Act 3 Alternative Lazarus 1 A ship was moored in the deep cove of the nameless island. It was black and cylindrical, reminiscent of a giant whale, over one hundred meters long. Its name was Alioth, Galerie Berith’s only commercial submarine. The Galerie had taken advantage of the J-nocide to confiscate the conventionally powered submarine the Japanese government had been building for the Maritime Self-Defense Forces. “You might not get to come back to this island for a while. Make sure you don’t forget anything important,” Giuli warned them as she stepped onto the gangway hidden in the trees. The island Iroha and Yahiro lived on was less than three kilometers across. Big enough for the two of them, but too small to secure all the food and daily necessities they needed. Every two months, Galerie Berith used this submarine to deliver other commodities. This was also how Iroha got everything she ordered online. “I’d rather not be gone for too long, or the cabin will deteriorate,” Yahiro said. “Can’t say for sure how long it’ll be until we get the angel to tell us everything. We can’t let you stay here when they know where you are,” Giuli replied, looking at the girl hidden behind him. Ellie had changed into her habit-like outfit and was shaking in her boots. The wings on her back were gone, and now she merely looked like a frightened nun. “Umm… Yahiro… Where are you taking me?” she asked with a gloomy tone. The unfamiliar twins who had showed up out of nowhere were taking her into a submarine; how could she not be scared? Even with her superhuman fighting prowess, it was only natural she would feel anxious. “Don’t worry, Ellie. They’re our friends,” Iroha said while pulling her away. “F-friends?” “Yes. The cute one here is Giuli, and the pretty one there is Rosé. They’re the owners of a company called Galerie Berith.” “Uh…huh…” Ellie gazed around, disoriented by Iroha’s explanation, before looking at Yahiro for help. It was impossible to tell the twins apart when described as “the cute one” and “the pretty one.” “Friends isn’t quite exactly right. We think of ourselves as your guardians,” Rosé said flatly, bringing even more confusion to Ellie’s face. Yahiro sighed. “Rosé, don’t make things more complicated. Iroha’s mostly right. We are hiding on this island with the Galerie’s help. The Ouroboros and his dragon medium can’t exactly be walking around in public, you get me?” “Hee-hee… It’s not easy being famous.” Iroha scratched her head bashfully. Yahiro and Iroha had isolated themselves to this remote island not just because their faces and names were known. They had the Ouroboros’s epic power to change the world and were afraid that people wanting to use it for evil would go after them. Those in the realm of godhood should not be in human society—that was their decision. Surprisingly, Giuli and Rosé had agreed. They thought it would be better to be safe and get them out of anyone’s reach, rather than risk it and try to use the uncontrollable power of the Ouroboros. So they got them a small, nameless island. The island’s existence was concealed by a barrier set by the Ouroboros’s power. Not even recon satellites could find the island. Galerie Berith used a submarine to deliver their necessities so the island’s location would remain a secret from shipping surveillance, too. Galerie Berith had hidden Yahiro and Iroha from the world for three years. They were thorough to the point that even Iroha’s siblings were not told about the island. “So we couldn’t look the other way when angels showed up on this island. We’d love to hear how they found the location.” Giuli glared at Ellie with a grin. Ellie gulped, the reaction of a feeble critter. It was hard to believe she was the same being who had fought so fiercely against the armored angels. “Fortunately, we have more than enough time to hear all the details,” Rosé said flatly while urging her to get in the submarine. Frightened, Ellie did as she was told and went through the hatch. Yahiro and Iroha felt bad for her, but they wanted to know about her, too. They showed no objection to the twins’ approach and got into the submarine as well. The Alioth was to spend a night underwater to escape satellite monitoring before moving to the Galerie base in the South China Sea. They