rina, Harukiyo and Arisu.

“So they managed to split the enemies forces from focusing only on Fuyuhotaru… but since the number of enemies just keeps on growing, it’s probably meaningless.”

Two helicopters even approached Daisuke. Their lightning waterfalls mowing down everything below them, they got close to him.

Daisuke aimed his gun at the upper sky. He pulled the trigger and shot. The impact caused by the discharge blew away the Revived trying to surround him.

Two more bullets shot in succession destroyed two of the attack helicopters.

As Daisuke saw them lose most of their body and start falling down—it created an opening.

“—!”

Although the attack helicopter was supposed to lose all control over its flight, it started firing its guns toward Daisuke.

The vehicles controlled by C required no pilot. Even if they couldn’t fly, they could attack. He immediately took evasive action, but countless bullets hit all around Daisuke. Golden lightning rose from every spot they struck, one after another.

“Gwoaaah!”

Daisuke kept shooting back bullets even while being washed by the lightning attacks. This time the attack helicopter broke down without a trace.

“Kuh…”

He just barely avoided any direct hits, but his legs were numb and his head felt hazy.

He was probably able to avoid any follow up attacks because Shachito was holding back Asagi, who was in charge of commanding the Revived. Dodging the fairies and Revived that arrived in a delay, Daisuke withdrew.

“Helicopters coming! Kaguya, change your aim to the skies!”

“But we won’t be able to hold back the Revived like this!”

“Just go back to aiming at the surface after downing those helis! Until then, I’ll handle ‘em! —Sense Isolation!”

The voices he heard from the goggles informed him of his comrades’ struggle.

They had too many enemies.

Never mind gaining control of the surface, they might run out of stamina before that.

''What do I do here… should I try to go all for nothing and charge to the tower alone?

He shook off this thought entering his mind along with the remaining dizziness.

It was easy to imagine there were way more enemies nearer the pagoda. Also, C might have laid traps for them.

It wasn’t a battle Daisuke could win on his own.

He should scatter the enemy forces and then make a surprise attack on the pagoda—but if both were impossible, there was only one thing he could do.

Daisuke leapt, kicking walls to alternate between two building and climb like that, landing atop a high rooftop.

The GARDEN he could see from his vantage point really looked like a battlefield. All around the city there were violent explosions and columns of smoke.

“So we were thinking the same.”

The fights occurring in the outer perimeter of the town were starting to converge in one place.

Toward Fuyuhotaru.

While he stood on the rooftop, Daisuke started getting bombarded by self-propelled artillery shooting at him from the surface.

The moment before these autocannons hit their mark, Daisuke leapt down from the roof. Landing on the ground, he left the explosions echoing overhead behind him, running ahead.

Beating down the Revived swarming toward him, he mowed down the fairies and C-butterflies with bullets. He dodged the self-propelled artillery launched by the autocannons, kicked them into the air while passing by them and turned them over.

By rushing through the alleys, he soon leapt out into a wide roadway.

It was wide, two-laned road that connected all the way to the pagoda in the center of GARDEN.

A fierce battle was unfolding there.

He could see the blizzard-clad Shiika going in the front and behind her a group of fighting Mushitsuki. Rina, Harukiyo and Arisu were already there.

“Kakkou’s also back!”

“The helis are gathering…! There are suddenly many more Revived, too!”

“Why are they all coming back here! Change in strategy?”

While listening to Terasu’s tense voice, Daisuke looked at the traces of Shiika’s passage.

Too slow—

Right now, the hanging bridge that served as the entrance to GARDEN was still visible from their current location. Regardless of the unobstructed view created by destroyed buildings, roads and such. They only advanced a few hundred meters.

Even including the fact that the four Rank 1s attracted their enemies to lighten the combatants’ burden, if they kept going in this speed—the Mushitsuki were definitely going to exhaust themselves before reaching the pagoda.

Operating the goggles, he broadcast his voice to everyone.

“It’s useless for us to try approaching the tower on our own. And even if we lower the number of enemies on the surface—it’s probably useless. Because it looks like she’s sending weapons into GARDEN from the outside.”

