ANTIMAGIC ACADEMY “THE 35TH TEST PLATOON” - Volume 12, 3 - Look Only Ahead of You

Volume 12, Chapter 3 – Look Only Ahead of You

 

Kyouya, Sage and Yuzuho who remained in the city were running out of breath as the wave of demon incarnations pushed in.

They knew there is no end to enemy and with the exhaustion from yesterday’s battle, they approached their limit quicker than expected.

The three stood back-to-back again and somehow were able to retain their postures.

They all thought the same thing.

How long do I have to continue this?

They were unable to move and unable to escape. Their pride wouldn’t allow them to abandon people inside the shelter.

With just a will not to die, the three continued to fight.

“Damn it…what the hell…am I doing…!”

“Don’t waste your breath…and concentrate instead…!”

While Yuzuho and Kyouya spat out curses, Sage, all covered in sweat squeezed out magic power from his body.

“We can only believe in Kusanagi now…!”

He suppressed the magic power consumption by assembling several operative procedures and maintained the barrier while maximizing efficiency, but he was at his limits.

Cracks ran through his barrier and it seemed likely to collapse.

Kyouya and Yuzuho forced their beat-up bodies to raise their weapons.

The turns between attacking and defending kept growing shorter. Two more repeats would be the limit.

But there was no choice but to bite the bullet and endure.

Until Kusanagi Takeru stops his little sister.

“——?!”

That’s when Sage, who was concentrating on building the operative procedure had opened his eyes wide.

His line of sight was directed to the other side, behind the demon incarnations that had surpassed the barrier.

While Kyouya and Yuzuho wondered what’s up with him, a flash of black light gushed out from behind the demons.

Momentarily, there was a great explosion behind the demons.

A blast wave struck the three, who braced themselves as not to be blown away.

“What is this?!!”

“I don’t know! Something’s coming…!”

While the two panicked in confusion, Kyouya squinted.

“…No way.”

Only he knew the shadow that walked their way in midst of flames.

Simple black armor.

Overwhelming power that causes huge blasts of air.

Fit to be called a guardian because of his features and iron will.

“…So he survived…that bastard…!”

At the same time Kyouya muttered that, all the pressing incarnations were blown without a trace.

Momentarily the scenery Kyouya had seen returned back to normal as if there was no demon invasion right from the start.

A figure walked their way from the center of the crossroads that were in front of the shelter. n𝔬𝚟𝓮-𝓵𝔅)1n

Taking steps that let out an imposing sound, the figure looked at Kyouya.

“——Well done on your mission. Tell me where is Kusanagi Takeru.”

Indifferently, like a machine, the man armed with two guns one in each hand——had returned from hell.

＊＊＊

“OOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAA!!”

Leaving himself to anger, Takeru swung the sword at Haunted.

Exerting himself, Takeru ordered his muscles to cut the enemy. He didn’t take the recoil into consideration, only slashed single-mindedly.

He no longer cared about the damage he received so far, or the exhaustion.

Takeru became another being——one who existed only to kill this fucker.

“I’ll kill you! I’ll slaughter you! DIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”

Haunted received raging Takeru’s attacks while laughing.

He wasn’t especially skillful when parrying attacks, he just furiously parried Takeru’s furious attacks.

“This is sheet! Your sword strikes are sheet! This isn’t even swordsmanship as you leave everything to anger, this is sheet, nothing else! However——from time to time, this kind of thing isn’t too bad.”

“Because of you I…! How much frustration do you think I tasted, huh?! How much suffering have you made Kiseki to shoulder?!”

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Aren’t you the one who came here carrying that burden?!”

Haunted repelled Takeru’s sword, the two took distance from one another.

Takeru retracted his leg while scraping the ground, and ignoring the recoil kicked off the ground.

Every of his moves lacked sophistication, but he put in all anger and power he had as he tried to overpower the enemy.

“I don’t need you to tell me that!”

He forgot what he learned during the fight with Orochi, and being at mercy of his own soul he widely cleaved Haunted.

