novelDestruction will open up a wider path (2)
| ← Ch.147 | Ch.149 → |
The person in question muttered that one phrase in a bored tone, and turned his electrode off. To conserve the batteries as much as possible, the Level 5 could only stumble forward using his crutch as support. But nobody could stop him. The gigantic shock wave from when the shelter had destroyed the joints of the powered suits, flipped over the tanks, and robbed the soldiers of their consciousness.
Accelerator walked over the broken walls and walked inside the facility.
"Shiokishi's forces will take another 10 to 20 minutes before they can get back up. We'll use this time to take control of Shiokishi and force him to surrender."
"How troublesome. If you can shoot that move repeatedly why don't you just squash him from afar?"
Musujime asked him using the same bored tone, but Accelerator replied with a scowl.
"Even if I squash him that will be after we get the information about Dragon out of him."
"U-um..."
Oyafune who was with them looked back repeatedly.
"Tsuchimikado-san has disappeared."
"That guy is outside holding off the enemies. We can't be sure if they are all immobilized, or that if there will be pursuers."
"Since me and Accelerator have some trouble due to our AIM diffusion field being diagnosed, that guy with glasses doesn't rely on his ability so there is no problems."
Though Oyafune had an expression that asked if he would be alright by himself, neither Accelerator or Musujime cared. If he died, then anything to do with him would end right there. Their Group was a group that banded together based on strength. Only by shutting up and showing your worth were you counted as part of Group.
Accelerator's blow had made the tunnels messy. In this tunnel that looked like an omelet being randomly taken apart by a fork, Accelerator and others forged ahead. They ignored the concept of 'normal' routes. They moved between the destroyed, collapsed, and forcibly ripped apart walls and moved deeper and deeper inside.
On their way they occasionally saw men who looked like Shiokishi's private forces lying down on the floor. They had probably been knocked unconscious by the shock wave from Accelerator's previous attack.
"Now it's really the 'observation' we were talking about earlier. Talking directly with Shiokishi is Oyafune's job, we're just here as her bodyguards."
"Even though we're the ones that broke everything from the base to here, ultimately she is the one that has to step up on the battlefield."
As Musujime said that, an unforeseen event happened.
Suddenly, a barricade descended like a guillotine, separating Oyafune Monaka from Accelerator and Musujime Awaki, and perfectly sealing the path.
"Musujime!!"
"!!"
Her ability was to move others freely, ignoring the limits of 3-dimensions. But, Musujime looked at the barricade and shook her head.
"There's no response. Something has happened on the other side of the barricade, Oyafune's no longer there."
"Che. You're useless."
Just as Accelerator was reaching for the electrode at his neck, a new sound of footsteps rang out.
"Let us spar with one another."
The one who spoke was a man in a suit. Accelerator had seen him before. He was the private mercenary working for Shiokishi that used a large caliber handgun and had killed every last member of Spark Signal back at the District 3 private salon. His name should be Sugitani.
Sugitani took out a packet of cigarettes from a pocket in his suit and used his mouth to take out one from the packet.
"I remember I prayed that we wouldn't see each other on the battlefield once more."
"You're the one that's picking a fight here."
"I've said before the one that should work to prevent this from happening is you."
To light up his cigarette Sugitani, returned the packet of cigarettes back into his suit, and took out a lighter that even with a glance it was apparent it was a cheap item. It was a lighter made of clear plastic even sold in corner stores, and didn't match his attire or the current atmosphere.
"Do you know about Dragon?"
"I know."
Sugitani replied as he brought the lighter up to light the cigarette.
At least, that was how it appeared to Accelerator.
However, right after that was a small *pu* sound, like something had been shot out.
At the same time Sugitani's lighter made that sound, Musujime Awaki collapsed onto the floor next to Accelerator as if something had hit her. There wasn't even a scream. Because of that inexplicable hit Musujime had completely lost consciousness.
(So what's inside that isn't gas used for lighters... )
Chances were some kind of high pressure gas was used inside the lighter, and it had been released all at once to shoot a small anesthetic bullet. Sugitani, who had successfully completely a sneak attack head on, spat out the cigarette used for the act onto the ground and said to Accelerator,
"The basis for modern warfare isn't fight with all you have head on, but to decide victory or defeat before then."
"..."
"This is Shiokishi's order. Compared to Accelerator who only has massive destructive power, Musujime can go through any walls and has a higher priority to be taken down first."
"Who are you?"
"Koga. One of Koga's descendants."
Sugitani said in a self-mocking tone.
"That's an organization of contemptible people who did things like this under the name of justice since ages past."
As he said that he took out a large caliber handgun.
But, that probably wasn't the real killing move. Considering how he had fought so far, he probably wouldn't use something this simple.
Or, it was because there were other tricks he was going to shoot from head-on.
He was the kind of enemy that used chained plots.
Facing Accelerator who was trying not to leave himself open by observing his enemy closely, Sugitani spoke,
"Oyafune's doomed."
That one sentence made Accelerator frown involuntarily.
"Those two old folks from the board of directors have already met face to face, and Shiokishi is wearing a specially made powered suit. The strength of that armor isn't something that can be handled by any weapon Oyafune is hiding in her clothing. That old woman will be ripped apart by a power greater than construction-use machinery and then die."
"I don't think Shiokishi would allow his own life be included in the plan."
"That's just something I wanted to do. Also, Shiokishi is probably shocked right now, but he should be able to do what he has to. I don't think a man wearing a powered suit will lose to an old woman."
Sugitani wasn't showing off his victory, he was just stating the facts.
"Only by eliminating Oyafune can any political opposition be eliminated. Then you people will be chased out of here using the entire might of Academy City; then through proper channels we'll control 'trump cards' like Last Order and the battle will be over."
Part 7
Two people from the highest governing body of Academy City—the board of directors—were currently facing each other.
Between them was a table.
Though some points should have be taken off because there was no tea or biscuits on the table, at least the atmosphere of an upper-class conversation was established. Thanks to Accelerator's attack earlier, the walls were cracked and the starry sky seen through the cracks could at least count as some kind of decoration.
Oyafune and Shiokishi.
These two old people who were closely involved in many things in history were currently wearing warm smiles.
"Mm. What I want is very simple. It's not money; it's not power; it's not even your life."
The one that lit up the fuse first was Oyafune.
"From now on, I wish for you to completely delete the clause of 'using others' lives as a resource' from all the plans you are supervising and the ones you propose, and also in your battles. It's not much, right? Apart from you, everyone else is following this principle."
Indeed, what she was suggesting did sound easy at first.
But, Oyafune Monaka was likely to make Shiokishi 'completely' implement those words. Just signing something like a verbal agreement along the lines of 'understood, I'll agree to not do that anymore' would not be enough. If Shiokishi did not disband his personal forces under his command, and on that basis forfeit all other rights and powers to do with commanding armed forces, Oyafune would not let it end.
