novelVolume 8, Stage 04 - Crushing the Silver War from the Heavens (2)
| ← Ch.095 | Ch.097 → |
Volume 8, Stage 04: Crushing the Silver War from the Heavens (2)
The few armored trucks were followed by a horizontal line of tanks that looked like a wall of steel. They did not even use the hills as cover. There were probably troop transport trucks loaded with Repliglass soldiers behind them. Prioritizing personnel over equipment may have been an American trait since they wanted to minimize casualties and avoid criticism from the TV viewers. If those had been Russian troops, there may have been infantry clinging to the outside of the tanks as they charged from the front line.
"If we crush them too, the bizarre reports will continue and they won't be able to escape the suspicions of mass hysteria, but the TV viewers will soon boil over with anger and criticize the White House for starting this war."
~Onii-chan, won't Rachel slap you for fighting by stripping your opponent of their honor?~
The youth had been deployed on what was supposed to be the world's safest war, yet they had been harmed. This was not what they had signed up for.
...It looked silly spelled out like that, but that was how a superpower with absolute strength viewed war.
Because they were the strongest, they were unaccustomed to losing.
Or rather, they did not know how to accept defeat.
~I could shoot them now if it doesn't have to be super precise. ~
"Draw them forward some more. The closer the two units, the better for us....Oh, so now it's a giant laser cannon? If they've brought out the west division's crucial weapon, they must be ready to withdraw, no matter what the higher ups might think."
The tanks without turrets may have been collection trucks meant to retrieve broken vehicles. Four of them were being used to pull a giant flatcar like a horse-drawn carriage. Instead of a canopy, it carried a cylindrical cannon enclosed within a boxy metal tower. The weapon was intended to intercept missiles from space, so that was likely meant to reinforce it so it did not bend within earth's gravity.
~Onii-chan, I didn't realize you liked painting models with dirt and camouflage. ~
"2000 meters. Yes, this should be good."
Tank guns generally aimed in a straight line, but 2km was close range for them. They had approached so close because they were sick of the confusing reports coming from the satellites and drones and they wanted to check things out for themselves.
That might sound silly for an age of digital warfare, but there was a report saying a temperature of just two degrees higher than their body temperature would lower infantry's attentiveness. And if they were inattentive, it increased the risk of stepping on a landmine or tripwire. That was the state of the incomplete digital warfare that had not fully eliminated humans from the battlefield. There was no avoiding the emotions that had been a part of war since BCE times.
No matter how many reinforcements were sent in, Kyousuke and Olivia only had to keep doing the same thing.
The protective circle and the Lady of Purple Lightning would not allow normal bullets or shells to harm them. Without Princess Olivia's extremely precise control over the Unexplored-class, it would have actually been harder to avoid killing the enemy. Their one concern was that they had already used up their last Incense Grenade. That meant they had to protect the Artificial Sacred Ground they already had. If the enemy was scattered over too wide an area to reach them during the 90s Chain, this would get a lot trickier.
It was risky and they were walking on thin ice.
If the Artificial Sacred Ground vanished, Kyousuke and Olivia would return to being vulnerable humans who could lose their lives to common bullets and explosions.
Between two battles, Kyousuke spoke while stepping on a tank shell that rolled out of a supply truck.
"We've pretty much settled things here, so let's go crush the reinforcements."
~But the Chain only lasts 90 seconds! And they're about 2 kilometers away!~
"It's time to join civilization, Olivia. We don't need to go on foot."
Kyousuke sharply jabbed his Blood-Sign at something on the ground.
He detonated the tank shell he was stepping on.
The close-range blast was not a problem thanks to the protective circle. And the rules of the Summoning Ceremony stated that the Artificial Sacred Ground's base surface was the surface on which the Incense Grenade detonated, but if that surface was broken and destroyed, it would instead be based on the surface stood on by the summoner who had thrown the Incense Grenade.
Kyousuke was propelled upwards by the blast and flew more than 10m straight up. He flipped himself upside down so the soles of his feet touched something while pointed skyward.
They touched the bottom of a large transport plane that had approached surprisingly close.
It seemed to have been trying to land on the field runway because it was low on fuel, but it must have given up upon seeing how large the battle on the ground had grown. Kyousuke designated its belly as the next foothold while it cruised at fairly low altitude.
The feeling of landing must have been different while seated in a wheelchair because Olivia screamed while existing within the Lady of Purple Lightning.
~Wah!?~
"If this is one of the new C-1092s, it uses electronic control support when landing, so it can fly at more than 300km/h even with its wheels out. It'll carry us those 2000m in just 20 or 30 seconds."
With that, Kyousuke ran upside-down along the bottom of the fuselage to reach the front.
The Chain was still in effect, but to set the next foothold on the ground, they would need to destroy the old one...which meant the transport plane. That was why he moved to the front, circled around the round nose, and looked through the thick reinforce glass at the pilot who looked so shocked he was about to have a heart attack.
Kyousuke viewed the pilot.
And after confirming the next 10 minutes had begun, he smashed the glass canopy with the tip of his Blood-Sign. The protective circle was in the way, so he used the end of the long stick to snag the military uniform's collar.
"Olivia, destroy the plane."
~You may be the strongest pacifist, Onii-chan, but all of your ideas are insane. ~
With that exasperated comment, a purple beam sliced the transport plane apart.
Kyousuke carried the screaming pilot with him as they returned to the surface. He set foot in the center of the western tank unit sent in to suppress the mysterious riot.
They were outside the base.
It was a flat, featureless plain, making it a poor location for taking on tanks.
But Kyousuke shook the pilot (who had gone quiet after his eyes rolled back in his head) from his Blood-Sign and winked.
He sounded like he was reading off the warnings in a user's manual.
"Sorry about starting with an Unexplored-class right off the bat. Even an expert would cry foul at that, but you're the world's strongest. I'm praying you'll find a way to escape this."
It only took an instant.
