Horizon:Volume 9B Chapter 63

Final Chapter: Victor in the Moonlight

She left me

She tried to protect me

She said goodbye with a smile

But I won’t give up

Point Allocation (None Of Us Will)

●

Nobunaga still had a shred of consciousness left.

Her life support management had been stopped, but her body’s energy stores wouldn’t vanish right away.

There was nothing around her.

…Oh.

The spell circling Honnouji had her body fixed in midair.

She was effectively nailed to a cross. This really was Golgotha. But this was how she had wanted it to end.

And when she looked down to the surface from this height…

“––––”

She could see more than just Kyou. There was Shikoku, Mikawa, and Shinshu too. She was still rising, so she would eventually be able to see all of the Far East, and probably the outer world as well.

She doubted she would still be conscious then.

But there was something else she could see.

On the ground far below, she saw lights, populated areas, and cities.

She saw large towns, Kyou, Osaka, and past that she could even see the shape of the roads in M.H.R.R.

People she had never seen or met lived there.

And she would now be protecting them all.

Her method was flawed.

The world and its people would remain, but all friendships and even familial relationships would be gone. Along with losing their memories, they would lose their languages, writing systems, cultures, civilizations, spells, and even gods. All those connections would be severed and they would not return on their own.

This form of salvation didn’t just affect history and nations – it meant the loss of individual identity.

The world would likely be in turmoil afterward. Power would take over and the world would take on a new form.

No one would remember what she had done.

But this was the only available method.

So she would do it. If no one did it, the world would end.

…Yes.

With her ascension, the world wouldn’t have to end.

I have one question, god. Oh, but I don’t mean the gods who actually respond when you call them. And I don’t mean Destiny either. If there is something bigger out there…

…Did I fulfill my role?

The Genesis Project wasn’t complete yet. But she was ensuring it would be.

“––––”

She sensed her consciousness fading while her eyes gazed upon all that she held dear.

And she wondered if she was living up to his example when he tried to save her 10 years ago.

●

Asama and the others looked up into the sky until Honnouji had risen too high to see.

They were on a transport ship carrying them back to the Musashi. The one waiting for them had moved between them and Honnouji to shield them from the earlier blast. Without that…

…We would have been pulled in by the suction caused by the newly formed hole and that would have been a disaster.

They had waited until the wind died down and now they were flying back to the Musashi. Honnouji was already high in the sky and climbing higher.

They could track the flying structure. They could estimate where it was going. But…

…I just can’t seem to relax.

Everyone was muttering comments of “damn” or “hell”.

They were stewing. But this wasn’t like at Mikatagahara. Instead of anger to mask their anxieties, this anger was directed at their own uselessness.

“We need a plan,” said Masazumi and everyone gave her a sharp look and nodded.

Horizon pointed up into the sky.

“Um, the memory album of my first 7 or 8 years of life and the bearer of my body and guts is currently ascending toward he moon. What’s the usual response to that?”

“Not sure anyone will have an answer for that one.”

Naito’s response was understandable. And Suzu spoke quietly from the Musashino bridge.

“I wish…we could have…spoken with her more.”

Would they have another chance? Asama didn’t know if her OS could be restarted.

She had wanted death, but when she couldn’t achieve it herself, the system had taken over.

Musashi had been here to stop that, but they had lost.

She heard a definite sigh come from him. And…

“We now know that my awful father has accumulated many more crimes in a greater variety of fields than we had previously thought. I wish I could give him a fierce talking to, but unfortunately nothing of him remains. As for my body…”

“Does it bother you that she took your body away like that?”

“No. From what she said, it sounds like this body is far more convenient. Regaining that one would only be a nuisance and I lack any memory of being in that body anyway. Still…I do wish I could have more thoroughly compared my awful father’s handiwork to the natural one.”

Mitotsudaira spat out the water she had been drinking. He turned around with his lips pursed.

