Editing Mushi Uta:Volume 11 Chapter 2 (section)

== 2.06 Daisuke Part 6 ==

“Cough. A little more…”

Mikko on his back mumbled while coughing.

Daisuke nodded wordlessly. Due to running for a long distance while carrying a girl, even his stamina reached its limits.

The large swarm of Mushi drawn by them already grew so large that he couldn’t see its end.

Running on the shore of the large pond, he could see a huge plaza ahead.

In the center of that plaza was a giant concrete-made monument. Perhaps abandoned in the middle of a parade, there was a large car with decorations there.

“—Looks like they also did their job.”

He raised his sweaty face at Mikko’s words.

On the other side of the plaza there were clouds of dust.

Running and bringing swarms of Mushi with them, Kasshi, Rui and Kii-kun could be seen.

“Kii-kun… so you were safe.”

“Just like I said, right? That he’s definitely safe… cough.”

Right—when he was shaken at Kii-kun’s disappearance, she told him that he was probably fine.

Daisuke couldn’t just plunge into the Mushi and go looking, so he had to believe her words.

“Was that another one of your prophecies?”

“No, I only said it for some peace of mind.”

Daisuke raised a brow.

He felt as if Mikko’s way of talking and personality slightly changed from when they’d first met.

At first she was more like a girl his age but became more and more shameless—

Daisuke, Mikko, Rui, Kasshi, Kii-kun—the five of them entered the plaza almost at the same time.

“Daisuke! Mikko! How dare you abandon meeeee! I nearly died!”

“If you’d died, we’d have some peace and quiet.”

“You’ve carried Mikko all the way here? Impressive.”

The reunion with those familiar figures of a topknot, a hoodie and an expensive suit nostalgic guys was complete.

“Sorry. Since I didn’t really care, I hadn’t even noticed you were gone.”

“Cough… in that sense, it’s your fault for having no presence, Kii-kun.”

There was no time to rejoice at everyone’s safety.

The Mushi chasing after Daisuke and the rest invaded the plaza. In no time the entire surface was filled with Mushi.

Daisuke and the rest took a sharp turn near the monument and aimed for the plaza exit.

The five ran shoulder to shoulder, weaving through the arch made of flowers.

“Alright—it’s go time!”

Rui shouted.

As he did, many figures jumped out from the shades of the flowers surrounding the plaza flew out many figures.

They were the armed forces wearing camo suits. Readying their machineguns, they stood to block the way of the Mushi chasing them.

“Fire! Let them eat lead!”

How on earth had he gathered these much soldiers, weapons and bullets? It was unpleasant just to imagine how much gunfire echoed.

Sparks, flashes of light and a lot of exhaust smoke filled the plaza.

Rui’s soldiers, who surrounded the plaza and lay in waiting, began their uniliteral annihilation of the Mushi.

“Keep shooting till they stop moving! There’s no end to them!”

Whenever there were breaks in the gunfire, Rui’s vigorous encouragement flew.

Gathering all the Mushi in Castello del Lago into one place and using firearms to destroy them.

This exceedingly simple strategy consisted only of that.

He couldn’t tell whether normal Mushi could be beaten like this. However, against these Imperfect Mushi, who had no special abilities and low intelligence, it was effective enough.

Having their tough hide pierced and collapsing, the Mushi vanished one after another.

“…”

Seeing the efficiently eliminated Mushi in front of his eyes, Daisuke was thinking.

If he could use his Mushi ability right now, what would have happened?

Most likely—he wouldn’t have believed in Mikko’s strategy and instead defeat these Mushi all alone. He would have wasted whatever little power remained and perhaps exhaust himself before fully annihilating them.

“Even without my powers… I can still defeat Mushi.”

He only now noticed something so natural.

The Mushi called Blaze Class Rank 1 Kakkou was outrageously powerful.

However, it was possible that he was the one who relied on that power the most of all—

“Cough… Is your arm injured, Rui?”

Coming back to himself from these words, he looked at Rui. The youth’s arm was wrapped in a handkerchief and was dyed in blood.

“Ah, a little.”

“Hmph.”

For some reason Kasshi looked sulky as he averted his gaze.

Apparently something happened between them while they were alone.

“Looks like we’re fine here.”

As Daisuke said this, the four nodded.

There was a huge explosion.

Along with a tremor, cracks ran through the huge monument at the center of the plaza. Exploding it was also part of their strategy.

“Now, I will show you to my big brother… cough.”

Being led by Mikko, Daisuke and the rest left the park.

Behind them, masses of concrete crushed the Mushi.




Taking the armed forces with them, the five taking came—to a large castle, a Castello.

The outer wall decorated by sublime carvings spread to both sides, while a spire made of a series of thick, round pillars rose in the center. Underneath the dark clouds, this structure looked like a giant wedding cake.

As the sun was starting to sink and lights around were being turned on, something waited at the base of the castle.

A dark mass.

It was a person clad in clothes dirtied from mud and dust. The limbs visible from the gaps in the clothing were quite thin and dyed in black. Due to them casting down their gaze, long hair hid half their face.

