Vol 5 Chapter 3 (2/2)

All expression disappeared from Ame's face Her body shook uncontrollably Her hands were clutched into fists, and sulfuric acid seeped out froers Tatsue could not take her eyes away from Ame She was just like how Tatsue had been before Tatsue understood that kind of pain It was as if no one needed her It was a sad despair, in which she firmly believed she would leave no trace upon this world if she were to disappear

”Ame-chan! Don't slow your attacks! She can't keep up her spatialtime! I can take over if you don't want to continue!”

Nastuko, as behind Tatsue and Mitaka, seemed to sense how A them any time to rest Tatsue yelled without hesitation This woman was definitely not evil, either It was only because she had been turned into a ment - if this was the fair world they spoke of -

”I have absolutely no interest in those things!”

Tatsue then turned quickly to face Natsuko She held her fan tightly, as if she wanted to protect the person she loved, as standing next to her Resolve and an intent to kill burned in her eyes, as if she harbored a living fire

“Ah – “

But such an expression only lasted briefly on Tatsue’s face, as Ame started to cry out sadly behind her

“Stop! Natsuko-san, her target is – “

Natsuko ignored Aigantic body started to oing to traround

However, Tatsue didn’t look scared at all Indeed, she wore a faint smile on her face

“There were hout the legends in every culture Sohty flaon’s breath turned living humans into sacks of poison, or that they spewed forth acid that could corrode everything – “

“Natsuko-san, run!”

Ame cried in a frenzy and sprayed out sulfuric acid everywhere with her hands, but she only ed to achieve the opposite of what she wanted Neither Ah Tatsue wouldn’t want to get too arrogant, she had indeed defeated monsters such as Mitsuki before – she felt rather assured of herself

She certainly did not have hty powers or an invincible capacity for destruction

However, she could kill people even with a ribbon if she wanted to

The differences between experience, knowledge, and preparation – those are the things that determine the outcome of battles

The roiling sulfuric acid gathered in the air as if it was but candy floss Tatsue observed her ene in the air

She had no idea what kind of relationshi+p existed between Ame and Natsuko They were probably quite close as the café was near Kannonsakazaki High School She could instantly see the scene now A sad high school girl as not welco her coffee in Natsuko’s shop as a faint smile surfaced on her face

Tears streaked down Tatsue’s face

Honestly, she still didn’t like to fight

“Dragon’s – Breath!”

She expanded her ability to control space, and all the air around her started to e amounts of sulfuric acid that Alided and flew in the air according to Tatsue’s will, then sprang towards Natsuko, as about to run up to Tatsue to melee her into oblivion

The acid instantly melted half of Natsuko’s body and blew her away

A dying wail started to echo around them The thick stench of blood and Around was littered with pieces ofstreet was completely ruined Black carapace cracked and shattered Minazuki Natsuko, whose entire body had changed into a monster, exploded into a mist of blood, and instantly disappeared

“Natsuko-san!”

Ame had a look of disbelief on her face and yelled in despair at Tatsue Tatsue had killed so her ability Tatsue was really the worst, the eous person ever

Tatsue knew she used a despicable tactic Her pride as the daughter of the most prominent financial empire in japan instantly evaporated She felt a deep sense of regret as a hu

“Ah, ah – aaaah!”

Ame looked hopelessly for Natsuko everywhere She then put her hands over her head and screamed

“What on Earth did you do!?”

Aain? Tatsue didn’t knohat to do She initiated Melodia NoiseTear Song’s ability to analyze the space around her to find Ame’s location, only to find that Ame appeared to be underneath them

”Below?”

