Chapter 76

Aside from the international armies stationed in Japan, only the PMCs under the Guild had experience fighting Moujuu. The Guild oversaw various PMCs with messy backgrounds and could not ignore its big sponsors’ and government institutions’ requests. In the end, the head of the Guild, Evgraf Leskin, had to take the lead and personally look after the heaps of work to do. Guild executive Akulina Jarova hurried to see Leskin. “Excuse me, sir! Iroha Mamana… Avaritia’s medium is streaming live! And she’s with mediums of Ira and Acedia…!” Akulina took out her personal smartphone without giving herself time to breathe. “Calm down, Akulina Jarova. You mean this stream, don’t you?” Leskin looked at her without a change in expression and pointed at the monitor showing a girl with a furry-ear wig, a Japanese girl they knew very well. “Yes. They’re heading to the 23 Wards’ Ploutonion to stop the global Moujuufication. They said they just passed Nagoya.” “I got a request from Gionis, Noah Transtech’s CEO, asking me to help the Galerie’s armored train pass as smoothly as possible. It seems Alfred Salas had a hand in this, although unofficially.” “Salas? Ganzheit is helping the Galerie?” Akulina couldn’t hide her surprise. There were various Ganzheit factions, but they all agreed on their wish for a global genocide. Salas’s main faction was especially inclined to this end goal. They should have fought Iroha Mamana head-to-head, if need be, to stop her. “I don’t know what inspired this change of heart, but it’s good news for us. There was even some conflict within the Galerie.” Leskin snorted. News of the Far East Branch revolting against HQ and taking Eusebius Berith down had already reached the Guild. The Yáo Guāng Xīng’s trip toward the 23 Wards had to be related. “Will the Guild support them?” “We’re mercenaries. We do what’s requested of us. As annoying as it may be.” Leskin put the documents in his hands down on the desk. “Human fear is the trigger to Moujuufication. All mercenaries under the Guild know this already, so the mess from the other day was not for nothing after all.” “So that is why we haven’t been affected.” “The effects of the Ploutonion should increase as we approach the 23 Wards. Army soldiers won’t be able to stand it, which means only we can support Galerie Berith on their assault.” Akulina nodded. Galerie Berith’s destination was the biggest Ploutonion, located next to the former Tokyo Station. For their armored car to reach it, they had to cross the Rokugogawa Iron Bridge over the Tama River, with safety also guaranteed beyond the other side. Someone had to enter the quarantined zone and get rid of the Moujuu along the railroad. “Notify all members of the Guild. We will enter the 23 Wards to support the Galerie. Our first objective will be securing the railroad and surrounding facilities. Our second objective will be to eliminate the Moujuu around the Ploutonion.” “Are you sure? We can’t order a forced mission on this scale…,” Akulina objected timidly. The Guild head parted his thick lips in a smirk. “Don’t worry about the payment. Ganzheit’s the sponsor, and we can’t be stingy when the world’s about to end.” Leskin looked out at the sky, dark before daybreak, from the window of the HQ tower built atop the Yokohama Station. He spoke to himself in amusement. “Kill all dragons… I didn’t expect those girls to make good on their word.” 3 “Wow, Iroha… There are over forty million viewers. It could be a hundred million when combining the mirror streams on other sites.” Ayaho’s hands shook as she looked at the PC screen. The idea of over forty million people watching their stream all over the world had her trembling in fear. “That’s pretty amazing. She rarely got over a hundred views up until recently.” “And look at all the donations! I’d never seen numbers like this…!” Ren and Rinka, too, winced in amazement. Yahiro understood why they were shaken. In fact, Iroha was the weird one for not feeling any pressure at being the target of all those eyeballs. That, and her unyielding mentality that kept her posting videos every day that got no views showed how streaming was her life’s calling. In that sense, she really had talent. Yahiro felt proud of her as Iroha Waon’s oldest fan. “Well, it isn’t her channel, though,” remarked the realistic nine-year-old Honoka. No matter how many views she got, as the stream happened on Douji Yamase’s channel, she would not see a penny from ad revenue or otherwise. Only its co-owner, Miyabi, would. Surely, she hadn’t been thinking about that when she suggested it…but it would not be surprising if she had. “Honoka, the sun’s moving. Light them up and block the backlight. Kyouta, change the handheld camera’s batteries.” “Got it.” “Are these the batteries?” Kiri and the rest took care of the production, keeping their voices low so the mic wouldn’t catch them. Yahiro was genuinely impressed. He couldn’t do anything himself. “They’re smart kids.” “Everyone’s used to helping her.” Ayaho smiled at Yahiro’s praise. One