Chapter 42

He had opened the Ploutonion at the heart of Tokyo and called forth the Moujuu. His image had spread throughout the media, polluting the minds of all who saw it and plunging them into insanity, driving them to massacre. He triggered the J-nocide. “Zen!” “I know!” Sumika screamed as she realized that Yahiro was about to go berserk, and Zen gripped his sword tight. Zen’s body was covered in an armor of bluish-white scales, and his blade became even colder. “Don’t worry, it’ll all be over in a single strike! Icefall!” Zen rushed at Yahiro, thrusting his sword forward with tremendous force. The cold shooting from its tip froze the air around it as it flew toward Yahiro. The brutal Regalia froze not only the warmth in the air, but the nitrogen and oxygen themselves. The glacial ice spear would swallow Yahiro and freeze him in the blink of an eye…but the strike did not reach him. A shock wave came crashing from the side, blowing Zen’s attack away and saving Yahiro. “How…?!” Sumika wondered in shock. The gale born from the shock wave had stopped Zen’s following strike, like a wall protecting Yahiro. The shimmering silhouette of a person appeared on the other side of the barrier. It approached Yahiro unnoticed, hidden by the refraction of the air. Soon, the figure became clear, and a couple revealed themselves: a hound-like young man and a woman holding a silver cane. The latter’s long, black hair swayed with the whirlwind. “Douji Yamase…” Zen called the man’s name sullenly as he held his sword up. Yamase chuckled sardonically. “Sorry, Sagara. I’ve got business with this guy. I can’t afford to have you ice him.” “You think I’ll back out now?” Zen glared back at Yamase, who stood defensively over Yahiro. Yamase was a Lazarus under Ira’s blessing. His air-controlling Regalia had the advantage over Zen’s, which utilized the humidity in the air. He would rather not have to fight him head-on. Yamase raised his hands above his head, as if to say he had no intention to fight—though he was still holding his knives. “I get how you two feel, but we’re running a business over here. I thank you for taking him away from Avaritia’s medium, though. Saved us a lot of trouble.” “What…?” Zen was distracted for only an instant after Yamase’s roundabout comment, and because of it, he didn’t notice her right away. A small girl in a black dress was standing right beside Yahiro. Her hair, illuminated by the moonlight, looked like falling snow—pure white. “Welcome back, my Dear Brother… Now remember. Remember your true self,” she whispered into Yahiro’s ear. Her eyes glowed red like jewels in the darkness. “Sui Narusawa…!” Zen unleashed his Regalia the moment he yelled the girl’s name. The frozen air flowed like a cascade of death onto her, but in that moment, Yahiro raised his head. Then a roar erupted, the earth cracked, and darkness enveloped Zen and Sumika. 4 Iroha rushed to the infirmary upon hearing that Giuli had returned wounded. Giuli was super popular among the operators of the Galerie’s Japanese branch, and as proof of that, the area outside the infirmary was full of restless men. Iroha made her way through the crowds and into the infirmary where she saw Giuli sitting on the bed, wrapping a bandage around her chest. “Giuli?!” Iroha’s voice cracked upon seeing the compresses all over her body. “What happened to you?!” “Oh, this? Just a few machine-gun shots.” “M-machine gun…?!” “Yeah, I’m doing fine. This is nothing,” Giuli said while raising her arm, which was a swollen mix of red and purple. She had bruises everywhere—perhaps some of her bones were broken—and yet, her movements were sharp, and her expression calm. “I’m just built different. I won’t be healing in a second like Yahiro, though.” “Well, duh! You gotta rest! Here, let me help you wrap those bandages! You gotta ask for help when you’re hurting!” Iroha snatched the bandage out of Giuli’s hand and clumsily dressed the girl’s wounds. Giuli had a rare, confused look on her face. It was as though she’d heard that sort of thing for the first time in her life. She giggled. “You’re like my mom, Iroha.” “Can’t you say I’m like a nurse, instead?! An angel in white, or something!” “Anyways, I wish I had the time to rest. But I don’t think that’s happening.” “Huh?” Someone entered the infirmary as Giuli raised her head. In walked a tall operator with brown skin—lieutenant Paola Resente. “Giuli… They wrecked the bridges. East and west,” Paola