Before she understood as going on, Ame erupted froely She had corroded the ground using the acid fro her to attack from below Tatsue

It would have been a very powerful surprise attack

Tatsue paled in surprise, and flew to her side at the last e the attack She rolled on the ground and tried to stop the acid frorily at her direction, but everything was so loud, and she couldn't hear her clearly

As Tatsue's gaze flickered, the frothing acids scattered away powerlessly It was so sad and weak Tatsue felt a tinge of guilt She felt a silly and weak idea, that maybe she should let her opponent's attack work just a little But she kneould be hts

She had to kill her

It would be as easy as squishi+ng a bug or sing a piece of meat

She had to do it

As if they were ice blocks exposed under the scorching sun, all the shops around her were starting to irl before her Her attacks couldn't reach Tatsue, and Ame started to scratch her face in anxiety Tatsue stared straight at her and said:

”I'm sorry”

Ame could have been happy However, in order for Tatsue to survive, she had to kill Ame here It was justified personal defense Excuses such as 'the opponent is a less

This was her punishment Sin and punishment were just, but humans would never receive happiness in a fair manner Tatsue had also started to hate this world full of evil

”Please - die”

Tatsue made up her mind and flapped her fan forward

The isolating membrane that came from Manipulation of space disappeared A to pierce it Although her body was i che it look like A

Tatsue said again softly, facing Ame directly:

”I'm sorry”

”?”

Suddenly, as if she felt so odd, Ame opened her eyes

”Huh?”

She tilted her head and scanned her surroundings As she looked anxious, she started to mumble:

”There was soo?”

The aze left her, Tatsue's hands suddenly punched forward,the action Ame had made when she attacked However, there were no sulfuric acid pouring from Tatsue's hand

Just a black snake co out of her sleeve -

She used the ability to manipulate space and made a hole in her protectiveinto it Ame noticed the Snake and screamed But it was too late, as the reptile flew into Ame's wide open mouth without hesitation

”Gulp?!”

Ame instantly twisted her body and leaned backwards Her hands flew to her throat, and she started to struggle Sulfuric acid poured out of her hands and dripped to the ground, evaporating the earth into nothingness As She kicked her legs, looking like she was in excruciating pain

”Urgh!? UrUghn!!”

As if so up within her body, Ame moaned and put her hands to her face, as her body contorted Her stomach could not contract due to the forced distention caused by the alien creature within it Her abdo and thick riggling beneath her skin

Tears welled up in Ame's eyes She bit her lip hard as she endured the pain, and blisters formed as she moaned

She was really suffering

Tatsue stood up slowly and lowered her head, looking at Ame

She could still vaguely see the tail of the black snake within thepainfully Tatsue looked away as the black snake slithered into the esophagus fro everywhere within the abdominal cavity

” What should I do?”

A this way, already had dilated pupils Tatsue sighed She shuddered just fro it must be to s a black snake whole

Ale

The snake's tail had now completely disappeared within her throat Ame's eyes were full of hatred as she looked sideways at Tatsue, being unable to stand up due to her full abdomen

”You You bastard!”

Ame spat out those words one by one, her voice full of pain

”I curse you soiven”

Yes, Tatsue agreed Being hurt, feeling the pain, and being cursed for it - that was truly annoying Therefore, Tatsue hated to fight, and abhorred this destiny forcing them to battle each other The wounds they received would never heal Blood would seep out of their hearts and gradually dye them crimson red

Tatsue lamented her own sins as she watched A breath

”Mitaka”

She showed an expression of fake kindness, then folloith mean words: ”Let her be free”

There was a disgusting squelch Blood seeped out between Ame's lips Her hands were on her chest and she rubbed her skin continuously - then she stoppedMitaka probably chewed a hole in her heart

It was Tatsue anted to do this It was Tatsue who killed her

Although it was her first tiht have been forever denied Heaven because of this

Tatsue lifted her head and looked up at the sky while standing before the corpse of the girl

She told herself that she would not feel sorrow even if she were sent to the depths of hell, as long as she remained with her beloved Snake

Saibara Mitsuki furrowed her brows No, it was the Greater Fraged into Mitsuki's forh she had succument within her, and had co the Jealous Queen She looked very unhappy, and her face was full of an annoying expression She muttered softly:

”Useless trash”