It was impossible for that attack would go through.

There was no way such attacks would work on Haunted, who parried everything as if it was nothing.

However,

“You being aware of it makes it even worse!”

Haunted also fought back against Takeru’s anger with pure force.

While having a lot of fun.

Happy and delighted, he clashed with Takeru.

“I think your awareness is just an excuse! To Kiseki-san, you’re just forcing things on her!”

As their swords clashed, Haunted denied Takeru.

Despite the fact things he had questioned himself over, Takeru pushed Haunted’s sword away as he revealed his feelings.

“That’s why I fought to save her, I fought selfishly all this time to show her happiness! In order to relay everything to her I… in order to let her understand me… I involved everyone in this… and because of you, I——”

Haunted snorted at Takeru, and pushed with his sword even stronger.

“——I, I, I, me, I, Iiii”! That’s your true nature! In the end, your self-sacrifice is for your own sake! The fact you changed your mind on killing Kiseki-san is the proof of that!”

“……!!”

“But I can affirm this——you won’t kill her! Even if she kills your comrades, there’s no way you will hurt your little sister! That’s the kind of guy you are! No matter what you spout, you won’t act on your words and cast away the sword at the last moment! Just stay half-assed and lose everything!”

Dáinsleif was pressed against Takeru and bit into his shoulder.

The black blade tinged with red light sliced through the armor as easily as if it was cloth and tore his left shoulder.

Takeru released a growl deep from inside his chest as blood gushed from his shoulder.

“You’re wrong! Right from the start I——I had no intention of losing either my comrades or Kiseki!!”

He clenched his left hand and hit the back of Mistilteinn’s blade with his fist.

Kusanagi Double-Edged style’s Monk with Iron Mallet. By striking the back of the blade with their fist, the user could repel the enemy’s blade.

Blown away by the impact, Haunted leaped backwards and swung the sword randomly in the air at nothing in particular.

Takeru and Lapis have confirmed what was Dáinsleif’s intrinsic performance in their previous battle.

Those movements left slashes behind them. Even without being asked to, Lapis applied an analysis filter on Takeru’s retina allowing him to see magic power.

There were countless slashes left behind, all facing in Takeru’s direction.

At the same time Haunted landed, he protruded his left hand forward and moved it to make a cross in the air, that’s when a magic circle appeared beneath his feet.

“Yeah, indeed! That is why you are my enemy! I’ll beat you here, kill that pitiful girl, then once you fall into despair I will kill you, finally to indulge myself and have my way with your comrades as they choke to tears with grief…! If you say you will save everyone, then I will drive all the people you want to save to the depths of despair!”

The magic circle rotated, Haunted clenched his left hand forming a fist, his hair rose up as an after effect of magic power manifesting.

“——And the world will continue as it always had! My colorful garden of despair will continue to bloom forever!”

Haunted laughed like a madman.

I won’t let you.

Takeru jumped eighty meters high in order to avoid the slashes remaining in mid-air and sheathed his sword.

“Ha-haaa! I got you, Kusanagi!”

And the moment he dived downwards while using boosters with magic power, Haunted swung his sword.

That moment, the multitude of slashes remaining in the air, all flew towards Takeru.

It was the first time Takeru saw this move. Apparently it was possible to move the residual slashes and have them fly to turn into attacks from a distance.

Still——so what even if they could?

“——Let’s blow through them!”

In response to Takeru’s yell, Lapis fine-tuned the FM Booster as he swept down and dodged the flying slashes.

Since there were too many to avoid them all, he received a multitude of them as he continued to accelerate in his fall.

Dragging a bloody veil behind himself, Takeru rotated his body forward when he was at nearly twenty meters from the ground.

At the same time he pressed his thumb on the sheath and the blade’s flange to create a repulsive force.

Moreover, he activated Demon’s Heart.

“Kusanagi Double Edged style——”

With a narrow margin of time, Haunted completed his magic and was triggering it.

“《Belladonna——”

He spoke the magic’s name.