Only a single thing this figure wore—a white cloak with a red embroidery sewn on it—was as beautiful as if it was brand new. It was probably stolen from some store.

Unlike his dirty appearance, his figure sitting on the stairs going to the castle looked rather smarmy and haughty. From the gaps in his long air, bulging eyes stared down at Daisuke and the rest.

“—Let’s start.”

Rui raised a hand. The soldiers deployed, intending to surround the man.

“W-wait!”

Kii-kun flew ahead. “Hey!” Rui tried to stop him, but was ignored.

“You’re probably the same as that woman, right! Some kinda guinea pig… if that’s right, then you know how to create those Mushi whatever!”

Daisuke turned around and grabbed the boy moment before he could reach the cloaked figure.

Even so, Kii-kun didn’t stop.

“You lot did something to me, can’t you do anything about that? That woman stared at me… can’t really explain it, but I feel weird! Help me!”

Weird—what did he mean by that?

As far as Daisuke could see, there were no changes to Kii-kun’s body.

“Help me…!”

Staring at the clinging boy, the cloaked man opened his mouth.

“—”

He mumbled something. Daisuke couldn’t understand his words.

“He says, go away… cough.”

Mikko said. She could apparently translate him.

“This is my castle… he says.”

Kii-kun and Daisuke furrowed their brows.

Seeing their puzzled looked, Mikko coughed.

“He was apparently the king of another country. But since he was too ambitious, he was apparently shunned by the powerful men of his country and they made a deal with the Round Table so that they’d take him, he’d be treated as missing and die here…”

Everyone’s gazes turned to Rui.

The youth nodded with a grave face. Mikko’s explanation seemed to be correct.

Daisuke asked Mikko.

“Can this guy really create so many imperfect Mushi?”

“Probably. Since he’s really obsessed with power and authority… thinking it’d console him who suffered in the experiments, I did talk to him about a certain castle in this country, meaning Castello… at some point he started thinking of it as his own… cough.”

So he went insane—

He wasn’t Kii-kun, but Daisuke also had a lot he wanted to ask this man.

However, if this key person himself was in a state of confusion he could do nothing. Even taking him along and imprisoning him was impossible as long as he couldn’t get in contact with the SEPB.

So it was better to hand him over to the Round Table and wait for another opportunity to snatch him away.

“N-never mind all that! Please tell me how I can be saved!”

Mikko translated Kii-kun’s plea to the man.

The man mumbled something. He didn’t look like he cared about Kii-kun.

“These soldiers are useless. They’re too weak. They need to be something else—he says. Cough.”

“W-what about me—”

“Right, I just need to lose my form. If I do that, neither lead bullets nor sword would work. Then next time I will—”

The words translated by Mikko were completely incomprehensible.

Kii-kun grimacing in despair signaled the final act.

Rui wordlessly shook his hand.

The armed forced immediately all shot their stun guns.

Being stabbed with electrical currents all over his body, the man howled. He kicked at the ground like a beast and flew toward the soldiers.

One was caught and collapsed. An imperfect Mushi was created but instantly felled by a real bullet.

“…Undying, huh.”

Looking at the man resist like no normal person could, Daisuke unconsciously grimaced.

The man’s power of life was certainly fearsome. Even receiving shocks he had yet to collapse, and his forms of counterattacking with nimble movements didn’t seem human.

However—he was not Undying.

Daisuke had once fought a being that could be called that.

That fight was already over. Also, it ended as a cruel failure—

The man in front of him was not Undying. As proof, although it was difficult, the armed forces managed to catch him. While weakened he showed an opening and he had his body restrained by tape.

Finally being constricted in his movements, the man in the cloak was taken away by Rui’s private forces.

“Is he really the last out of the guinea pigs that ran from the research facility?”

Remaining in front of the castle were only five people. Daisuke turned to Mikko.

“Yes, there is no doubt about it… cough.”

“Where’s that facility?”

As Kashi asked this, Kii-kun grabbed him.

“Are you going there? D-don’t leave me behind, I’m going too!”

“I do believe you shouldn’t get involved anymore… cough. It doesn’t seem like you intend on turning back…”

Receiving the gazes of the three boys staring at her, Mikko narrowed her eyes sadly.

“—Is that some kinda joke?”

Rui who was speaking with someone over his cellphone raised his tone slightly.

Everyone turned to look at him.

“Did something happen, Rui?”

“I’ll call back,” Rui said, cut off the phone and spoke to answer his question. “Apparently we can’t get in contact with that facility… as well as people who went to check the site.”

Before the castle being illuminated by the setting sun, silence fell.

“Let’s go.”

Kashi spoke.

“Where’s that facility?”

“I will guide you. A certain vessel had been remodeled to create the research facility.”

“A vessel…?”

Kii-kun asked with a low voice.

As if a prelude, Mikko coughed.

“An abandoned ship.”

The one who was so shocked his breathing stopped at these words—

Was Daisuke alone.



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==Notes==

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