Her words were filled with a rage coirl she borrowed the for Moon stood at the top of an electrical pole in silence and bathed in the light of the dawn, looking out over the townshi+p of Kannonsakazaki Her gaze pierced through the school building and looked out as the battle in the distant shopping district gradually ended She reached up and pressed down on the hat that the wind threatened to blow off, and muttered to herself:

” The Poison-Deumo and the Beetle Minazuki were defeated so easily Their opponents weren't shapeshi+fters or other powerful entities with abilities - they weren't even Greater FragMelodia Noise and a Snake”

There was no emotion in her voice, not even a sliver There was no sorrow fro her subordinates had failed – had died There was also absolutely no intention to pray for them in the afterlife

She siust froe that she even started to feel dizzy

Moon sighed and saw an incredible red light coumo Ame's dead body, which fleards the direction of the Kannonsakazaki High School

”Mmm, neveras no unrelated folks approach the school, go and do as you wish All ye chosen ladies and gentlemen!”

Moon cackled, as she gazed fixedly towards the school The school was enveloped in a car sun, as if it was an over-ripe apple And in thewith a blood-red sheen due to her will alone, hordes of athered there and moved restlessly

Monsters Monsters

Due to Moon's ability to alter her own body, her sight had also iradually approaching the school and greedy seeking out light They were not people like Naguathered under her wing after using Modification of the Flesh to make them into monsters

” Mushi+”

Moonsnicker fro down upon the entire world As if no one else could understand her, she quietly recounted the contents of myths on her own:

”Little Mushi+ becans of resistance The world wouldn't be able to maintain itself anymore Seriously, don't joke with me How can elcome the end like this?”

As if Moon was chanting, she roared out at the world approaching its end:

”I will become the hero! The hero of the entire world! Everyone will praise my name The future will become a beautiful world where people will praise me endlessly for all eternity!”

As if she was drunk, she yelled in madness Then she suddenly bent over and pulled her hair out of disgust

“I’ve started to talk toto impress? I killed U matters anymore! I don’t care if none of those people praise me! The entire world will praise me, sooner or later~~ Ahaha – Ahahahahahaha!”

Moon started to laugh loudly as if she was mad As if that jealous and lonely queen finally obtained praise from the Mirror of Truth about her beauty, a self-satisfied smile surfaced on her face

“Ahahaha! It’s useless to feel regret! You bastards! Your points of view are too perfect – you are too worthy of envy, so it’s your fault that I’m jealous of you!”

In thewith a dark red sheen, Usagawa Rinne did not respond at all She only rested within the glass coffin, and simply waited for her prince to arrive

She dreamed

It was a dream of the past

“…”

It was a distant dreaue and fuzzy It hen Guriko was still called Yono She was still a human back then She could still taste food She could still feel stuffy when the suot too cold in winter This was froo, when she still had her body and heart

Was it Mom?

She had wanted to ask soo

Was it Dad?

Those two travelers who rescued her from the Mushi+ and travelled with her – or had Guriko wanted to go with them? – and who had finally entrusted their Apples to her and disappeared

Kudan and Kirigirisu

She didn’t knohether those were their original names Maybe those were just names they had casually made up Guriko wasn’t interested in their names anyways, and she didn’t deliberately seek them out What Guriko wanted to ask them was simply a painful question that she could not articulate Just that one question

Are you –

How long did she spend travelling with them?

– My Dad? Or my Mom?

Yono was a child who had been discarded She was a child who no one wanted, who had just been found outside the village It would have been fine as long as Yono was the only unfortunate one No one considered her family, and no one wanted to be her friend Perhaps no one even considered Yono a fellow human

Those two people, the travelers Kudan and Kirigirisu, were the first and only people who had ever helped Yono, had called her by nas with her, fussed over her health, and taken care of her when she fell sick

Therefore, poor Yono had a delusion She logically started to question the war her this much kindness without a cause, that there must be a reason behind it which forced them to be so nice to her

Guriko thought of this hard, becoh in the end, she just became very confused

She endlessly pursued the reason behind their kindness towards her, and she finally came up with this question:

“You…”

Guriko screa that question She couldn’t ask such a question It would hurt other people Also, if she understood true loneliness, then she would sink into absolute despair

However, in her dreanored Guriko’s screams and asked in a small voice:

“Are you my Mom? Are you my Dad?”