That way would mean taking everything that Shiokishi had away from him.
As if declaring everything that made him great would be taken away from him and make him a cripple.
"Also, let's talk about Dragon."
"Is that something necessary for you to ask about it?"
"Rather than me, it's my allies Group who requested me to ask about it."
Shiokishi went silent for a moment. Then, through his powered suit's helmet, he looked at Oyafune sitting in front of him and asked,
"Oyafune-kun, how much do you know about Dragon?"
"Nothing whatsoever. If my power was authorizing documents I might have chances to come in contact with some kind of information. But, I don't have that kind of power. You should know that as well."
"It's something that cannot be brought into the light."
Shiokishi didn't care about being disagreed with, he only said in a small voice,
"All I am doing now is completing one very important thing for protecting Academy City. Dragon is a word that has that kind of danger. You called me barbaric, but that is because you don't know about Dragon. Also, I don't plan on letting you know."
"Same here."
Oyafune didn't change her soft smile, and replied immediately,
"If necessary, I will also take action that could be called barbaric. If it can contribute to saving important people from your actions I will continue to investigate Dragon."
"Then this negotiation has broken down."
"I think, the Academy City that we both want to protect probably means different things to the two of us. That's why our paths have diverged."
"Is that so."
Shiokishi sighed a small sigh behind the helmet.
Boom!!
Right after that, Shiokishi punched an iron fist made from a special alloy with all the power of the powered suit towards Oyafune.
The powered suit that Shiokishi was wearing was a special version above even the military-use models in Academy City. Instead of focusing on flexibility and the weapon's coordination, this suit's design focused more on durability and defense as its core. This also showed just how strong the fist that was reaching for Oyafune really was.
Even building machineries could not be compared to this.
The old woman would undoubtedly be turned to dust with this blow.
However,
"... Have you never considered?"
Not only did Oyafune Monaka's body not get turned into paste, there wasn't even a scratch on her.
She neither caught Shiokishi's fist or made any move to dodge. The iron fist of the powered suit abruptly stopped in midair. The armor seemed like it had suddenly lost the ability to move, and turned into a heavy metal statue.
"Just like how you wrapped yourself up with a powered suit, there's a possibility for Oyafune Monaka to make plans to preserve her own life."
"Wh... at... ?"
In the old woman's hands there was a dagger made of obsidian.
Due to the damage Accelerator had done to the shelter, there was a crack in the ceiling and the light of Venus shone down from there. And this artifact could reflect the light of Venus to disintegrate any object.
Although, that obviously wasn't a possession of Oyafune Monaka's.
The old woman moved her hands to her face.
The skin on the surface was peeled off like a mask. Though for an instant brown skin could be seen, this person whose identity was unknown immediately put on another face.
At this time, the one that was standing in front of Shiokishi was...
"Unabara, Mitsuki..."
"Oya, is saying that name alright? I had thought you would definitely call me Etzali."
Unabara slightly weighed the dagger in his hands while answering.
At this time, the powered suit that was protecting Shiokishi started to crumble. All the screws had fallen off, the gap between steel plates started to widen, and gears and motors started to fall all over the place.
The old man in a tuxedo didn't take long from being encased in armor to being completely exposed to the outside air. Looking at Shiokishi breaking cold sweat at the loss of his protection, Unabara scorned him in a mocking tone,
"Though you are indeed fortunate. If the effective area of this 'Spear' covered your body, you would have 'fallen apart' by now."
"If that happened before we get the information about Dragon out of you, it will be troublesome for us, " he added.
On the other hand, Shiokishi was shaking off the remains of his armor.
"In the end... all that coward Oyafune did was just looking on from the sides... !"
"Is that so?"
Unabara's eyes narrowed slightly.
His expression was like someone had just insulted a person that he approved of and held in high regards.
"My charm uses human skin as raw material, but Oyafune didn't hesitate. Even if it's just the arm, but I think ripping off 10cm of skin would be extremely painful."
Unabara holding onto the obsidian dagger moved closer step by step.
"Let us talk about Dragon. Or, do you want to clench your teeth and experience the pain that the one you called a coward, Oyafune, experienced?"
"Urgh... Minobe!"
Shiokishi moved backwards and pressed a button that he had hidden in his tuxedo from earlier.
A door next to them opened and two burly men stepped out. One of them was probably the so-called 'Minobe'.
Just like a shield protecting Shiokishi, they stepped in front of Unabara.
"Did you think my security detail only included Sugitani?"
Shiokishi drew up an unnatural smile on his stiff face.
"To prevent the people around me from betraying me, the guards are split into 'Sugitani group' and 'Minobe group'. If anything happens, they will kill off each other... You might be someone with battle capabilities, but this isn't something you alone can handle."
Taking the chance of the two burly men holding Unabara off, Shiokishi tried to escape by himself.
Unabara's expression stiffened.
But, as he ran towards the exit Shiokishi stopped at the threshold. He stood there in shock as he looked at something.
"Why?"
Shiokishi turned around once more, forgetting about trying to escape.
Shiokishi directed his query towards the two burly men that were his bodyguards.
"Why is it apart from you two, everyone else is dead?!"
One of the two large men opened his mouth.
However, he didn't reply to Shiokishi's question. The man only looked towards Unabara's face and said,
"This is surprising early, Etzali."
A dull sound rang out.
The member of the board of directors—Shiokishi's stomach had something else stuck in it. A dagger. A dagger that somebody had thrown. But it was different from a normal dagger made of steel. It was a dagger used by a specific tribe, made from polishing obsidian stone.
It was not something that belonged to Unabara.
The person that had thrown it was someone that should have been protecting Shiokishi, the man called Minobe.
Looking at the dagger that was planted in him by a person that didn't even turn to look at him, Shiokishi stood in shock. Then his body leaned to the side and fell.
The name Etzali.
And obsidian, a choice that was far less reasonable than metal.
"Can it be... !"
"Have you never considered this before?"
The two burly men both placed their hands on their faces.
"That someone else would use the same method you used to infiltrate into the dark side of Academy City?"
The skin on the surface was peeled back. After that, what showed was someone else's face. The physique and gender swiftly changed along with the face. This was a phenomenon exactly the same as Unabara's—the phenomenon of using Aztec magic.
What appeared was a man somewhere between 25 to 30 years old, and a girl around 15.
"Tecpatl... Tochtli!!"
Tecpatl, in the organization Unabara... Etzali used to belong to, he was the man in charge of military planning. And Tochtli was once a comrade of Xochitl.
"Our original plan was to infiltrate the depths of Shiokishi's guards, and ultimately replace Shiokishi. But that guy never takes off his powered suit. If we forcibly broke that suit of armor apart, the sensors would alert Sugitani. Just as we were troubled by that, you invaded here. That's how it is."
