Mushi Uta:Volume 15 Chapter 1

1.00 The Others

Akamaki City, who could be called the center of the country, fell into a mysterious state of chaos.

Although all citizens had been issued an evacuation order, the reason had to yet to be revealed. The mass media was gathering information as well, but it was clear from everyday news that they were unable to grasp the core.

This sudden situation made the entire country restless.

However, none of this was relevant for Taiki, who was nothing more than a normal high-schooler.

Also, he lived far from Akamaki City anyway. The only thing he cared about regarding the situation was seeing whether more of his classmates would take a break from school.

No—to be honest, there was something else.

These last few days, he dreamt about the people called Mushitsuki night after night.

Tachibana Rina.

Harukiyo.

He dreamt about Mushitsuki with these names.

Taiki had no idea why he started having these dreams.

And now, on his way back from school—

“You will tell me… why I’m having these dreams?”

The girl who was waiting for him there said she would give him that answer.

“Yes.”

The person called Ikarino Kirari nodded. She was a beauty with her bangs cut in a slanted line, and looked to be about the same as Taiki’s age. For some reason, she wore the same school uniform.

“W-what are you saying? Why would you even—”

“Because I know… what dreams you’ve been having.”

She first appeared to him a few days ago. At the time she was together with a foreigner journalist. She had introduced herself as his interpreter.

“You know—my dreams?”

Ikarino Kirari appeared to Taiki alongside the foreign journalist for an interview.

She said this was related to Taiki’s cousin—one Kusuriya Daisuke.

Now, however, she talked about something completely different than that so-called interview. After Ikarino Kirari so stubbornly clung to Taiki, this time she was apparently going to interpret his dreams for him.

While the cautious Taiki drew back, Ikarino Kirai spoke.

“It was about Tachibana Rina—and Harukiyo, right?”

“…!”

Taiki gulped and froze.

She got to the crux of the matter perfectly.

Until now Taiki lived a completely normal life without any serious difficulties. His only worries could be said to be about his grades in school related to his future. Obviously, he only knew Mushitsuki as an urban legend.

And he suddenly started dreaming about these Mushitsuki.

In his dream, they were all fighting against an enemy called C.

They challenged her, lost, and ran away, but even so they kept fighting intensely—

“—Takashiro Taiki. Your parents are in good health, and you have two little sisters called Noa and Ririe.”

Kirari spoke all of a sudden. Taiki was startled.

“According to the city database, you have no criminal record. No major illnesses, either. I did find a small record from your health insurance when a driver took his eyes off the road, hitting you and causing a bone fracture when you were young. According to the school records, your grades are the average of the average, and there doesn’t seem to be any problem with your conduct…”

Hearing her narrate this so indifferently, Taiki felt a chill run up his spine.

Had she investigated him?

That was without a doubt a crime. There was probably nothing as creepy as having a complete stranger check out his life.

“I have no intention of disturbing your peaceful life.”

Ikarino Kirari really had the gall to say something like that after being so creepy.

“However, I believe that’s something you have to obtain from your own choice.”

“Ha… what? W-who are you?”

He couldn’t understand what the girl was saying at all.

She appeared out of the blue, investigated him and then told him to make a choice.

In all honestly, this girl looked to him like someone deranged and disturbed.

“I’ve said this before, but—won’t you tell me about your dreams in more detail? I will definitely be able to help you solve all your questions and worries. Also…”

Ikarino Kirari suddenly looked up the sky.

“I think I can tell you why you’re the only one unable to hear the bells.”

Bells?

Just before, his classmates also said they could hear bells.

They said it was a very pretty sound.

“S-stop this.”

This was Taiki’s limit. He was just a normal student, after all.

He became scared at the girl’s incomprehensible actions and words and started walking in a fast pace. He walked past Ikarino Kirari who stood there to block his path.

“Since you’ve dreamt about Tachibana Rina and Harukiyo, you’ll definitely dream about her, too.”

While he passed by her, Kirai spoke.

“Sleeping Beauty, Arisu.”

Taiki’s shoulders twitched.

It was a name that came up countless times in his dream.

“S-shuddup. Don’t come near me ever again…!”

Grimacing, he started running.

He could hear the sad voice of the mysterious girl called Ikarino Kirari from behind him.

“In the end—”

Taiki left the place running, while Ikarino Kirari stayed in place.

And as he went—

“She hasn’t woken up…”

The girl’s whisper passed and vanished between them.

1.01 Arisu the Last

She stood atop a large wharf.

There were cranes and lifts meant for hauling catches scattered here and there on land, and several vessels were anchored. Thin clouds covered the orange-tinted sky as the curtain of darkness began to descend.

Many figures took violent movements within these premises.

These weren’t the fishers or marketplace people.

They were Mushitsuki.

Fighting defensively while covered in blood, they were the combined forces made from both former members of the SEPB as well as Mushibane. —They were also those who had gathered to annihilate the calamity known as C, had lost as a result and now had to retreat.

On the other hand, the Mushitsuki who surrounded them were the assassins sent by C. Either those who’d once lost their Mushi and became Fallen or else died, had their dreams being controlled by C, turning them into the Revived.

The Mushitsuki were attempting to escape to sea.

The Revived attempted to pursue and root them out.

After their series of battles, they were all dirty with soil and mud, and it was impossible to tell how many were even dead.

“As long as I’m strong—isn’t that enough?”

She smiled, looking down the transport truck being protected by the Mushitsuki. Her familiar scarf and the sensation of the silver spear grasped in her hand stirred up her drive for a fight inside her.

She didn’t need a mirror to tell how she looked now.

Right now, she was fused with her Mushi, the silver Morpho butterfly, and had a silver pattern over her entire body. Her face and thin limbs, constantly deathly pale due to fighting with an illness for a long time, were glowing silver, and her long hair was set afloat by the scales gushing out from the silver spear. —She looked exactly the same as back then, when she’d expired from her disease.

And a boy covered fully in a rusty, dark red was standing in her way.

“Right now—you aren’t Arisu.”

His SEPB-issued long coat was in tatters, discolored by dried blood and scorch marks. The goggles on his face were cracked, and his Mushi, the checkered beetle, stood on the automatic pistol dangling from one hand.

She knew well who this boy was.

Kusuriya Daisuke—Kakkou.

A Mushitsuki who supposedly already had his Mushi killed and became a Fallen.

“Then who am I, then?”

She was supposed to be dead.

Kakkou was supposed to be Fallen.

She couldn’t understand why two people who weren’t supposed to be there now faced each other like this.

It was also unnatural how the surroundings became extremely quiet since a while ago. She could see the Mushitsuki fighting on the wharf, but their voices wouldn’t reach the pair of people glaring at each other.

While they were at the same place, it was also like they were in different worlds.

In fact, wasn’t this situation purposely crafted by someone?

But she cared nothing for that.

“You should know who I am.”

Saying this, she glanced behind her.

A long girl was lying inside the cargo of the transport truck stolen from the military. She was sleeping while covered by a blanket and a jacket.

Sleeping Beauty, Arisu.

Right now, the Mushitsuki in the harbor all fought to the death, prioritizing her protection over their own survival.

“You alone. Right, Kusuriya Daisuke-san?”

“You are Arisu’s friend, as well as the first host of the Morpho butterfly… Hanashiro Mari.”

Turning ahead again, Kakkou spoke to her in a hoarse voice. She had no idea why he was already so injured, but apparently he could barely even stand.

She—Mari—grinned.

Right. Although she died from her illness in the past, she still remained inside the Morpho butterfly and kept protecting her best friend, Arisu. The number of people who knew about this could be counted on one hand.

No, this had nothing to do with the past.

No matter where she was, no matter when it was, if Arisu was there—

Mari would become Arisu’s guardian.

That was Mari’s duty and the only possible response for the friendship the girl gave her.

However, Kakkou looked at Mari and spoke.

“…But you’re not Hanashiro Mari right now. Never mind your appearance.”

The tip of Mari’s spear twitched. She wore a provocative smile.

“Then who is it standing right here, then?”

“…”

“And in the first place—who are you, even?”

Kakkou gave no answer to her question.

“I’ve seen it all through the Morpho butterfly. —You became a Fallen, right?”

After getting saved from the Central Headquarters’ Underground Fort, she saw everything. She already knew that the Mushitsuki called Kakkou retired from the battle between Mushitsuki.

“And yet I’m here. What a strange space… is this an attack by C as well?”

Other than Mari and Kakkou, everyone on the harbor were fighting.

She could see a huge tanker anchored in the backdrop of this soundless, mortal combat. Since she’d watched everything until now, she also knew that this was the only way for these Mushitsuki to escape C’s pursuit.

“Even Kasuou, Neiko-san or Himeko-chan are still fighting.”

Some of the desperate fighting Mushitsuki were people she knew.

“They’re still fighting…”

She unconsciously put strength into her arm holding the spear.

Although they were right next to them, no one seemed able to see the figures of Mari and Kakkou.

“—We’re here now not because of C’s attack.”

Standing there listlessly, Kakkou spoke.

“If you really were Hanashiro Mari, you were supposed to notice at least this much.”

“…”

Mari glanced behind her wordlessly. She looked at the sleeping Arisu behind her again.

“They’re trying to wake up Arisu because they need strong Mushitsuki, right?”

“…Yes, true.”

“I am Mari. If they need strong Mushitsuki, I will fight.”

She glared at Kakkou and put herself on guard.

“So—please don’t try waking her up.”

A massive quantity of scales gushed out of the spear in her hands. Pushed back by the raging surge of scales, the wounded Kakkou staggered.

“You’re just pretending to be your strong friend…”

However, Kakkou did not collapse.

“It was the same during the night of the meteor shower. You wanted to challenge Oogui, but once you saw your comrades collapsing, you got so scared you tried running away. —With how you are now, even if you’re slapped awake, you’ll probably run away again…”

“…!”

As Mari grimaced with fright, Kakkou’s eyes stared at her from behind his goggles.

“Hanashiro Mari’s gone. Stop clinging to your friend.”

“And you—who are you to say this, anyway?”

Anger welled within Mari. Was it because her friend Arisu was being ridiculed, or was it to hide other feelings inside her? Even she herself wasn’t sure.

“What’s up with you? I don’t know what you’ve been fighting, but you are too pathetic, unsightly and pitiful. —What have you been doing while Arisu was gone? She believed in you, and yet… you haven’t been able to do anything, right?”

This time Kakkou was the one who went silent.

Silence befell the two—but the boy finally opened his mouth with a small breath.

“I did it my own way—nah, I acted completely unlike myself and tried fighting the Original Three to finish everything before finding you. However—”

She wanted to believe that Kakkou’s breath was due to his fatigue.

If it was a sigh, then—it would be much too sad.

This pair had a chance meeting once, parted, and then met again in this state.

Rather than shed tears, hearing this sigh resounding over their reunion made Mari’s heart clench.

“I haven’t managed to beat them. Not even a single time.”