“Should we gather and advance together like I thought, then? The enemies in GARDEN are assembling, but since we also have the Rank 1s, we might be able to somehow keep this pace—”

“It’d be too late. —Everyone here already understood this long ago, right?”

While in the middle of violent fights, a complete silence befell the comms.

Not even a single person denied Daisuke’s words. The already wounded Mushitsuki’s expressions becoming severe wasn’t just due to their injuries and fatigue.

Above all else, Shiika’s sorrowful face told it all.

It wasn’t like she was feeling pain for those Mushitsuki who fought in order to let her advance.

It was because—she knew that sooner or later, her comrades would just exhaust themselves.

“At this rate, we’d all die pathetically before even reaching the midpoint.”

“What are we supposed to do, then?! We can’t go back anymore, right?”

“Raise the pace.”

All Mushitsuki other than Shiika turned to Daisuke. —She was the only one without any equipment.

“All Rank 1s other than Fuyuhotaru will create the path to the tower. All other combatants are to take detours away from the front and clear the enemies. Now that Asagi isn’t here, the enemies shouldn’t be making any complex attacks.”

“Are you telling us to run all the way to the tower in one go?! We’ll never hold up for so long!”

“It’s fine as long as Fuyuhotaru reaches there.”

He could hear all Mushitsuki gasping through the wireless.

However—not a single one opposed his suggestion.

“C’s afraid.”

With the pagoda in the very center visible in the distance, GARDEN was ablaze with the color gold.

She mobilized the fairies, the C-butterflies, the Revived, the autocannons and even the attack helicopters to protect the one and single spire towering over the center.

“It’s clear, right? C’s being this cautious not because she’d scared of us. She’s afraid of one person and one person alone—Fuyuhotaru—coming to her.”

“…”

“We need no strategy or anything. As long as Fuyuhotaru reaches that place, we can end this.”

From the very beginning it had nothing to do with the Rank 1 or anything else.

C had attacked Daisuke and the other Mushitsuki simply because she feared a surprise attack. She was convinced she could beat any Mushitsuki at all if she isolated them and attacked with concentrated firepower.

Only a single Mushitsuki was the exception.

Only one person who wouldn’t let even a single attack pass, whose attacks could never be defended against.

That was—Fuyuhotaru.

A step.

Yet another step.

There was no doubt that her slow steps sounded to C like the clock ticking her own countdown.

As long as white snow kept falling from the star-studded skies—

The battle between the Mushitsuki and C would never end.

“…”

Not a single one of his comrades were able to utter any voice.

They had no way to win at this rate. Even so, charging while putting their lives on the line was a huge gamble. If they went on that one-way street, they might encounter the ending known as annihilation waiting for them.

However—all their remaining hopes were just ahead.

“—Once the Rank 1s begin their attack, we’ll deploy to both sides and behind Fuyuhotaru! You don’t have to watch the front! Just don’t let any enemies attack from the sides!”

Terasu’s order spread to all units.

Daisuke leapt, landing in front of Fuyuhotaru.

As he readied his gun, Rina, Harukiyo and Arisu also landed to his left and right. The four Rank 1s that assembled in front of Fuyuhotaru prepared to face the enemies ahead.

“Let’s go!”

A bullet clad in raging flames was launched from the gun’s muzzle fused with the maw of the checkered beetle.

The large seven-spotted ladybug unleashed shockwaves.

A crimson, blazing Great Yama tiger beetle was unleashed along with a roar.

The spear fused with the silver Morpho butterfly sent slashing attacks with scales.

“Chaaarge!”

Embodying overwhelming destruction, these attacks blew away the fairies in their way.

While opening the path ahead, this impact wouldn’t stop, creating a large path in front of Daisuke’s group.

—Or so it should have.

“—”

As Daisuke wanted to rush ahead, his legs stopped.

At first he couldn’t understand what happened in front of his eyes.

Up to the point they blew the fairies away, their attack went just like they expected it to—but no path opened up.

Because something flew out of the ground along with a tremor.