The brown-skinned male, Tecpatl, looked at Unabara's face, and spoke in an indifferent tone.
"If Shiokishi was taken down there is no point replacing him. Just as I planned to abandon all this... in the end we picked up an amazing souvenir."
"... Even if you take my head back to the Organization, I doubt it will bring any good."
"No no, that won't be the case."
Tecpatl shrugged.
"Because, our goal for infiltrating into the core of Academy City and replacing Shiokishi, was ultimately to find where you were hiding in the dark side and execute you. But, since you joined something called Group, normal methods of intelligence gathering couldn't find your whereabouts.... In other words, all we have to do is take your head and everything will be fine."
Part 8
Musujime Awaki had already been taken out.
So, the only ones fighting were Sugitani and Accelerator. Staring at the assassin calling himself a descendant of Koga, Accelerator touched the electrode switch on his neck.
"There's no problem killing you here, right?"
"No problem at all; I'm not small-minded to the point where I'll get mad because of some dream-talk."
The two of them charged ahead at the same time.
Accelerator controlled the vectors under his feet and charged like a bullet towards his opponent; on the other hand, Sugitani took a lot of lighters from his pocket. He threw these modified lighters that were locked at releasing gas in front of him, and then threw the still-lit cigarette into them.
Boom!! A wall of fire shot up in the half-ruined corridor.
But, that didn't work when faced with Accelerator's 'Reflect'.
He unhesitatingly charged through the wall of fire,
(There's no one here?)
Accelerator lost his target and suddenly braked. But it was too late. Sugitani used the smokescreen and nimbly moved behind Accelerator.
"I remember that Kihara Amata once used the technique of drawing back his fist an instant before receiving impact to break through the reflection obstacle."
"!?"
The voice came from his blind spot, along with a fist.
Accelerator flew backwards in a hurry.
"Also, Kakine Teitoku seemed to have used materials that don't exist in this world to create vectors that don't exist in this world."
However, the voice and fist followed closely after him.
Sugitani used footwork beyond the limits of a human that was almost like sliding to keep himself in the same distance between him and Accelerator.
After that, a 'boom' rang out.
Accelerator's face was feeling some numbing pain, while Sugitani jumped out of the ring for the first time in this battle.
"So that's it."
Sugitani shook his wrist.
It seemed to have sprained, the joints had swelled up a lot.
"Those special exceptions are all results of their own specialized fields. Just by observing them I can't perfectly recreate their techniques."
Even so, to have struck Accelerator's head without any abilities needed top level skills. For any normal grunt that attacked, it wouldn't just stop at a swollen hand, they would be hurt to the extent of losing control of their own blood stream and have their internal organs shattered.
"You scumbag, "
After calmly analyzing, Accelerator said scornfully.
"Even if you have some skill, in the end you're just following the orders from a scheming old man. For a bastard like that, you actually still have the face to say something like being a 'descendant of people that serve in the name of justice'?"
"..."
"Does that bastard Shiokishi look like a good person? It's right for you to serve him? Don't make me laugh, it's obvious to anyone."
"... Indeed, the term 'justice' is always being used by those in position of power. Even if that is not the case, a perfect standard for justice does not exist."
But, Sugitani unhesitatingly added,
"Then, by giving everything to Evil won't every last problem on Earth be solved just like that?"
Accelerator and Sugitani glared at each other.
Feeling the look of 'Evil', 'Good' faced it head on and argued,
"Stop joking. All your 'Evil' can do is pick at the scraps left behind by 'Good'. With your level only at stopping two or three tragedies, you want to defeat us who face hundreds and thousands of tragedies on a regular basis? You people are merely scavengers, do you truly believe that the scraps you pick up are enough to satisfy the entire world?"
"Bastard, "
Hearing those words, Accelerator replied in the same mocking manner,
"From the moment you thought that these scraps were insignificant, your 'Good' was no longer truly good."
"Truly good?"
Sugitani's brows narrowed.
"Are you saying that even a villain like you know a Good person?"
"..."
The reply this time was a bit hesitating.
"Of course I do... and familiar to the point where my head hurts just thinking about that guy."
"Is that so."
Sugitani said that while reaching inside his pocket.
"But, you'll never meet with that Good person you know ever again... because you will die here."
Right after that,
Accelerator's choker suddenly lost its capabilities.
The Strongest Level 5 of Academy City fell onto the floor. He struggled to move his limbs, but it didn't do anything.
"As you are right now, you probably can't even understand human speech. Your choker has been modified into something that can be remotely controlled. As long as we cut you off from the Misaka Network, you have zero battle potential."
At this point, Sugitani's eyes moved to look at Accelerator's crutch.
It looked different to what the data had said. It had been modified somewhat, probably to allow the user to stand up by himself even if the choker lost power completely. Though it didn't seem to do much at this point.
"This is my 'Good. '"
While he was saying that, Sugitani took out a large caliber handgun.
It was the gun that had killed off every last terrorist back at the District 3 private salon. To kill Accelerator who had lost his Reflect, it only needed one shot.
"This is the method of a man who lives in a world of despicable people yet still follows justice."
Don!! A deafening gunshot rang out.
Part 9
Stephanie Gorgeouspalace pulled the trigger of her light machine shotgun.
The unrefined mass of metal shined eerily in the reflections of the flames spilling throughout the underground mall. At a range of 10 meters, the storm of bullets held enough power to blow away a normal armored vehicle in a few seconds. It would truly make it look like a spread out diagram of the sides of a die.
Kinuhata Saiai protected her body with the ability known as Offense Armor, but that had its limits.
By creating repeated explosions from propane tanks, Stephanie had blown the air away briefly creating an extremely small vacuum near Kinuhata. In that vacuum, she had no barrier of nitrogen. Stephanie's bullets would pass right through.
Stephanie had not hesitated.
She had pulled the trigger to spray bullets in through that momentary opening.
The powerful storm of bullets whipped up the surrounding air, swallowed up the black smoke, and even caused the wall of flames to waver. The repeated gunshots drowned out all other noise as the lead bullets cut into the area Kinuhata was in. It was clearly a fatal blow, but Stephanie did not stop there. She continued holding down the trigger letting more and more and more bullets fly.
It may have been hard to tell because she was using a monstrous weapon like the light machine shotgun, but Stephanie Gorgeouspalace's fighting style was based on an Anti-Skill foundation.
The stronger an esper was, the more irregular their fighting style tended to become, but she was the opposite. However, that did not mean that her skill was average or ordinary.
Humans could perfect their foundations over many years getting rid of what wasn't needed. It was clear just how strong one would become if they did that.
In other words, her bullets all accurately attacked her target without wasting any.
She heard a male voice coming from another part of the underground mall cut off by the barrier of flames.