reported without preface. “Who what…?” Iroha mumbled in shock. The Galerie barracks and HQ were on reclaimed land near the Port of Yokohama. The zone used to be for bonded warehouses, surrounded by the sea and canals; one had to cross a bridge to go anywhere. The bridges being lost meant they were isolated. “So we only got the south left? Geez. They wanna surround us?” Giuli replied blithely. Iroha looked at her with a strained expression. “Is that…my fault?” “They’re after you, but I wouldn’t say it’s your fault. Andrea’s got a grudge against Rosy and me.” “…Andrea?” Iroha furrowed her brow at the unfamiliar name. “Yup. Andrea Berith. Executive of the Oceania branch of the Galerie. We’re barely blood related, but he is technically our older brother.” “Your brother wants to surround the Galerie? Why?” “Typical succession struggles. Or envy, maybe. His branch isn’t doing well. I think he’s looking to flip his luck by getting his hands on a dragon medium.” “Just for that…?” Iroha felt apathy before any indignation. She couldn’t comprehend the reason why he wanted a dragon medium, much less that he would hate his sisters because of that. “Problem is, since Andrea’s involved, this is internal strife. So we can’t hope for help from the Guild.” Giuli shook her head listlessly as she put her uniform shirt on top of the bandages. “And to top it all off, if the PMCs going after you were hired by Andrea, then they can go all out on their attacks.” “The more time goes on…the more we’ll be at a disadvantage,” Paola added composedly. “Yeah.” Giuli nodded without worry. “So where’re Iroha’s kids?” “They’ve evacuated to the shelter, along with the noncombat personnel.” “Gotcha. That’s one less thing to worry about.” “Wait! Ayaho… Ayaho hasn’t come back from Fort Yokohama. Wei was with her,” Iroha interjected in a hurry. Ayaho and her escort, Wei, had stayed behind at Fort Yokohama to talk with Yahiro even after Iroha left in a huff. But now over five hours had passed, and they weren’t back in the barracks. Moreover, she couldn’t get in touch with them. “Don’t worry about Ayaho.” “Huh? Rosé?” Iroha turned around, surprised by the new voice. Rosé appeared out of the blue at the infirmary, after going out all by herself, saying she’d solve the serial murders issue. Her face remained impassive even upon seeing her sister covered in bandages. “You know where she is?” “She got kidnapped by the water dragon Acedia’s medium and her Lazarus.” “She got…kidnapped?! By the w-water dragon’s medium?!” Iroha’s eyes darted all around at the sound of the ominous news. “The kidnappers requested a meeting with Yahiro alone. He went there to bring Ayaho back.” “You let him go all alone?! B-but I gotta be with him or…” “Or he can’t use the Regalia, true.” “If you knew that, then why…?!” Iroha raised her voice and drew closer to Rosé. Rosé, however, tilted her head as though the answer was obvious. “I couldn’t let you leave the base in the current situation.” “Yeah, not while the bridges are down and we’re surrounded,” Giuli added in her usual casual tone. “M-maybe so…but still!” “Yahiro will be all right, if my hunch is correct. Maybe.” Giuli finished dressing and jumped off the bed. “How do you know?” Iroha stared at her with suspicion. Giuli smiled pleasantly as she said: “I’m sure of it after speaking with Douji. Those two are following Ganzheit’s orders. Big bro Andrea’s just dancing in the palm of Ganzheit’s hand. Acedia’s medium, too, most likely.” “Ganzheit’s…? But Douji’s the guy who published that video about me, right? Wouldn’t Ganzheit want to keep the dragon mediums under wraps?” “Maybe they just don’t need to anymore,” Giuli answered Iroha’s question. Yamase’s worldwide leak of the dragon medium’s existence was against Ganzheit’s interests; no one would believe the two were connected. Which was why Andrea Berith accepted Yamase’s intel without suspicion. But if Yamase was acting under Ganzheit’s orders, then Andrea was being used by the organization. And if that was the case, then it was likely that Ayaho’s kidnapping taking place right now was all according to Ganzheit’s script. “That’s why I can tell Yahiro will be fine. If Ganzheit’s behind this, then she has to be involved.” “Who…?” “Remember, you’re not the only dragon medium giving her blessing to Yahiro.” “You mean Sui?!” Iroha’s eyes widened. Superbia—the earth dragon’s medium: Sui Narusawa. Iroha had heard that the girl who caused the