How should she call the feelings gushing out inside her?

Rage? Or perhaps disappointment at having her hopes betrayed? If she used a simple name—despair.

It was a sensation like the ground crumbling under her legs and such grim resolve she felt her vision darken made her want to scream. Mari clenched her jaw and swallowed back her indignation.

“Arisu told you to wake her up at the continuation to her dream, right?”

Looking at her friend sleeping inside the transport truck, Mari spat.

Her sleeping face was much too peaceful.

Even if Mari wasn’t her friend, she would feel it was too cruel to wake her up at a place like this.

“Why…?”

She furiously spat abuse at Kakkou who couldn’t answer her.

“Erii’s already gone, right?”

Horiuchi Erii.

This young Mushitsuki, who had once been close to Arisu—had lost her personality due to losing control of her ability. She now became their strongest enemy in the form of C, the Super Class Rank 1.

Waking up Arisu would mean that she had to defeat Horiuchi Erii by her own hands. Although she was now a mere shadow of her former self, she thought of this girl that doted on Erii as a younger sister.

“Kasuou and the others also lost, right?”

These Mushitsuki, like Kasuou and others, who challenged C and lost.

They now had less than half their numbers, compared to back at the domed base in Akamaki City. Even the surviving Mushitsuki were exhausted; with dark circles under their eyes, they rushed through the hellish battlefield like demons.

“And even you, of all people, became a Fallen, right?”

Mari already knew for a while now that the Kakkou in front of her eyes wasn’t the real deal.

Even that powerful Kakkou—even that man feared as a pitch-dark demon, who had once been Arisu’s trusty partner—even that Mushitsuki became a Fallen.

“Arisu’s here only because that kid called Kanon sacrificed himself—”

In a past battle, Arisu became Rank 1 but fell into a long slumber.

She did it in order to seal a single source of despair.

She thought that by the time she’d wake up again, it’d be because a way to block that despair had been found—but it didn’t happen like that. Someone simply subbed in for her.

“I-is that… true?”

Mari asked the phantom of Kakkou.

“Are you saying that this is really—the continuation of Arisu’s dream?”

Although she fell asleep during the battle everyone forgot about, Arisu still had hope. Even if she fell asleep along with that source of despair, strong Mushitsuki like Kakkou and Harukiyo existed. And there were many Mushitsuki who would fight in order to make their dreams come true.

Arisu had supposedly gone to sleep because she believed that—

She dreamed that all fights would end by the time she woke up, and yet—

“Saving all Mushitsuki. This was Arisu’s dream.”

Kakkou suddenly sighed and spat this.

“Right. That is—the continuation of your dream.”

“—”

Mari felt strength leaving her entire body.

Widening her eyes, she felt the boy’s words echo within her again and again—

“…”

She slowly readied her spear.

Standing in front of the transport truck to protect Arisu from Kakkou.

“Stop.”

Kakkou spoke.

“I wanted to apologize for being unable to do anything… but if you’re going to act like that—you’ll make me unable to keep my promise.”

“…I won’t let you wake her up.”

Still standing frozen, Mari shook her head to the sides.

“This situation isn’t the ‘continuation’ Arisu wished for.”

“No, you’ve said it yourself, Arisu…”

As Kakkou spoke by himself, the checkered beetle sank into his handgun. Transforming its body to tentacles, the Mushi fused with the gun and Kakkou’s body.

“You asked me to wake you up at the continuation of her dream.”

There was a silver flash.

Mari kicked the ground and thrust her spear at Kakkou. Even that simple action instantly closed the distance between the two to zero, and the blowing silver scales severed land and ocean into two.

Violent tremors and water sprays assaulted the harbor, but no response came from the Mushitsuki fighting around them. As expected, it appeared like the space that Mari and Kakkou inhabited was separated from their original world.

“…!”

Kakkou twisted his body to dodge the spear, turning his gun to Mari.

She calmly drew an arc with her spear tip. Kakkou’s arm holding the gun was pushed down, and she kept going to sweep up his legs.

“Gwah…!”

As Kakkou tumbled and got pounded against the ground, she tried dealing an additional blow with the scales. Silver brilliance burst with the boy in its middle, causing the asphalt ground to cave.

Mari was stunned at this being so effective.

The collapsed Kakkou raised an arm. He pulled the trigger, aiming at Mari.

She moved just one step aside and easily evaded the gunshot.

Kakkou used this brief opening to stand up. He leapt inside the dancing water sprays and dust, vanishing from Mari’s line of sight.

“You seem to have forgotten that my Morpho butterfly has sensing capabilities as well.”

Being led by the spear she held in hand, she swung her arm to the right without even turning.

She tore through the curtain of water and dust. Surging silver scales captured Kakkou who was hidden on the other side.

“—!”

Pulverizing a warehouse, the boy was flung into the distance.

Mari calmly jumped. She leapt over the ruins of the warehouse with superhuman leg strength.

“For you to not only become a Fallen but come here to wake up Arisu in such a beat-up form…”

She found Kakkou. He was half-buried in the wreckage.

“Since Arisu fell asleep, you’ve made such a horrible ‘continuation’…!”

Leaping high, she pounded her silver spear down at Kakkou using the momentum of her fall.

Silver light burst and the surrounding buildings were destroyed all around her.

“Aren’t you just pushing everything to Arisu?!”

Red sprays mixed in with the silver light filling her sight.

“—Yeah, that’s right.”

Kakkou blocked the spear’s tip with the grip of his pistol. However, he was unable to fully stop the strike, so his worn coat was fully ripped and fresh blood streamed down his brows.

“I couldn’t do anything… so I wanted to apologize.”

Mari arched her eyebrows in disappointment and anger, seeing how spineless this boy was.

However, receiving the kick unleashed from his leg, Mari grimaced.

“Ugh—”

“Well, only if you weren’t like this, though.”

While glaring at Mari who leapt back, Kakkou stood up, swaying.

“You’re just making excuses for not wanting to wake up. You even imitated Hanashiro Mari…”

Mari returned Kakkou’s glance.

“I am Mari.”

“No, you’re completely the same as when you fell asleep. An idiot who never thinks of anything, a coward who becomes scared once she sees her friends falling… a spoiled brat.”

Both Rank 1 Fusion Types changed their expressions.

Mari made the silver pattern covering her entire body glow, calmly readying her spear again. Within that silver spear dwelt the power that one of the Original Three—Sanbikime—had once called the strongest.

On the other hand, Kakkou—was a mere shadow of his former self. His coat was ripped at the chest area and there were no traces of the air of intimidation he had when he was known as the pitch-dark demon.

“—”

“—”

The fight of these two opposites opened silently.

It was a chain of nothing but unexpected happenings for Mari.

What she first found surprising—was that Kakkou was way too weak.

“Give up and vanish already…!”

Kakkou just barely dodged Mari’s attack, but it took everything he had. Where on earth had he gotten hurt so badly? He literally threw his body to the ground in order to dodge, then stood up with a grimace full of agony.

Even his belated gunshot counterattack was repelled by the wall of scales protecting Mari.

Mari had hit with her attacks many times now.

She thought Kakkou would easily fall in his state.

However, seeing that her estimations were far from reality, Mari was confused.

He wouldn’t collapse—

Although he definitely should have gone way past his limits, the boy did not give up on approaching Mari.

“Stop already…!”

Slowly but steady.

Covered in blood like vengeful spirit, Kakkou kept approaching Mari.

No, he was trying to get to what lay behind her—

The transport truck, where a girl was still sleeping.

“I won’t let you wake up Arisu…!”

Finally, the most unexpected thing of all happened.

At that same time, it could also be called the natural conclusion.

Kakkou—could no longer dodge Mari’s spear.

“—”

Her thrust spear pierced Kakkou deeply in his stomach.

It was such a simple attack that not only Mari, but probably Kakkou himself thought he could dodge. As evidence of this, both froze with the spear stuck in him, unmoving.

It was a fatal wound.

No, speaking about fatal, then even the wounds he’d incurred before they fought—

“…!”

Mari’s body twitched and shuddered.

Kakkou grabbed the hilt of the spear stabbed into him.

He started walking as if to push Mari back.

“L—let go!”

Although Mari resisted, she couldn’t put strength into her arms.

With every step Kakkou took, the spear stabbed deeper into the boy.

“Let go…!”

“—Are you afraid of your friends being defeated, just like what happened during the night of the meteor shower?”

While walking and pushing Mari back along with the spear, Kakkou let leak a hoarse voice.

Mari grimaced.

“Or are you afraid of the Morpho butterfly Maturing the moment you wake up?”

An endless amount of blood kept gushing from his stomach as the boy advanced with a lowered gaze.

“Since you haven’t even been a Mushitsuki until that fight it’s natural, though…”

Unable to stop Kakkou from advancing over the debris, and not even being able to inflict the finishing blow, at some point Mari—

Found herself pushed all the way to the front of the transport truck.

“Stop—”

Mari’s shaking arm became lighter.

Kakkou let go of the spear. She could feel the nasty sensation of the blade being pulled out through her arm.

“I—don’t want to see Mushitsuki die anymore…”

Tears rising to her eyes, Mari still reached out to stop Kakkou.

And the boy—didn’t even turn to look at the girl.

With neither mercy nor pity, he left Mari behind and got on the transport truck.

“—There are still surviving Mushitsuki.”

Kakkou got on his knees and drooped his head toward the girl sleeping on the floor.

This posture was much like a pilgrim praying for forgiveness in front of an idol.

“And even if—even if only a single person survived, saving them would still be your dream, right?”

“…!”

To save Mushitsuki—

That was the dream that made Arisu a Mushitsuki.

When her friend Arisu—no, when she wished for this, she never gave any thought to how hard and cruel of a dream it was.

“Since I couldn’t do anything, I don’t have the right to say this—but that’s also the continuation of your dream.”

Although Horiuchi Erii was on good terms with her, she became an enemy.

Even her reliable partner was gone.

The Mushitsuki kept losing, and it seemed like they’d get annihilated before long.

“Don’t run away.”

In this situation, if this was the continuation of Arisu’s dream—it was too cruel to bear.

If she needed to wake up in order to save Mushitsuki—it was too hopeless to bear.

“Don’t lose to your Mushi.”

Even so, he was trying to wake her up.

She wouldn’t go as far as to say she wanted a good morning kiss.

He could simply shake her gently awake, but instead he was going to forcibly slap her awake.

“Wake up, Arisu.”

The boy’s words sounded like a plea.

Or perhaps they sounded like him apologizing for his powerlessness.

“You’ve tried gathering your comrades since you’re so useless alone, right? If you open your eyes—you’ll find out you have so many of them.”

The boy slapped the sleeping girl again.

Comrades.

Even now, Mushitsuki such as Kasuou were fighting against the Revived at the harbor. They were wounded and tired—but they never gave up.

Nothing changed from before she fell asleep.

They were the people called Mushitsuki, all fighting to make their dream come true someday.