"K-Kinu-Kinuhataaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"
It was as if the boy were giving her death cry for her.
Stephanie's face did not brighten up.
It wasn't that she thought she had failed. She couldn't see due to the flames and smoke, but Kinuhata Saiai's body had surely been turned to mincemeat.
She didn't like that it had been so easy.
She was taking revenge for Sunazara Chimitsu, but it had ended so simply.
She was supposed to have caused much, much, much more pain.
Why had it ended so simply?
"... This has to be a fucking joke." Stephanie heard a grinding noise as she clenched her teeth so tightly she thought her skull would bend."This isn't how I wanted to take you out. This is only the beginning! Don't end this here!! You're the one who took out Sunazara-san! He wouldn't die this easily!! Suffer more! Beg for your life more!! Stand up! Stand up and let me kill you!! Keep coming back to life so I can kill you 1000 tiiiiiiimmmmmeeeesssssss!!!!!"
The power behind the bullets caused a gust of wind as if the air were expanding.
The black smoke struck her face and she inhaled it through her nose causing her to cough. She finally let go of the light machine shotgun's trigger.
The wall of black smoke started to clear up.
What was behind it started to become visible.
"It can't end like this, " Stephanie spat out.
And then a gunshot rang out.
Accompanying that single gunshot, a bullet hole opened up in Stephanie's gut.
She then saw Kinuhata Saiai on the other side of the smoke holding out a handgun.
"What... ?"
With a look of surprise, Stephanie stared at Kinuhata.
The girl was not unscathed. She had a large bruise on her small face as if she had been punched and there was blood oozing from her bared thighs, but that was it. She had none of the wounds one would expect from the light machine shotgun. Her flesh, bones, and organs had not been torn to pieces.
Stephanie could not understand.
She decided to aim her gun back at Kinuhata.
However, the single bullet had dulled her movements more than she had expected.
Before she could aim the light machine shotgun's barrel, Kinuhata fired again. A second and then a third bullet struck Stephanie's arms and the giant gun slid across the floor.
"You said you didn't want me to die, but it looks more like it was super trouble for you."
"How... ?" Stephanie asked.
She then noticed something on the ground. It was a metal can about the size of a can of hairspray. However, the metal looked thicker than one would expect from its size. The can was split open from the inside as if it hadn't been able to withstand the internal pressure.
The surface of the metal can had a letter of the alphabet carved into it.
Stephanie interpreted it as an atomic symbol.
"... Liquid nitrogen... !?"
"Is it really that surprising? If you insulate it with a super vacuum between the barriers, it isn't that hard to walk around with."
Basically, Kinuhata had brought the liquid nitrogen out into the air which was at a normal temperature to instantly provide herself with a large amount of nitrogen to make up for the local vacuum Stephanie had created.
While still holding out her gun, Kinuhata smiled thinly.
"I'm an esper that manipulates nitrogen. But that also means that I super can't do anything else. Did you really think someone who super understood that she was defenseless without nitrogen would not have come up with a countermeasure? And I'm a member of Academy City's dark side. It isn't hard at all to get the things I super need."
The light machine shotgun lying on the ground became surrounded in flames which caused the ammunition inside to burst.
But Kinuhata did not look in its direction.
"As a former member of Anti-Skill, you were indeed super well versed in fighting with espers and you had the ability to see my weakness. However, you did not understand that I am a person who has super struggled to continue winning and surviving."
As she spoke, Kinuhata put her handgun away.
She wasn't mercifully letting Stephanie live.
She just wanted to finish her off with the ability she had the most confidence in.
"Oh, right, " she said as if they were words of farewell."An esper with a powerful shield who can grab a car and super throw it is almost invincible in close quarters combat. The worst kind of opponent for me is a sniper who super accurately attacks from a position I can't reach.... Instead of someone who's nothing but firepower like you, Sunazara Chimitsu is much more dangerous."
Stephanie tried to pull her spare handgun out from the back of her belt.
But Kinuhata was faster.
She aimed for Stephanie with her arm that could easily lift up a car.
Part 10
The man that in actuality controlled the Aztec 'organization', Tecpatl.
He had with him a girl who was once a comrade of Xochitl—Tochtli, and he appeared in front of Unabara. Just to eliminate Unabara who had turned traitor.
This was such a bizarre combination—that was what Unabara's intuition was telling him.
Tochtli and Tecpatl shouldn't have been the kind of people that would get along well. The kind of trust where they could trust each other with their backs even when besieged by death on all sides did not exist between them, could that be replaced with their place on the command structure?
However, that was not the most important thing right now.
"..."
Unabara subconsciously looked at the obsidian dagger in his hand.
The Spear of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli.
It was an artifact that took apart any armor that had come in contact with the light of Venus. Its effect was the same on the human body. Once a person's body came in contact with the Spear of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli, the human's flesh and bone would be taken apart cleanly.
Could he do it?
Even though they had gone their separate ways, those two had once been his comrades. Could he really use this against them?
"Oi Oi."
Facing Unabara who was still hesitating, Tecpatl wasn't worried in the slightest.
"Is using something that puny really alright?... I thought you would have definitely used 'something like this'."
As he spoke, Tecpatl took something from Tochtli's hands.
It looked like a student's bookbag, a rectangular object.
Underneath it were thin and long creases, like those on a freshly baked loaf of bread. From inside the bag, several stone tablets only a few millimeters thick stretched out.
Densely carved onto it was the medium that the Aztecs used to convey written information—something that could be called words, symbols, or even pictures.
(Can it be... ?!)
At the same time a chill covered the entirety of Unabara's body, the depths of his mind were suddenly stimulated by something. It was the sharp pain the brain let out when it was corroded by knowledge that shouldn't be known.
To him, this wasn't the first time he had felt that sensation.
As if to confirm the hypothesis in his heart, Tecpatl said with a smile,
"Yes, this is a grimoire 'original'."
Looking at the dizzy Unabara shaking his head to try and stay conscious, Tecpatl continued to smile and say,
"By now you should know the fact that Xochitl had been 'remodelled' and had a 'grimoire original' inserted into her. In this situation where even the common soldier is armed with grimoires, me, the person that thought up this plan and implemented it, having a grimoire shouldn't be something unthinkable."
"You..."
"Show your grimoire to us. We know Xochitl is still alive, so the grimoire original would have been taken off her by you... I'll say this first, my grimoire isn't weak enough to be taken apart by the obsidian dagger."
(... They actually brought 'grimoire originals' into battle? Damn it, the words on that stone tablet are... )
He didn't want to read it again. What Unabara was doing now was like tasting the poison that was sticking to his brain and couldn't be removed, analyzing in his head the 'grimoire original' that Tecpatl was using.
It was probably the Calendar Stone.