Higher than the surrounding buildings, there were creepy patterns tightly etched into its black surface. This rectangular object’s material looked like aged wood, but also like thick metal.

It looked like a coffin—but it was much too large for that.

The attacks launched by the four Rank 1s struck even this large coffin to smithereens.

However, inside the destroyed coffin—

Was another one.

Destroying even that, another one appeared behind it—

“This—is—”

He could hear Terasu’s groan from the wireless.

Daisuke and the rest’s attack was finally blocked by the fourth coffin.

That wasn’t the only strange thing.

A white brilliance was formed in front of their target, the towering pagoda.

Swelling from between the high-rise buildings and while crushing those, appearing as though to protect the pagoda—was something much too large to be acknowledged as a Mushi, a much too beautiful monster.

Its long and thin body was pure white and emitted a pale glow. Its sharpened, blade-like, smooth legs stepped firmly on the ground, and on its raised upper torso it readied a single, curved scythe. Its oval head had eyeballs like pearls, and on its back it unfurled wings that were pink like flower petals.

It was an orchid mantis glowing in white.

And even a veteran like Daisuke had never seen a Mushi so large.

“Genius—”

He heard the voice of Ogata Akatsuki coming from the goggles. Apparently he and Terasu knew this monster’s identity.

The orchid mantis made a deep howl.

Countless coffins began sprouting from all around the pagoda and the orchid mantis from the surface. Even seen from afar, they were large and formed a circle with no openings.

A moment later, even further new coffins appeared to draw a circle around their outer perimeter.

Earth tremors kept echoing one after another, and further coffins appeared—

The tremors finally stopped when the wall of coffins came right in front of Daisuke’s face. With electricity running through all of them, the coffins were glowing in gold.

“—No, way—”

Someone groaned this with a hoarse voice.

Enough coffins appeared to form a wall around the pagoda. If GARDEN was viewed from the sky, they would probably be able to see the circle of golden coffins like the loops of a cut tree.

Looking up the towering coffins, the Mushitsuki were frozen still.

Along with curtains of lightning, attack helicopters approached from the skies.

Even the fairies and Revived began gathering where Daisuke and the others stopped their charge.

Furthermore—

White lines passed through the sky and something was thrown toward the Mushitsuki on the surface.

An aircraft was carpet bombing the surface. Since they sparkled in gold, it probably meant that these bombs were also embedded with C’s lightning.

“—”

Watching the golden glows drop down from the sky as though in slow motion—all Mushitsuki felt despair.

However, even in such a situation—

Kasuou.

Harukiyo.

Arisu.

These three Mushitsuki instantly erecting a defensive barrier with their abilities was close to a miracle.

The three-layered barrier of mist, flames and scales engulfed all Mushitsuki. However, they weren’t able to fully defend against this overwhelming attack.

Attacks made by golden lightning, violent explosions or the Revived that managed to break through the barrier hit the Mushitsuki on the surface.

“WaaAAAhAAAH!”

“Ah—”

“KyaaAAAaAH!”

The wireless was filled with the dying screams of Mushitsuki.

While their sight was filled with flashes of light and explosions, the Mushitsuki collapsed one after another.

“Aah—Ah…”

Protecting herself with a blizzard, Shiika saw their end with a sorrowful expression. While the Mushitsuki were injured by golden lightning and explosive wind, she just stood there, unable to do anything.

“Uh—”

He heard a new scream through the goggles.

One of the Mushi desperately protecting themselves was trapped inside a coffin around two meters tall appearing from the ground. The moment it trapped the Mushitsuki, the coffin was enveloped by golden lightning.

More and more new coffins leapt from the surface. Quite a few Mushitsuki were taken inside and vanished.

Urgent voices of his comrades including Ogata Akatsuki echoed in the goggles.

“Genius is a Mushi-eating Mushi! If you get swallowed by the coffin it’s all over…!”

“Gwah! H-how many were taken down?!”

“Already, more than half our forces…! T-Terasu, give your orders…!”