“You need to make your dream come true by your own hands…”

The boy’s voice as he struck the girl’s cheek was becoming feebler and feebler.

Even so Kakkou kept persistently slapping the girl—

“—Guh.”

Then held his stomach, rounding his body.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t bear the wound received by the spear any longer.

Perhaps it was because something far more painful struck him—a white fist.

The girl who supposedly asleep moved her arm and punched the boy’s stomach.

“…Arisu Punch.”

The one who mumbled this wasn’t the girl who kept her eyes closed, but the girl in the form of Hanashiro Mari.

“That’s enough… you went overboard.”

She looked at the boy with disgust.

The pair glared at each other wordlessly.

They fought together before and parted.

If they ever met up again, what would they discuss?

Both of them should have prepared many words. She didn’t know about the boy, but she herself had way too much time to think about that.

However, right now with her borrowing the form of her dead friend, she made no attempt to mouth them.

The boy also said nothing.

Therefore—she said what needed to be said.

“—Please call me.”

She had no idea who prepared this world, but it was apparently the deadline.

The form of the Kakkou in front of her eyes was becoming transparent as if he was melting into thin air.

On the hand, her part that was in the shape of Hanashiro Mari, and the part of her that kept sleeping even after hitting the boy back—

The mind and body of Sleeping Beauty, Arisu—were not fully awake yet.

However, she would no longer hesitate.

If her past partner told her that many of their comrades were fighting—she might be able to believe it and wake up.

“If you do that, I will wake up.”

Kakkou’s mouth loosened.

“Yeah… I’ll call you.”

“Let me say this in advance, but it has to be you as well, right?”

The moment she said this, the boy erased his smile.

“I’m…”

The wounded, exhausted boy leaking sighs would vanish at any moment.

She spoke to him.

“I only managed to gather two Rank 1s and a limited number of Mushitsuki.”

“…”

“But if I could really assemble all of them—”

She had no idea if he actually heard the rest.

However, the moment he vanished, the boy wore yet another weak smile—probably because he heard her voice.

Thinking this—no, believing this, Arisu fell into another temporary sleep for the time being.

1.02 The Others

Super Class Rank 1, C, perfectly grasped the current situation.

With her ability to control electricity and electric signals, she watched everything through all cameras that existed in the country as well as the footage sent to her by the Revived that she controlled like puppets.

The old generation of Rank 1s.

Lady Bird, Harukiyo, Sleeping Beauty Arisu.

The three Rank 1s and their allies all came from different places, yet all attempted to ride large boats at the same time as if they were coordinated. Their footage escaping out into the sea was brought to C.

They managed to shake off C’s pursuit and escape to sea.

According to C’s simulations, all these Mushitsuki should have already been long since destroyed.

They could be called the failed products of the old generation.

Not only that, but they would definitely try to erase C from this world again.

There were no surveillance cameras that could see where they were going. Although she attempted using satellites to ascertain their location, it was impossible. All these ships had Mushitsuki with camouflage abilities on them.

It was clear where all of them were going to reconvene.

That would become the place of their counterattack.

They were going to rest and challenge C again.

They’d undoubtably come looking for this place, where C’s real body resided—

“…”

C’s main body, or more precisely her flesh and blood body, was in heaven.

It was inside the Ark.

A new world filled only with the Undying Mushitsuki it would carry—the land that would begin it all.

This place, a few square kilometers in width, originally had a different name. However, Miguruma Yaeko, who could also be called the birth mother of Super Class Rank 1 C, renamed it as the Ark.

In the very depths of the Ark, C sat on a large bed.

Her completely nude body was wrapped in a faint golden glow. Her pale body and each and every hair of hers were suffused with the electricity created by her ability. She had neither the capes no crowns that her body doubles wore. She materialized them through using Shinpu’s abilities, but had no need for them in this resting place inside the Ark now.

In the very depths of heaven, C kept running simulations about her enemies.

Where were they going to escape to?

She made a general review of all the entire country’s digitized map information and incidents, and continued her calculations hundreds of thousands, millions of times.

Would C find where the old generation’s Mushitsuki escaped to?

Or would they enemies find C’s location first?

With a probability of more than 90%, C estimated that it would be her victory—

And a result, in fact, came.

“—Aoharima Island.”

C muttered.

It was a small island in the middle of the sea.

Since its very existence was already wiped off from the country’s records, it took her a while to find it.

The one who erased the land of Aoharima Island—was the Special Environmental Preservation Bureau. Erasing the records about the gruesome incident that took place there, they apparently tried hiding even the island itself.

After all, the one who caused the tragedy of Aoharima Island was the Director of the SEPB herself, Miguruma Yaeko.

Once, that place had one of the Original Three, the monster called Sanbikime, and the entire island’s residents were slaughtered in order to defeat it.

Only in the SEPB database remained the few top-secret records. There were even traces of C’s original personality, Horiuchi Erii, having tried to search the same information before.

By managing to calculate the enemy’s estimated destination, C started the next process.

She would send assassins to eliminate these failed products.

Also—

“It is time to unleash the Dove.”

She was now going to move the predetermined process according to plan.

She had obviously also hypothesized about her plans not going according to calculations. She prepared many backup plans in order to wipe the obstinate old world.

C would fulfill her own mission.

Instead of the old generation of Mushitsuki, she would create a world filled with Undying Mushitsuki.

“Then, the Deluge shall purge the earth and create a new world…”

At the Ark, which would become the center of the new world—

The small creator mumbled to herself with a doll-like, expressionless face.

1.03 The Others

That steel box advanced while cutting through the white-crested waves of the ocean.

It was a large oil tanker.

There wasn’t even a single crew member on board of the mammoth ship that could carry hundreds of thousands of tons. Lying on the board nearest the bow was only one person, a youth with a ghastly white face.

“…”

The young man threw up his lanky limbs and stared up at the perfect, blue sky absently.

Haji Keigo. The moment after he’d been appointed Director of the SEPB, C’s machinations cut off the organization itself from the country. The ship’s hold beneath him held his resting comrades. They were the Mushitsuki who challenged C and lost.

Keigo came up to the deck to try and arrange his thoughts, but his tired body was being dyed by the morning sun.

He was deeply aware he was the kind of being who fitted the shadows better.

“…Have you slept well?”

Noticing soft footsteps approaching him, Keigo opened his mouth.

It was a nostalgic sound, one that he heard every morning. Since the girl couldn’t see, her steps were uncertain, but she always tried walking more quietly than needed.

Almost as if she was a burden to him.

As if she didn’t want to cause any further trouble.

But even with these completely misplaced worries—she still ended up relying on him.

“Yeah.”

Keigo’s little sister, Haji Senri nodded and sat next to him.

Senri was a liar not at all inferior to Keigo.

She had a very rare sensing ability. Keigo knew that she spent the entire night vigilant against any pursuers of the tanker. It was definitely a lie that she slept well.

Come to think of it, these siblings always lived inside a lie.

Keigo hid the fact that Senri was a Mushitsuki, while Senri hid her weak body and always acted lively in front of her brother.

It was the same even after she found out she was a Mushitsuki.

Keigo pretended to be unconscious, and Senri lived in a world without her brother, acting out the part of a strong Mushitsuki—

It really had been a long time since the two of them talked by themselves like this.

The last time was before Keigo abandoned the battlefield—just before last year’s Christmas.

“You should leave your work to other sensors and go sleep. The captain’s cabin is free.”

“No way, that’s abuse of your authority. Everyone else is sleeping inside cold tanks and whatnot.”

“How about having my dream for the first time in a while? I doubt it’d help, though.”

“No. …I no longer eat anyone’s dreams.”

Still lying down, Keigo looked up at his sister shaking her head.

Her hair became longer. She apparently grew a bit taller, too. These small changes could only be noticed by Keigo, who lived together with her.

At the same time, there was things he knew only because he was her brother.

Although she was supposed to be tired, Senri’s profile as she was caressed by the salty wind—looked overflowing with vigor. Much more than it had during those peaceful days removed from any battle, when things were quiet.

He knew why.

After Keigo used all his time to pretend being injured and watch over her from the shadows, he finally figured it out.

And when he accepted this, he wanted to throw away everything and die. He was probably never going to confess to anyone about it.

“I might have already said this—but you’ve truly grown stronger, Senri.”

Looking at his sister’s face, he gave his honest opinion.

“…!”

Her breath caught, tears rose to Senri’s eyes.

The girl’s hand feeling around the deck found his own. She grasped it hard.

“Big brother… are you really there? Are you really here with me?”

“Yes, I am. It’s fine, both of us are alive and together.”

Grabbing back her hand, they felt each other’s warmth.

Even this reunited pair had many things they wanted to tell each other or ask each other.

Keigo in particular had a question he always wanted to ask his sister, who had resolved herself to throw herself into the battles of Mushitsuki. While watching how a sickly girl like her chose to fight and become much stronger and more resolute from the shadows, this doubt swelled even further.

—Perhaps it was actually me who was trying to kill you all this time?

He never considered Senri getting stronger.

Therefore, he hid reality from her and tied her to her bed.

Perhaps even someone foolish like him was actually an evil being who tried torturing his beloved sister to death.

Compared to him, perhaps it was actually Mushi that saved his sister?

He was scared of himself immediately feeling like that once they met again.

“We’re definitely here.”

However, while doing this—he came to realize that these doubts and fears held no meaning.

The sister who grabbed her foolish brother’s hand while crying denied his doubts.

Although he lied to her, she was going to save her brother who blamed himself.

And he was able to believe this lie from the bottom of his heart.

Nothing changed from before.

Since they only had each other, these siblings were going to keep lying to each other—keep believing in those lies, and live by supporting each other.

“Yes… yes.”

Senri nodded again and again.

Following that they spoke of nothing, simply letting themselves get hit by the salty wind. There were definitely many things she should have wanted to ask and inquire him about, but Senri said nothing.

Perhaps she wanted to feel each and every second of their being together in her own way.

If she let this present run away, she might never be able to gain that time again—

They were both aware that this possibility existed.

“—Haji-senpai.”

Being called by this familiar voice, Keigo finally raised his body.

Appearing next to Keigo and Senri was a suited woman. Although she was a working adult, she hadn’t fixed her bed hair, but it could already be called her own unique style.

“Have you waited until now to call out to me, Goroumaru-kun? For you to be conscious about our family quality time like this, it seems like you’ve learned to read the room.”

“Y-yes, thanks… wait, are you angry? I did want to leave you for a bit longer, if at all possible, but we can already see the island.”

Being told this by his subordinate Goroumaru Touko and looking to the front of the ship, he could see a small dot floating at sea.

“Ah, so this is Aoharima Island.”

They were wary of their surroundings to a cowardly extent and took great care to have the ship take a detour to reach this place.

It was the island floating ahead—Aoharima Island.

Succeeding in their caution, they somehow made it safely there.

“Everyone’s coming here soon to give a sitrep and start creating our strategy for what we do after making landfall.”