That was the gigantic round stone that recorded the complicated calendar of the Aztecs, in addition to the process that the world would destroy and reborn itself. What had been buried into Xochitl was a derivative of that Calendar Stone. The grimoire that Tecpatl wielded was probably a grimoire that focused on another derivative.
Unabara raised his head.
As he tried not to focus his consciousness on Tecpatl's grimoire, he said,
"Is that the records about the Moon Rabbit..."
"You actually tried to 'read' this thing? You're a surprisingly rash person."
Tecpatl had done something to make sure the knowledge of the stone tablet didn't enter his head. He casually tapped the stone tablet and said,
"It's the story about the time when the fifth sun was created. The moon that was born at the same time, its light was brighter than what the gods expected—to the point where the sun and the moon couldn't be distinguished from one another. To avoid that, the gods threw rabbits towards the moon to weaken its glow... using that legend, things like this can be achieved."
Before his voice had even ceased,
Boom!
Something shot out of Tecpatl's hand, and the walls on this side of the shelter were smashed apart from the inside.
This blow easily pierced through a shelter that was capable of stopping a nuclear bomb, and directly hit the private forces of Shiokishi that were fighting outside.
"Don't dodge it."
Tecpatl said while smiling.
"You see, if you dodge a few dozen people outside will die. Originally this should be a strike that can reach other astral bodies... guess the 'rabbit bones' that were used as the raw material are just inferior."
Unabara was shocked.
However, he wasn't shocked by the destructive force of that last attack.
What he was staring at was Tochtli who was next to Tecpatl.
Her index finger was drooping like a squid's feelers, and shaking.
"... What have you done?"
Unabara asked with trembling lips.
"What have you done to Tochtli?!"
"The 'rabbit bones'. You can't understand if I don't spell it out for you?"
What Tecpatl had used was some sort of projectile attack. Add to that the term 'rabbit bones', it was not hard to think of what had just happened.
(Why would Tochtli obediently... )
Unabara stared at the brown-skinned girl with justified question in his eyes. At this time, Tochtli opened her mouth. What came out of it was,
"...... ah, ... awa...... ugu..."
This time, all warmth suddenly disappeared from Unabara's back.
It couldn't be called human speech. The brain that was used for thinking and the heart, none of it was left. Looking at Unabara who was shocked speechless, Tecpatl finally laughed like he couldn't hold it in anymore.
Why would she help him to that extent.
Tochtli and Tecpatl were obviously two people that could not cooperate together.
The answer was very simple.
No matter what,
If they were a normal person, who would offer their bones to someone else without anesthesia?
"Hahahaha! Look how interesting she is. There are not even half of her bones remaining inside her body. Even though the grimoire recorded ways to replace human bones with obsidian, I'm told the process is excruciating. And yet I just fired one like that. Eh, to me, as long as the 'rabbit bones' can be replaced it'll be alright."
"Tec, patl..."
Unabara's lips couldn't stop trembling.
In this time, the squid-like finger of Tochtli started to swell up from the inside, and forcibly recovered its original shape. Where the bone had been brutally removed, the obsidian filled it up savagely.
Just what kind of pain would that be like??!!
Just what kind of shame would that be like??!!
"Tecpatl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Unabara roared in his rage, and moved his hand towards his face.
He roughly ripped off the skin covering his face, and his brown face was exposed to the air.
Resonating to his anger, something moved.
The scroll grimoire opened by itself from inside Unabara's bosom, and stretched out. Unabara directed his will to control the snake-like flying scroll.
Unabara's... grimoire that had been buried inside Xochitl had 'counter-attack against weapon wielders' inscribed on it. She might have built a spell that forced weapon-wielders to commit suicide, but Unabara couldn't use spells of that magnitude yet.
Tecpatl's... grimoire that was using up Tochtli's bones, what was inscribed on it was 'long distance bombardment'. Using the legend of throwing rabbits at astral bodies as the basis, this grimoire specialized in this spell that could destroy any of the enemy's flying spells or enchantments.
A conflict between grimoires.
The Unabara no longer remember any restrictions. Because of that, he stepped into the territory that Tecpatl didn't dare step into. In his boiling brain, only 'defeat Tecpatl' remained.
"Good."
As someone who also wielded a grimoire that was derived from the Calendar Stone, Tecpatl laid his hands on his grimoire and said,
"Now this is a battle between us. Let us exhaust our wisdom and fight for the position of the Aztec's helmsman."
Boom! An explosion rang out.
Several flashes of light erupted from Tecpatl's hand, while Unabara's scroll of skin expanded widely and intercepted them. As a counter attack, the countless powder that was stuck onto the skin turned into a gale and attempted to blow away the stone tablets.
The shockwaves from their attacks alone was enough to inflate the tunnels of the entire shelter.
It was not an easy battle. It was already far beyond Unabara's original estimations.
Even so, it couldn't be simply said that the grimoire was his helper.
(... Urgh, damn it, a headache... ?!)
As they battled knowledge continuously flowed into his brain. At the same time it brought him intense pain all over his body. As he endured all that, Unabara waved his grimoire.
Grimoires would help those who would spread its knowledge. And so, it was not solely a weapon that belonged to its wielder. If someone more suitable than its current wielder appeared, it would mercilessly kill the 'now-useless person' and move onto the next one.
Just like a 'trial'.
No matter if it was life or death, the grimoires would make the choice that would benefit itself.
(... It doesn't matter... )
Unabara clenched his teeth.
In the gaps between his teeth, bright red blood flowed out.
(... I have someone who I must defeat, for that I would even sacrifice this body of mine!)
But, just spirit alone would not be enough to decide victory or defeat.
Tecpatl's hand continued to release flashes of light, until finally it surpassed the limits of Unabara's defense. A few bullets of light went past the shield of flying scroll, and impacted Unabara's torso directly. It was only due to his grimoire's protection that his body wasn't torn apart. He rolled several times on the ground before coming to a stop.
Unfortunately, he no longer had the strength to stand up.
Tecpatl approached Unabara who was unraveling the scroll head on.
"The gap of experience between yours and mine is too large. Secondly, your protection measures when using the grimoire are too inferior. If you plan to use these grimoires as weapons, taking measures to prevent knowledge flowing in reverse is the most basic precaution."
"..."
Even when being glared at by Unabara, Tecpatl didn't change his expression.
Light started to gather into his hand.
It was the light created by Tochtli's bones.
"What... happened?"
"You're asking that?"
Tecpatl laughed.
"A war ended. The war between us and those uncouth people who called themselves 'World Police'. I once believed that once that battle was over we would be able to live peacefully. That's why I supported the war."
The laughter continued.
"But nothing changed. Our status, our position, nothing changed. We fought hard, and in the end was it only to preserve the interests of a few old men that ruled over us?"
That laughter finally broke.