The sickly woman in the rickety wheelchair launched a purple beam from her fingertip.
Kyousuke thought about the state of the battle while watching as the tanks were sliced apart to leave just the soldiers behind. It was like a magic trick.
~Is that big thing our top priority?~
"They aren't even trying to preserve it, so they're probably planning to abandon it here. Still, destroy it just to be safe."
The lasers fired by the giant strategic weapon and the Unexplored-class collided, but the result had been obvious from the beginning. No matter how much firepower that thing boasted, physical methods of harm could not even scratch the protective circle or Material.
With the north and west landmark weapons destroyed and Kyousuke right in the middle of the tank reinforcements, it was clear what would become of the Silver Resource War.
After thoroughly cleaning things up here and letting their mistaken view of the situation work to its fullest, it would no longer be feasible to continue that economic activity known as war.
If it became known that 20, 000 soldiers had succumbed to mass hysteria and destroyed each other, the higher ups in charge of those promising youths would undoubtedly be asked to take responsibility. And international society would be hesitant to let such dangerous units enter their borders or pass through their territorial waters. In the worst case, every last unit would have to keep a motherly school counselor or fortune teller with them at all times.
~But, Onii-chan, isn't Government the world police? They must have a lot of subordinate groups in America, so wouldn't some professional summoners and vessels have been deployed with the troops?~
"Some were."
Kyousuke readily confirmed it and Olivia fell silent again.
Only her impatience and confusion reached Kyousuke's mind.
~Wait, but, that's bad! If our plan is to trick the world because they won't remember us, we can't have any professionals on the battlefield who can actually see what's going on!!~
"The ignorant TV viewers will still be angry, so it won't change anything. I mean, the truth of the matter is that a single summoner and vessel pair defeated the world's most powerful army and a being greater than the gods went on a rampage....What good would it do for the military officials and IT company presidents to explain that at a press conference? People would think a mysterious war disease had spread to the US mainland and they'd be sent to a mental hospital."
~...~
"It doesn't matter whether or not the truth is known. We need to focus on how many people will believe it."
~Onii-chan, I need to have Rachel give you a spanking. She'll whip you into shape at our training ground. ~
That was a frightening threat, so Kyousuke made a mental note to give her some candy later to placate her. As tiny as she was, she was a member of the royal family and could be particular about her food, so he would have be careful.
"Would this be a job for the forbidden chocolate chip cereal? It's hard to judge that one since it's taken a step outside the category of food, but it is overflowing with an immediate charm..."
~Onii-chan? Hm? What are you analyzing now???~
Had they finally identified the threat now that it was right in front of them? Or were they still utterly confused because a single boy could not account for all of the damage? Either way, Kyousuke wanted to defeat them before they could recover, so he did not wait around. He wanted to end this before they came up with the actual right answer: have all of the US soldiers fall back and attack endlessly with drone bombings and cruise missiles. Just like with food and ammunition, depriving your opponent of time had long been used as an extremely effective method of applying pressure.
The boy snapped his fingers.
"Olivia, it's time to end it."
However.
That was when an unexpected voice burned into the back of his mind.
~...Nii-sama...are you there...?~
He felt a pressure in his heart.
This was the one thing that not even Shiroyama Kyousuke had been able to predict. After all, this was the Unexplored-class who had directly killed the White Queen and been broken by it. Her childishness, purity, and obedience made this monster far too different.
There was only one thing he knew.
She had suddenly appeared during his battle with War Criminal and destroyed the Artificial Sacred Ground with the touch of her fingertip. Regardless of the summoner and vessel's skill, the Third Summoning Ceremony simply could not last until the conclusion when she was involved.
(Why now...!? If she had waited just a bit longer, we could have fully neutralized both US divisions!!)
He of course had no more Incense Grenades.
If this final Artificial Sacred Ground was taken from them, that was the end for Kyousuke and Olivia. Their momentum would grind to a halt and the stalled car would never start up again. The tension he felt now was far different from before.
Olivia's voice was trembling too.
~O-O-Onii...chan...~
The environment that allowed her to use the Unexplored-class strength of the Lady of Purple Lightning could end at any second.
There was only one possible key to overcoming this.
"A summoner and a vessel..."
~?~
"Government summoners and vessels must have been unofficially sent here with the American troops. If there's a way out of this, it has to be that."
And.
A group was secretly waiting in a forest at the midpoint between west and north where no pieces were thought to have been placed on the map.
It was only 50 strong. That was about the size of a platoon or two, but the coordinator who knew the truth of the Kingdom F knights knew it was nowhere near enough. The US military was composed of four branches - the army, navy, air force, and marines - but they were woefully unable to prepare anyone capable of directly using the Summoning Ceremony. That was why the summoners and vessels cooperated as mercenaries who were not counted on paper. America had always led the world in its 300 years of history, but that short history also left it weak when it came to the mystical and the occult.
25 pairs had been gathered to fill that mystical gap.
One of the pairs was Government Award 501, Perfect Game.
The summoner was Max Layard, a macho man with a pompadour. The vessel was Ellie Slide, a small brown girl with bright swimsuit tan lines.
"G-god this is dangerous. He's reached the Unexplored-class while we just watch. Ahh, ahh. And the Grad Killer and Land SDI landmark weapons have both been destroyed. At this rate, he really will crush both 10, 000-man divisions."
"Now, we still haven't received any instructions from the coordinator, but what should we do about this?"
"I'm not about to guess what that Alice (with) Rabbit is thinking, but he's beating up people who've never even heard of the Summoning Ceremony. I'm still not fond of what the American military or monster corporations do, but this is different. Attacking without explaining the rules just ain't fair!!"
"So...what? Are you going to charge in shirtless and wielding a Gatling gun like a Hollywood hero? He already has the Lady of Purple Lightning of the Unexplored-class, but are you going to take him on with a Cost 1 Regulation-class, Max?"
"...........................................................................................................................................................................Okay, I'm sorry. So what are we supposed to do, miss?"