“I see. So you came here alone to purposely inform me of that? When you could’ve just come along with everyone?”

“Geez, you sure are in a bad mood, you should’ve slept a little… n-no, there’s actually something I personally wanted to ask you about, Haji-senpai.”

Keigo stroked Senri’s head, then rose up. Leaning against the rails, he looked at the distant island’s shade.

Resolving herself, Goroumaru Touko spoke in a mumble.

“It’s about what Vice-Deputy… I mean, former Vice-Deputy Miguruma talked about. —Have you used Kanon-san and Mimic-san while being aware they won’t come back, Haji-senpai?”

“I have already denied that, haven’t I? You are a naughty subordinate, to disbelieve your boss like that.”

Seeing how Keigo wore his thin smile, Touko pouted.

His subordinate glanced at Senri for a moment. Her glare at his sister made him realize Touko’s goal.

“Ah, so you’ve calculated this exact timing, thinking that I wouldn’t lie in front of my little sister. Even someone who used to be as innocent as you became quite sneaky. It makes me sad.”

“I-I was being used as your replacement for so long. So I can do at least this much…”

She probably wanted to look resolved, but as she fixed her fallen glasses and tried patting down her bed hair, she looked nothing short of suspicious. It was clear she was forcing herself.

Not even a single time before had Touko gone against Keigo. So for her to ask about Keigo’s true aims now of all times—it probably meant she was feeling conflicted about it in her own way.

No matter what happened from now on, she couldn’t survive this battle without ascertaining her boss’s intentions.

If she acted like this after being resolved, she was a reliable subordinate indeed.

“—Yes, I knew they were not going to come back.”

Keigo said this casually.

“…!”

“Eh…”

Goroumaru Touko and Senri were speechless.

Keigo did not erase his faint smile. He spoke while looking at the island.

“You like Mushitsuki too much, Goroumaru-kun. Even though you don’t love them as much as Miguruma.”

“Th…that…”

Keigo turned around, looking at Senri.

That parasitic monster was tormenting his one and only sister.

And it was also—that ugly monster that was trying to take a sister away from her brother.

The hatred he felt for this creature remained inside him, completely unchanged from before.

“I hate them so much—to the extent that if every Mushitsuki on ship other than my sister was sent to fight C and they killed each other, it would be the best result possible.”

“—”

“But since we’d just lose to C if we did this right now, it’s an issue.”

While Touko and Senri were frozen, Keigo spoke in a joking tone.

Instead of Senri who was rendered speechless, it was Touko who wrung out her voice.

“Is that… also a lie? Haji-senpai.”

“I’m telling the truth. But, well, you won’t believe what I say either way. —That’s fine. There was and will be only one person who would ever agree with me.”

“One… person?”

Senri tilted her head. If possible, he wanted the only person in this world who understood him to be his sister, but that wasn’t the case.

“—‘It’s fine if only I survive’.”

His one and only understander wasn’t someone as kind as his sister.

“He was the kind of guy who’d just end everything with that one sentence, no matter how I used him.”

“…!”

Touko and Senri gasped. They probably guessed who he was talking about.

“Changing the world to one where Mushitsuki aren’t born—it was our only reason to work together. Thinking back on it, it almost felt like playing a chicken race. If one of us tried doing things too half-heartedly, the other would definitely turn his back on him… and because we knew that none of us would ever draw back—”

It was fun.

He cut off his words, since he was about to say something completely unlike him.

Until now Keigo cooked up countless evil schemes. Thinking back on it, he had the feeling that whenever he did something like that, he was trying to imagine not the face of his opponent caught up in his plan—but the response his lone comrade would make.

And at times he would be shocked, at times angry, and at times even turn his gun on him.

Keigo would deceive him with a thin smile, and while that guy would complain and complain—he would survive, and then survive the next time as well.

However—he no longer had that rival.

“What a letdown. To think that he’d be gone now, at the most vital of times.”

Saying this, Keigo wore a shallow smile.

He feigned a joke and pushed down the feelings inside him.

Although they were in such an inferior position, it’d be so much fun if that guy was still there—he painted over these feelings with lies.

“C’s trying to create a world made of only Mushitsuki. On the other hand, I’m thinking I want to make this a world without Mushitsuki.”

It was too early to look back to the past. It was useless talking of what-ifs.

Although his understanders were all gone, he couldn’t allow himself to stop in place.

“Look at me talking about changing the world despite not being any sort of God. I’m not planning on cutting any corners.”

Keigo stroked Senri’s head again and glanced at Goroumaru Touko.

“No matter what world it becomes, staying alive is also a form of victory. If you don’t like that world, then you should survive as well—and stand up against me.”

“…”

His sister and Touko made no attempt to say anything following this.

Perhaps it was only a matter of time before those two would end up viewing Keigo as an enemy.

For these two—no, for the things they loved, Keigo was way too merciless.

His hands were dirtied with blood, and he was the receptable for plenty of hatred.

Even if another person who tried living the same way tried defeating him in the future—

The person called Haji Keigo had to continue advancing in order to see this new world.

“Alright, the time for a pleasant chat is over. Although we’re about to start an unpleasant job, we might as well enjoy ourselves, if we have to do it. C’mon, give me a smile here.”

Keigo spoke, turning toward the people appearing on the deck in droves.

The approaching people looked between his little sister and useless subordinate and him—and forced themselves to wear awkward smiles.

“—Our forces are now at half of what we had back in the dome.”

It was the Rank 2 Mushitsuki called Terasu who started this report. Even this girl, who was a middle schooler in her civilian life, looked burdened by the fatigue of the battlefield.

“As for the safety of the forces that split off from us until we boarded… we cannot confirm it.”

The people gathered under Haji were the SEPB’s branch heads and their high-ranked Mushitsuki subordinates. Furthermore, there were the Mushibane admins, as well as the supplier of this tanker, Akasegawa Nanana.

“I see. I hope they’re all safe.”

Keigo nodded casually, and the surrounding air was that of anger.

In particular, Mushibane admins Namie and Aijisupa turned glances full of murderous intent to Keigo.

“What do you mean, split off…! We cut them off and turned them to decoys!”

The long-haired woman, probably the oldest among present Mushitsuki, lashed out at Keigo.

“Uh oh, let us not rehash this, Namie. We have already talked about this yesterday, haven’t we? If we hadn’t done this, none of us would have been here.”

“It’s not like I agreed to it!”

“No, you should. You were once my subordinate and the commander of the East Central Branch. While you might have betrayed us and turned over to Mushibane, stop pretending like you got your compassion back.”

As Keigo spat coldly, Namie’s face turned even harsher. She leaned forward as if wanting to keep this argument, but Keigo ignored her.

“I want us to forget all past discontent and unite SEPB and Mushibane again, but we have no time. There’s no need to change the current configuration of Terasu as the supreme commander and having Mushibane act as an independent unit under her. —Now, Terasu, continue.”

“…We are using both our sensor Mushitsuki as well as the radar equipment hastily constructed by the West Central Branch to be on guard, but we have found no pursuers just yet. However, since those with camouflage or healing abilities like Tamamo and Nene and the rest were working throughout the entire night, they will need to take a real break once we reach the island. The same goes for our nucleus of offense and defense until now, Kasuou and Yotsuba.”

“Right, I will allow it.”

“Although we’ve been using shifts to allow other Mushitsuki to rest as well, it only had our fighting forces to go up from 30% to about 40%. Furthermore, since the West Central Branch guys started remodeling important equipment without being asked to, this also lowers our fighting forces… this tanker doesn’t need any stealth or cannons.”

“Yeah, we don’t need them, and we don’t want the West Central Branch to waste their powers uselessly. After all, we’ll need them to lend us their powers once we reach the island to restore the water-purifying facilities and power generators and repair houses.”

Keigo turned his gaze to a girl standing a distance away who was looking bored. Noticing his line of sight, the Mushitsuki called Sakura swung her long-handled hand hammer and grinned.

“I’ll turn that island into a first-class resort in three hours.”

In this entire ship filled with fatigue, the only ones who were still lively were those who belonged to the West Central Branch. They were a gathering of weirdoes who had no interests other than building stuff, but they were extremely reliable in the present situation.

“Regarding the composition of guard and rest once we reach the island, I leave this to Terasu.”

“Yes sir.”

“By the way, Rinrin. Have you found out where our important enemy C is hiding?”

As Keigo looked to behind Terasu, a petite boy averted his eyes, uttering an awkward Ugh.

“C-controlling this ship’s steering system is hard enough, so there’s limit to using this slapdash equipment to search for our enemy… it’s also hard to keep taking over satellites to stop C from discovering us.”

“I’ve heard from your teacher Asagi that you are an excellent information officer who could serve as C’s successor, though. Once you run out of excuses, let me hear the conclusion.”

“P-please don’t compare me to that monster. —The only conclusion is that I haven’t found her yet… she can only be at some power generation facility that can handle vast outputs, so I tried looking into all the important power plants—but none of the country’s power plants seem to have anything like that.”

“Hmm.”

C’s power was vast. The amount of electricity she used should be accordingly large.

If so, then C was hiding somewhere where she could produce it—he estimated it would be a large-output power plant, but apparently it wasn’t that easy.

“Let me ask something for real.”

Someone behind Keigo suddenly raised their voice.

Turning around, he saw a boy carrying a hockey stick on his back put his chin on his palm. Although he was sitting atop the long and narrow railings, he was completely stable there as if he weighed nothing at all.

“Would we able to beat C, just all of us here?”

He was the Mushitsuki called Shiohara Shachito. He was powerful, but belonged to neither the SEPB nor Mushibane.

“I did tell Lady that we’re heading to Aoharima Island.”

Following Keigo, who spoke while wearing a thin smile, Akasegawa Nanana also added while spinning her cane.

“Earlier, I’ve had this Rinrin person help me and got in contact with my secretary. Harukiyo’s also heading to Aoharima Island.”

“Okay, so we’ll count Lady-chan and Harukiyo too. —So let me ask again. Do we have any chances at all?”

Shachito erased the amiable smile from his handsome face. Unlike his casual tone, the atmosphere of a battlefield grew heavier.

“Or are we survivors just going to escape into exile abroad?”

“The answer is no. To both questions.”

Keigo gave a straight answer.

Although the atmosphere on the deck grew colder, none of them tried blaming their weak commander.

Everyone present there knew that they were inferior in their battle against the powerful enemy called C.

No, even the expression inferior was too conservative.

“Try thinking about this. C can control an almost inexhaustible supply of electricity. Because she can freely use the most accessible form of energy in modern times, it’s like she holds the world in her hands.”

The depressed atmosphere sank even further due to Keigo’s casual speech.