She wanted to believe that she was not alone no matter what, even if no one wanted her, even if they discarded her She must have had a real family somewhere They had just had to discard her because of some special reasons, but they would definitely come and take her back sometime soon They would actually love Yono Yes, it was a delusion – but if she didn’t cling to this delusion, then she would definitely crumble

She thought Kudan and Kirigirisu would definitely be her parents She felt they were similar to her However, they showed a sad expression and shook their heads

Huh? Yono was confused She had been al ti that this must be hoas Yono believed firmly in this despite the lack of evidence

That was sad Even if they lied to her, Yono still wanted to nod as she listened to these sords

Yono cried She had waited on her own She had endured betrayal on her own Then she had cried It had been a long tio since she last cried The last time she cried hen the Mushi+ killed her and made her an inhuman existence

Kudan softly said so

She couldn’t re she could fir he’d said

True loneliness –

True loneliness was perhaps not to be a man, but to be a monster

Yono-chan, do you remember what I told you about heaven and reincarnation? When someone dies, their soul will leave the body and become a completely different individual in their next life They will keep living somewhere on this world for all eternity That is reincarnation Heaven is regarded as some happy utopia somewhere, and the souls of the dead would live there forever That was it

But both versions were simply inventions made to lessen our anxiety towards death

Death is terrifying It is scary for our own lives to disappear Humans are scared of the unknown We feel restless towards the unknown, and we dislike thinking of such concepts We consuained our wisdoht happen after death But that was the best we could do If this is the punish wisdom, then God is truly too mean-spirited God made all of humanity aware of their death penalty from the moment they were born

It was terrifying No one had experienced death We could only iine what it was like, since we can never experience it However, the objective evaluation was simply the complete disappearance of the entirely of our existence This was the worst situation for creatures like us, so we simply could not be optimistic about

We made up the concepts of ‘soul’, reincarnation, and Heaven to appease this fear It was a delusion that our soul would remain even if we die, and that we can exist forever

What is the soul, then? I believe it is the process of thought itself ‘Thought’ is neither the body nor the brain It is the basic unit that constructed the concept of ‘me’ It is only a concept, but it became the pillar of ‘my’ existence because it is only a concept

Your face still looked like it was full of questions fro to me You will understand when you become an adult

Anyways, the phenoe to the body or to the brain You can consider it as the end of thought Noas ‘I’ ah that ‘I’ am still alive

Therefore, rather than considering Heaven, reincarnation and rebirth delusions, they could be considered possible, actual existences

Heaven is si Reincarnation, on the other hand, is when ‘I’ becaard to reincarnation, it is safe to assume that the ‘me’ who dies completely disappears The initial ‘ain – no, it would siotten all , the initial ‘me’ has not died, but simply cannot remember

Reincarnation is truly an interesting concept

However – the truth was that heaven and reincarnation were all delusions ‘I’ will coness Even if we can briefly feel the joy of Heaven or reincarnation, ill still greet the end sooner or later, and face ‘my’ death

Many legends hint at the annihilation of the world at the very end Neither Heaven nor reincarnation were considered to be truly eternal, hinting towards the fact that humans will die sooner or later Monsters, malevolent Gods or demons, will be the ones who shall destroy the world That is what I believe

How lonely It won’t be the ‘me’ as already died

I must be killed, even if I am not a monster –

“…”

Gankyū Eguriko startled awake and ju all around her She didn’t understand as going on around her at all, therefore she looked everywhere as if she was a terrified little animal, and finally lowered her head

“I… fell asleep?”

“Oho, you’re awake, Guriko-chan!”

