Chapter 191

Pandora’s Poison had said Komari would die today. She’d left Lumiere to avoid that fate, only to somehow be pulled back to Villhaze’s side. And with the Blood Curse activated. “Lady Komari…” “Vill. Hide.” “But…” “Hide.” Komari set off her mana to cut Tremolo’s threads. With every explosion, the unleashed Myogo Strings slashed the surrounding rubble like butter. Nelia charged at Tremolo with Diverse Divide enabled. She attempted to drive her glowing pink swords into her foe’s vestment, but Tremolo twirled out of reach like a piece of paper. The swords instead cut a nearby tree in half. This light-speed exchange of offense and defense repeated in a loop. There was a real possibility that the bystanders could get injured in the wake of the intense battle. Vill took Colette, the vice-chief, and the villagers behind the Lumiere residence’s ruins. This would likely be a safe place for the time being. “Vill…are you okay…?” Colette huffed and puffed in pain. She should’ve been worrying about herself instead of others. Her injury was covered by gold. At the very least, she wouldn’t die of blood loss now. Komari’s Core Implosion had saved her life. However, her right arm wouldn’t come back. She had suffered a great injury, and it was all Vill’s fault. How could she atone for this? “I’m okay. It doesn’t hurt.” “Colette…” “I mean, you faced Tremolo to protect me, so I did what I could to protect you. This wound is nothing. You don’t need to worry about it.” Colette patted Vill’s head with her left hand. The kindness tugged at her heartstrings. Tears came out. Maybe she’d been too cold with her possible childhood friend. She cared so much for her, yet Vill hadn’t looked her way and had only thought about herself. Vill thawed her frozen cheeks into a smile. “…Thank you, Colette. You saved me.” “Yeah. And now I’m okay, too…” “Yes. Everything will be fine now that Lady Komari’s here.” It wasn’t fine at all. The future as foretold by Pandora’s Poison hadn’t changed. She could only hope that Komari’s strong willpower would allow her to bend fate. “Vill…” Colette called her name with teary eyes. “Do you remember now? Let’s live together in Lumiere again.” “Colette.” Vill grabbed the girl’s trembling hand, cold and pale. “I might be an ingrate of a childhood friend. If that’s correct, I’ll say this: I’m sorry for disregarding you up to now. I care about you.” Like repentance. She had thought her raison d’être was to serve Terakomari Gandesblood. That nothing else mattered, so long as she was of use to her. But that was wrong. She, too, had a childhood friend, and a family. Or at least the possibility of it. “Thank you, Vill… You finally remember. Now let’s run. I don’t care what happens, so long as you and the villagers are fine…” “No. I can’t run.” Then Vill released Colette’s hand. She opened her eyes wide, as though condemning her betrayal. “Wh-why? Are you hurt? Are you unable to move…?!” “I am not Villhaze Lumiere. I’m Villhaze from the Komari Unit.” “But…” “And because I care about you, I must fight alongside Lady Komari.” This world was full of evil. Tremolo Parcostella was only the tip of the iceberg. There were droves more people out there who would gladly destroy the peace and happiness of others. Komari was fighting to stop those fools. From the very beginning, there had only been one thing Vill could do to protect Colette and the village. To support the greatest hero of the generation (in development), Terakomari Gandesblood, on her road to dominance. And so… “…I have to go put a stop to that murderer.” “Wait! Why do you need to fight?! You’ve always been such a scaredy-cat! You never argued with anyone! And… And now…!” “Stop, Colette.” The vice-chief scowled. So he was alive. Vill noticed his injury had also been covered in gold. “I understand how you feel, but it’s no use asking anymore. She’ll be fine now that Ms. Gandesblood and Ms. Cunningham are here.” “But…!” “Take a good look. That’s Villhaze. Not the Vill you knew.” She looked at the maid like a child lost in the darkness. After staring at her head-on, she covered her mouth and gasped in realization. Of what, Vill didn’t know. Colette closed her eyes in mourning and said: “You’ve…grown a lot. Unlike me.” Vill nodded. “Once I’ve finished my job, let’s share a meal. Please wait until then.” She clutched her kunai and turned around. The battle in Lumiere Village was growing in intensity. She had to join as quickly as possible. Together, the Komari Club could defeat any evil, no matter how impossi— “…?” Chills ran down Vill’s spine, and she looked up at the sky. She had a bad feeling. Beyond the two suns beginning to set, hidden in the shadows of the clouds, was the glow of an ominous star. Terakomari Gandesblood was as amazing as the report had said. Not only in her pure combat prowess, but also in her conviction and sense of duty. It was as strong as the ambition hidden within Tremolo Parcostella’s chest—a willpower so bright, it could surpass hers. Golden blades shot at her. Tremolo pulled the strings she’d set up on the houses to dodge. A shock wave. The swords of massacre rained down where she had been standing. A hellish hill of blades replaced the gouged earth of the village. The soldiers of Aruka screamed and ran away. “Now who’s destroying the village?” Cloing. She pulled the thread. Going by Terakomari’s position, pulling string number 496, which she’d put on the Arukan cedar by the stable, would do the trick. Before it could slice her neck, however, a pink sweep cut the string. The Arukan cedar bent with a high-pitched timbre. Tremolo staggered, and the peach Warblade rushed at her. Nelia Cunningham. You couldn’t help but turn all your attention to the leader of the Komari Club, but this girl also held insurmountable power. She could not be underestimated. Nerzanpi had said she possessed the power to cut anything in half, but… “I see, a power of altruism. How wonderful.” “I didn’t ask for your thoughts!” Nelia swung her blades. Tremolo