“Furthermore, she can even manipulate the electric signals going through a person’s mind to control people’s memories. Putting it simply, she could send one of her body doubles to appear in front of some country’s prime minister and take control. And thanks to her also absorbing Shinpu’s power, she can even revive the dead or the Fallen under her control. Even if we were to escape overseas, it will already be filled with C’s puppets. —I seriously can’t believe that me so desperately trying to extend the non-aggression agreements with foreign countries all amounted to nothing.”

As the one who asked this, Shachito quietly listened to Keigo’s words.

“The more time passes, the more cornered we’ll become. Our numbers don’t matter; they’re secondary. The first condition we require for victory is—”

He raised his index finger.

“Finding out the location of C’s main body and send our forces there. —And it has to be as soon as possible. If we can’t do that, it wouldn’t matter even if we had multiples of Lady and Harukiyo. We’d eventually just run out of where to escape to and… game over.”

They needed to find C’s main base as soon as possible and send their combined forces there—

Was it possible or impossible?

Everyone there knew the answer.

Shachito made a complete reversal and spoke in a serious expression.

“It’s impossible for us to find C and beat her up like that. It’d be a miracle.”

“Right, C will definitely not wag her tail in front of us, and our forces are still lacking. —Sleeping Beauty hasn’t woken up, either.”

Shrugging, Keigo looked at the tanker’s route.

By now they approached Aoharima Island enough for it to become fully visible.

Takemi, the man who had served as the North Central Branch Head, stepped forward.

“…What are we to do, in that case? Are you telling us to simply hide and live on the island?”

For an ambitious man like him, retiring on a solitary island was probably unthinkable.

“There’s nothing else to do, right?”

As Keigo affirmed this, everyone on deck clamored as expected. Takemi was flustered.

“Hey, Keigo-kun. Are you being serious?”

“I am serious. Managing to live even a single day on that island—right now, that is the only thing we can do.”

He knew that the gazes directed at him were filled with doubts.

“We’re not the ones going to create our chances for victory.”

He mumbled as if talking to himself.

“Miguruma Yaeko.”

There was even more clamoring.

“She said it herself—that the ‘Dove’ would be unleashed.”

Right now, they had no way to win.

However—this didn’t mean there was no way for such an opportunity to be created.

“If we keep on surviving, then surely—the Dove will come.”

At that time, Keigo and the others were at the edge of despair.

But at the same time, perhaps their one and only hope would be born.

It was the sole remaining possibility for the remnants of the fighting forces—

“If we can’t find C, then we just need to call her to us.”

Probably not even a single person there understood Keigo’s monologue.

The tanker filled with an anxiety-filled silence—

Arrived at Aoharima Island.

There were no facilities to let such a large tanker anchor at the island. Keigo and the others lowered smaller boats and landed at the fishing harbor one after another. Mushitsuki who could fly started carrying personnel and foodstuff in a hurry.

The island that had been erased from the maps for several years now was in ruins.

It wasn’t because it was abandoned for all this time.

What made Aoharima Island uninhabited—were the scars of the cruel battle that took place there before. The fishing boats and houses used by the island inhabitants were all wiped away as though by explosives.

Scorch marks especially stood out. The island was covered in charcoals as if it had been completely engulfed by flames.

“Kasuou.”

While the branch heads and Mushitsuki were running about, Keigo called toward the girl standing at the fishing harbor.

The Mushitsuki called Kasuou was staring at the island absentmindedly. Unlike her elegant looks consisting of blond hair and blue eyes, she was the ace of the Central Headquarters, a berserker who was constantly shirked by enemies and allies alike.

“…Don’t act overly familiar, you shitty four-eyes.”

“Don’t be so cold with me. We were originally boss and subordinate in the same branch.”

Kasuou glared at Keigo who wore a thin smile. However, perhaps judging that even just listening to him was a waste of time, she averted her gaze and ignored him.

The relationship between Keigo and Kasuou began just as she became a Mushitsuki. Ever since then, they shared many events and bonds.

“Rest up while you can, Kasuou. I’m going to keep counting on you.”

Kasuou made not even the slightest response to Keigo’s light talk.

A single building was being distorted right in front of their eyes. It became a perfect rectangle almost instantly and transformed into a newly built house. It was probably the work of Sakura and others.

“Are you feeling emotional? You were also part of the Sanbikime cleanup operation a few years ago on this island, right? Are you feeling guilty at this stage, Anneliese?”

“…Don’t call me by that name. Also, since I was late to the party, I did nothing here. I haven’t seen you in a while, but nothing’s changed about me wanting to kill you after three seconds.”

“Even if you claim you did nothing, you’ve witnessed what happened here, right? And now you’re on the side protecting the island. Are you thinking this is a bad omen? How unlike you.”

He knew what Kasuou had witnessed here in the past.

But Keigo could tell from her profile that she couldn’t fully hide her complex feelings about this.

“…What should I do?”

Kasuou suddenly asked. Keigo snorted.

“You sure have become a lot meeker during the time we haven’t met. For you to ask me, of all people. If I asked you to save the world, would you do it?”

“…”

“Thinking about that is my job. All you need to do is defeat as many enemies as you can. And if you feel like it—you can even protect as many allies as you can. Just like you’ve done until now.”

Spitting this with a casual tone, Keigo used his index finger to fix the position of his glasses.

“And once everything’s over, just go and die along with your fellow Mushitsuki.”

“You die, bitch.”

Her beautiful smile distorted, Kasuou cursed him with a foul mouth.

If she had enough energy to cuss, she was still fine. He smiled and was about to leave when Kasuou stopped him.

“Hey, four-eyes jerk.”

Turning around, he saw that she was staring at him.

She looked like she wanted to say something—but stopped and closed her mouth. She was apparently hesitating.

“…No.”

Kasuou simply left this low voice behind.

What did she want to say to him?

No—Keigo knew very well who she wanted to talk about.

But he purposely didn’t point this out.

“Shitty four-eyes—come to think of it, it happened more than once or twice that you’ve set up a trap for me in every capture mission.”

Kasuou wore a violent smile. This was clearly different from what she wanted to say.

“Oh? Feeling grudge at this point? You managed to survive so there’s no harm done, right?”

“What I hate the most about you is how you can keep on waffling like that—but I’ll forgive you just this once. I’ll even do a kamikaze attack or whatever if we can win in this situation. I’m not gonna die so easily, though.”

“Haha, even that is much too late to say.”

Laughing it off, Keigo turned his back to Kasuou.

“I was already intending on having you do that.”

It wasn’t merely a probable loss, but a battle without any prospects of victory.

In order to grasp even a single thread of hope, it would probably require many victims.

It was also possible—that the price to pay would be much larger than Keigo estimated.

However, Keigo and Kasuou weren’t the only ones resolved for this.

None of the people who escaped to Aoharima Island had bright expressions. Even so they helped rearrange the island’s environment and spent their brief moments their calm doing both resting and guarding—

And the time to test their resolve came quickly.

“Something’s showing up on the radar! —A large ship’s approaching the island!”

Rinrin, who was in charge of all electronic devices and measurement systems, announced this.

Following Keigo, the combatants gathered on the coast and assumed ready positions—

“Ah, I really want to believe it’s Lady or Harukiyo arriving.”

Akasegawa Nanana appeared with a delay to voice this hope, but—

“I can sense multiple ‘flames’! …Enemies are coming!”

Even that was duly crushed by the declaration of Keigo’s sister Senri.

Rinrin’s warning did not stop.

“The number of ships keeps increasing… five, six—there’s even more! There are also flying objects! It’s probably fighter jets—”

The assassins sent by C.

Faced with the large enemy forces coming there to crush the old generation of Mushitsuki—

“All hands—assume battle positions.”

Keigo’s voice issuing orders was lower than normal.

“We’re going to survive this.”

1.04 The Others

The Mushitsuki at Aoharima Island took their positions in the island’s lone coast.

As if to protect the ferry landing on the shore, there was a very basic wharf made of a narrow breakwater that extended from left to right. At one end of it was a small lighthouse.

Commander Terasu and Kaguya, who specialized in long-ranged attacks, stood on top of the lighthouse. All other Mushitsuki formed lines on the breakwater, while on the shore there were other combatants on standby. Furthermore, the flying unit led by Kabuto were lying in wait on the anchored tanker near the fishing wharf.

Keigo was at a large warehouse near the ferry landing. It had apparently been used as a market in the past, and by opening the shutter one could see all the way to the Mushitsuki standing on the breakwater and through their gaps to the ocean clearly. It was a dangerous spot close to the frontlines, but there was nowhere to escape to, anyway.

“Four, five, six… man, there are a lot of large ships. I wonder how far C managed to infiltrate and manipulate the army’s chain of command.”

Keigo, who had an earphone-type comm device, counted the black dots floating on sea.

They were still far so he couldn’t see them clearly, but according to Rinrin, these were all warships. They apparently all stopped at a distance of about three kilometers away from the island.

“I doubt C’s main body’s there… but do each of these have about a hundred people aboard? Just thinking about the enemy numbers makes me depressed.”

“Then try looking like it. When you’re smiling it makes me extra nervous.”

Behind Keigo spoke Takemi, branch head of the North Central Branch.

Other than Keigo, all of the former SEPB Branch Heads were in the warehouse alongside bodyguard Mushitsuki. Included in the lineup were Keigo’s direct subordinate Goroumaru Touko, as well as Akasegawa Nanana who was clad in a completely out-of-place gorgeous dress.

“Let us calm down. This is no time to make a scene at this stage. —Look, it’s starting.”

While using his index finger to fix the position of his glasses, Keigo looked to the sky above the ocean.

For just an instant he could see a glittering, flashing point of light.

Yet it soon vanished and he saw a column of water rise from afar.

“What was that, just now? An attack?”

The voice of Terasu the commander was heard through the comms.

“Namie speaking. The light just now—was a missile shot from a fighter jet! Recall’s saying that the fog she spread in the sky caught twenty high-speed flying objects!”

“Did she manage to shoot them down?”

“Just as planned! All objects moving in a high speed that enter the fog are transported inside the ocean unconditionally!”

“M-missiles…”

“Once we know they’re coming, we can handle them. The problem comes after.”

Goromaru Touko’s expression was frozen, while Keigo wore a thin smile.

“What will the opponent’s first move be? If they approached us we could use Kaguya’s lasers to penetrate right through and sink them all in one fell swoop, though.”

“Keep defending against long-range attacks and focus on the approaching ship to sink it! If they make a landing, we have no chance here!”

One of the ships floating in the distance started advancing toward the island as if guided by Terasu’s issued order and the hailing Mushitsuki’s voices.

“It’s coming! All hands, prepare to sink it!”

If the enemy planned on encircling the island, they would attack each ship.

If they were going to focus their forces on a certain point, then those on the island was also going to focus their firepower and intercept them.

This was the defensive strategy that Keigo and others thought up.

They estimated it would become a war of attrition no matter what form the attack took, but—

“What an unbelievable speed! But the direction seems a bit slanted toward the harbor…?”

“I can sense a powerful ‘flame’! A strong Mushitsuki’s approaching!”