American culture taught you never to apologize, even if you hit a child with an 18-wheeler, but the incense expert with glasses and a bare midriff liked Max's break from that. An idiot who knew they were an idiot was better than someone who had been so spoiled by their parents that they were convinced they were a genius.
The girl in a large witch hat carried a Native American ritual item taller than she was that looked like a cross between a single-edged axe and a tobacco pipe, but she currently had it stabbed into the ground so she leaned her small butt against it through her miniskirt and shorts.
"He might be Freedom Award 903, but Shiroyama Kyousuke is still human. Have you forgotten that he was affected by my incense during the Pandemonium incident? If a direct attack won't work, then we just have to be sneakier about it. Don't underestimate a witch's secret techniques. If we can destroy the Artificial Sacred Ground and remove his protective circle, I can burn some incense smoke and send his brain to a world of illusion."
"(That's as cheap a trick as the gloomy rabbit bastard. )"
"Max. Who is it that is kiiiindly soothing the pain from your front teeth since you were throwing a childish tantrum over your fear of visiting a foreign dentist? If you doubt a witch's secret techniques, I can respect your wishes and end that before heading home."
"Yes, ma'am. I have no objections whatsoever, you sexy lady in glasses, blonde hair, and brown skin!!"
"Good."
The girl with a height of less than 140cm gave a snort from her small nose. The dreamcatcher hanging from her neck did not budge from her sadly flat chest.
The age of feminine superiority may have arrived.
That girl possessed a fusion of the techniques developed by the Native American tribes and the witches who had fled to the New World, so what meaning did she find in this Eastern European forest? In a process incorporating Native American asceticism, Ellie Slide had piercings in her navel, her tongue, and even below her clothing. At the moment, she took a deep breath.
"Let's get started. Let's take up a position upwind and send in some Incense while keeping enough distance that Shiroyama Kyousuke won't notice our presence. We came here to do a job and we can't refuse to fight just because we think we can't win. We need to achieve the results we were paid for."
However, Max did not respond.
He was the man who had not hesitated to punch his supervisor because he could not allow a tropical village to be sacrificed for a superpower to further its plans. No matter what he said, he may have been questioning the invasion of Kingdom F. Or did he think he could apply the brakes at the right point if he was involved? He was an idiot, but his was an idiocy Ellie never got tired of seeing. Claiming both Kyousuke and the US Army were oppressive was a fair argument, but making an enemy of both sides would only isolate yourself. That man was amusingly ignorant.
Or so she thought, but that was apparently not the case here.
Max wobbled on his feet and then collapsed to the side.
"Hello, young lady. Care to lend a hand with your incense expertise?"
Despite the silly tone, the presence directly behind Ellie Slide was like a drawn blade. Nothing was pressing against her windpipe or heart, but if she moved, she would be cut down. This warrior had honed their skills until their killer intent alone served as a warning. Ellie considered a few options, but they would all be too slow. She would be killed before the incense could take effect.
Unable to turn around, she asked a question.
"...Who are you?"
"You can call me Biondetta or Freedom Award 920, Liar Cat."
This could not be worse.
She had even more Awards than Shiroyama Kyousuke.
Ellie heard the quiet rustling of leaves at her feet and looked down to see something approaching her from where Max had collapsed.
A white snake slithered between the legs of that young girl with bright tan lines.
And Ellie belatedly realized that the area was too quiet. The others in the forest had also been secretly knocked out. Presumably so they would not get in Shiroyama Kyousuke's way.
"I agree 100% that there is no need to challenge a powerful enemy head on. So I won't bother throwing an Incense Grenade. Because this adorable little thing can sneak up to the target and use its fangs to send venom swiftly coursing through their veins."
"I live with rattlesnakes in the New World, so I'm familiar with snakes. The pattern is hard to tell since that one is albino, but I doubt that is a venomous variety."
"Then how do you explain the people who have collapsed? Surely you aren't going to suggest it was the placebo effect."
With a sound much like rustling cloth, a damp sensation slithered up her leg. And not figuratively. After passing between her legs, the mystery white snake coiled around Ellie Slide's brown right leg and slowly climbed that healthy bare leg.
Its tongue moved in and out.
It showed off its mysterious fangs.
"Did you replace its fangs? So people would assume it was harmless and let their guard down before it injects them with whatever chemical you've decided to place inside it?"
"Oh? I wouldn't have thought someone with a piercing here would take issue with extensions and implants. I've replaced half my body with artificial bone, so it doesn't really bother me."
The white snake passed the girl's knee and reached her thigh.
The carrier of a powerful venom seemed to tilt its head while in position to bite at the center of Ellie Slide's body past her miniskirt and shorts.
"You knocked Max out immediately, but you didn't with me. What do you want from me?"
"I'm glad to see you understand. And speaking of that...Max was it? That summoner also functions as a hostage, so keep that in mind. If you do as I say, I'll swap in the antidote cartridge and have my girl bite him again."
"..."
"Or are you going to rely on your witch's skill to attempt mixing an antidote? That would be tricky. First of all, this is a super rare chemical with very few samples to come by."
Ellie Slide shut her eyes behind her glasses.
She let go of the combination of an axe and pipe and slowly raised her hands.
Without opening her eyes, the young witch breathed a heavy sigh and spoke in a low voice.
"...I am going to murder Shiroyama Kyousuke."
"Yes, thank you. Now, it would seem you are only pretending to surrender to put me at ease, but drawing out the conversation long enough for an incense to take effect won't work on me. I take so many antibiotics and other things on a daily basis that the inside of my body is a complete mess. Both poisons and medicines aren't going to function normally."
The person seemed to have casually circled in front of Ellie Slide.
When Ellie opened her eyes again, she saw a waitress demon with sexy proportions and long hair dyed pink. She got down to business with a sticky smile on her face.
"You've made a name for yourself with your incense expertise, so I would like for you to create an Incense Grenade for my client, Shiroyama Kyousuke. Right this instant."