were to take a plane to Japan from there. Just like Rosé said, they had plenty of time to listen to Ellie’s story. “So, what are you, little angel? How did you find this island? Who were those guys with the wings?” Giuli shot a barrage of questions the moment they reached the submarine’s dining hall. Ellie hunched under the pressure. “They’re after Yahiro.” “Sure looks like it.” Giuli giggled while glancing at him. Yahiro grimaced in silence. Having faced them firsthand, he knew that the so-called angels were after his life. They were not trying to capture him. Whether it was possible or not, they wanted to kill the Lazarus. “Why were they trying to kill me?” “Because you’re defec…a special Ouroboros, I think.” Ellie hastily corrected herself before calling him defective. Whatever they wanted to call it, it was true that Yahiro was an irregular world dragon. Because the wish of Iroha, who gave him the power of the Ouroboros, was irregular. The Ouroboros’s medium was able to change the world to her whim, but Iroha had thrown away the right. She only wished for this world to continue, and in order to get the necessary energy, she made every person in the world bear the load equally. Few people truly wished, from the bottom of their heart, for the world they lived in to perish. And so the anomalous wish was granted. The world brought about by the dragon medium’s wish would ultimately end as the wish wore out over the years. And the moment the medium’s wish vanished would mark the end of the world dragon’s life. Every time the old Ouroboros reached the end of its life, a new dragon medium was summoned to create a new Ouroboros. The world had cycled through death and rebirth in such a way time and time again. Like Ouroboros—which ate its own tail. Iroha’s irregular wish broke the system. So long as the people wished for this world to continue, it would not perish. Thus, Yahiro became an irregularly powerless Ouroboros. He simply had near-infinite life. His role was only to maintain this world. However, being powerless was not all bad. It meant Yahiro and Iroha were not locked up in the Afterlife and could travel the world freely. “I have no objection to being called a failure of an Ouroboros, but why is that a reason to attack me?” “Erratic worlds produce erratic evolution and eventually erratic beings. They feared this. The possibility of the birth of a being that could endanger their standing,” Ellie responded. Yahiro’s brow furrowed. “And who are they?” “Umm… How should I put it… The residents of Heaven? What we call gods.” “Gods?!” Iroha squealed. “So…that’s why you said you’re an angel. So you came from Heaven, too?” “No, the underworld sentries’ bodies are made in this world.” “Underworld sentries?” “Yes. We watch over this world and swiftly seal anomalous Ouroboroses. We are artificial life—tools meant for this purpose.” Ellie closed her eyes. Yahiro and Iroha looked at each other. The premise was unbelievable. The small girl before their eyes was a tool sent by the gods in Heaven to monitor this world—it was unthinkable. It was too outrageous to be even a delusion. Yet those supposed underworld sentries had attacked them. They couldn’t laugh off Ellie’s explanation. “So you sentries have been observing the world for centuries. Do I have that right?” Rosé asked flatly. “Y-yes.” Ellie nodded anxiously. “And you’ve watched in silence as the world perished time and again?” “Y-yes… Well, I mean, we’re usually in a sort of suspended animation state, so we don’t have memory of what happened in the meantime…” “But you woke up once you marked Yahiro down as a dangerous Ouroboros.” “Um… Ah… Sorry.” Ellie hung her head, overwhelmed by Rosé. Rosé, who stared closely at her the whole time, kept her expression unchanged as she murmured. “Do you know of a place called Teotihuacan?” “What?!” Ellie’s eyes grew wide. “That is the city of the gods, and one of the bases where underworld sentries lie in hibernation. There is also a device meant to observe the Ouroboros there.” “I see… That explains it.” “What do you mean, Rosé?” Yahiro cocked his head, impatient for an explanation. He knew about the famous ruins and tourist spot, but he had no idea how that connected to the underworld sentries. “Simply put, this is not the first