could tell from the look of their coordination that, even though they had no blood relation, they were a real family. Four years back, right before the J-nocide, Iroha was a girl with little emotion and a faltering voice. Now he understood. Back then, she was mentally a child. Normally, dragon mediums reincarnated with memories of their past lives, but Iroha was only a baby. Even though her body, which was meant to be Runa’s, knew how to survive, she was not emotionally developed. There was a gap between her inside and outside. Yet, by the time he met her again four years later, she had become a girl full of emotions. That had to be her siblings’ influence. Iroha grew up by living with them. She thought she had been raising them, but it was the opposite. The thought gave Yahiro some bitter feelings. Had fate been different, the other dragon medium without memories of the past world—the artificial medium, Sui—could have had a bright and happy future like Iroha did now. “Giuli, Rosé, notice from the second unit. They got the survey report on the 23 Wards.” Wei entered the command room with a tablet in hand. The Galerie’s Far East Branch second unit that stayed in the Yokohama base went on to survey the 23 Wards under the twins’ orders to check on the current state of the Ploutonion. “The Moujuu are active, as we imagined. The density on the surface is twice the usual.” “There are twice as many Moujuu?” “Yes, and it seems like the new ones emerging from the Ploutonion are fighting with the others that were already in the 23 Wards.” “Sometimes I wish our expectations missed the mark.” Giuli stuck out her tongue. “Are the railroads and bridge okay?” Yahiro asked with a stern look on his face. The armored train could not run without tracks, and the bridge crossing the Tama River that separated the 23 Wards was an important point to reach the Ploutonion. “We worried about that, too, but it seems like Leskin is doing a good job.” “Leskin? The old guy from the Guild?” Yahiro was surprised about the name that came out of Rosé’s mouth. “It appears they mobilized all forces under the Guild to enter the 23 Wards. After what happened in Yokohama, they should have some tolerance against Moujuufication, if only a little.” “But it sounds like they have their hands full with securing the bridge. The Moujuu are overflowing out of the 23 Wards,” Giuli added. The Yáo Guāng Xīng had already passed through Yokohama Station and was about to reach Kawasaki. They would cross the bridge over the Tama River in five minutes. After that, they would be in the 23 Wards—the quarantine zone, and Moujuu territory. Then Josh slowed down the train. The Moujuu had already reached all the way to a low-emergence zone. “They’re here…?!” Yahiro scowled as he grabbed the Kuyou Masakane. Thanks to Noah Transtech and the international armies, they got that far without encountering any Moujuu, but they could not escape a fight any longer. “We have no time to lose fighting strays. Charge ahead, Captain.” “As you wish, Lady Rosetta,” Aldiss responded with determination through the comms. There were Moujuu capable of withstanding a direct hit from cannon fire among the flock. The armored train would not get by unscathed charging head-on. Rosé was aware of the risk and still commanded they force their way through. It didn’t matter how much damage the Yáo Guāng Xīng endured if the world ended. “Wei, protect the power car.” Paola stood up with her trusty lightweight machine gun in hand. She wore her anti-Moujuu protector, held a big military knife on her shoulder, and hung spare magazines and a handgun from her waist. “Got it. I’ll handle the remote weapons station.” “My squad will deal with the Moujuu that cling to the Yáo Guāng Xīng.” Paola and Wei split up duties and left. Then Zen stood up. “Let’s go, Narusawa. We have to get rid of the Moujuu on the tracks.” “Wait, Zen. Are you saying we’re gonna stand on the roof of the front car?” “It has a railing. If you’re scared, then don’t come.” “I didn’t say I was scared!” Yahiro ground his teeth and followed Zen. The Lazaruses wouldn’t die if they fell off the train in motion, but it would delay their arrival to the Ploutonion. That was what Yahiro feared. Before they could leave the command car, noise entered Galerie Berith’s comms. “This is the Guild’s leadership. Can you hear me, Galerie Berith?” “This voice… Akulina?” Rosé responded with a look of suspicion. Neither of them had time to lose on small talk. It had to be an emergency for the Guild to call just as the Yáo Guāng Xīng was about to enter the 23 Wards. “Rosetta Berith? There’s no time, listen. Our ground forces will fire our multiple-rocket system in sync with your crossing. The shells will be nonlethal tear gas.” “I see. You’ll paralyze the Moujuu so we can cut through them. Great plan, for it to come from you. Was it Leskin’s idea?” “Sh-shut it! Anyway, we only get one chance, so don’t miss it!” “Got it. We’ll play along.” The call ended once they settled on an execution time. “You heard