Once the despair magic power was condensed to the limit, the magic circle shattered and the magic was released.

Takeru also finished gathering the repulsive force on the collar to the very limit and unsheathed the sword matching the timing of his rotation.

“——Mantis Slope Type-Two!”

“——Forest》!”

What Takeru had released was a technique that combined Mantis Slope and Heavenly Evil Spirit techniques and was performed in Demon’s Heart state. Using his body weight, free fall’s speed and the rotation he made the fastest slash. Determining that it would be possible in Demon’s Hearts state, Takeru improvised the technique.

——On the other hand, 《Belladonna Forest》 was a large-scale summoning magic.

Because there was time until Takeru’s attack reaches him, Haunted’s magic clashed with Takeru’s sword first.

《Belladonna Forest》 was literally a forest of variant——a muddy stream of theirs.

This magic was very simple. It came in contact with the mythological world only “Despair” property holding sorcerers could come in contact with, and summoned magical organisms at random.

Black rose variants, huge variant reminiscent of a whale, amoeba-like variants emitting irregular cries and waves, flocks of huge one-eyed bats, a giant with an octopus head.

All of it created a big obstacle of five meters in diameter and discharged everything they had.

Takeru’s full-body attack burst the muddy stream of variants, but even for supersonic attack of Double-Edged style this was an impossible amount of enemies to push back.

The muddy stream assaulted Takeru without stopping.

His strike pushed against the stream, but before long magic started to push him away.

《”——It’s impossible to defeat us with magic.”》

However, in the end, it were products of magic.

《Twilight Enchantment》

——In front of Lapis’ intrinsic magic, it all had an opposite effect.

The blade shining with azure brilliance continued to absorb everything that was emitted.

As magical organisms, even their bodies in this world were composed of magic.

Therefore, they were powerless against Lapis’ magic.

Takeru absorbed all the released magic at once and slipped out of muddy stream and assaulted Haunted from above.

《”——We already know that.”》

Along with Dáinsleif’s personality, Nacht’s whisper, Haunted leaped and was in front of Takeru.

A red-tinged magic power dwelled in his blade.

《Berserk Enchantment》 ——it was an enchantment that granted extreme physical abilities to the user in exchange for driving them insane. Moving at speed comparable to Takeru’s Demon’s Heart which had left behind the speed of sound, Haunted, his eyes glowing red, had thrust at Takeru from the side.

Takeru’s speed and power had decreased as Mantis Slope Type-Two had clashed with 《Belladonna Forest》 and 《Twilight Enchantment》 couldn’t be used continously. If he was to use the secret art in Witch-Hunter form, his body would explode with recoil the moment he used it.

His quick draw slash and Haunted’s high-speed thrust clashed.

Their blades rubbed against each other, the two’s line of sight met as the sparks scattered.

And when all that remained was the clash——

《”Host!”》

The moment Lapis called him, Takeru released Demon’s Heart.

His thinking had returned. His speed had returned.

The moment he heard Lapis’ voice, Takeru regained his calm and twisted his body all at once.

“——?!”

Haunted was astonished.

Kusanagi Double-Edged style’s Ghost Light Firefly. The technique allowed parrying by using enemy’s power, then use the rebound generated by that as user’s own strength.

《”Flexible material——release.”》

The thrust Haunted released rubbed against Mistilteinn’s blade and avoided Takeru’s body, Takeru used the power he gained from the parry and struck Haunted in the abdomen with his sword.

It was an extremely simple counter. The faster the opponent was, the greater was the damage dealt to them. By further releasing the absorbed magic, this technique exerted great power.

——*zwshhan*!

Haunted’s torso was sliced off, his upper body blown far away.

After feeling certain response from Haunted’s body, Takeru vigorously landed on the ground.

“?!!”

However, ahead of where Takeru landed——Haunted’s magic circle still remained.

A trap. Haunted anticipated this and placed it ahead of time.

The magic circle shattered and an magical organism resembling a twisted porcupine appeared from within. It raised a loud voice and covered itself with jet-black needles.