"I remember his basic composition from the Pandemonium incident, but what exactly does he want it for? He's asking for help from a former enemy. I doubt he would accept the risk of sabotage if he only wanted to resupply his normal Incense Grenades."
"I do not know what he wants it for."
Ellie's summoner partner was at risk of dying, but the waitress's behavior was completely irresponsible.
"I was given two jobs by my client. One, to sneak into the American summoner unit that had to be here for the Silver Resource War and trip them up from within if a battle broke out. And two, approach the Perfect Game pair, which he knew would almost certainly be here thanks to information from a Government intermediary, and get Incense Expert Ellie Slide's help if a battle broke out. How exactly I went about these jobs was up to me, so do not blame my poor, adorable client."
"...I cannot stand how much those boobs are jiggling. How about I fill them with holes to criticize your methods here?"
"Squish squish☆"
To show off the overwhelming difference in bust size, the smiling waitress demon brought her loosely-clenched fists together at face height and used her arms to press in on her breasts from both sides.
"He wants you to take a look at the scene and create the perfect cocktail for the occasion. As dangerous as it is, he has no choice but to rely on your skill which your average incense maker could never hope to match. And that leads us to the present. So work hard for your beloved Max☆"
~...Nii-sama...~
The noise was awful.
Each time that "voice" sounded in Kyousuke's head, it felt like the wiring of his brain was being fried piece by piece.
~...Nii-sama...~
The limit was approaching. He could tell.
The Artificial Sacred Ground was already straining and it felt as unreliable as a suspension bridge on the verge of snapping. Meanwhile, Kyousuke worked to finish things.
"Olivia!! Blow away as many of the remaining tanks as you can! Right now!!"
The young woman in a rickety wheelchair made quick movements of her fingers like she was performing a mudra. Purple light sliced across the scenery in a straight line. To follow Alice (with) Rabbit's methods, it skillfully avoided the human bodies while slicing apart the Repliglass armor and tank armor panels. It was reminiscent of the die cutting game played with hardened sugar at festivals. The dance of destruction was so powerful that it was a miracle the entire thing did not shatter.
The enemy had been defeated.
That should have been the end of it.
But sweat poured from not just Kyousuke's face but his entire body. He knew this was only the beginning and that the true battle had yet to begin.
He did not hesitate.
~Nii-sama. ~
The staticky voice grew much clearer.
The air split open vertically and a young hand broke through.
With a deafening noise, a being from another world once more appeared in this one. Met with the screams of the world itself, the ephemeral girl's full body appeared. And that changed the phenomena that came with her.
Unexplored-class. Cost: 21. Sound Range: None.
The Colorless Little Girl Dedicated to a Single Goal (aie - a - oio - ei - ueo - ioa - e - uai - ee).
That honest, pure, obedient, and insane girl would not play games like the White Queen.
She would destroy everything with her very first move.
"Oooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!"
Her appearance pushed the Artificial Sacred Ground past its limit, so Shiroyama Kyousuke could not stop it from bursting like an overinflated balloon.
With that special power gone, he and Olivia were merely human.
If she swung her right hand, the boy would die. If she then swung her left hand, the girl would die. That was the only possible result while exposed like this.
"Hello, sir. Your delivery has arrived☆"
Which was why they were so fortunate to hear the jocular tone of a demon who had snuck up to them at some point.
Of all the cards he had prepared, this was the very last one he had wanted to draw. Given the situation, not even he had known whether this would arrive in time. The slightest coincidence could have kept it from working.
But she had in fact arrived.
Biondetta Shiroyama threw an Incense Grenade so it detonated precisely when the Artificial Sacred Ground ruptured. It fused with that bursting Artificial Sacred Ground, changing its nature.
Biondetta had thrown it, and not even she could escape it. She was blasted toward the center.
Out of habit, she started pulling out her silver Blood-Sign that looked like a collapsible rifle, but Kyousuke just barely saved her life by shouting at her.
"Don't pull it out!! Protective circle or no protective circle, you can't block the Colorless Little Girl's attacks. Using a Material will only make you stand out!!"
"Tch. So I have to run around this enclosed Artificial Sacred Ground without anything to protect me? I see, I see. So that's how much you trust my abilities. But how about some advance warning next time, sirrrrrr!?"
He would of course never ask anyone other than Biondetta to do this.
Even the weakest Cost 1 Regulation-class could unilaterally kill a Repliglass soldier.
On the other hand.
Olivia had precise enough control over her Material that there was no fear of friendly fire. And while the Colorless Little Girl's destructive power was incredible, she was only focused on Kyousuke.
...A summoner of Biondetta's caliber had a chance of surviving this. As long as she could cleanly fit herself inside a psychological blind spot.
That let Kyousuke focus on the enemy in front of him.
He would use the chance Biondetta had given him to make sure she did not have to die.
"...Ha ha. I finally have a chance at winning."
In other words, he had an Artificial Sacred Ground that could withstand the Colorless Little Girl's presence.
"Olivia! Just a little longer! We can protect Kingdom F here...no, protect the world!!"
~That sounds fantastic, but how about you explain what's going on!? Even if we can actually fight against her, can we win with this Unexplored-class? She's the assassin who easily killed the White Queen!~
Normally, it would not be possible.
Not even using all of the Three would be enough to deliver a finishing blow to the Colorless Little Girl.
However...
"The Colorless Little Girl keeps appearing in an unnatural state."
~Nweh?~
"She isn't relying on an Incense Grenade and she isn't supported by an Artificial Sacred Ground or the Petals. She smashed the White Queen who could distort the world's laws like a black hole, so you could write this off as her being able to do anything, but this gives a simple solution. She's been summoned in a twisted way, so we only have to resummon her in the proper way. If we trap her in an Artificial Sacred Ground that won't be destroyed by her appearance, she should be drawn back into the other world when the 10-minute limit arrives and the Artificial Sacred Ground disappears."