it, everyone. Operators, put on your gas masks. Noncombatants move to the command car. The Yáo Guāng Xīng is airtight, but it’s gonna be a strong gas to affect Moujuu, so we gotta take care,” Giuli warned through the train’s PA system. Yahiro and Zen grabbed gas masks. While immortal, tear gas would make them unable to fight temporarily, especially when it was meant for Moujuu. “Iroha! What’re you doing?!” Yahiro grabbed enough gas masks for everyone streaming and headed to the lounge car, exasperated that they hadn’t fetched some for themselves. But the moment he entered, he realized why they hadn’t reacted. The lounge was playing dance music so loud that it drowned out the PA announcement. “Huh, what’s up? We’re in the middle of the singing session… Are you singing with us?” Iroha, karaoke mic in hand, stared at Yahiro’s wild entrance. “You’re doing karaoke? Right now?” Yahiro frowned in disbelief. “One thing just led to another and…” Sumika stopped dancing with maracas in hand and flushed. Zen covered his eyes and sighed. She had been so against being on camera, but Iroha had corrupted her quickly. “Gosh, you’re such a good singer, Miyabi!” Iroha ignored the tired looks on the boys’ faces. Yahiro hung his head. “Et tu, Miyabi…” “I just thought it wouldn’t be good to stay on edge all the time.” Miyabi shrugged with no sign of repentance. Yahiro’s head hurt, but they were racing against time. Every second was one closer to the Guild’s plan. “We have no time. Just put these on.” “What? Gas masks? I’m not into that sort of cosplay…” “It’s not cosplay!” Yahiro forced the mask on her face. She yelled and wrestled back, saying it would mess up her makeup. Then, the sound of the train’s race changed. They were on the bridge. “It’s coming!” Zen yelled after looking at the clock. A mass of rockets shot from the Tama riverbed and exploded in the sky with a birdlike screech. 4 Pure-white mist engulfed the city in ruins. It felt like being in the middle of a cloud, which would be fantastical if it weren’t strong tear gas. The gray armored train charged into the dense, atrocious haze. It had been five hours since they left Kyoto Station. They finally reached the 23 Wards. “I never thought I’d be coming back here.” Yahiro looked around the city that used to be Tokyo through the gas mask’s lenses. “Yeah. It feels somehow nostalgic and novel at the same time. It’s weird,” Iroha said while holding her streaming phone. Come to think of it, they had been on this same train when they left the 23 Wards. The two of them were here together again. The situation had changed a lot in some ways, but not at all in others. It was kind of funny. “We’re breaking through the gas! Eyes wide open!” Giuli warned through the comms on her uniform’s collar. As she said, their vision cleared suddenly as they crossed through the area filled with tear gas. This meant the Moujuu were able to see them, too. The armored train chugged past with boisterous thunder. The Moujuu grew hostile toward the giant stranger intruding on their territory, and their numbers were astounding. Even Yahiro, with his experience in the 23 Wards, had never seen so many. “How are there so many Moujuu?!” Anxiety took over Iroha’s expression as she took off her mask. Even she couldn’t help but feel afraid at the sheer number of them. They covered all the streets and building rooftops as far as the eye could see, and most of them were new-generation Moujuu who would not listen to Iroha. The Yáo Guāng Xīng opened fire. The armored train charged ahead as the Moujuu on the tracks flinched. It did not stop as it blew them all away with its tackle. The diesel engine roared and the race continued, but the train had dropped its speed. At under 50 kph, the Moujuu would catch up with ease. The Moujuu launched their special attacks toward the Yáo Guāng Xīng. Shock waves hit the train’s armor and shook its whole body. There was no more support from the Guild. The Galerie’s operators fought back, but there were too many enemies. “Tsk…” Nathan noticed they were after the power car and created an invisible barrier around it. The Moujuu reacted to his dragon aura and attacked even more fiercely, which made Nathan’s face twist in pain. “Nathan…?!” Iroha screamed as he saw him fall to his knees. Part of his crystallized body under the sleeve of his suit crumbled into dust. “The adaption limit…?” Yahiro asked him, wiping all expression off his face. A Relict Deserver’s powers were not unlimited. Their non-immortal bodies could reach a limit to their adaption under the heavy load of the Regalia. Nathan had already gone beyond his limits in the fight against Natazuka. His body would collapse sooner rather than later if he continued creating barriers against the Moujuu. “Don’t worry. I knew this would happen eventually.” Nathan looked up at Yahiro with a composed look on his face. Meanwhile, the effects of his barrier allowed the train to accelerate again. The fierce Moujuu attack continued, but at the very least they would not reach the power car. “My job