“Ghh——!”

Unable to avoid as he landed, Takeru had his body pierced by the needles. Although he was able to avoid having vitals pierced, needles pierced his right shoulder, left leg and thighs.

He thrust at the porcupine magical organism that tried chasing after him and killed it, and landed clumsily.

Supporting himself with the sword, he exhaled vigorously.

“Haa… haa…”

There was a response.

He killed Haunted for certain.

——But Takeru knew that such confidence had no meaning when it came to fighting that man.

A sound of footsteps sounded from about ten meters behind him.

Without changing his battle-readiness, Takeru turned around and raised the sword.

He was no longer surprised.

The despair stood there as if nothing had happened.

“Nfuh, you’ve improved. You must have been really frustrated by the fact you lost to me.”

“…………”

“I admit, I can’t win against you with just swordsmanship. Ah, how frustrating… this is so frustrating! But it’s fun! That’s how it has to be, o’ descendant of demon hunters!”

Spreading both arms, Haunted exaggeratedly displayed his joy like a theater’s actor, causing Takeru great discomfort.

His soul that retrieved composure, had once again started turning into that of a demon’s.

Dyed with anger.

There was no time for him to think what to do to kill Haunted. There was no choice but to continue killing him.

I need to hurry… I need to hurry and kill this sheethead dead… that’s all the thinking I need now!

As he grit his teeth, the soul of a demon reflected in Takeru’s eyes as he raised his sword.

But, that’s when.

“……?”

In the direction of the demon-swallowed city, there was some object releasing dazzling light.

Takeru grimaced and followed the object with his eyes.

The object rose up to the sky and headed straight towards them.

Its orbit was like that of a mortar shelling.

“Now, let us continue! No more stinginess from me!”

Haunted didn’t notice it. He created a magic circle and raising the tip of his sword, shuddered in elation.

The object tinged with light swooped down.

It headed at the two——no, it headed straight at Haunted from above.

“Now now now, how about I show the true despair to——

——pyu”

The object hit Haunted when he was on the verge of finishing a complacent declaration.

At the same time he screamed a mysterious “pyu”, Haunted’s head was crushed by something like a black fist.

The impact created a huge crater on the hill.

Even Takeru forgot his anger in shock.

His vision was covered with a cloud of dust and he had no clue what had happened.

“W-what on earth——?!”

The moment he let out a dumbfounded yell——a black fist appeared in front of his head.

The black fist smashed Takeru’s cheek in and just like that, punched him in the face.

Takeru’s body bounced on the ground as he was blown away starting from the head.

When the momentum of the punch subsided, he stood up while holding down his cheek.

There, stood the,

“What are you doing Kusanagi! Hurry up and fulfill your goal!”

Clad in black armor——glaring at Takeru was the strongest man.

Takeru called his name while Lapis healed his swollen cheek.

“Kurogane-san… you’re alive——”

“Look for your little sister, fool!”

The appearance of angry Kurogane Hayato looked more terrifying to Takeru than anything in this world.

Blown away to be put in order, Takeru closed his mouth and fell silent. When he calmed his anger, his composure returned and his head turned blank.

Hayato turned his back to Takeru and walked towards Haunted, who still had his head crushed.

“Don’t let yourself be disturbed by fighting some moron. Throw away your anger. You don’t need it, at least for now.”

“…………”

“Look only ahead. Move on like you have done until now.”

“…………………”

“I will take your anger on myself.”

Hayato performed a gunspin and pulled out the silver Relic Eater from its holster.

Silver was mixed in the black armor and the hybrid Witch Hunter form was quickly completed.

There was no hesitation in his posture, not a shred of weakness.

His back was big and reliable.

“Go. Prove me that your selfishness was right…!”

Clad in black and silver magic power Kurogane Hayato burdened his big back with Takeru’s anger.

Takeru did not know just how many things he had burdened himself so far.

What he knew, was that inside Hayato dwelled tremendous ambitionless conviction.

He squeezed his fist and nodded lightly.

“…………Thank you…!!”