Ghosts like the one known as the Rainy Girl were spirits of the dead who got caught somewhere and could not leave the world properly, so they could be eliminated by throwing an Incense Grenade and correcting things.
It was like they stood on a wire mesh floor.
In the Colorless Little Girl's case, it was not the location or environment causing the problem. Her presence was simply so great that she could not fit through the normal holes in that wire mesh. When she appeared, she forced those holes open from the other world and pushed her body through, but since she saw no need to leave this world, she closed up and strengthened those holes so she could remain standing there without her feet slipping through.
She was cheating.
But once they understood that, they could fight back.
They would not allow the holes in the wire mesh to be widened and tightened. They would return them to the normal size. The wire mesh would likely be too weak and would break. Just like a black hole distorted space around it, the Colorless Little Girl would be caught in the borderline surrounding her and fall back to the other world. And once she had fully returned to the other world, they just had to repair the broken wire mesh. Ellie Slide's incense could accomplish that.
So they just had to outlast.
It was only 10 minutes. A mere 10 minutes. This brief showdown only required enduring the Colorless Little Girl's fierce attacks which made an instant feel like an eternity.
Even if they could not deliver a finishing blow here, they could at least get through the day.
Biondetta began shaking her hands inside the same Artificial Sacred Ground.
"U-u-umm... You seem to have some kind of master plan here, but I can't do anything. I mean, you're the one that ordered me not to summon a Material, sir!!"
"Don't worry. I'm not expecting anything from you."
"...That pisses me off too. Is that any way to treat someone who saved your life by getting you this Artificial Sacred Ground? It seems my naughty little brother doesn't know how to say 'thank you' and 'sorry', so perhaps he needs a spanking later."
~Hey, Onii-chan. I'm still not sure who this person is, but the world really is doomed if a demon is the voice of reason...~
A special Incense Grenade, a special Artificial Sacred Ground, a special Unexplored-class, and special combat rules.
This was a new kind of battle that differed from the Third Age ruled by the White Queen.
"Now, how about we get started, Colorless Little Girl?"
Something swished through the air.
The boy made a statement while lifting the Blood-Sign from his shoulder and pointing it at the enemy dead ahead of him.
"Time for the Fourth Summoning Ceremony that we ended up creating!!"
The win condition was surviving for a set period of time.
To reiterate yet again, none of the Unexplored-classes they could summon could directly defeat the Colorless Little Girl.
The wheelchair woman used her unsteady finger to fire a purple beam in a horizontal sweep toward the Colorless Little Girl's skinny neck.
~That. Nii-sama. In the way. ~
"Oooooaaaahhhh!!"
The purple beam was deflected upwards and away from the Colorless Little Girl.
No, it was broken.
The Lady of Purple Lightening's withered branch of a right arm was broken, that is.
The bones from her wrist to elbow were snapped at a right angle. The vessel's scream rang in Kyousuke's head.
~Nnnnheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!~
~...~
Something like a shotgun had fired from the countless weapons surrounding the Colorless Little Girl like a long skirt. That was all it took to incapacitate an Unexplored-class.
But they were lucky the one attack had not "annihilated" her.
Was this the result of so perfectly tuning her for use against the White Queen?
The tip of Kyousuke's Blood-Sign launched a White Thorn at about the same time as the Colorless Little Girl tossed a bookmark back over her shoulder.
One of the 12 books floating behind that juvenile Unexplored-class devoured the bookmark like a carnivorous beast. As if following the law of equivalent exchange, something shot out from the gaps between the pages.
It was the end of the world.
A swarm of black, glistening cockroaches with a hopelessly powerful resistance were released as a single mass like floodwaters. That ultimate pest consumed all, infected all with disease, and left all living things with nowhere to live. They rushed toward the Lady of Purple Lightning.
Once inundated by them, the wild dance of small mandibles would work at your entire body like a thick file and tear away every last strip of flesh.
(That single-shot attack style is the high Sound Range, so we need a low Sound Range Material!!)
Just before the collision, Kyousuke rearranged the letters to achieve a new Unexplored-class. It was a gracefully beautiful woman wearing a red kimono and swimsuit. She had two horns on her forehead and her long hair was endlessly stretched out in a group of gears reminiscent of the world's fate. It was said she would determine the fate of all she gazed upon if she opened her coolly shut eyes.
Unexplored-class. One of the Three. Cost: 20. Sound Range: Low.
The "Red-Eyed" Lady who Sees Through all Sin and Calamity (fa - ao - ab - ei - fj - cib - b - du - a - eif).
"Sorry!!"
~Isn't it a little late for that...?~
A voice that was clearly not Olivia's responded with an independent thought and statement. What Ellie Slide had made was not so much an Incense Grenade as a small-scale Box.
As the insects approached like a black flood, the Red Lady merely swung her large sleeve out like she was dancing. That was enough for the roach swarm's perfect angle to shift. It was like redirecting a tank shell with angled armor. And she did not stop there. At some point, she had opened the eyelids that functioned as a seal. That was a sinister ill omen. The Red Lady accurately viewed something and thrust her hand out toward the roach swarm once more.
With a wet popping sound, a portion of that world destruction was annihilated. Countless wings, legs, and bodily fluids thick with glittering exoskeletons scattered everywhere.
Of course, the Red Lady was not unscathed herself. After touching that ultimate source of infection, her kimono sleeve melted away and her fingertips grew purple and dissolved until the white bone was visible. The fact that she could not feel the pain was proof of how powerful the infection was.
~Uehhhh!? G-gross...!!~
~Innocent vessel, please remain silent. And Shiroyama Kyousuke, it does not seem I alone can carry you through this. ~
"I'm aware...of that!!"
The greatest merit of the Summoning Ceremony was that the god providing their protection could be swapped out instantly.
Kyousuke accurately acquired more Petals while watching the Colorless Little Girl toss several more bookmarks behind her.
Unexplored-class. One of the Three. Cost: 18. Sound Range: Middle.