time Galerie Berith has made contact with the angels. We sent Ren and Rinka to the ruins of Teotihuacan to investigate last week, and they reported a fight against them.” “WHAAAT?!” Iroha jumped up from her seat and closed in on Rosé. “Ren and Rinka fought them?! What are you making my siblings do?!” “Don’t worry. Runa and Nuemaru were with them as guards. And Josh, too.” “That’s not the problem here…!” “The angels were a surprise to us, too. We sent the kids there to investigate Moujuu sightings in Teotihuacan.” “Moujuu…” Iroha’s voice grew weak. The Moujuu were supposed to have perished. As a member of Ganzheit, Galerie Berith could not ignore information about a sighting. And it wasn’t that outrageous of a decision to send the kids there. Ren and Rinka were resistant to Moujuufication, and even if a Moujuu attacked, they would be in no danger with Runa and Nuemaru there. “So they mistook the angels for Moujuu,” Yahiro asked. “Yup. And to be clear, that’s the first time the Galerie came across angels,” Giuli responded. “And what happened to the angel?” “Renren and the others beat it with an artificial Relict.” “You’re making my little brother use that thing…?” Iroha frowned. The overprotective eldest sister could not forgive the Galerie for putting her siblings in danger. “Wait, so that’s why you’re trying to get us back to Japan?” Yahiro looked straight at the twins. The Galerie’s submarine had arrived at just the perfect time, hurrying them off the island. He’d thought there had to be something up, and this explained it. Naturally, they would want to hold their aces close to the chest now that unheard-of creatures had appeared. “Ooh, close.” Giuli shook her head. “But that’s not all. Angels showed up in Japan, too. And they attacked Ayaho.” “…What?” Yahiro looked at her in disbelief. Iroha’s mouth opened and closed wordlessly in shock. “Ayaho… Is she all right?!” “A new, unidentified Lazarus showed up and beat the angel, according to Paola’s report. But that’s all we know. We don’t know whether Ayaho’s safe,” Giuli said without much concern. “But why?! Didn’t they beat the angel?!” “Ayaho was kidnapped by the unidentified Lazarus.” “WHAAAT?!” Iroha’s jaw dropped. Yahiro was at a loss for words. A Lazarus who hadn’t shown up until now had not only defeated an angel but also made off with Ayaho. Ellie didn’t know anything about all this, naturally. She looked equally lost. “All right, losing our minds before we reach Japan will do nothing, so let’s just enjoy the underwater trip today, yeah? Make yourselves at home, as much as this tiny place will let ya.” Giuli gave them a smile. “You want us to chill after hearing all that?!” Yahiro grumbled. The Alioth, now shrouded in an oppressive atmosphere, swam across the dark sea. 2 A colorful variety of dishes was set on a glass table across from a leather sofa in a luxury room of a high-rise hotel. Salad, soup, terrine, tartare, fish pie, steak with foie gras, and all sorts of bread and desserts lined the table. Next to it was a cart full of expensive wine. “You won’t have anything, Ayaho Sashou?” the white woman sitting opposite to her asked. The woman was in her late twenties and wore a suit. She was kind and polite, but her voice felt artificial, lacking human warmth. The young man in a hoodie stood behind her like a loyal guard. He was the Lazarus who had kidnapped Ayaho on her way back from school. Ayaho stared intently at the young man’s face. She was afraid about being taken somewhere she didn’t know, and mad about being kidnapped, yet much to her surprise, she was calm. An emotion stronger than fear or anger budded within her. The sense of duty to figure out this young man’s identity. “The hotel provided this food. You don’t have to worry about anything dangerous being in it. The dishes were supposed to come in courses, but it’s room service.” “I don’t mind any of that,” Ayaho said curtly. Coldly, to her own surprise. “I want an explanation. This is a luxury hotel for foreigners, isn’t it? Why did you bring me here?” “Please consider this room a show of our good faith.” “Good faith?” “After all, we took you by force, although it was necessary. It’s an apology. A way to make you feel comfortable while you’re in our protection.” The woman wore an unapologetically