Takeru leaped and at the same time ejected magic power, disengaging from combat.

He burned Hayato’s appearance in his pupils over the shoulder.

It was the first time he had seen someone look this reliable.

It woke him up.

Just as he was told to, he headed to do what had to be done.

Takeru faced forward as he reproached himself.

“——Lapis! Search for Kiseki’s location!”

He instructed his partner and ran over the sky in order to accomplish his own objective.

＊＊＊

After listening to the sound of Takeru leaving, Kurogane Hayato quietly closed his eyes.

You do that, he said in his heart to Takeru.

He didn’t think that colliding his law against Takeru and trying to change him was a mistake.

Just like Mineshiro Kazuma did for Hayato, his current self was the result of their collision back then.

But Kusanagi Takeru did not concede. He wasn’t right or wrong, the boy just decided to continue moving down the road he believed in.

Just like Mineshiro Kazuma and Kurogane Hayato did in the past.

That’s why there was nothing Hayato could tell Takeru at this point.

He too, moved on the path he had chosen.

“…Really, you. No clue about how to read the mood, right…”

Squashed Haunted muttered while sighing on the bottom of the huge crater that had appeared when Hayato interfered, then got up.

Hayato opened his closed eyelids.

Haunted pat his tattered priest clothing and arranged his disheveled hair while still in the bottom of the crater.

Meanwhile, Hayato coldly looked down at Haunted from the edge of the crater.

Haunted looked up at Hayato, seeming displeased from the bottom of his heart.

“You always, ALWAYS appear abruptly and get in the way of my dinner time, don’t you. Last time I was able to proceed with my things because I prepared a precaution, but this will be the third time now.”

He glared at Hayato intently.

Hayato maintained the usual strong expression, but he had smiled faintly as he replenished the bullets in Caligula’s cylinder.

“Sorry. Actually, getting in your way is my hobby.”

This might have been the first time in Hayato’s life that he joked.

Haunted snorted.

“Fighting against you is uninteresting, so I’d rather not.”

“Don’t be like that, play along with my hobby a little.”

“No matter how much I provoke you, no matter how many comrades of yours I kill… you are completely unfazed. Because of your law or whatever, you aren’t shaken by feelings enough. It’s always boring to fight you. I haaaate people who are just strong and nothing else…”

“Right back at you. The fact that you don’t die no matter how many times I kill you is boredom incarnate. However——”

After finishing replenishment of ammo, Hayato inserted the cylinder back in the gun.

“——It seems you have died plenty of times already. No matter how much you increase the number of lives, they aren’t infinite.”

Haunted blinked with surprise.

“Oh my, I’m surprised you noticed the source of my immortality.”

“You are the only criminal that I challenged with intention of killing and yet lives. There will be no third time.”

“Oh-hooh.”

“Your stock of lives increases by the amount of lives you take with magic. There is few data of “Despair” property magic, but seeing as you avoided Nikaido Mari’s “Aurora” that deals damage to the soul itself, I was convinced that it’s possible to kill you.”

Hayato said that while spinning Maximilien on the finger of his left hand.

“Mhm. Perfect answer. This amazing EXE captain disgusts me to the point of barfing. Still, it might be possible to kill me with Mari-san’s Aurora magic, but how exactly are you going to kill me? Got a plan?”

“Of course. By the way, Haunted——”

The black and silver steel gave out dull shine.

“——How much lives do you have left in your stock?”

That’s what Hayato answered with to Haunted’s question.

Haunted covered his face with one hand and stiffed his laughter.

“I see. Dumbass method of brute force, huh. As expected of the great hero who only has being strong going for him. I’m impressed.”

He bent his waist, kneaded the magic power sticking to him and expanded a magic circle beneath his feet.

The distorted power wriggling over his armor was kneaded, completing the Hero form. The magic power still overflowed and wriggled around Haunted and appeared in the form of countless people’s faces, reminiscent of evil spirits.

Haunted glared with anger from between the fingers.

“Hey, Kurogane——I’m a necromancer aren’t I?”