was done the moment you met Lady Karura, although it’s a shame that I won’t get to see the fate of this world.” Nathan stood up with a self-deprecating smile. “Nathan…!” “I’m sorry…I couldn’t stop Sui Narusawa…” Nathan said as he turned his back to them. Yahiro gasped. Nathan was with Sui during the four years Yahiro lived in the 23 Wards, and apparently, he had his own feelings toward her while watching over her as Ganzheit’s agent. “Continue the stream, Iroha.” “Miyabi…?” After her gentle request, Miyabi opened the lounge car’s hatch and leaned out of the train. She grabbed onto the handrails and headed in the direction opposite to its movement. The next moment, the Moujuu clinging to the back of the train were blown away, and it accelerated again. The Moujuu slowing down the Yáo Guāng Xīng were swept away like in a tsunami. Ira’s powers lowered the train’s air resistance while kicking off the Moujuu. “Stop it, Miyabi! Your body won’t stand it if you keep using your Regalia like that!” Yahiro shouted at her. The dragon mediums’ bodies were just like any normal human’s; they were meant to simply grant their blessings to the Lazaruses. If they used their Regalia too much, they would lose their human form and turn into dragons—incomplete dragons far from reaching the Ouroboros. And just like the Relict Deservers, they would eventually reach their adaption limit and die, just as Chiruka Misaki and Kaname Kashima did. Miyabi knew that. “Everyone, take a look,” Iroha said to her phone. The wind lifted Miyabi’s bangs, revealing her draconized right eye. She didn’t try to hide it. She had asked Iroha to show it on the stream. “This is what Japan looks like now, and this is our power as dragon mediums and Dragon Slayers.” Iroha chose her words carefully while speaking beyond the screen. Nathan’s barrier blocked the Moujuu’s attacks. Miyabi’s power blew away the Moujuu. And the Moujuu charged against the armored train without rest. Iroha showed the fierce situation to the whole world without hiding anything. “The dragons and the dragon mediums are not enemies to humankind. We came back here to save the world from collapse.” Iroha opened the hatch all the way and leaned out. The city ruins were crawling with Moujuu, a terrifying, despairing panorama the armored train ran through—a giant machine of hope carrying the dragon mediums and the Lazarus. Miyabi urged her to show this to the people. “We could not have reached this place alone. Karura, the captain and his friends, the Guild, everyone in the Galerie, all of you watching right now—the world is not over yet. So please…” Iroha’s words were cut off. The Moujuu broke through Nathan’s barrier and attacked the exposed girl outside the train. But before they could reach her, they froze and shattered into pieces. Sumika and Zen protected her. “You can see the Ploutonion now!” Josh’s voice echoed through the PA system. Cheers began throughout the train, but were cut short by Aldiss’s following words. “But…there are no more tracks…” “Everyone brace for impact!” Giuli screamed. It was the first time Yahiro had heard her this panicked. Tokyo Station was almost in sight. They could already see the blank in the sea of buildings created by the Ploutonion, but there was no more railroad to reach it. It was hard to tell whether the Moujuu had wrecked it, or if it had deteriorated with time, but the viaduct holding the tracks had collapsed. “Crap… It won’t stop in time…!” Josh’s cries of despair echoed along with the ear-piercing noise of the brakes that could not stop the giant train running at great speeds. Nathan tried to create a barrier, but this time he fell, completely depleted. Yahiro’s and Zen’s Regalia had no way to stop the train. Yahiro ground his teeth cursing his powerlessness. Even Iroha was frozen in silence. “It’s okay. Keep the stream going,” Miyabi said calmly. The dragon aura enveloping her body grew in momentum, creating a whirlpool around her. “Miyabi?!” Iroha screamed without regard for the ongoing stream. “Wait, your body’s already…” Yahiro gulped his last words. He realized that only she could save the Yáo Guāng Xīng. “When we’d just met, Douji said that the truth isn’t something you can see; it’s something you realize after it’s passed away, like the wind.” Miyabi exuded more and more dragon aura as her form drew closer to a dragon’s. Transparent scales covered her entire body and her skeleton transformed. A long tail ripped through her clothes. Even draconized, she was beautiful. “You’re blowing that wind of your own will. I pray that it leads to a happy end.” Her voice no longer sounded like a human’s as she wished them good luck. “Miyabi…!” Iroha let the tears roll down as she filmed the woman’s transformation. Miyabi, now a translucent dragon, took to the skies. A powerful wind wrapped the armored train. The Yáo Guāng Xīng floated with the wind as it plunged off the severed tracks. It veered off the railroad and landed on the parallel street. The wind tried to kill the impact of the fall, but in