He heard through his headphones the voices of Rinrin and Senri, who were on patrol duty.

“Kabuto speaking! This is bad, our tanker’s being pulled toward the ship! This ability is—”

Kabuto was on standby on the tanker. Hearing his announcement, Keigo had a hunch.

It wasn’t just him; there was no doubt that each and every one of the defenders came to the same realization with a chill.

“—Asagi.”

“…Asagi!”

Keigo and Terasu’s voices overlapped.

The one who’d been responsible for coaching combatants in the SEPB had been the Mushitsuki called Asagi. She could control electromagnetism and had been a genius combatant, but she’d already died in battle, and was now being controlled by C as a Revived.

“T-to think her ability works from this far away…! Kabuto! Evacuate everyone from the tanker! At this rate, she’ll draw it to the other ship and make them crash!”

“It looks like they’re increasing their speed and trying to bump into us before sinking.”

Haji borrowed Touko’s binoculars and gazed at the ocean’s surface.

“Furthermore, Orion’s protecting the approaching ship.”

As if to guide the rapidly approaching warship, a small figure was running atop the ocean. She didn’t just control the water to make footholds, but even accelerated using water sprays.

She was Orion, a Mushitsuki who controlled water. She grasped a bizarrely-shaped sword.

“Orion…! We’ve defeated her at back at the Underground Fort, but she’s back…! Kabuto, turn the speakers I’ve given you toward the tanker! —Territory Isolation!”

“…It’s no use! Seems like the magnetism weakened for a moment, but Asagi’s powers—"

“Kuh…! We can’t be having a contest of strength with Asagi right at the very beginning! How was that girl called, Recall? Can she move the tanker itself like the missiles?”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Recall’s ability to transfer matter has limits!”

“I’m reluctant to do this, but… I’ll try oxidizing it to have it be unaffected by magnetism.”

“Hurry up, Sakura! If you’re going to rust it… then have Yakugami also help you!”

“Understood. But no matter how I look at it—we won’t make it in time.”

That was true.

The approaching battleship only gained further speed, and even if they handled the tanker right now, they’d be too late.

“I can’t believe they got so close all of a sudden…! All hands, attack! I don’t care how, just stop that ship!”

The battleship was already so close it could be seen in all of its large size.

Receiving Terasu’s orders, the Mushitsuki’s long-ranged attacks hit the battlefield.

However, these were all cut down by the water blade shot by Orion. Even when Kaguya’s lasers pierced through the warship, it wouldn’t have time to sink it.

“Even if we attack directly, it won’t work against Orion! We gotta do something to attack from the side—”

“From this distance and location there’s no issue.”

These curt words belonged to the boy he was pretty sure was called Aijisupa.

The ocean surface was covered by what looked like haze—steam.

The superheated oceanwater whipped up large amounts of steam that covered Orion and the warship. The next moment—

A large explosion shook the coast.

It was a steam explosion. He’d never directly met or spoken with the boy, but even Keigo heard about his prowess controlling steam in the fights until now.

While the Mushitsuki standing on the breakwater for fanned by the explosive wind, the steam cleared up—

“Yesss!”

Voices of someone rejoicing echoed through the comms.

The battered-looking Orion floated on the ocean. Even she had been unable to put up a fight against something so powerful.

“The ship hasn’t stopped yet! Attack!”

Terasu shouted.

Although its guard collapsed, the momentum of the warship did not stop. The Mushitsuki on the island immediately launched their attacks, but they couldn’t sink it.

And finally—

“We won’t make it in—”

Terasu’s voice was drowned by such a loud reverberation that it sounded as though Aoharima Island was split in half.

The tanker and warship clashed. The impact created tall waves, and the sound of these great masses of metal clashing shook the entire island’s air.

Although the flying units had already retreated, the tanker was half-ruined, its flank stabbed by the warship. Even the warship itself barely preserved its shape after getting hit by the Mushitsuki’s attacks.

“Some of the enemies might have survived that! Prepare for a follow-up attack!”

The Mushitsuki all prepared to attack the half-drowned ship.

However—no matter how much they waited, no enemy showed themselves.

No, that was wrong.

They couldn’t see anyone on the destroyed ship—not even a single enemy.

“W-what…?”

The moment someone’s voice echoed, the tanker and warship were wrapped in a violet glow.

Appearing on the ship’s surface—were Chestnut Tiger butterflies clad in purple electricity.

Keigo turned on the mic and spoke.

“Looks like the next one’s the real deal.”

“…!”

So many people were surprised probably because they looked to the surface of the sea.

From the vast distance, multiple outlines of ships were approaching the island.

The two ships who were sinking right next to the fishing harbor were being pulled together using powerful magnetism.

Most likely, the first warship had been used as a decoy to make them waste their energy, while this time the ships carried actual soldiers.

It was a perfectly executed scheme.

“If several approach us with this speed, we won’t be able to deal with all of them…! Sakura! Yakugami! You have to do something to neutralize and warship and tanker before that happens!”

“You’re asking that when there are now two huge objects? Don’t be ridiculous.”

“I’ll do it, Terasu-chan. —Kasuou-chan, could you help me? I’ll take you all the way to the ship, so don’t act rough.”

Speaking casually was Shiohara Shachito.

He was neither SEPB nor Mushibane, but he was in fact the very last disciple of the one torturing them right now, Asagi.

Two figures leapt on top of the tanker and warship.

“Don’t you dare touch any funny places!”

“It’s a perk, just let it go. —Throw it once I give you the go-ahead.”

The bay coast glowed in orange.

Many glowing objects, enough to cover the sky, rose from the surface of the tanker and the warship. Looking closely, these took the shape of hazy dragonflies—Autumn Darters.

Shiohara Shachito’s ability was the control of mass.

“C’mon, it’s fine. Throw it at a low altitude so it won’t get caught by Recall-chan’s transport ability.”

“Ha? Throw what—oh, I see now.”

The doubts in Kasuou’s voice soon changed into understanding.

Black mist rose up on the surface next to the tanker, and the blond girl landed on it. The mist coming from the girl condensed, became claws and stabbed into the tanker’s belly.

“ORAAAH!”

The gigantic tanker flew above the ocean lightly but accompanied by a fierce gale.

Kasuou’s controlled mist did have frightening strength, but it wasn’t just that. Shachito controlled the tanker’s mass, making it as light as he possibly could.

“A good throwing form.”

Along with Shachito’s voice, the tanker dancing in air had a swarm of Autumn Darters land on it.

With the initial velocity induced by Kasuou’s strength and the tanker regaining its former mass through Shachito’s ability—it went flying toward the distant ships as fast as a bullet.

“Have this one, too!”

The remaining warship was also flung by Kasuou.

Behind Keigo, Branch Head Takemi emitted a hoarse voice.

“T-this is ridiculous… so this is a fight between Mushitsuki, then?”

Although the two ships crashed into the sea after receiving air resistance, they kept rotating countless times like they were skipping stones and headed toward the enemy ships.

“Y-yes! That’s great, Kasuou, Shachito—”

This time the two ships actually hit the enemy battleships—but were then instantly annihilated by a harsh light.

“—”

All Mushitsuki who witnessed this sight went speechless.

The enemy also did the same as the defending side.

They shot down the approaching danger with a simultaneous attack using Mushitsuki powers.

However, the difference in their numbers was too great.

The Mushitsuki on the island were unable to sink even a single ship. On the other hand, the enemy’s concentrated firepower managed to blow two ships to smithereens.

“How many Mushitsuki are there over there…?”

Rinrin’s hoarse voice cut through the silence of the fishing harbor, echoing.

While the Mushitsuki all gulped, something like smoke rose from the battleship.

No, that was wrong. It was a small swarm of figures—a group of Revived with flying abilities. Perhaps cautious of Recall’s mist spread around the sky, they approached them while flying low above the water surface.

By straining his eyes, he could even see something that looked like fast boats approaching Aoharima Island. They probably had enemy Revived on board as well.

Keigo groaned in a low voice.

“Right, it’s natural to move on to a war of attrition if a surprise attack’s impossible.”

If the enemies used normal boats to attack, they could simply sink them before they arrived at shore. Because they understood this, the enemy specifically used these material tactics to waste their stamina.

“They’re really using some rather thorough and nasty ways to attack, huh.”

“All hands, assume battle positions! Don’t let them land!”

Under Terasu’s commands, the defending Mushitsuki instantly materialized their Mushi.

Thus started the full battle between the Mushitsuki and the Revived.

“Our first line of defense is Kaguya’s long-ranged attacks! Our second line is Kasuou! Us on the breakwater will aim for those enemies who managed to run away! Try pacing yourself!”

Golden lasers were launched from the lighthouse right next to Kaguya. The rain of light raining on the sea pierced through the approaching Revived and their high-speed vessels.

Floating in the sea was Kasuou, clad in black mist. The black claws she produced struck down those enemies that managed to weave between the lasers.

Those who managed to dodge and circumvent Kasuou were intercepted by the Mushitsuki lined up on the breakwater.

The small fishing harbor was filled with shouts, impacts, and all sorts of flashes of light.

“Kaguya, Kasuou! Switch up with Toramaru and Yotsuba and have Nene treat you! The battle’s only just getting started!”

“I can feel a ‘flame’ approaching in a straight line! Is it… in the sea? It’s a powerful Mushitsuki!”

“So they’re finally sending high-ranked Mushitsuki… Namie, Aijisupa!”

“Yes!”

“Gotcha.”

Common Albatross butterflies blazing in pure white danced in the sky. Cutting through the water surface and flying inside, they caused an explosion within, raising a large water column.

Blown to above the water, the person was then engulfed by the steam hanging over it.

A large explosion formed.

The figure struck back to the ocean started sinking.

“The ‘flame’ has vanished—no, it’s weakened, but not gone…! They’re going away!”

“So we let them escape… high-ranked really are tough. But it’s fine as long as we can stop them from coming to land, there’s no damage, right?”

“The weakened ‘flame’ is especially—uh? Uu…aaaahhh!”

“What? What’s wrong, Himiko?!”

“It’s the guy from before! She’s being poisoned by mental pollution! —Healing Punch!”

“Kuh… what’s her guard doing?! If our sensors get offed, we’re finished!”

“I-I’m fine now… More importantly, there’s a small gathering of ‘flames’ that took a large detour and are coming to the other side of the island behind us…”

“A flying column…! Shachito, take care of them! Just in case, take Yakugami with you, too!”

“I mean, sure. But should I head to the enemy’s main forces and sink at least one ship?”

“That’s only if the enemy’s firepower got dispersed! They have so many in one place and that includes Asagi, so we can’t take that bet!”

“So we can’t tag out and rest like that. Yeah, it really is just like teacher to do that.”

The attacks from above sea continued without pause.

Revived were being sent one after another, and powerful assassins dealt surprise attacks as if they were aiming for gaps where the defending side grew lax. If even one of them made landfall there was a danger of the defensive lines being eroded from the inside. Terasu and the others had to snipe all of them without fail, exhausting both energy and morale.