"Those old folks who stirred us up with nothing but lies have all been eliminated. But, even though we punished them severely, it didn't change anything. Like that, we lost our compass and goal. We no longer know where to go!"
Boom! An explosive sound cracked out.
This time, the attack from Tecpatl's hand was a fatal one.
But, Unabara didn't die.
The strike from Tecpatl's hand curved and pierced through his own body.
"... Huh... ?"
Looking at the large hole on his abdomen, Tecpatl let out a moan. On the other side, Unabara only lied on the ground and asked in a calm voice,
"Did you know? Grimoires aren't just simple tools or weapons. They have a trait of helping those who can spread the knowledge within them the most, and if necessary they will bare their fangs to even their wielder."
At this time, Tecpatl saw it.
Unabara drew something with his own blood on the ground. They were the words on the stone tablet. As Unabara was copying the grimoire 'original', creating a 'script' of the grimoire and passing the knowledge of the grimoire on, Tecpatl had attacked Unabara. Therefore, the grimoire 'original' had launched its own counter-attack.
"... If you truly were suitable for the knowledge of that grimoire original, you would not have ended up like this. To prevent the contamination of the grimoire original, you took measures preventing it. Forget about spreading its knowledge, you wouldn't even read the knowledge within it yourself. Did you believe that the grimoire would allow itself to become a 'dead end'?..."
There was no reply.
Kneeling on his knees, Tecpatl finally fell weakly onto the floor. The 'student's bag' with many stone tablets in it casted an eerie, long shadow. It looked like it was waving at him. Accept, or die. Unabara seemed to feel its declaration.
(... From the looks of this, I'm really popular with these grimoire originals. )
"... Alright..."
Unabara Mitsuki answered the question the grimoire original raised.
A second grimoire. The speed of the contamination would increase even faster, but Unabara didn't hesitate.
"However, "
He removed his gaze from Tecpatl. Once more entering his field of vision was a girl that couldn't even understand human speech—Tochtli.
He didn't have any obligation to do this much.
But, if he didn't do this he wouldn't have face to go back to Xochitl.
"Before this, there's something I need your help with."
Contract established.
In order to recover a girl's life, Unabara Mitsuki stepped into a deeper darkness.
Part 11
Sugitani stood wordlessly with his large-caliber gun pointed ahead.
On the ground lay Accelerator.
The unique smell of gunpowder exploding entered his nostril.
And mixed with it was the smell of blood.
However,
It was not Accelerator's.
Sugitani had held the absolute advantage, but now had a hole in his stomach.
"Why..."
Sugitani started to falter.
He leaned on the walls, and finally lost his strength and slowly sank onto the ground.
In sharp contrast to him, Accelerator neatly got up from the ground. To be able to do that kind of movement when he had lost the help from his choker was unthinkable. But, the remote control in Sugitani's hands was operating right now, there should be no way he could use his choker...
"You saw that my crutch has been modified, right?"
Accelerator said disdainfully to Sugitani.
"The additional legs to aid walking and the motor, all those are just part of the disguise. What this thing really is, is something that blocks other interference devices."
"What did you say?"
"If this thing just blocked other wavelengths, and it ended up blocking off the Misaka Network then it'd be useless. So, I was waiting for you guys to use that kind of wavelength on me. Then, after careful analysis of that wavelength and using the equipment in this cane, an interference wavelength can be reverse-engineered to specifically block that wavelength."
That's right.
When the limo had been attacked, Shiokishi's forces had used the 'long distance controlling wavelength'. Accelerator at the time had taken the opportunity to take a sample of the wavelength his enemy used.
Now that 'long distance controlling wavelength' was blocked by his crutch, and couldn't reach the choker.
So, Accelerator didn't lose his ability, and he could still walk and talk.
He took out the gun in his holster, and pointed it at Sugitani.
"This is how Evil does things."
The monster said in a bored tone.
"There's no difference between you and me. I'm definitely not a 'good person', so for you who uses the same methods, you're also an exceptional villain."
Being told that, Sugitani involuntarily smiled slightly.
Right after that, both of them unhesitatingly pulled the trigger.
Gunshots rang out.
Accelerator's bullets sank into Sugitani, while Sugitani's bullets were all 'reflected' away.
"... How boring."
Turning his choker back to its normal mode, Accelerator walked further into the depths.
"If you call yourself a 'good person', then try harder in your actions."
Sugitani had taken a few bullets, and though he lost consciousness, was still breathing heavily.
This was his way of Evil.
Part 12
Kinuhata sat on the floor of the underground mall breathing in the air heated by the flames.
Stephanie was collapsed nearby.
It seemed Hamazura and Takitsubo were on the other side of the wall of flames, but it would be a pain to break through to meet up with them. It would be better to head to the surface separately and meet up there.
Kinuhata rubbed her injured cheek and then looked over at Stephanie.
"... Even if you were up against a super strong opponent like me, wasn't this a little much?"
"I was fighting for Sunazara-san, so this was actually rather reserved, " Stephanie replied while coughing up blood.
Kinuhata decided that Stephanie was a truly strong woman.
"I'm sure you got that light machine shotgun on your own, but how did you super manage to send that Six Wings attack helicopter? Did you have someone else helping you?"
"... ?"
An unnatural silence followed.
Kinuhata sensed something bad from that silence.
She then asked again.
"How did you super manage to send that Six Wings attack helicopter after us?"
"What are you talking about?" Stephanie replied staring blankly up at her."If I could have prepared an attack helicopter in this city, I would have fired on you from outside your range."
"..."
Kinuhata froze.
Then what had that been?
A Six Wings had definitely attacked the stolen car Hamazura had been driving. Those special unmanned weapons that were in charge of Academy City's air defense were not something used on a simple stolen car.
The woman on the phone had said she hadn't been involved. The girl in the dress had also said that she wished she had the authority to send out one of those things.
And now Stephanie seemed not to have been involved either.
(There's someone other than Stephanie who is super targeting us? And this person has the authority to super freely send out a Six Wings?)
At that moment, a nearby concrete wall was blown away.
Special forces all dressed in black advanced through the destroyed wall.
They were not there for Stephanie.
In fact, they seemed more intent on restraining Kinuhata.
"Hamazura!!" Kinuhata yelled as she was forced down onto the ground."Super run away!! I doubt they're after me!! They're after you!!"
Kinuhata Saiai had a powerful ability and held a special position. But that also meant she could guess how valuable she was and what kind of person would be targeting her.
The Six Wings incident had not fit with that.
As such, it was natural to think that the Six Wings had been targeting the more unknown value that was Hamazura Shiage.
"... !!"
Hamazura yelled something from the other side of the flames.
However, Takitsubo pulled on his arm urging him to flee. He seemed unsure of what to do for a bit, but he apparently decide to go with Takitsubo. Kinuhata felt that was the correct decision. Kinuhata Saiai was useful and valuable to Academy City. It was unlikely they would just get rid of her when they could still use her and she intended to work towards that end.