that moment, the dragon in the air shattered. Miyabi’s body was already past its limits. The Yáo Guāng Xīng sparked as it slid across the ground with a heavy thud. The people inside would be in peril if it crashed into a building. Even Nathan’s barrier could not completely absorb the shock, but the train stayed on the road. The ground on either side rose up like a slide’s railing to keep the train from overturning, all through the power of the ground-control Regalia. “Vanagloria’s power! Ayaho…!” Yahiro clung to a chair in the lounge to keep himself on the floor while looking at Ayaho, her eyes closed in desperate prayer. Ayaho’s timid, introverted personality resembled Chiruka Misaki’s. Perhaps it had something to do with how she became so skilled with Vanagloria’s powers in such a short time. They were more suited to protect the many than harm others, and it fit her personality. The Yáo Guāng Xīng ran over the road for over ninety meters but finally came to a halt without crashing into any buildings. “Ayaho…!” Once the tension was over, Yahiro ran up to Ayaho as she was about to collapse. But somebody else propped her up first: her siblings. “Let’s goooo!” “Ayaho!” “You did it!” Ayaho forced a smile as they jostled her with cheers. Then a girl in flashy clothing and furry ears held her tight while in tears. “Ayaho, thank you…! Miyabi’s sacrifice…wasn’t in vain… Ayahooo!” “I-Iroha… I…I can’t breathe…and we’re on stream…!” Iroha did not let her go despite Ayaho’s protests. Her emotions rocked violently between Miyabi’s death and the Yáo Guāng Xīng’s safety, wetting her cheeks. “There’s still even more…” Yahiro clicked his tongue after jumping off the train. Ahead was the former Tokyo Station. Their destination was right in front of them, but hundreds of Moujuu gathered around the Ploutonion. It was their last obstacle. Yahiro did not despair at the sight—Moujuu were no threat at this point. Yahiro and Iroha weren’t the only Lazarus and dragon medium here. “Stay back, Yahiro Narusawa. We’ll take care of them,” said the boy with a straitlaced vibe. In his right hand was a crude Western sword. In his left hand was the hand of a girl in a gaudy school uniform, their fingers interlocked. “I’m counting on you, Sumika.” “Let’s do this, Zen.” Massive dragon aura flowed from Sumika’s fingertips into Zen and surrounded them in an infinity of ice crystals. The ice reflected the light of dawn and took on the form of a giant dragon, a beautiful and translucent dragon the color of water. “Confine them to ice, Acedia!” Zen swept his sword. The water dragon roared and shot a stream of pure white, freezing air. The mass of liquefied air turned into a literal tsunami and engulfed the Moujuu surrounding the armored train. Even with their tough vitality, the Moujuu could not survive being frozen on a cellular level. Everything within Yahiro’s field of view, including the streets and buildings, was encased in thick ice, and shattered. “That’s overboard,” Yahiro whispered as he shivered in the cold gust. But that would stop the Moujuu from approaching the Yáo Guāng Xīng for a while. He had Zen and Sumika to thank for that. “Yahiro, Iroha, go.” Wei got out of the train with a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry about the rest. We’ll keep the kids safe.” Josh slapped Yahiro’s back. “…We got this.” Paola gave them a thumbs-up. The rest of the operators, too, encouraged them, their faces brimming with a sense of accomplishment. Even if the world ended today, they could go without regrets. “Yahiro…” Ayaho walked up to him timidly but filled with determination. Yahiro remembered the day they first met in the 23 Wards. “Now you saved me. Thanks, Ayaho.” “…Yes!” Ayaho nodded with glee, understanding what he meant. He was worried about her use of the Regalia, but looking at her, there was no need to fear the adaption limit, and she had no further reason to use it anymore. Whatever shape it might take, all this mess surrounding the dragons’ powers would end once Yahiro and Iroha reached the Ploutonion. “Nuemaru, Runa… Take care of everyone,” Iroha told the white Moujuu and her youngest sister. Runa nodded with her usual flat expression. There was nothing for Gula’s medium to do now, and she knew it. The fight was now on the shoulders of the new generation of dragon mediums. “Giuli, Rosé, thank you for everything,” Yahiro said with a serious expression. “We only fulfilled our contract. There’s nothing for you to feel in debt about,” Rosé said matter-of-factly, as always. “Yeah. But hey, since it’s the end, how about I give you a little bonus?” Giuli said. She stood on her toes and gave Yahiro a peck on the cheek. Iroha staggered at the sight of that. “G-Giuli?!” “Just a little good luck charm. C’mon, Rosy, you too.” Giuli pushed her little sister to the front. However, by then, she was holding a handgun in either hand. “Would you rather have a 9mm or a .40 caliber?” Rosé thrust both guns against either of his face. She was furious about her beloved sister giving him a kiss.