The Wicked "Green" Woman who Fills the World with Empty Treasure (lu - o - np - e - qo - ei - r - k - a - rum - pl).
~Ee hee hee. You sure about this?~
Short wavy hair glittered like an emerald. She had the upper body of a young girl and the lower body of a great sinister serpent. Rusted swords and scepters that symbolized the patriarchy formed a giant who was down on all fours. A different peak sat atop that giant.
~This vessel has that same virginal scent as that loathsome red goody-goody, but what I do is lay evil eggs. She might just experience something unexpected. ~
That disrespectful mouth came to a stop.
Two ends of the world arrived at once. Two of the books behind the Colorless Little Girl devoured the bookmarks and released brightly-colored torrents on either side of her. One was a spatial distortion cannon created by giving directionality to an artificial black hole and firing it in a straight line. The other was God Hazard One, in which the entrails of slaughtered gods lost sight of their original purpose and attacked humanity.
The two forms of ruin approached from either side like a giant pair of scissors cutting through the world.
~Deflect. ~
But after a series of dull sounds, the Wicked Green Woman pierced her own snake body with several swords and scepters. The wounds bubbled up and then giant soap bubbles separated off from them.
They were like snowdomes with immoral scenes contained inside.
When they contacted the approaching disasters like balloon bombs, they burst and scattered "never-before-seen forms of immorality". It could be a strange bomb, a sweet chemical formula, or a gang that no one could capture. When the concepts of ruin and immorality collided, the deadly trajectories were slightly diverted and the end of the world swept past above Kyousuke and the others' heads.
~N-nwohhhhh... Ngwehhhhh... Th-there's something stirring in the middle of my body...~
~Ah ha ha!! I guess a mammal wouldn't be able to accurately interpret the feeling of laying eggs. Not even the most experienced woman ever feels that, so count yourself lucky you get to enjoy it while still a virgin☆~
The Colorless Little Girl's long skirt squirmed. That collection of weapons had blown away the Lady of Purple Lightning with a single shotgun blast. Seeing that, Kyousuke chose his next hand with the Petals he had earned with his White Thorns.
Unexplored-class. One of the Three. Cost: 16. Sound Range: High.
The Spirit of Fluttering "Yellow" Gills that Rules the Heavens (s - a - so - voz - tix - ei - yw - za).
A yellow-haired girl sat on a crescent moon bed while wearing pajamas that resembled an oriental Taoist outfit. But the bed she rested in had the most bizarre shape, as if every last kind of living creature had been molded like clay and stuffed into it.
~...Don't wake me up. What a pain. You have to know how much I hate anything that disturbs my slumber...~
"Unfortunately, I'm not about to go easy on anyone who survived in the depths of the Queen's Miniature Garden. Everyone who fought honorably there is dead. The only survivors - myself included - are those who offered up some kind of sacrifice."
(Since I've been focused on strengthening our defense with the rock-paper-scissors Sound Range for each attack, the Cost keeps dropping! Damn, is the Colorless Little Girl guiding me...!?)
The direct line of fire did not matter.
Each of the projectiles fired from the many weapons that composed the Colorless Little Girl's long skirt bent away at impossible angles. Or was it the people watching it who failed to perceive it properly? She was a psychological warfare specialist who fought by dragging her opponent into a dream.
Something grew from the normal ground.
It was the Colorless Little Girl herself. But not just one of her. There were two, five, ten...no, even more. The Yellow Gills gave herself more pawns as carelessly as weeds that grew up on their own.
~...~
The White Queen's killer was surrounded by her own face.
But she did not let it bother her.
Her entire long skirt spread out like an umbrella and the weapons began firing in all directions. With deafening noises and blinding flashes, giant holes blossomed in the scenery that was modeled after reality. And with no concern for the many Colorless Little Girls between her and the border of the world. Once that holey world reached its limit, it shattered like glass.
The Yellow Gills looked annoyed that her opponent had used physical destruction in a mental world.
~Tch. You don't have to wake me up with all that noise. So showing you some doppelgangers doesn't trigger a malfunction in your raison d'etre? Mass-producing White Queens or Shiroyama Kyousukes might have been a better decoy. ~
"What happened to Olivia?"
~She wasn't ready to sync with me, so she's too busy fighting the sleepiness to talk. Silly, isn't it? Reality is no more than a material used to build dreams. ~
The Yellow Gills smiled thinly, but a dark-red and sticky liquid flowed from the corner of her mouth.
Without creating confusion in that mental world, she could not dodge the Colorless Little Girl's attacks.
~...Cough. She has the strength to do this even with the Sound Range working against her. And unlike those weapons, she herself doesn't belong to a Sound Range. This Unexplored-class you made is pretty good. ~
"Sorry."
~Your life is just one regret after another, isn't it? I said reality is a material to build dreams, but it still needs some upkeep. Going to sleep next to that thing wouldn't be much fun at all. ~
He swung his Blood-Sign and switched to yet another Unexplored-class.
It felt like someone was using a black hole to infinitely stretch out each minute and each second. Feeling that much pressure made Kyousuke wonder how the White Queen had felt while facing the Colorless Little Girl.
He had a feeling that White had smiled at the very, very end.
She had been happy to see how thoroughly he had studied her.
"Three minutes left! I am measuring the time with multiple types of clock, so it must be accurate! Sir!!"
"..."
Kyousuke calmed his breathing when he heard Biondetta who was also inside the Artificial Sacred Ground.
Three minutes.
That was more than he had thought.
~...Onii-cha...~
"Just a bit more, Olivia!! Don't let the Yellow Gills' sleepiness stick with you!!"
He knew that was asking too much of her, but that was all he could do at the moment.
Vessels had their fight just like summoners had theirs.
Simply using the Three was not enough. He helped her endure the Colorless Little Girl's fierce attacks by summoning more and more Unexplored-classes: the Ashen Shrine Maiden, the Liquefying Rainbow, the Gray Mollusk, etc.
