Act 5 The End and the Beginning 1 Galerie Berith’s armored train rushed across the tracks through the ruins. The Yáo Guāng Xīng’s living quarters and freight containers were detached, resulting in a compact, six-car formation. The lighter weight brought out the train’s full potential and achieved nearly impossible speeds on its way to Tokyo. “Ha-ha-ha! Now this is what I’m talking about! The Yáo Guāng Xīng’s true power!” Josh sat in the driver’s seat. He’d stolen the regular driver’s job so he could enjoy the high-speed, nonstop drive. Captain Milo Aldiss watched him, pale in the face. “Josh, please! Respect the speed limits! It’ll all be for nothing if the train derails!” “I know, geezer. Don’t you worry! Hold on tight, kids!” He glanced at the children surrounding the driver’s seat as he gripped the lever. Iroha’s siblings stuck their faces to the window as they cheered, “Whoooa!” “Look at that!” “It’s so fast!” Josh, being a big train enthusiast, was delighted to see their reactions. However, the train ride at near-derail speed was not comfortable. Even Yahiro felt dizzy despite being a Lazarus. “Woo… It’s way faster than it was on the way here. It’s impressive what difference a little help makes…,” Iroha said as she heard her siblings’ cheering through the comms. Noah Transtech’s Noé Antonios Gionis made good on his promise. He mobilized his operators and employees and got cooperation from the international armies in Japan to get rid of the Moujuu on the tracks and switch the points ahead of time. The Yáo Guāng Xīng reached speeds over those of sleeper trains of the past. It would take them about five hours to reach the former Tokyo Station. They should be able to get to the giant Ploutonion in the 23 Wards before dawn. “So… You’ll explain what’s going on?” Yahiro glanced at Iroha with a serious look on his face. Those concerned with the dragon mediums were gathered in the small meeting room in the command car: Yahiro and Iroha; Giuli and Rosé; Zen; Sumika; Miyabi Maisaka; Ayaho and Auguste Nathan; as well as Runa with Nuemaru in her arms, too. “Yeah. It’s okay. I remembered everything about me…and about Runa.” Iroha nodded firmly. After they defeated Tristitia with the pure-white flames, Iroha had clung to Runa and wailed. She cried herself to sleep. Now the commotion had passed and she had a clear look on her face. She even looked happy. Basically, she was back to her normal self. “Runa was also a dragon medium?” Yahiro looked at the two girls sitting beside each other. Iroha gave a surprising answer. “You see, Runa is my mom.” She said this with pride, her eyes shining brightly. Silence filled the room. “Wha?” “Huh? And that’s it?” Yahiro and Ayaho said after about ten seconds, at the same time. Iroha frowned at their cold reaction. “Yes. She gave birth to me. I mean, not like, actually give birth, but she was supposed to give birth to me later on. Something went wrong when we got our lives as dragon mediums, and I ended up her senior.” Iroha spoke rapidly with her chest puffed out and a smirk on her face. “Sorry, Iroha, I don’t understand a word you’re saying.” Ayaho furrowed her brow. “Can you be any worse at explaining things?” Yahiro sighed. “Hey! But I’m just stating the facts!” Iroha puffed out her cheeks, exasperated. Then Nathan, leaning on the wall, nodded with understanding, somehow. “I see. So that’s how it is. You mean that there were two Kushinadas.” “Huh? Nathan, you could parse what she said?” “How in the world…?!” Ayaho and Yahiro looked flabbergasted while Iroha pumped her fist in victory. Zen and Sumika were equally confused. On the other hand, Giuli and Rosé seemed to understand after hearing what Nathan said. “This world is a sort of virtual reality produced by the Ouroboros’s Regalia, and its inhabitants are the souls of those who died in the world of the living. That is the Heavenly Imperial House’s legend, right?” Nathan took over explaining things so the rest could keep up. “Yes. That is what Karura Myoujiin said,” Miyabi answered. Yahiro and Giuli nodded in agreement. The people of this world had already experienced death, which was why it was called the underworld. “Seeing as how the Regalia are born from people’s wishes, the Ouroboros’s power is limited, so one must create a new one before the old one’s power runs out and it eats itself. That is this world’s system. Is my understanding right, Runa Senou?” Nathan asked quietly. He spoke thoroughly and without dumbing it down, like he was speaking to an adult. Runa showed no confusion at his treatment and responded succinctly. “Yes. That is how I created the current world.” “Runa…?!” Ayaho looked at her with bewilderment. Yahiro’s eyes grew wide, too. If it was Runa, not Iroha, who created this world, then she was the real Kushinada. “So it was you in the Afterlife, not Iroha?” The girl inside the world tree’s amber had Iroha’s face. They naturally thought that Iroha was the sacrificial medium. But looking at her closely now, Runa did have similar features to that girl. They never thought much of it since they called themselves sisters, but Iroha and Runa really resembled one another. “Hold on. Then what are you?” Yahiro looked at Iroha with suspicion. Even if Runa was the Kushinada, that didn’t change the fact that they all looked similar—not to mention Iroha