Even so, when about two hours passed into the defensive battle, the attacking side seemed to lay off.

They managed to preserve the island’s defenses.

However—the Mushitsuki’s hearts were definitely being shaved little by little.

Exactly as their enemy intended.

“…Are Asagi and these Revived the so-called Dove?”

While watching over the battle, Keigo mumbled to himself.

—And the Dove will be unleashed.

These were the curious words uttered by Miguruma.

If the Dove was the existence that Keigo thought it was, it fit.

“We still don’t have everyone here…”

As Keigo muttered this, Terasu’s low voice overlapped with his.

“The next batch is coming. …Everyone, prepare for interception!”

Just like the first wave, a swarm of Revived came from the enemy battleships. Judging from the number of fast vessels lowered onto the water, their numbers were higher than last time.

The defending Mushitsuki struck down the assassins one after another.

There were gradually more and more listless Revived floating in the waters as well as the remains of fast boats.

They managed to protect the defensive lines for an hour and then another hour—but both stamina and willpower of the Mushitsuki at Aoharima Island were slowly but surely wasting away.

When three hours passed, the laser beams raining over the ocean lost their momentum.

The same way, the claws of mist that wreaked havoc in front of the breakwater also grew duller.

Inevitably, the number of enemies approaching the island grew, and even the benched combatants came to rejoin the defensive battle.

Realizing this was a critical moment, the enemy sent more and more powerful Revived—

“Two powerful ‘flames’ are approaching from left and right…! And another one coming in a delay—”

“Tch, you pieces of shit! How dare you escape me…! If you’re gonna fight, come at me!”

“Poisonous Punch! Don’t use more strength than necessary, Kasuou! I have my hands full here, I can’t swap with you!”

“Recall can’t keep protecting from missiles for much longer, either! She’s still a child, she might have talent, but no stamina…!”

“So this is sink or swim… should we attack them while ready for honorable death?”

“Don’t be an idiot! Do you want to get bombarded by concentrated fire in the ocean where there’s no escape?”

He could hear these shouting voices all over the comms, but at the same time someone also spoke to him directly.

Terasu showed herself next to Keigo’s group who were at the warehouse.

Since the battlefield’s commander herself came to them, Keigo and the other Branch Heads realized the situation.

“…Thirty more minutes…”

Raising her goggles to her brows, Terasu spoke to Keigo.

“If they went through our defensive lines, we’ll be annihilated in no time.”

“Probably, yeah.”

While fixing the position of his glasses with his index finger, Keigo wore a thin smile. The other Branch Heads behind him started clamoring, but he paid them no heed.

Even if they evacuated starting now it was useless. Once the Revived pierced through the defenses, there was no doubt they’d scour the entire island to fully and thoroughly eliminate all Mushitsuki of the old generation.

Even if they tried escaping outside the island, they had no ship with which to do so.

Should they resolve themselves and fight as the very last line of defense as soldiers?

He thought that wasn’t bad at all, but they still had other things they could do before this.

“Terasu. The thing I’ve asked you to do before the fight—are there any mental control types still alive?”

“Ha…? Yes, that’s obviously—”

“Alright, then order that kid to wake up Sleeping Beauty.”

“…!”

Everyone there froze at Keigo’s words.

“This is different from the original plan—but we’ll use whatever we can. It’s fine for there to be some aftereffects. Anyway, let’s try kicking her off the bed and throw her in the enemies’ midst.”

“B-but that…!”

Exposing her agitation, Terasu argued back.

“She might go wild… and if that happens, we’ll incur victims even among our allies…!”

“You were the one who told me we were on the brink of annihilation, right?”

As Keigo spoke back, Branch Head Takemi grabbed his arm from behind.

“Are you saying we’ll self-destruct—no, cause ourselves to explode, Keigo-kun? If we’re going to do that, we should at least bet on an attack, or look for means to run away.”

“Self-annihilation is quite unthinkable. All of us just want to live as long as possible.”

Saying this, Keigo looked to the sea.

“Also, there is one thing I still do not understand.”

“Don’t understand…? At this point, you can shove your personal feelings—”

Each Branch Head began to object, and Terasu also fell into silence, unable to decide anything.

Ignoring all of them and looking into the sea, Keigo could see a red point being formed.

It looked like it appeared even further away than the enemy’s battleships. Curious, Keigo raised his binoculars and peeked at it.

“Terasu.”

“Ye…yes sir. I will now follow your orders—”

“No, forget what I said just now. We don’t need to unleash Sleeping Beauty just yet.”

Terasu looked confused. However, following Keigo’s line of sight to the sea, her face changed.

“Th—that is…”

Through his binoculars, Keigo managed to capture that red light.

For a moment he thought it was some sort of missile, but he was mistaken.

It was a blazing mass of flames.

A whirl of hellfire that could be called a second sun.

“It looks like—we’ve managed to hold long enough.”

Keigo’s mumble was erased by the air vibrating enough to shake to surface of the sea.

The sphere approaching the enemy warships burst and changed form to a gigantic Great Yama tiger beetle. Sporting tusks with differing lengths, this Mushi landed on one of the warships.

It raised a wave large enough to be clearly seen even from the island.

The Great Yama tiger beetle of flames swallowed the battleship whole. That impact and explosive wind created tall waves, shaking the surrounding ships.

It targeted another ship, but was blocked by a purple glow. The glow of haphazard electricity flying all over the sea surface and the crimson Great Yama tiger beetle began tussling and restraining each other.

“Ha—”

Even Goroumaru Touko’s voice coming from behind was blocked by the roar echoing from nearby.

In the part of the sea close to the fishing harbor, those Revived that hadn’t been defeated by those like Kaguya and Kasuou were now hit by a single strike.

It was done by a gigantic, half-dome-shaped Mushi. Suppressing the battles on the ocean in an instant, the Mushi flew along with the figure riding its head toward the storehouse where Keigo and the rest were.

It was a Mushi with seven spots on its wings, as well as its host.

Landing near Keigo, the girl jumped down from the Mushi’s head.

“I saw you fighting, so I came rushing here alone—but that was our enemy, right?”

With her beautiful face and the cloak she was wearing, her figure looked like the very picture of a hero.

Keigo shrugged.

“I do believe Kasuou got hit with some of the aftershock and is shouting toward us, though.”

The Great Yama tiger beetle flying all over the enemy ships became a fireball again.

Drawing an arc through air, it came flying at them with great momentum. As it landed nearby, running half the storehouse’s wall, a single human figure emerged from within, spreading sparks around.

“I saw somethin’ interesting, so I came here flying alone—but looks like I’m a little late, eh?”

Shaking his bright red hair, he wore a bold smile that spread smoldering flames.

“No, we’re still in the middle of this. Whether this is fortunate or unfortunate, I’m not sure.”

Keigo cracking a joke like this was the complete opposite reaction from all Mushitsuki gathered on the pier.

They were the beautiful girl controlling a seven spotted ladybug, and the flame devil in charge of a Great Yama tiger beetle.

Seeing these two people on Aoharima Island, Goroumaru Touko leaked a shaky voice.

“Lady-san…! Harukiyo-san…!”

As if in delay, there was a large cheer coming from the harbor.

Blaze Class Rank 1, Lady Bird.

Irregular Class Rank 1, Harukiyo.

These two aces that once couldn’t stand together now came to these dire straits—

As the defending side was on the brink of annihilation, they probably looked like Gods of salvation to them.

“...W-we’re saved—”

Terasu was about to collapse from relief, but regained her senses and hurriedly wore her goggles again.

“—D-don’t let your guard down! Reassemble the flying unit! Nene, you heal Kasuou! Create footholds for Kasuou to reach the enemy warships and also charge through the enemy ships with the Rank 1s and the flying unit!”

Keigo judged this decision to be correct.

It would be no exaggeration to say that the gap in power between them and the enemy forces shrunk down with the sudden appearance of Lady and Harukiyo. Since it would raise their morale, they should use this chance to attack.

“All hands, start the counterattack!”

It was time to switch defense to offense.

Until now they withstood a defensive fight, but they could finally see a hope for turning it all around.

“Wait a minute.”

Even so, one of the people vital for this—Lady Bird—stopped Terasu. Not covered by her fox mask, the beautiful woman’s eyes gazed straight at the enemy ships.

“Aren’t the enemies… leaving?”

“That’s why I thought I was late. Or was I being too much of a scaredy-cat?”

Smiling calmly with a hand on his hip, Harukiyo spoke.

“I tried getting all of ‘em in a surprise attack, but that familiar magnetism woman zombie stopped me. I thought she was annoying, and they’d already started preparing for drawing back.”

“Eh…”

Pushing down her goggles again, Terasu groaned.

“The response was far too quick! Even though it took our forces time to regain their positions…!”

“Go and buy us some time already.”

“Why’re you talking as if you’re just sending me on an errand to the nearby supermarket? You go, bitch. There’s still plenty of ‘em, so how about you cool ‘em off with your specialty wind?”

Anxious eyes were directed by the surrounding people at the two Rank 1s with clashing gazes that were hot and cold.

Should they just let the enemies go to prevent any further victims?

Or should they pursue the enemy even in this insufficient state?

While everyone hesitated about this, their gazes naturally flowed toward Keigo.

“…The enemy ships divided into two groups.”

However, while peeking through the binoculars Keigo had other worries than attack or defense.

“No—they’re making way for something.”

Following his actions, everyone in the storehouse looked to the sea.

There was a small dot that passed by the ships creating a path for it. Since it was far and much smaller than the battleships, they couldn’t yet see any clear silhouette.

“I agree with your opinion. We might win if we attack right now, but it’s also true the enemy still has many remaining forces. Even so, it’s too soon for them to judge this an adequate retreat.”

Keigo kept staring through the binoculars, unmoving.

“There’s one thing for sure. The appearance of Lady and Harukiyo—means that right now, all of the surviving Mushitsuki are on this island.”

Finally, his binoculars managed to capture the form of the small figure approaching them.

“So this probably means that it was Asagi’s aim to get us to hole up on this island in the first place…”

Keigo sighed, throwing the binoculars to Terasu. While wearing a puzzled expression, she peeked into those binoculars which had better zoom functions than her goggles.

“…! B-but that’s… I see! So it really means our forces are gathered now! That’s why the enemy escaped—”

“…”

While Terasu raised a cheer, Keigo shook his head to the sides.

“Am I wrong? But she’s—”

“What’s that? It’s coming right here.”

“What’s this all over the area, rain?”

Lady and Harukiyo also seemed to notice what was approaching.

However, it was still far, so probably only Keigo and Terasu were able to clearly see it.

“Eh—she already managed to slip past the enemies, so why is she still using her ability—not only that, but it’s growing stronger and stron—ger—”

Watching through the binoculars again, Terasu gasped.

“This—can’t be, right…?”

As the girl began to tremble, the binoculars fell from her hands with a clatter.