She woke up in an apart only four-and-a-half tatamis It was Mina’s room This place was extremely messy There were empty dishes, dirty clothes, and dead potted plants littered all over the floor Guriko was sleeping in a corner of the room, wrapped in blankets in this space filled with all sorts of trash Mina earing a set of extremely wrinkled pajamas, and she lowered her head and looked at Guriko

A reddish light was seeping through the s It looked to be early , but this was not the tis How did she fall asleep?

“Mina, how did Gu – Gu – Waaah?!”

Guriko suddenly couldn’t see anything anyainst the wall Mina see at her Guriko blushed as she took those things off her face, realizing that it was Mina’s discarded clothes that covered her eyes

Mina started to change her clothes, co Guriko She made no move to cover up her body, nor did she want to cover up Guriko’s young, androgenous body They were both girls, and there was nothing to be ehtly

Minayawn and mumbled as if she was still half asleep:

“Stop being so anxious I’ll tell you everything in detail Rather… I want you to explain sos to me You suddenly fainted when you met up with Mitsuki and me, and you haven’t woken up since then You were covered in blood, and you probably lost a lot of blood too”

Mina quickly finished changing Her unbraided hair casually spread out behind her and she started to brush it Looking at Mina’s leisurely pose, Guriko suddenly sat up

“I was fighting Melodia NoiseTear Song, and I defeated her Then I went to help Rinne What happened then? Suddenly, there were Mushi+ everywhere And then… Single Room and PoisonCatastrophe – woah!?”

As if the other wo, there were more clothes thrown at Guriko’s face Guriko blushed all the way up to her ears as she protested:

“Answer me seriously, Sterilization Disinfection! If you don’t do as I say, then I’e out your eyeballs!”

”You're so annoying I have low blood pressure I' this out here If you are not in that monster form, then you are aleaker than me So watch yourself when you speak to me!”

Guriko threw a spoon towards her without hesitation Mina's ability was to destroy all her opponents without regard to barriers or any such concept A gust of cold wind blew past the the scent of flowers like those cheap deodorants sold at the roadside Guriko didn't feel any heavy impact

”Ack cough cough What is this? Are you an idiot?!”

Guriko was choked by sohed What was this stupid wohed so much that tears came out of her eyes She finally shut up as socks and shorts were thrown on her face

”Alright alright hurry up and put on soe kid You are a girl after all, and you should pay some attention to your appearance”

Guriko finally noticed her clothing was all ripped up after Mina told her off, and her body was completely covered in blood Guriko's body had swollen up when she beca had been torn apart because of that Although she was not co state

Guriko obediently took off her clothing, but still got angry due to Mina's words and furrowed her brows

” I'e kid!”

”Ok ok, do you really like to put yourself down this much?”

Mina ht of Guriko as an idiot Her brows also cairl

But was she putting herself down? Yes, she was What Mina said was hard to stoht Guriko felt inferior because she was a monster Other people had told her numerous times that ‘it should be fine if you’re the only unfortunate one” She felt she was an inferior being compared to all the people around her

That was not true The gentle wo were not with her anymore Guriko didn’t behave as she usually did She lowered her head and started to cry while hugging the clothes she took off

It was so strange She was so soft and weak

“Ah, um –”

Mina looked like she didn’t knohat to say She quietly plaited her braid gently next to Guriko and smiled

“Sorry I’ve always been a woue… don’t pay too much mind to it”

“…”

Guriko wiped at her eyes and suddenly smiled Her expression then returned to her usual coldness

“Seriously, you’re such a glooe because you have a bad personality”

“What did you say? You bastard brain”

“… You are a useless nurse who can’t even take care of your daily life You’re just so all the time”

“You don’t have any capacity to take care of your daily life either! Besides, I aood nurse!”

“Who knows? I seeot plenty of people killed because of ht killed the properly to the relatives of the victims, you murderess nurse”

“You little bastard… There are sos you should never say to other people I really shouldn’t have done that I shouldn’t have worried about an ungrateful brat like you! Hurry and repay my kindness! How can there be kids as nasty as you? You are truly horrible!”

“You are t