That was Haunted’s answer to Hayato’s question.

The two erased their expressions and only glared at each other angrily.

Their power burst out at the very same time.

＊＊＊

Kusanagi Kiseki wandered, lost in a forest of red meat.

There was no remnant of the former city, there wasn’t a single human figure anywhere.

The demons here and there whispered and screamed, but to Kiseki who was the main body of Hyakki Yakou, this was no different from silence.

“…………”

She couldn’t get Takeru’s words out of her head.

By being hated, she could monopolize her brother’s feelings. If she steals everything from him, he will look only at her. That conclusion wasn’t wrong.

It was because there was no other way.

That was the only thing allowing her to maintain the existence called Kusanagi Kiseki. Even if she does something destructive, as long as she doesn’t succumb to insanity she could control Hyakki Yakou. And above all, she did indeed wish for destruction.

She didn’t think in the least that she was wrong. If she is to die for the sake of the world, she’d rather sacrifice the world for her own sake. But she did not know why did she feel so much pain in her chest.

It was the same after she was shown a dream in the Alchemist, escaped and reunited with her brother. Even when she confronted him full of hatred and jealousy, she felt the same emotion.

——Onii-chan is angry.

Even when she saw Takeru enraged earlier… the emptiness from then remained in her chest.

“…………Why…”

She shouldn’t have any hesitation, so she wondered why was she wandering around in a place like this.

『”There is no way that your wish will be accepted by Kusanagi, no matter what.”』

『”Try to understand how Takeru feels.”』

『”You actually don’t want to be hated by your dear, beloved Takeru-kun, do you?”』

Recalling what those three said, Kiseki fell on her knees and held her head.

“…Shut up…”

Her trembling and hoarse voice was drowned in Hyakki Yakou’s voice.

It advocated Kiseki’s screams.

『”I feel sad”』 『”I hate this”』 『”Why”』 『”Don’t hate me”』 『”Don’t hate me”』 『”Look at Kiseki”』 『”Kill Kiseki”』 『”Love me”』 『”Hold me”』

『”Be by my side”』

Even when she blocked her ears she heard her true feelings she didn’t want to know of.

Kiseki understood that those were her real feelings.

She didn’t want to understand that, but she did.

She moved her hands away from her head and had them fall to the ground.

“I already thought this hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands times… haven’t I…”

Kiseki said that to Hyakki Yakou that sorrowfully shed tears.

Every day when she was killed, she continued to think about Takeru.

She made an effort to be a beloved little sister to Takeru. She did her best to make Takeru love her as her brother. Every time he had come, she persuaded herself that she was “Takeru-kun’s” little sister.

Even if it wasn’t as “Takeru-kun”, she was happy that he came to see her as her brother.

Kiseki felt that the fact he held her dear, was precious to her.

She thought it was fine to continue like that forever. No matter how much she suffered and was in pain, she was fulfilled as long as her brother came to see her. Just by having him come, Kiseki could remain a cute little sister.

But… she noticed at some point.

That her brother also looked at people other than her.

Whenever she heard about what he did outside, Kiseki’s heart turned blacker and cloudier. She felt in pain when she could only hear the stories from him, as if he was moving away from her.

Kiseki knew that the reason he turned like that was she herself. “Onii-chan doesn’t understand feelings of other people”… in the end, those words caused Takeru to drift away from her.

——Why?

She always cried this out in her heart.

——Why was it that Kiseki can only look at Onii-chan, but Onii-chan won’t look only at Kiseki?

Her tears have soon changed into anger.

The anger she felt because of his betrayal, turned into hatred.

Kiseki hated people around him, hated the world——and has come to hate him.

She started seeking “Takeru-kun”. It wasn’t her brother that was her salvation, it was the “Takeru-kun” who would look only at her.

Kiseki hated her brother and sought “Takeru-kun” who would look only at her, she tried to take back “Takeru-kun” from her brother by having him direct his hatred at her.

Even if what he directed at her wasn’t love, she thought it would save her.