After Hamazura and Takitsubo had left, she heard footsteps coming from the entrance to the underground mall. She looked in that direction while still being restrained. She saw the girl in the dress. The girl used a power known as Measure Heart and she was a member of the new team that had been created from the remnants of Item, School, and the like.
The two were officially allies, but they glared at each other.
"Super what are you doing?"
"The order baffled me as well. I don't know why I have to work with the remnants of the Hound Dog unit. I was hoping you could explain it."
The girl in the dress then said something odd.
"Did you know that Aleister has created and is carrying out some sort of plan?"
Kinuhata frowned.
The girl in the dress paid her expression no heed.
"It seems the irregular factors known as Kamijou Touma and Accelerator are within the allowable limit of irregularity. That is why they are at the core of the plan. When they struggle, it can be used to the benefit of the plan. I don't actually know what the plan is, though. Incidentally, Hamazura Shiage is different."
There was a brief silence before the girl in the dress began speaking again.
"That Level 0 was a factor that was supposed to have been killed in the conflict between Group, School, Item, Member, and Block. And yet he somehow managed to defeat the #4 Level 5, Mugino Shizuri, on his own and is still living today.... It seems not even Aleister could calculate everything out perfectly."
Kinuhata desperately thought as she listened to the girl's words and was held down by the men.
Was what she was saying really true?
"Hamazura Shiage is a Level 0 with no power or usefulness and yet he is attempting to gain something on his own. He is attempting to gain new value that even Aleister did not know of."
The girl in the dress then stared down at Kinuhata as if trying to provoke her.
Or perhaps she was trying to drag an answer out of her.
"Depending on the situation, he could cause even more damage to Aleister's plan than Kamijou Touma or Accelerator. Therefore, it seems Academy City is going all out in an attempt to kill him. What do you think? Does he really have that much value?"
He had no idea what was going on.
He just continued running.
Hamazura Shiage and Takitsubo Rikou ran through the nighttime city while holding hands. They had exited the underground mall, cut through the crowds, and then jumped on top of a container on a freight train that was running along past the time for the last passenger train. They breathed heavily as they sat on top of the train as it shot past stations and through tunnels at high speed. No matter how deeply they breathed, their lost stamina did not seem to recover.
Even with all that, their pursuers continued after them.
It didn't look like a proper group.
Dark shadows ran alongside the train that was moving at high speed. He wasn't quite sure when they managed to get aboard the train, but a number of those shadows were slowly approaching on top of the train. That wasn't a level one could reach just with special training. They were like something out of an urban legend. Hamazura seriously doubted he could win against a group that looked like they could just punch out the Kuchisake-Onna.
What it reminded him of was...
(... Hard Taping. Their entire bodies are wrapped in the cloth-form springs that expand and contract in response to electrical signals. That's what Leader Komaba used!)
But the goddess of fate smiled on Hamazura and Takitsubo.
Just before the figures reached them, the freight train decelerated. They must have been approaching the destination station. Hamazura held Takitsubo's small form and jumped off before the train had come to a complete stop. He was about to fall over and bloody himself on the gravel, but he just barely managed to maintain his balance.
He had no idea what district he was in.
A door on the wall of the tunnel was sitting open and he ran through the narrow corridor beyond. He didn't know where he had to run to or how long he needed to keep running. Without knowing what was going on, he couldn't come up with a detailed plan. He just decided to run with everything he had. He started running an eternal marathon with an unknown course.
But Hamazura had support.
He had Takitsubo next to him.
He had been chased by the #4 Level 5, Mugino Shizuri, before. At that time, he had been forced to fight all on his own in a hopeless situation. But now he was not alone. He had a reliable comrade at his side. So he was not as scared as before. He was able to think far enough ahead to know that they had to get out of their situation so they could rescue Kinuhata.
But then his support suddenly looked like it would break.
"?"
A tug came to Hamazura's arm. Or so he thought. When he turned around, he saw the girl in the pink track suit collapsed on the passageway's floor while still holding his hand.
"Hey, Takitsubo?"
He hurriedly tried to pick her up in his arms, but she seemed oddly heavy. It was not the weight of a human with strength in their body. It felt more like trying to pick up a large bag filled with mud and the feeling caused his hair to stand on end.
"Hamazura..."
"What's wrong, Takitsubo!? What happened!?" he yelled, but he had an idea deep down what it was.
Takitsubo Rikou had only just left the hospital. She hadn't been doing well when she had called him from the District 3 private salon building either. And she had lost consciousness when he had found her again in the private salon.
It had come back.
Takitsubo simply could not run all out for long periods of time as she was. She could not continue to flee from those who were after her life.
But the enemy would not wait.
Even now the unknown pursuers would be closing in on them.
"Can you stand, Takitsubo?"
She was sweating profusely and Hamazura asked his question only after suppressing his panic as much as he could. Even so, she looked him in the eye and spoke.
"Run, Hamazura."
Hamazura's heart had been near its limit and those words did further damage.
"We'll both be captured like this. So you run away on your own, Hamazura."
"No fucking way, " Hamazura muttered under his breath.
He grabbed Takitsubo's limp arm, wrapped it around his shoulder, and lifted her slender body up almost onto his shoulder.
"Hamazura."
"Quiet, " he said cutting off whatever she had been trying to say.
Despite her slender frame, she still felt as heavy as the metal balls put on prisoners' legs long ago.
(So what?)
He stared only forward.
He gritted his teeth and headed forward half dragging his body along. He would not abandon Takitsubo. He couldn't just leave her there. They had to save Kinuhata Saiai too, so they couldn't just live a life on the run. He would turn things around. He would break free of that life. Thinking only that, Hamazura continued to move forward.
But he didn't last long.
His body hadn't been eaten into by Body Crystal like Takitsubo's, but his strength was not infinite. He had been involved in more than one fight that day and he had run who knows how many kilometers. His stamina wasn't going to hold up. His muscles screamed. His legs trembled and he knew he would collapse to the floor at any second. At the same time, he heard numerous footsteps coming up from behind him. He could also hear the clanking of the metal parts of submachine guns.
At that rate, they would be captured.
They would be captured and killed.
As he tried to continue on, strength left his knees. The two of them fell to the ground as if they were embracing each other. Hamazura stood back up and attempted to pick Takitsubo back up, but he couldn't do it. Her body looked like a heavy barbell to him.
"Hamazura, " Takitsubo said."It's okay, Hamazura. I'll buy you some time."
"No, you won't!!" he yelled back.
But his body didn't last.
Hamazura leaned over Takitsubo thinking he could at least shield her from bullets. He knew a bullet could pass straight through him, but he did it anyway.