“Uuh—if I Isolate the territory right now, Kasuou and the rest’s barrier will also be gone—t-try and resist by yourselves, somehow…!”

Terasu’s voice was also swallowed by explosions and he couldn’t hear her clearly.

Even if he could hear her, it was probably meaningless. A lone word probably came to the minds of all Mushitsuki there, including Terasu.

Annihilation—

Their worst prediction would probably become reality in a few minutes.

After the exhausted Mushitsuki fell, even the powerful Mushitsuki who lost their support would fold up one after another. And this would continue until even the Rank 1s like Daisuke fell.

The one remaining last—would be Shiika.

Left alone, even Shiika would be unable to either proceed or draw back, and eventually run out of power—

It was the common image that rose to all Mushitsuki’s minds.

For Daisuke, too.

However…

“Fuyuhotaru!”

It wasn’t over yet.

It was clear they wouldn’t be able to avoid annihilation at this rate.

If so, then Daisuke and the rest had only one way to survive.

Daisuke’s loud voice reverberated in the battlefield engulfed by the sounds of battle and flashes of light.

“Stop your ability!”

Forgetting about the situation, the Mushitsuki gasped. Everyone turned to look at Daisuke.

The patterns etched all over Daisuke’s body emitted green light. Grasping his large automatic pistol, he stepped hard on the ground.

Stopping Fuyuhotaru’s ability in this situation?

Removing the snow now would be suicidal—

Everyone probably thought this.

“Stop making it snow… and run!”

Howling, Daisuke kicked the ground. Rushing ahead, he struck down the overlapping barrier of mist, flames and scales from the inside.

“All other Mushitsuki, protect Shiika with everything you have!”

As he leapt outside the barrier, a storm of lightning attacks was immediately revealed. However, without considering his own injuries, Daisuke approached even the towering gold coffins in front of his eyes—

And shot a bullet with his full powers.

The flaming bullet struck through the coffin that was like a high-rise building.

At the same time, golden lightning surged from the broken coffin. This golden glow pierced Daisuke.

“—GAHHHH!”

He was assaulted by a strike that felt like it should blow him into a hundred pieces. His sight was dyed in white and his consciousness felt about to get blown away.

However, he couldn’t allow himself to stop here.

There were still more walls protecting the pagoda.

If he couldn’t break down all of them and then also defeat the monster called Genius, he’d never be able to reach all the way to C.

If he couldn’t reach her—they’d be all annihilated.

When Daisuke and all the rest died, it would be C’s victory.

The world would become one where Mushitsuki were born endlessly—

“Gu—uh…”

Daisuke tried rushing toward the next coffin, but his body wouldn’t move. Without him even realizing, his knees fell touched the ground and his head was hazy.

If he stopped here, he would get hit by another concentrated attack.

While he understood that, as his body was numb and unmoving, above his head appeared—

Something like a fluttering butterfly.

Like a bridge connecting hope to hope.

A lone silver glow leapt over him.

“—Arisu—”

The moment she passed next to him, the silver spear-wielding girl looked at Daisuke.

She spoke no words.

However, she wore a bright smile like that of her original self. Just like back then when she might have ridiculed Daisuke, but fought to save Mushitsuki.

Arisu got a running start and thrust the lance glowing silver straight ahead.

[[File:Mushi Uta 15 p300.png|thumb]]

Cracks ran through the gigantic coffin blocking the path ahead.

The next moment, as the coffin blown apart while spreading scales around—she received a violent electric shock.

“—!”

Struck by lightning, Arisu was thrown to the ground. She apparently immediately protected herself with scales, but it wasn’t the kind of damage she could fully nullify.

Having witnessed the second coffin getting destroyed, someone overtook Daisuke again.

They were Harukiyo with his body clad in flames, as well as Rina riding her seven-spotted ladybug. Without even turning to Daisuke, both looked ahead.

Furthermore—Shiika sprinted next to him.

Shiika was limited in how fast she could move while using her ability. However, since she stopped making it snow and ran, she was now much faster.

“...”

Shiika’s eyes that he saw for only a brief moment—were powerful.