Unexplored-class. Cost: 18. Sound Range: Middle.
The Dry-Grass-Colored Dancer who Returns Twice the Roaring Flames (zb - ei - sd - wp - e - be - xu - a - kk - pl).
At the moment, Olivia resided within a girl who had a slender silhouette and latte-colored hair. The only things she wore were a makeshift skirt and chest covering made of dry grass and a dry flower necklace that decorated her chest. The dry grass scattered around her as she danced, but it was all fuel to be ignited. She never released any fire of her own. Her alluring dance drew her opponent's attack, she just barely danced out of the way, and the fire user was hit with a thorough counterattack.
However...
~Gah!?~
"Olivia!!"
Even Kyousuke cried out without thinking when he saw a short spear pierce her near the heart where the Silhouette was.
This Unexplored-class specialized in counterattacks and he had hoped that would buy some time, but it had not worked at all. The dry flower necklace decorating the Dry-Grass-Colored Dancer's flat chest was shredded and scattered by the sharp blade.
Kyousuke immediately began collecting more red Petals to summon another Material, but then he clicked his tongue. He had been gathering the Petals in such an unbalanced way that he was running somewhat short.
He needed a full set of vowels to spell an Unexplored-class's name, so he would have to resupply with a new Rose.
That meant a time loss of a few seconds.
But the Dry-Grass-Colored Dancer could not move and the Colorless Little Girl pressed her slender hand against her. An eerie light slowly flashed within that hand like a clione. With a straining sound, that light twisted around and transformed into a strange arrowhead.
He would not make it in time.
Olivia would be killed.
"...!!"
As time stretched out infinitely, Kyousuke realized there was an option available that he had been subconsciously avoiding.
Unexplored-class. Cost: 21. Sound Range: None.
The "White" Queen who Wields the Sword of Unsullied Truth (iu - nu - fb - a - wuh - ei -kx - eu - pl - vjz).
Of course he had not used her.
Of course he had not relied on her.
But the Colorless Little Girl was a Material created for the express purpose of killing the White Queen. He did not have to entrust himself to her. He only had to use her and throw her out. Bringing the White Queen here would be the greatest bait for the Colorless Little Girl. And even if she had failed to defeat the Colorless Little Girl, the White Queen had lasted a fairly long time.
Why had he not done that?
Had he chosen to sacrifice everything to preserve his own puny pride?
An ignorant person in some corner of the world had to have thought it:
"If only someone with overwhelming power would take away this vague anxiety."
The powerful people who knew the origins of the Silver Resource War had to have thought it:
"If only the Unexplored-class known as the strongest of the strongest was by my side."
Even the knights constructing the line of defense meant to protect Kingdom F's people and land had to have hoped for it:
"If only we could fight alongside the White Queen!!"
Just give up.
Your personal preference does not matter.
Simply search for the optimal solution and you will find it.
What do you need to resist the Colorless Little Girl?
It might not be enough to defeat her. But if you summon the target she was designed to destroy, she is sure to strike there first. That will create a distortion in that pure strongest and it might lead to a large enough opening to find a way out of this. So compromise. It's fine as long as you're just using her as bait. Anyone in the world would tell you it's the right answer.
And.
And.
And.
"..."
Shiroyama Kyousuke clenched his teeth hard enough he thought they would break.
He made his decision.
The boy moved in between the Colorless Little Girl and the Dry-Grass-Colored Dancer controlled by Olivia.
The clione-like orange light...
...mercilessly smashed Kyousuke's protective circle.
~Onii-chan!?~
Kyousuke bent backwards and realized he now had nothing to protect him. Two Materials clashed inside the Artificial Sacred Ground, but his one defense had been pierced, shattered, torn away, and broken.
A single hit would be fatal.
Even a stray shot from Olivia would mean instant death.
And yet he was smiling.
He had heard Olivia's voice and that meant he had successfully diverted the attack. The obstacle in the way had kept the Colorless Little Girl's attack from hitting the Dry-Grass-Colored Dancer controlled by the vessel. There was a precedent for this. Boy A's vessel had intentionally sacrificed one of her wings to protect her summoner.
No matter how risky it was, buying a few seconds gave him another chance.
The White Thorns ricocheted around and knocked the Petals into the Spots until a new Rose appeared in the center of the Artificial Sacred Ground. Now he could summon any Unexplored-class he wanted.
So what should he summon?
What Material would shake the Colorless Little Girl and change the state of the battle?
The normal Unexplored-classes were not enough and the Three had not worked.
No matter how much he tried to reject it, a certain color flashed in the back of his mind.
White.
The frightening Queen symbolized by that color.
But.
However.
"I won't..."
The thick presence of death approached to within a hair's breadth away. The pressure might have crushed a normal person's heart, but Kyousuke definitely said it.
He spoke directly to the Colorless Girl.
"I won't rely on the White Queen."
~Nii-sama?~
"I'm sorry, Colorless Little Girl."
Hearing that, she silently tilted her head with her palm still held out toward him.
The broken little girl may not have known what he was saying to her. She may not have been able to comprehend the unreasonable situation she found herself in.
Yes.
She had done nothing wrong.
She had been made at someone else's convenience, she had killed at someone else's convenience, and she had broken at no one's convenience.
It did not mater how much of a threat she was, how much incredible power she had, how much she distorted the world around her, and how much chaos she brought to people.
All of those were Shiroyama Kyousuke's issues.
They could not be used to criticize the Colorless Little Girl who wandered the world without an objective.
"...I don't care how difficult it will be or how crazy it is to try."
He had no protective circle.
And that was why he approached death just like death was approaching him.
He gently touched the Colorless Little Girl's cheek with his empty hand.
~Protect Nii-sama. Nii-sama...~
"I will save you. I swear it. Listen. Remember this one thing: I will never abandon you. You haven't done anything wrong and you're only lost, so I will grab your hand and return everything to normal. I swear it!!"
She looked puzzled.