J-nocide four years before was under Ganzheit’s protection. If brother-obsessed Sui Narusawa was behind this, then it made sense why Yahiro would be summoned to show up by himself. Even if Acedia’s medium and her Lazarus harmed him, Sui would protect him. “No… I can’t let…,” Iroha mumbled subconsciously as pain twinged in her chest. The image of Yahiro kneeling before Sui and kissing the girl’s hand crossed her mind; that alone was enough to make all of her unpleasant memories overflow. Giuli and Rosé stared at Iroha’s confused expression in silence. Then a muffled explosion sounded in the distance. Cannon fire. “So it begins,” Giuli said soberly. The next moment, the earth trembled as though a heavy mass had struck it, shaking the barracks. Multiple armored combat vehicles shot at once. The allied forces of the PMCs led by Andrea Berith commenced their attack against the Japanese branch of the Galerie. 5 “You okay, Sumika?!” Zen shouted as he shattered the ice covering his field of vision. “I’m fine… But what in the world is going on?!” Sumika angrily brushed off the frost clinging to her whole body as she stood behind Zen. Zen’s frozen left arm shattered and let off steam as it regenerated. A torrent of subzero liquid nitrogen and oxygen assaulted them. Acedia’s own water powers. The attack Zen unleashed against Sui Narusawa had bounced off an invisible wall and backfired against them. Superbia’s Regalia: Chibiki-no-Iwa. The power of the rock—the repelling barrier—that was said to have blocked the Yomotsu Hirasaka—the entrance to the underworld. “What are you thinking, Douji Yamase?! What is Sui Narusawa doing here?!” Zen, having finished healing, glared at Yamase, who was looking on from afar. Yahiro had deployed the repellant barrier in order to protect Sui Narusawa. Avaritia’s Lazarus used Superbia’s Regalia. Yahiro leaned forward like a wild beast. He had lost himself; it was Sui Narusawa controlling him like a pet. “That’s just what my employer wants. Don’t take it personally.” Yamase shot Zen a glance of pity. Zen was sure of it now. This was all planned beforehand. Getting Yahiro away from Iroha Mamana. Getting Zen to approach him and unlock his memories. Getting Sui to capitalize on the confusion to take over the young man’s mind. It was all according to Yamase’s plan. “You’ve gotta be kidding me!” “Oop…” Zen pointed his sword at Yamase, but his foe nimbly dodged the ice spears shot at him. The wind he wrapped around his body gave him superhuman agility. “What do you want, Miyabi?! Who’s this employer of yours?!” Sumika yelled. Miyabi held her long, black hair down as she smiled faintly and answered: “Ganzheit.” “…Who?” “The descendants of those who’ve used the powers of the dragons since ancient times. Noah Transtech told you nothing?” “I don’t get it, but it sounds like they’re a bunch of no-goods!” Sumika’s expression was filled with emotion as she shouted in a strained voice. Zen’s dragon aura grew in reaction to her anger. “Back off, Douji Yamase. I’ll freeze you, too.” “Sagara, kid, aren’t you Japanese? Didn’t they teach you to speak respectfully to your elders?” “Shut the hell up!” Zen stabbed his sword into the ground. The humidity in the earth froze over in an instant, turning the area in a nine-meter radius into ice. “Gee. Kids these days just can’t take a joke.” Yamase shot a gust to the ground just before the ice overtook his footing, escaping into the air with the blast. Zen smiled fiercely as he looked up at Yamase in midair. No matter how deftly he controlled the wind, no man without wings could fly. He raised his sword again, aiming for the spot where Yamase would land. Yamase, though, continued to smile as he provocatively asked: “You sure you should be focusing on me?” “What…?” Zen looked around in reaction to his warning. This ended up saving him. The white-haired girl standing beside Yahiro was pointing her finger at Zen and Sumika. “Get away, Sumika!” “Zen…?!” Zen gathered Sumika in his arms and jumped to the side, rolling on the ground. Still, it was too late. Superbia’s dragon aura had already rewritten the world and changed the ground beneath their feet. “Hollow…” “Icefall!” Zen’s roar overlapped with Sui’s whisper. The ground within a nine-meter radius from where they stood caved in without a sound. Superbia’s Regalia—the power that had turned the 23 Wards of Tokyo into a danger zone unfit for human life—bore a hole in the ground. The Hollow