Keigo now became convinced and spoke.

“That is—the Dove.”

Seeing her figure, he accepted it so readily that he wanted to laugh.

“God unleashed a Dove… and its return showed that the surface had been purged—”

He recalled the tragedy of a few years prior.

It happened one day, without any advance warning, all due to a single, young Mushitsuki—

The mere act of that elementary schooler walking around town nearly caused the annihilation of the entire Special Environmental Preservation Bureau.

And the boy who’d managed to stop this nightmare—was no longer there.

“Certainly, if the Dove managed to go back to C unscathed… it would mean that no more old generation Mushitsuki remained in this world.”

Keigo now realized Miguruma Yaeko’s—no, C’s aim.

The assassins that came riding the battleship weren’t sent there to rout the Mushitsuki of Aoharima Island.

She was waiting for all Rank 1s to gather in one place.

At the same time, she was waiting for the Dove who was sent there to arrive.

Waiting for the Mushitsuki to barely survive wasn’t for a chance to change offense to defense—

It was to set the guillotine upon the stage.

“N-no way, is she coming for us…?”

Keigo nodded toward the paling Terasu.

“—C-change in plans!”

Lowering the goggles to her eyes, she shouted.

“Refrain from attack! All hands, to defense—no, actually, take attack positions! It’s impossible to defend! I’ll give the signal, so attack using your full powers! K-Kasuou and Recall are to retreat all the way to the pier! Don’t touch that ability even by mistake!”

“Ah? Calm down, brat! Which is it, attacking or defending? In the first place, what’re you even talking about—”

Kasuou’s voice arguing back stopped.

Probably because she could see that figure first of everyone, being alone at sea as she was.

Even the Mushitsuki lines on the breakwater became able to see it with their eyes.

It was—a small boat.

They could see the lone human figure standing on it.

Who was it?

Although they weren’t close enough to see the face, everyone on the island understood.

“It’s fine, just focus on attacking—”

Terasu’s voice probably sounded like announcing the death penalty.

The morale that rose due to the arrival of Lady and Harukiyo was being dyed over by confusion and despair.

After all, only around the small boat approaching the island there was a certain localized phenomenon—

“If we don’t—we’ll just get annihilated in moments!”

Pouring down from the blue sky in complete regard of the season—

Was pure white snow.

1.05 The Others

She was the Dove.

After being unleashed from the Ark, her duty was to confirm when the surface had been purged for the creation of a new world.

As she stood on the small boat, her hair was dyed by a golden glow. On the surface of her out-of-place formal clothing flickered a luster like a diagram of an electric circuit for an instant.

“You are the Dove… Your duty is to confirm the land has been purged for the preparations in order to create a new world, and then return to the Ark.”

Both sublime and sweet, this voice whispered to her from the tiara she adorned on her head.

And the owner of this voice—could possibly be called God.

Perhaps that was wrong.

This distinction held no meaning for her.

Since her sins were forgiven and she became a being freed from all worries wracking her body—it felt natural to call her a goddess. Now that she was released from all suffering, she felt very blessed.

The enemies of the God that saved her remained on the island visible ahead.

What a foolish enemy—she had to purge those pitiful failed products.

Once she’d done it, she could say for the first time that the land was purged—

Spreading her arms, a small Mushi materialized in front of her.

It was a small firefly.

“Grant purging to this land… grant them salvation…”

The voice of the goddess transmitting from the tiara made the Dove’s cheeks blush.

A whisper came near her smiling self.

“Break…”

It was her own voice, but it didn’t come from her mouth.

Now that she had been saved by God, she finally noticed the feelings that were always inside her.

“Break… anything and everything…”

She wanted to break things.

This world, which had endless sadness and pain.

This world, that couldn’t stop fighting and hurting.

She would destroy everything down to absolute zero. She wanted to recreate it from square one.

She would change it into a new world, one without suffering or pain.

The goddess that saved her could definitely do that.

And she herself was the one who would inform of the change into this new world—as the Dove.

“Break…”

White fragments started pouring down from the clear sky.

It was snow.

She headed to the lone island along with dancing snow.

All in order to reach these failed products of the past that kept hurting, suffering and yet unable to stop fighting—to save them all.

“Break… everything…”

Her surroundings were wrapped by ear-grating sounds and blinding lights.

Attacks were launched from the island and hit her simultaneously.

The small boat decelerated. Not because it was pushed back by the enemy attacks; she was simply preparing to make landfall.

While the curtain of white snow repelled the attacks from the island, she could hear a voice from overhead.

“Shiika…? Shiika!”

She raised her face.

The person riding atop a Mushi’s head looked down at her with a sorrowful expression.

She was Lady Bird—no, her friend Tachibana Rina.

Why was this girl here when she’d died in battle before?

All reasons and explanations were converted to electronic data through the tiara, then transmitted to Shiika’s head directly.

Her friend came back to life through the Mushitsuki called Mimic sacrificing herself.

Her chest ached at seeing her friend’s nearly-crying face.

“What’s wrong with you? It’s me, Rina! Wake up!”

Shiika beckoned with her hands overhead, wanting to save her friend from pain.

“It’s fine, Rina. Let’s end all this pain already, alright?”

“…!”

Rina gasped and flew to the side.

White snow poured down the space Rina used to inhabit, and she evaded it by a razor’s edge.

The small boat stopped right at the edge of the breakwater. She came down to the ground with a light gait.

All Mushitsuki on the breakwater retreated already. Surrounding her from a distance, they kept attacking.

“Don’t stop your attacks! We can’t allow Fuyuhotaru to come any further to shore!”

A voice from somewhere in the fishing harbor echoed, and the attacks increased their momentum.

However, the curtain of snow remained unbroken, and all it did was shake her gold-glowing hair. She slowly walked on top of the breakwater, approaching her enemies.

“Haha!”

She raised her chin with a twitch.

The next moment, an impact not unlike an asteroid crashing down assaulted her. A part of the fishing harbor caved in only around her, and her vision was dyed crimson.

“You’ve grown into quite a woman to my liking, Fuyuhotaru! Zero sex appeal, though!”

Hearing this vulgar laughter, she slightly grimaced.

The density of the snow increased and pushed the flames back. As she did, she saw a person with an ugly smile.

Harukiyo, the flame devil. Since he could control flames against her snow, the compatibility of their abilities was bad; he was a troublesome opponent.

She started focusing in order to handle her largest obstacle.

However, something appeared at her feet—

“…”

A bizarre assassin.

A single arm grabbed the girl’s legs.

It was a thin arm glowing in blue. Growing out of the asphalt like in some out-of-season ghost story, the arm grasped Shiika’s ankle hard.

“…”

She controlled the snow to let a single flake fall down to her feet.

Just from the snow touching it—the ground was torn. Deep fissures ran in all directions, and a large amount of seawater came flowing through. It didn’t end at that, either, and the asphalt became like needles, stabbed each other, and crumbled down while leaving an echo not unlike a beast’s death throes.

This destruction took but a moment.

As several seconds passed, Shiika was standing on top of the debris—and the blue arm was completely gone. She had no idea whether it escaped or was annihilated without trace. It was probably hurt either way.

Forgetting about the disappeared assassin, she turned back toward the Mushitsuki on the fishing harbor.

They kept attacking her as always as if they were scared of her—no, perhaps they really were shaking in fear.

Harukiyo also added attacks of his own.

Dancing high above, Rina didn’t appear to be sending any attacks. She looked like she was hesitating.

Shiika smiled.

Getting attacked by the surviving Mushitsuki felt as though they were clashing with their lives against her. Their strength felt reliable, and made her happy.

She was also like that before.

“…”

But now she was different.

Now that she knew both the bitterness of surviving fights and the despair that awaited after that—she knew of the happiness that existed beyond it.

Everyone would be equally Mushitsuki.

Everyone would equally be unleashed from pain and death.

Since there was a being who could rewrite the world like this, Shiika just needed to wash everything away and attain the right to be reborn in this new world.

Only those baptized by the goddess known as C were eligible to board the Ark—

“—”

She crouched on the spot and rounded her body.

Hugging her own knees, she slowly closed her eyes.

And—she began to dream of a new world.

This world, where people only got hurt and wounded, was going to end right here.

A new world, filled only with happiness and tranquility, was going to start right here.

And she was not going to accept anything else.

She was going to completely reject anything other than the new world she wished for—

“…!”

“…!”

“…!”

She felt her own power swell while curling herself on the ground. People’s screams lessened with time.

The snow of purging she controlled would travel from the shipping harbor to the entire port, and from there to the entire island.

In a world without any sense of time or light.

She felt true tranquility from the bottom of her heart.

This was—the place where she belonged.

No one was there. People wouldn’t wish for things from themselves or others, and wouldn’t hurt each other.

A world with nothing but tranquility.

After fighting to the end, any people who’d bother her long sought-after rest—no longer existed.

“—”

How much time passed?

When she opened her eyes again and got to her legs, she saw what spread in front of her eyes.

It became a literal uninhabited island.

Nothing there preserved its original form as far as the eye could see. Everything natural and man-made left nothing behind, becoming thin, silent plains.

In this world nothing moved but the waves and nothing could be heard but the waves.

She turned on her heels.

Unlike the destroyed island, only the small boat in front of the breakwater remained unharmed. As she calmly walked down to it, the engine started up as if waiting for her.

Since the boat held the power of a god, it automatically went out into sea.

And its destination was obviously to God’s side—

To the Ark.

She was going to inform God that the purging of the earth was complete, fulfilling her mission.

Since the boat was slow, it kept sailing throughout the entire night.

Night passed, it became night again, and when she saw land, she could no longer wait and stood up.

She leapt toward the coast from the boat that was parked near some bay coast somewhere.

She could see a large hanging bridge.

She quickly proceeded to the empty bridge. The clothes she was clad in and the tiara she was wearing told her that her God was there.

As she passed the bridge while being guided by her God, the fairies came out to greet her.

C-butterflies glowing gold and tiara-clad fairies. These all danced around her as she completed her mission, blessing her and singing.

When she saw one fairy step out to the front, she kneeled.

“No more of the old Mushitsuki exist… those failed products are gone.”

As she spoke this with an enraptured expression, the fairy reached out to her.

A small numbness assaulted her head. Her memories were being searched.

“Confirmed. —You have done well to fulfill your duty. My beloved Dove…”

Wearing a satisfied smile, the fairy hugged her.

“Come, please turn around and watch. You have the right to watch this through.”

She turned around as she was told and was stunned.

On the other side of the large bridge.

There was a change happening in the scenery of the capital with its lines of high-rise buildings.

“It is the time for creation. Now that all failed products are gone, it is time to wash over the world with the flood—”

It really was a flood.

And it was black.

A pitch-dark tidal wave swallowed the city whole.

However, it was not an actual wave—

“Let us see how many people are eligible to be invited to this land—to my Ark.”

It was a deluge of blackouts.

Notes

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