She mechanically stared at his face using the emotionless eyes half hidden behind her bangs and then she slowly opened her lips.
~I...~
"..."
~I don't want that. ~
Her rusted throat moved.
She spoke a series of words other than "Nii-sama" in a way that others could understand.
~If those words would make you suffer. If those words would bind you. And if you could not escape those words. ~
Thinking back, the Colorless Little Girl's actions had always had the same motivation: protect Shiroyama Kyousuke.
But her targeting was broken, so she may have shot him in the back as she did so.
So that monster had only one answer to the boy.
~I will not ask you to help me. If it would only make you suffer, then I won't ask to be saved. ~
Kyousuke breathed a heavy sigh.
He had not even considered this possibility. It was the worst of the worst case scenarios.
This girl was strong.
On a different level than Kyousuke or the White Queen.
For Alice (with) Rabbit, this was a more tragic ending than having his own heart ripped out.
Someone needed saving, but they refused to say the words "help me".
It was the worst ending Shiroyama Kyousuke knew of.
He had worked so hard to make sure this would not happen. He had sometimes used straightforward methods and sometimes used more deceitful methods to gain the authorization of the Alices standing by his side even if it meant half forcing the words out of them. Biondetta had said it was him who wanted to save the girls and not the girls who wanted saving. She had speculated that was his form of insanity. She had been exactly right. The truth of the matter was Shiroyama Kyousuke was weak. He could not bear to see someone else's tragedy through to the end. When reading a picture book of The Little Match Girl or A Dog of Flanders, he could not flip to the end of the story and he would close the book partway through. And despite not seeing the end for himself, he would act like he knew what he was talking about when he said the tragic end was wrong and he could handle it better himself.
So.
So.
So.
He could not just step back when someone said he was not needed. He could not be satisfied when someone said they would descend into hell for his sake. Shiroyama Kyousuke was afraid. He did not help people because he was strong. He could not accept the alternative because he was weak. The tragic picture book was about to the turn the page to the climax and he could not bear to watch. His heart would not last unless he found some way of slamming the book shut before reaching the end.
He had found what she wanted.
And she had not given him authorization.
But what did that matter? The extremely selfish and childish part of him was throwing a tantrum. That was supposed to only be a rite of passage to maintain his self-consciousness. Binding himself with his own rules and losing sight of why they existed was the height of folly. Of course, the mature and rational part of him understood. Forcing unwanted salvation on someone would be wrong. It was the same as a jidaigeki samurai storming into the governor's mansion and slaughtering everyone he saw there. He would only be spreading around the kind of damage no one had asked for. The process had been necessary. It was a safety never meant to be removed. Given what his actions had caused when he tried to save the Queen in the Queen's Miniature Garden, it was clearly an ironclad rule he could never forget even for a moment.
But.
Was there no cure for being a fool?
"...Then."
He finally forced it out.
The part of the strongest boy that was not the strongest spat out the words.
"Then I'll do it myself. I don't care if it violates my rules or causes my soul to rot away. I will save you!!!!!!"
Immediately afterwards, the world broke.
That was not a figure of speech or just from the boy's point of view.
It was hopelessly physical.
"No fair..."
There was a voice.
But it did not belong to the Colorless Little Girl. Nor did it belong to Olivia who he was contracted with. It was purer and more sinister. It was hopelessly beautiful and hopelessly ugly. It was a repulsive voice from the depths of the earth that covered Shiroyama Kyousuke's entire body with goose bumps.
"No fair..."
Thinking back, could the Colorless Little Girl really have supported her existence in this world without a vessel, an Artificial Sacred Ground, or the Petals? While it may not have explained everything, wouldn't there have been some kind of structure supporting her existence here?
And.
When that being had been killed in Houbi Village, she had been working with Kyousuke in the guise of the artificial vessel named Meinokawa Aoi. That had gone beyond her appearance. Despite being a Material, she had been able to play the role of a vessel.
So it was not impossible.
That being could have the Colorless Little Girl reside within her.
No one could say that kind of cheating was beyond the pure white's ability!!
"You never said that when it was me...!!!!!"
An impossible scene played out in front of Kyousuke.
The Colorless Little Girl's undeveloped chest split vertically open.
There was no blood or anything else. And it did not matter that her body had been transparent. Ten fingers grabbed the right and left edges and something peered out from the deep, deep darkness within like someone spying out of a cracked door.
This may have been the first time ever that there was none of her crazed love to be found there.
There was nothing else mixed in. She unleashed pure hatred in her words.
"...!?"
It all fell apart.
A hand in a pure white glove shot out of the wound in the Colorless Little Girl's chest. At this close range, there was no way he could dodge or defend. Even if he had still had the protective circle, there would have been no escaping this attack.
An instant seemed to stretch out infinitely as he tried to come up with something he could do.
Kyousuke had only one option.
He formed a gun with his fingers and aimed it at the Unexplored-class that was his vessel.
"Olivia...I'm ending the contract!!!!!!"
~Wha!? Ah, Onii-chan!?~
This was the greatest and strongest attack from the White Queen. Its force might just affect his contracted vessel as well and he had to prioritize that over the sturdy body of the Dry-Grass-Colored Dancer.
So he severed it.
Kyousuke and Olivia truly became mere humans.
And then.
Without mercy.
The White Queen's right arm was absorbed straight toward Shiroyama Kyousuke's heart.
Facts:
*The Colorless Little Girl's only objective was to protect Kyousuke. Thus, she refused to say "help me" to him because that would have bound him unnecessarily.
*Kyousuke steeled himself to rescue the Colorless Little Girl even if it meant abandoning his pride as Alice (with) Rabbit.
*They did succeed in forcing the US Army to withdraw from the Silver Resource War.
*The Colorless Little Girl's independent actions were supported by the White Queen acting as a vessel.
*With nothing to protect him, Shiroyama Kyousuke was hit by the White Queen's attack of hatred.
| ← Ch. 095 | Ch. 097 → |