Regalia opened a Ploutonion at their feet. “What’s with this power?! You monster!” Zen’s voice trembled as he peered into the bottomless pit. The giant hole had swallowed the building they had been using as a hideout, along with the running track, leaving no trace behind. Zen and Sumika had escaped the fall by creating an ice bridge atop the pit. Had he been even a millisecond late in activating his Regalia, both of them would’ve met the same fate as the shed. Sumika was pale and she trembled in Zen’s arms. Still, she glared firmly at Sui. She hadn’t lost the will to fight. “Give up. You can’t take on the Narusawa siblings now; they’ve achieved the Eight Trigrams. You’re flies to them,” Yamase stated coldly as he landed safely. “The Eight…Trigrams?” “You thought all Lazaruses were on the same level? You’re talking about the monster who caused the J-nocide four years ago here, you realize?” Yamase glanced at the siblings as he answered Zen’s question, unconcealable fear in his eyes above his thin smile. Thunder assaulted Zen’s ears before he could process the information. The thunder—the bellow came from Yahiro. He had transformed at Sui’s side. Jet-black scales covered his whole body like armor; his once-lean figure had doubled in size. No trace of humanity remained in his appearance. He had sharp claws at the ends of his four limbs, and a gaping maw decorated with sharp fangs. His silhouette was far more reminiscent of a dragon than the Fafnir soldiers had ever managed. His tail—double the length of his body—wiggled like it had a life of its own. “You getting all this, Miyabi?” Yamase asked, unable to conceal his excitement. “Yes,” Miyabi answered as she pointed a high-grade digital camera at the scene. “This is the scoop of the century. Half of it is staged, but whatever,” Yamase whispered in satisfaction. The footage Miyabi took was to be sent to Ganzheit’s servers to be edited and published for all the world to see. This was their real goal—the mission Ganzheit gave them. “Douji Yamase… What do you…? What does Ganzheit want? What do you mean to accomplish, making Yahiro Narusawa do this?!” Zen asked in confusion. Yamase stared at the guy ten years his junior with a vacant smile on his face. “Don’t you hate inequality?” “What?” “Don’t you, Zen Sagara? There are myths and legends of dragons all around the world, and yet the eight dragon mediums all appeared in Japan, and only the Japanese were massacred. Why do you think something so unfair could happen?” “…” Zen’s gaze wandered, his thoughts in turmoil. Yamase laughed coldly at the sight of his earnest reaction. “The answer is: it was just coincidence. The first dragon appeared in Japan by mere chance. The other seven mediums awoke due to its influence. After bearing witness to the dragon.” “You mean…” Sumika gasped in fright. The small hint was enough for her to reach the truth. “Yes.” Yamase nodded dramatically. “Ganzheit wants to broadcast this video of the dragon in order to birth new mediums around the world. Miyabi and I sold them our name and viewer base as sleuth streamers to them.” “Wait! But if you create new dragon mediums, then…” “Yes. That means more genocide! More fun!” Yahiro extended his arms with a theatrical motion. “Massacre regardless of race or nationality. The world will go insane. Ganzheit has been preparing for generations, for hundreds of years, for this day. For the chaos to reset the world, so they could reign over the new world.” “I… We can’t let you get away with that!” Zen thrusted his sword angrily. Yamase easily dodged it, then fired a shock wave from point-blank range. The bullet of compressed air crushed Zen’s internal organs as he was launched high up in the air. His body made a sickening noise as it crashed back to the ground. Damage that would’ve killed a regular person. “I don’t get it. What’re you so mad about? Don’t you love genocide? We’re champions! We survived the madness four years ago! Why not get on Ganzheit’s bandwagon and rule alongside them?” “Shut up!” Zen ground his teeth as he stood up, drenched in blood. His body wasn’t fully healed yet, but his mind was as strong as ever. Yamase, however, did not try attacking him further. “Anyways, it’s a waste of time grumbling at us.” “Wha…?” “It’s starting,” Yamase whispered with the face of a kid awaiting the fireworks show to begin. The next moment, dragonman Yahiro roared once again, and immense darkness took over the land of Yokohama.