could also communicate with the Moujuu like the Kushinada. “Huh? I told you, I’m her daughter.” Iroha pursed her lips. “Her daughter?” “Yup. Runa’s my mom. I was with her in the Afterlife the whole time.” “Wait… You mean that dog…?” Yahiro slapped his knee as he remembered the white animal inside the amber with the Kushinada. “Yep, ye—Wait, no! How?! That’s obviously Nuemaru!” Iroha shouted. But there was nothing else there, Yahiro thought. “There’s one more possibility. Think.” “What possibility?” “That the Kushinada was pregnant,” Rosé cut in, wanting to move the conversation forward already. “Ah…” Ayaho covered her mouth with both hands. Miyabi said nothing, but she was clearly just as surprised. “Runa’s…pregnant?!” Yahiro felt like he had been punched in the face. “Wait, that’s illegal,” Sumika whispered. She didn’t know that the Kushinada inside the ember was closer to Iroha’s age; it wouldn’t be unnatural for her to be pregnant, especially if she was from an older time. Even so, it was impossible not to feel weird about it, knowing the current Runa. “And the father? Oh…the Lazarus that became the Ouroboros?!” “Heh-heh-heh. In conclusion, I am the daughter of the goddess of creation and the world dragon,” Iroha bragged, pointing her nose at the ceiling. Apparently, that was why she looked so merry. She had never had a family. No matter who they turned out to be, finally knowing her parents was worth smiling ear to ear over. “Whoa, no way! Doesn’t that make you a goddess, too?!” Sumika took it at face value and sincerely commended her. “Right?! Take a picture while you can, it’s gonna be worth a fortune.” Iroha and Sumika began a photo session while taking “godly poses.” Yahiro sighed. It was impossible to believe they were on the brink of the end of the world. “I don’t care about Iroha right now. Let’s keep talking about Runa.” “You don’t care?! You’re telling your goddess you don’t care about her?!” “Why is baby Iroha looking like this while the Kushinada’s just a kid?” Yahiro ignored Iroha while looking at Runa. Runa nodded and began explaining, her voice still with a childish lisp. “Seven dragon mediums were summoned to birth the next world dragon. Their souls were called forth from outside the underworld and granted the dragon factor.” “…Outside the underworld? You mean the world of the living?” Miyabi cut in. Runa shook her head. “I don’t know. There’s no guarantee that all of you come from the same world. There could be infinite Ouroboroses across the universe, each with their own world.” “In any case, only someone from outside the underworld can birth a new Ouroboros, yeah? That’s why the dragon mediums have memories of their past lives?” Zen asked with a serious look on his face. Runa nodded. “Yes, but there is an exception.” “What?” “The surviving previous dragon medium.” “The Kushinada?” Nathan muttered. The survivor from the last cycle had to be the sacrificial medium herself—Runa. “Yes. Right before the world ends, the Kushinada receives a new body and is reborn as one of the dragon mediums. They are the medium of Gula, the heaven dragon.” Despite her faltering pronunciation, Runa’s explanation was easy to understand. At the very least far easier than whatever Iroha spat out. It became more believable that Runa was the reincarnation of the Kushinada with memories of the previous world. “Gula’s medium is insurance. Her duty is to prolong the old world’s life if no new mediums can create a new world dragon. So, she has no Lazarus. Instead, she has a special power.” “What power?” “To control the Moujuu.” “Ah…” Everyone present looked at Nuemaru on Runa’s lap. Iroha wasn’t the only one who could speak to Moujuu. Runa had the same power. Indeed, that power was meant for her, as the heaven dragon’s medium. “Mama… Iroha Mamana was supposed to become Gula’s medium, but there was a mistake upon reincarnation.” “It took the fetus’s soul instead of the Kushinada’s,” Rosé said while looking at the two girls. “Erm… I…I’m sorry…” Iroha hung her head as she felt all eyes on her. The mistake was not Iroha’s fault, but it was true that her existence confused a lot of people. “The baby’s soul came from the Afterlife—outside the underworld. So Mama was given Avaritia’s power as a legitimate dragon medium. That is why she has no memories of her previous life—because she was never born in the first place.” Everyone was convinced. The only memories Iroha had were fragments of the Afterlife. Even the unborn fetus could feel the presence of the world dragon. Or rather, that was the only thing she could recognize. “The problem is that Gula went missing. Ouroboros only prepared seven bodies for the dragon mediums. It could get as many regular human bodies as it liked, but even with its powers, creating excess dragon factor is no easy feat.” Runa then met Yahiro’s gaze. “But the problem was solved in a surprising way.” “Sui Narusawa?” Nathan muttered. Runa nodded. “One of the souls Ouroboros summoned entered a vessel prepared by humans, so I created this body with the remaining dragon factor. I ended up looking like this because it was all so hasty.” Runa looked down at her body in self-mockery. Iroha hugged her tight and said, “Yup. So that’s the gist of it.” “Shut up, you didn’t explain anything.” Yahiro narrowed his eyes at her. There was nothing