“Hey, y’know, I did just get done saying she’s a stranger and you’re the real Horizon. Were you not listening? Is that it?”

“In that sense, she is a stranger. Even if her memories are mine. But,” said Horizon. “Those old memories link the two of us to all of you.”

“So is she like your alternate personality or something? That’s probably how she sees it. But,” he said. “She really shouldn’t try to die.”

Asama and Mitotsudaira exchanged a glance and nodded.

…That’s what’s actually on his mind.

Asama could tell that much. But he must have realized it slipped out because he immediately shrugged and…

“Your awful dad must not think an OS can have a soul. I bet he’s opposed to anthropomorphizing things.”

“You could say that’s why he asked an OS to do it. He could’ve had Horizon do it instead.”

“Oh, a supportive comment from Masazumi-sama. Now this is rare.”

“I guess,” said Masazumi with a bitter smile, so she must have known it was true. Then she pointed to the others. “With this, the Honnouji Incident is complete, but the Genesis Project remains and stopping it is going to be a challenge. The other nations are not going to be kind about this, so prepare yourselves.”

“Seijun, what’s the situation?”

“Oh,” said Asama. She opened a sign frame to show a summary of the measurements she had been taking. And with an “um”, she began speaking. “I can’t say for certain, but it looks like the Genesis Project won’t be completed right away anymore. I think the ending will come after one or two complete moon cycles. If I had to guess, the next full moon will be used to make the final adjustments and the process will actually be carried out at the full moon after that.”

“So until then…?”

“We will be in a tough spot until Westphalia at the end of October,” said Masazumi. “Also, the Azuchi is headed this way. We have to decide if we’re going to deal with them or not.”

We have so many enemies, thought Asama, but she chose not to say it out loud. Still, she was curious about one thing.

“Toori-kun?”

“Yeah?” he said, turning around. Oh, he really is forcing it, she realized when she saw his face.

It looked like he was forcing his usual intensity and Asama wondered if there was anything she could do to help.

So she made an effort to change the subject.

Horizon gave her a full-strength thumbs up of approval as she did so.

“Wasn’t that thing Nobunaga-san was wearing cute? You know, the feathers around the neck and the golden chains around the shoulders. I think Kimi was right about her copying you.”

“Yes, yes. And I saw she was wearing a boy’s long coat underneath her cloak,” said Mitotsudaira. “Her perfume smelled the same too. She even uses the same shampoo as you, my king.”

“Ho ho. Aren’t you Mr. Popular, Toori-sama?”

“When she takes it that far, isn’t it kind of stalkerish?” he said.

But he did finally smile bitterly, his shoulders relaxing.

…Yes.

His mood might dip and recover, but these waves would come whenever something happened.

Even if he knew Nobunaga was someone else, a relationship he had lost 10 years ago had vanished before his eyes yet again. Even if he had overcome his remorse, you never knew what was going to happen. Asama knew she and the others were there to help when he was feeling down, but they also had to support him before it came to that so he wouldn’t push himself too hard.

And after a breath, he spoke again.

“We will stop it.”

Asama knew what he meant.

“We will stop the Genesis Project and stop the Apocalypse. Seijun, take care of that, okay?”

“You make it sound so easy. But I guess paving the way is my job.”

“Yeah,” he said just before Kimi tugged on Asama and Mitotsudaira. Before they could react, Horizon was dragged over too to begin moshing with him.

“Heh heh. That’s right. We can’t just forget it all. Not when the fun part has only just begun. So…”

Everyone looked up into the sky as they listened to Kimi.

The pillar of white ether light was fading away like the tail of a comet.

“We must pursue the relationship that escaped us 10 years ago. We won’t let her escape into death. We will create a memorial and screw it in place, so I hope she’s ready. And while we’re at it, we can stop the Apocalypse too.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“We won’t let her erase everything we have. We need to go and prove it to her. No matter what.”

–––We will stop it

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