(... Someone. )
Tears welled up in his eyes.
(Please, someone do what I can't. I need a hero to gallantly appear and save her... )
He knew it wouldn't happen. If someone like that actually existed, Hamazura Shiage would not have been in that situation in the first place.
But he couldn't help but pray.
He didn't want to lose Takitsubo Rikou.
The footsteps drew closer and the number grew. He couldn't do anything. He could tell a great number of gun barrels were aimed towards them. He only had a small handgun. In the current situation, they would be turned to Swiss cheese if he tried to pull it out.
It was a completely hopeless situation.
No miracle would occur.
And then countless beams of light shot by.
They blew the unknown pursuers away and removed the threat approaching the two of them.
He had no idea what had just happened.
He just thought it must have been some kind of esper power. The dozen or so pursuers who had been approaching had been torn to pieces. Their guts had been spread about and fresh blood dyed that area of the passageway red. He didn't know who had done it, but someone had actually saved them. Hamazura simply sat there blankly while still embracing Takitsubo Rikou.
"Heh heh heh..." As the situation slowly crept into Hamazura's head, a sense of relief finally filled his brain."We made it. I don't know who helped us, but we managed to survive!!"
And then...
"... Haaamazuraaa...."
With that one word, an intense chill ran across Hamazura's entire body.
He recognized that way of calling his name. And once he recalled that, the power that had just flown by clicked into place as well. It was Meltdowner. It was a type of power that manipulated electrons. It didn't manipulate the waves or the particles. It manipulated and fired the electrons themselves. That power was recorded as belonging to the #4 Level 5. Its user had... had... had once been defeated by Hamazura Shiage.
The user was approaching.
This was not a hero that had come to save Hamazura.
Characteristic footsteps approached as if to proudly proclaim the Meltdowner user's existence. The person approached in a straight line stepping on the fresh blood and guts of the recently killed people.
Hamazura recognized the girl.
She had no right eye.
Her left arm had been ripped off.
A pale blue light like one would see during welding resided deep within the empty red eye socket. The same was true for the left arm. As if to compensate for the missing arm, a dazzling arm of light was jutting out. It must have been made of fairly high energy because it continuously made the sound of a high voltage current frying a bug in a bug zapper.
It was created from her power.
It was created by the #4 Level 5 power, Meltdowner.
That was not some cheap power that would manifest in just anyone. As far as Hamazura knew, she was the only person with that power.
A cracking voice leaked from Hamazura Shiage's mouth.
He squeezed out a name despite his vocal cords and entire body trembling.
"Mugino... Shizuri... !?"
"Don't let pitiful bastards like that take your life. The one who's going to rip you to pieces is me!!"
This time, the true mouth of despair swallowed Hamazura and Takitsubo whole.
Part 13
Accelerator, Tsuchimikado Motoharu, Musujime Awaki, and Unabara Mitsuki; the four of them currently were at the deepest place of the tunnel-shaped shelter. In front of them was the defeated Shiokishi. His powered suit had been taken apart, and an obsidian dagger was stabbed into his stomach.
"To protect the people close to us, we have two choices."
Accelerator cracked his neck while holding onto his crutch.
"One, we make you spit out everything you know about Dragon; Two, we wobble the knife that's in your stomach right now and spill your innards onto the ground."
"Dragon, huh..."
Shiokishi muttered in a low voice, as if he had forgotten his abdomen had been stabbed.
"I've already guessed your goals behind all this."
"Don't tell us you're going to say something like 'actually I don't know either'."
"If that was the case then I'd be relieved. Unfortunately I actually do know about it. Because I'm in a position that needs to know about it. That's why I'm troubled."
The four of them went quiet.
Only Shiokishi continued.
"That's something that can't be allowed to see the light. If you must make me tell you about the details I will comply, but for your sakes I'll say this now: It is better to not know. This is not a threat. This is merely advice from someone who knows. Truth be told, I didn't want to know about it. Even now from the bottom of my heart I think how great it would be if I never knew."
"What is Dragon?"
Accelerator questioned him.
Even after being given that kind of advice, they had to move forward.
According to Tsuchimikado and Unabara, Dragon was a code meaning 'angel'. On September 30th, Accelerator had witnessed something like wings of light. Kihara Amata's movements, Last Order, the Virus, and everything that had happened recently seemed to be related to the wings of light.
"... What are you talking about."
Faced with the questioning, Shiokishi actually laughed.
He was using the tone of 'seeing someone completely misunderstood and can't help but laugh'.
"Dragon is everywhere. Look, it is there right behind you at this moment."
He thought it was just a ridiculous joke.
But right after that, a few dull 'thud' sounds reached his ears.
"Tsuchimikado?"
Accelerator subconsciously turned around.
He called their names.
"Musujime? Unabara?"
They had all collapsed onto the ground. They all had completely lost consciousness. Though there were no visible wounds, there were also no signs they would be getting back up. The Group that Accelerator belonged to was an organization that prided itself on having above-normal battle capabilities. Now, this organization had been taken down easily by an unknown attack. There was no opportunity to even fight back.
After that,
Accelerator saw it.
"You're not Fuse Kazakiri!"
Into the ears of the wide-eyed Accelerator who stood there in shock, came the voice of Shiokishi.
"That, is nothing more than a simple production line used to give Dragon shape."
After saying what needed to be said, Shiokishi lost consciousness due to blood loss. Though he fell with a groan, Accelerator didn't have the latitude to turn around and look.
His eyes were fixed forward.
Golden long hair.
A shining, tall and thin stature. And loose white clothing that covered the body entirely. Though its gender could not be definitely ascertained, at least the outward appearance looked female.
On its face was an expression that was full of happiness, sadness, grief and anger, but deep down it had emotions completely different from that of humans; it was an expression that was extremely calm.
"—Dragon, huh?"
That thing opened its mouth.
Though that thing was in a humanoid shape, Accelerator felt there was nothing more wrong than that thing being capable of human speech.
"That name is not exactly wrong, to a point. Rather, calling me an 'angel' is alright too... At least, it's closer to the truth compared to the rumored 'extraterrestrial life form', 'holy guardian angel', 'the true person who holds the secrets to modern Western magic organizations' and wild ideas like those. Though, my existence, is something completely different from the angels recorded in the Bible. So, to more accurately describe my presence, the aforementioned word should be used."
That thing declared.
"There are very few people that persevere and reach this point in their search. Because of that, there is value and worth in my declaration of my name. So, I will answer your question."
The true identity of the thing that Accelerator and others had chased after for so long.
"I'm the one that once taught the necessary parts of the necessary knowledge to an eccentric magician named Crowley—Aiwass."
Notes
1. ↑ While this isn't a direct translation, this is probably the scientific phenomena being described: active noise cancelling
| ← Ch. 147 | Ch. 149 → |