『”What kind of idiot does what the person he hates the most wants him to do!”』

Those words pierced Kiseki’s heart.

Although she knew hatred, Kiseki didn’t understand how does it feel to be hated. Being hated by her brother meant that instead of monopolizing him, she would die all alone. It meant losing the only person who would accept her in this world, a world that didn’t accept her.

Takeru’s face in Kiseki’s head faded away.

Even though they didn’t spend much time together, he showed her many smiles.

Not even once he got angry like that.

Her chest once again throbbed.

The demon tree scattered tears that poured down on the city like rain of blood.

“This is what I wanted… Kiseki wanted this, so why cry…?”

Kiseki herself knew the best that Hyakki Yakou was something like a mirror reflecting her true, honest feelings. It always only granted Kiseki’s own wishes. Hyakki Yakou and Kiseki weren’t separate existences, it didn’t have its own soul nor own personality.

Hyakki Yakou was Kiseki’s limbs and her heart itself.

Therefore, no matter how much she asked it questions, no answer had come.

No matter how much she denied it, Hyakki Yakou’s tears were her own tears.

Soaking in the tears of blood, Kiseki embraced herself.

Even if she destroys the world and kill 35th platoon’s comrades, Takeru won’t die together with her. His eyes were serious. If she tries to kill his comrades, he will kill her.

If it was her from the past, she might have been satisfied by that.

She might have been happy to be killed at hands of her brother.

“It’s Onii-chan’s fault… it’s all because of Onii-chan…”

When Kiseki dies, I will die as well

Dying together… that’s what Takeru promised.

Ever since then, dying together with Takeru had become Kiseki’s greatest wish.

A dream that wouldn’t come true any more.

“What should Kiseki do?”

She tried asking the sky, but no answer had come.

She lost her goal, lost the path to salvation.

Didn’t know what should she choose.

…………

…………

——Accept Takeru’s wish and live the rest of her life as his little sister?

“That’s the only thing I won’t ever do…!”

Her face distorted in anguish, tears spilled in her eyes as she looked at the sky, but Kiseki clenched her fist.

Takeru’s wish was nothing but a pipe dream.

They could no longer return to being siblings and she had no intention of returning to that dark place again. Even if she had acquired a human body just like Takeru said, what would that change? Did he really think that would make her happy?

Kiseki took lives of many people out of her own will. She didn’t regret nor felt guilty of it.

Would the world forgive Kiseki? Would it allow her to live carefreely?

Friends, families, lovers, people whose precious people died at Kiseki’s hands wouldn’t forgive her.

The law and the world would judge her. Either take her life or make her suffer.

In the end, Kiseki would end up being able to listen to her brother’s stories from a cage.

And Takeru——would without a doubt live happily on his own.

In Kiseki’s imagination, a woman with sunset-colored hair snuggled up to Takeru.

“If I’m to accept Onii-chan’s wish… I might as well…!”

There was no going back anyway.

“…I might as well…everything…!”

Gritting her teeth Kiseki faintly opened her tightly closed eyes.

The huge demon tree screamed and Hyakki Yakou filling the city started to destroy again.

If she can’t get it, if she is to be alone, if she can’t have “Takeru-kun” all for herself she might as well——

Kiseki’s wide open eyes lit up with red.

“If Kiseki is to be rejected——!”

The earth trembled and the huge demon tree grew even more enormous.

The underground activity of Hyakki Yakou swallowing the world had gradually intensified.

“——Destroy everything and anything…!”

Kiseki’s sadness was relayed to Hyakki Yakou and the giant demon tree started covering the world.

I don’t need anything any more. If I can’t have anything, I will just kill everyone. If I become all alone in the world then this sadness will definitely disappear.

Kiseki wished for the demons to destroy.

The demons only fulfilled that wish.

“Let’s start with that person…!”

She already decided who to kill first.

The Glossary

Belladonna Forest (ベラドンナ?フオレスト ) – It’s also written as (絶望の樹海) meaning “Abundant Forest of Despair”.