charming smile. The audacity aggravated Ayaho. “What do you mean by protection?” “Did you not see the angel?” “A-angel?” “The colorful winged monster. They’re after you. So we brought you under our protection. Guns and swords don’t work on angels. Only Shigure here can protect you.” Ayaho was at a loss for words. It probably was no lie that the colorful monsters were after her. And it was also a fact that this Shigure boy had defeated them. But that was not enough to trust this woman. She hadn’t given a real reason why they’d kidnapped her. “Are they after me because of the Relict Regalia?” The woman raised her eyebrows at Ayaho’s question. Did she find it surprising that Ayaho had accepted the explanation so calmly? “Yes. The angels attack those with the dragon factor indiscriminately. Your Relict Regalia is practically bait for them.” “That doesn’t explain why you would protect me, though, does it?” Ayaho coolly pointed out. “Who are you? Why did you capture me?” “Ahh, apologies. I haven’t introduced myself.” The woman smiled. She raised the ID hanging on her chest. It showed an eerie logo of a four-headed panther. “I am Suria Almiron. Consultant for private military company Kyuos.” “A PMC…” “Yes. Galerie Berith’s business rival, you could say.” She narrowed her eyes as she saw Ayaho stiffen. “Ayaho Sashou… Don’t you want to know where the Ouroboros and his medium—Yahiro Narusawa and Iroha Mamana—are?” “You know where they are?!” Ayaho leaned forward on reflex. Iroha and Yahiro had vanished after they went into the Afterlife three years prior. Even with Iroha’s streams back online, no one had any idea where the pair were. “They’re on an island belonging to the Galerie in the western Pacific. Call it a slow life down south. It sounds nice, but the reality is, they’re being confined and isolated from society.” “Confined…? Then…” “Yes. The Galerie knew where they were and kept quiet. They didn’t even tell you, Iroha Mamana’s sister.” “But why…?” Ayaho shook her head in denial. There was no proof Suria was telling the truth, but it didn’t feel like she was lying. Telling an obvious lie and losing Ayaho’s trust wouldn’t be in her best interest. “So the Galerie can monopolize the Ouroboros’s power, right?” Suria wore a daring smile. “Yahiro Narusawa now has the power to change the world to his whim. We fear Galerie Berith is using the world dragon’s power for their benefit. We need the power to stop them.” “…And that’s why you kidnapped me?” “We have no way to resist the Ouroboros’s great power. But the dragon medium behind him has a weakness—her family.” Suria closed her eyes with melancholy. “The Galerie has all her family in its clutches. Like hostages. Would Iroha Mamana be able to refuse if they asked something in exchange for your safety?” “They…” Ayaho bit her lip indecisively. She could not deny Suria’s fear. She knew Iroha well; she would do anything to protect her siblings. The siblings were proud of how much she loved them, but at the same time, they were restless about that love as well. Doubly so now that she had the power to change the world. “Don’t worry. Kyuos does not intend to make an enemy of the Galerie. We simply want to guarantee that they won’t hog the Ouroboros’s power.” Suria observed Ayaho’s scowl with a soft smile. “And assisting us should be beneficial to you as well. We have a common enemy, after all.” “The angels…” “Yes. They attack those with the dragon factor indiscriminately—not only do they pursue you for having the Relict Regalia, but Shigure here is in danger, too. What better than to join hands, don’t you think?” Suria had craftily driven her into a corner, but Ayaho did not respond. The proposition wasn’t bad—if she was telling the truth. Ayaho couldn’t feel any animosity from her, either. But she couldn’t bring herself to trust this woman. Even if she wasn’t lying, she had to be hiding something—Ayaho’s gut told her so. “You don’t need to answer right now. Think about it carefully. I’ll leave Shigure as your bodyguard, so please ask him for anything you need.” Suria stood up, noticing Ayaho’s distrust. The woman was not going to let her out of this room. Shigure wasn’t so much her guard as he was her warden.
Chapter 88
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