for her to brag about from Runa’s explanation, yet she smiled with pride. “Runa protected me this whole time. She sealed Avaritia’s powers and let me live like a super-popular, ultra-pretty streamer.” “Not sure about that last part, but I guess that explains why your powers were so poor,” Yahiro said curtly. Raw power aside, Avaritia’s powers were inconvenient. They didn’t work for anything other than protecting herself from other dragon mediums and Lazaruses. It was a big difference compared to everyone else’s versatile powers. However, thanks to that, she got to live unaware of her powers. Runa did protect her in that sense. “Aw… Why? I mean, maybe I’m not as beautiful as Miyabi or Giuli and the rest, but I’m sure I’m decently pretty!” “That’s your biggest concern?” Yahiro sighed. “No, Giuli is beautiful, of course, but you’re not so bad yourself.” Rosé comforted Iroha politely after hearing her commend her twin sister. “Yeah, I wouldn’t say you’re bad, even compared to Sumika.” “Oh, you dirty dog…” Zen and Sumika began flirting in public. Everyone got distracted now that the serious talk was over. “Hopefully we can stop Nina with this power…” Yahiro looked at the palm of his hand. Iroha’s power had increased far beyond what it was capable of before, thanks to Runa undoing the seal. It was so strong it could take him over if he didn’t keep his focus. Yahiro would have given in to the power and rampaged like Natazuka if he had obtained it back when only his hatred for Sui kept him going. He could tell there was good reason Runa kept it sealed. “Yeah. I’d rather we talk things out, but we have to stop them at all costs. Runa’s doing her best, too, after all.” Iroha nodded with a serious look on her face. Yahiro looked at the young girl with suspicion. “She is?” “Gula’s power won’t help in battle, but it can restrain the Ploutonion’s encroachment of the world. It is my job to extend this world’s life.” “So we can buy some time before the world collapses?” Giuli raised an eyebrow. “Things are starting to look up.” Yahiro patted Runa’s head with a smile. He realized she was technically older than him, but force of habit made him treat her like a child. Runa didn’t object. In fact, she even got closer to him, as though asking him to continue. Ayaho and Iroha looked at their sister with jealousy. Miyabi smiled at the heartwarming sight, then put her serious face back on and turned to Iroha. “We should do what we can, too. For starters, Iroha, take your clothes off.” “Wha?! Why?!” Iroha covered her chest and took a step back. Miyabi kept her expression unchanged. “You need to change and put makeup on to stream, don’t you?” “Huh? Stream?” Iroha blinked. There were still over two hours until the Yáo Guāng Xīng reached the 23 Wards. They had nothing to do until then. As addicted as Iroha might be to streaming, she couldn’t think to do it in these circumstances. “Fear is what causes people to turn into Moujuu. You need to tell the world what you’re doing to calm the panic. You’re the most famous dragon medium in the world, so I’m sure your message will reach somebody.” “Maybe, but…” Iroha glanced down with concern, despite accepting Miyabi’s explanation. “But I can’t, Miyabi. Ganzheit got my account banned. People will think I’m a fake if I create a new channel.” “Don’t worry. I can get you an account. We still have access to a famous news channel with over 1.5 million subscribers.” Miyabi winked with a mischievous smile. “Wait… You mean…?!” “Yamadou’s channel!” Iroha and Yahiro looked at each other and shouted. The channel Miyabi and Douji Yamase managed was popular for its exposé content. It was known worldwide, as it appeared on big media networks from time to time. It had also been a big source of problems for them as they had doxxed Iroha as a dragon medium. Iroha’s voice would reach the whole world with Yamase’s account. And most importantly, appearing on his channel would lend credibility that she was the real thing. “The channel shouldn’t get banned now that Alfred Salas sided with you. What do you say, Iroha Waon?” Miyabi looked at her provocatively. Iroha’s answer was obvious. 2 “Waooon! Hi everywaon, Iroha Waon here!” The first to notice the unannounced stream were a select few passionate viewers. They happened to have the app open and saw a thumbnail on their recommended feed showing a familiar Asian girl with furry ears. “Long time no see! Today, we have a streaming special! Don’t Fear the Moujuu! Ploutonion Tour with the Dragon Medium! I’m borrowing the Yamadou channel to stream to you live from the armored train Yáo Guāng Xīng!” Most of the channel’s subscribers knew her name. They also knew that she had to be related to the Moujuu chaos taking place around the world. News of her stream rapidly spread on social media and the number of live viewers skyrocketed. “And today, I have a special guest! A journalist all of you know very well, Miyabi Maisaka, and our friend, Sumika Kiyotaki!” “Whaaa?! Wait, me too?! No way, you didn’t just say that!” Yes. That day, the streamer Iroha Waon returned to the internet, drawing the eyes of people around the world. The Guild headquarters in Yokohama were hit with a flood of inquiries regarding the emergence of Moujuu all around the world.
Chapter 75
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