She believed without doubt that Daisuke would rise to his legs again.

While protecting Shiika from the fairies and Revived, many Mushitsuki also passed by Daisuke, running. None of them worried about Daisuke or looked at him.

“—Guh!”

Howling, Daisuke got up. The pattern all over his body emitted a glow again.

The sight of Harukiyo destroying the third coffin leapt into his eyes. Unable to fully evade the lightning attack released from the destroyed coffin, the flame devil rolled on the ground.

Daisuke broke into a run.

He overtook Arisu who tried getting to her shaking legs.

He overtook Shiika and the Mushitsuki protecting her.

Her overtook Rina, who was blown back along with her seven-spotted ladybug by the lightning emitted by the fourth destroyed coffin.

He struck his clenched fist at the fifth coffin towering ahead of him.

“Gwah...!”

The moment the coffin broke down, Daisuke was struck by lightning. This impact that was superior even to the previous one caused him to fall forward. His limbs were numb and paralysed and his head was swimming.

Even so, as he raised his face and tried getting up again, Arisu overtook him. Her white coat was stained with fresh blood.

Arisu destroyed the next coffin again and was struck by lightning.

And once more, the Mushitsuki with Shiika in the center ran ahead. They numbered less than before. Either getting caught by coffins that came flying out of the ground or else protecting Shiika from the fairies, the Mushitsuki collapsed one after another.

Transforming into a fireball and reaching the very front of the group, Harukiyo destroyed the next coffin.

“AaAAH!”

Daisuke shouted and rose. His long coat was scorched and in tatters, and his face was dirtied by blood and soot. If he collapsed like this, he might get mistaken with debris.

Even so Daisuke ran ahead.

Overtaking his comrades, overtaking his collapsed comrades, he was headed to the frontlines.

Although their numbers went down, the Mushitsuki rushing with all of their power were approaching the pagoda.

A coffin was destroyed again and the seven-spotted ladybug was pierced by a golden flash.

“—!”

Bending back, Rina fell to her knees and remained there—

Daisuke broke the next coffin with bullets.

Even as his sight was dyed in gold, he didn’t feel any pain—because he lost consciousness for a second.

He regained it because Arisu poked him with the handle of her spear as she passed next to him. Kasuou and Terasu also struck his body. It was also thanks to the healer Mushitsuki called Nene who kept singing despite her face being blue on the verge of asphyxiation. 

While switching with each other to destroy the coffins, the Mushitsuki kept advancing toward the pagoda.

Already, the only traces to their passage were debris strewn with collapsed Mushitsuki or Revived.

All those who were running were covered in wounds without exception. Even Shiika who stopped using her powers was bleeding from her forehead, perhaps from an attack that their comrades hadn’t managed to fully protect her against. Even including Shiika, those who still ran together numbered no more than about thirty.

“—...”

Daisuke stood up, wavering. He stepped ahead with a weak gait.

As he hastened his pace, the patterns on his body increased their glow. Switching his legs from walking to running, he finally raised his head and looked ahead.

They were approaching the pagoda.

As well as the orchid mantis that stood in front of it like a watchdog.

Overtaking the collapsed members that were pulled up by their comrades, Daisuke ran.

Rina destroyed another coffin.

Only one coffin remained—

“OOOooOOOOOHHH!”

Daisuke’s fist struck through the final coffin.

As he was struck by lightning, it finally opened up the view for him and the Mushitsuki following from behind.

Appearing on the other side of the raining coffin fragments—

Was the gigantic orchid mantis they needed to look up at.

As well as—a gigantic Shrine floating in the night sky.

“—“

Seeing the Shrine that appeared at some point, the Mushitsuki all froze.

Looking down on them, the orchid mantis swung down its massive scythe. A warm wind blew through the battlefield, and a swarm of white spheres was created on the surface.

“T-this is... Genius’s mental pollution—”

Terasu’s voice was cut off in the middle—because time itself seemed to stop.

Anything and everything was dyed in white.

In a world where even his blood was dyed white, Daisuke—

Was struck by lightning, losing all sounds and sense of time.