unraveled the Myogo String. “Cheeky tricks!” “Then how about this?” Tremolo pulled her middle finger. She pulled string number 222, which was connected to Lumiere’s famous face rock, and the giant stone was launched like a ball. Nelia’s eyes grew wide as she pulled up her swords, but it was too late. Tremolo did not waste the opportunity. She immediately pulled number 68. The thread acted in tandem with number 884, and killer cutters launched from all directions. “!” Dead Maestro Tremolo Parcostella had the strongest combat ability out of everyone in Star Citadel. All who had faced her had ended up as lumps of meat almost without exception. Her only weakness was that preparing her ability took time and effort. She had to set the Myogo Strings beforehand to fight at her peak. That said, doing this was no difficult feat with enough caution. Tremolo had tailed the Komari Club and arrived at Lumiere Village. While the villagers were throwing a party, she’d gotten the Arukan soldiers to set up the strings. Meanwhile, she had been pulling the villagers’ attention by dressing up as the drummer. The vice-chief’s dog had found her out and pursued her, but that had been no great issue. She was fully prepared. Tremolo’s “fingers” extended from trees to houses, rocks, steps, fields, chimneys—every inch of the village. They were all in the palm of the Dead Maestro’s hand. Her foes’ defeat had been set in stone the moment they’d fled to Lumiere Village. “Please die, and let us pray you reincarnate as a human again in the next life.” “No.” But Tremolo’s projections were off the mark. Golden bloodlust whipped up a storm. The next instant, every obstacle approaching Nelia was blown away. Terakomari’s swarm of blades destroyed them all. “Wha…?!” “Thanks, Komari!” Nelia shouted as she charged toward Tremolo. Tremolo pulled the strings in a flurry. Number 389…was already cut. So she had to use number 403 and number 404. Cloing. Cloing. A musical melody echoed in the village. Bing! Bing! Tremolo’s unraveling attacks reverberated with every swing of Nelia’s blades. Terakomari took care of all the strikes she couldn’t. The endless storm of swords emanated golden mana, and with every shot, Nelia inched closer to Tremolo. These girls could see it—the breathing of the Myogo Strings that was normally invisible to others. People with high-level combat training could detect Tremolo’s willpower. For that reason, she would have a tough time defeating, say, Nerzanpi and Nefty. And Terakomari and Nelia were already on their level. Perhaps it was to be expected. They had thwarted Nerzanpi’s plot. These stalwarts were already foiling Star Citadel’s efforts. “Hee-hee. You’re stronger than I thought.” She pulled the strings again as fast as she could. But it was all for naught. Nelia and Terakomari had cut through every single one. Then a series of wails echoed. The threads, having lost their targets, sliced the Arukan soldiers. Nelia stepped beyond the victims and pushed forward. Cloing. Cloing. The movements of the pink girl’s body inside the murderous melody of the spiderweb resembled an elegant dance. The fantastical sight stole Tremolo’s attention for a moment, and then she realized… “I finally caught up to you. Now die.” …Nelia Cunningham was already right in front of her face. Heat came to Tremolo’s cheeks. Being under the gaze of a young girl up close was positively ticklish. “No.” She pulled number 60, set for escape. Although Tremolo prided herself in her combat prowess, no thread user could overcome their weakness at fighting in close quarters. Better to distance herself and regain the advantage. But the moment she let the string pull her away… “Eep!” …it snapped. The inertia sent her rolling on the ground, and the biwa on her back was blown away. “Huh…?” Then she felt the threads leave her fingers. Golden hostility filled the air. Terakomari, floating above the ground, rained swords down on Lumiere. The Myogo Strings were cut with every gouge of the earth. Tremolo’s plans were in tatters. “Ahhh… How could it be…? My 1,080 Myogo Strings…” “You lose.” She heard someone take a step forward. Nelia Cunningham glared at her with swords held high. “Stay still. You’ll tell us everything about Star Citadel.” “Not happening.” Tremolo produced a bundle of Myogo Strings from her pocket. Controlling them with some mana would allow her some resistance—but again, her scheme collapsed. Clasp. “?” Someone grabbed her right wrist. Tremolo looked behind with suspicion. There stood a girl with burning ire in her eyes—Villhaze. “I finally caught you. It’s time for you to pay.” “My, my, if it isn’t Villhaze…” Blegh! Blood spurted from her mouth. “Huh…?” The dark-red liquid dripped. Tremolo panted in pain as she collapsed. A strange sensation welled up from her stomach. A burning pain shot up from its pit. This… This feeling. It can’t be… “Villhaze! Tell me before using poison!” Terakomari said. “You’re upwind, don’t worry. Now, Tremolo Parcostella. Karma finally caught up to you, eh?” Of course. Poison. Karma—payback for all her misdeeds. Tremolo clutched her chest and looked around. Behind her was Villhaze, holding a kunai. Before her was Nelia Cunningham, glaring daggers at her. Overhead was Terakomari Gandesblood, surrounded by spinning blades. The poison was constricting her movements. The Arukan soldiers seemed to have been wiped out by the blade storm. The villagers were watching the golden sky in fear. Everyone in Lumiere had damned Tremolo. Sadness filled the place. “It’s over.” Terakomari held up her hand. Nelia Cunningham and Villhaze evacuated the villagers. The attack that would slay the biwa bard was about to commence. It was time for her to reap what she’d sown. Still, there was passion in Tremolo. An intense willpower to accomplish Star Citadel’s goal of wiping out mankind. “I have one more left.” Tremolo raised her right index finger. Around her first joint shone a Myogo String. “My last spider’s thread. This shall take you down.” Bing. Her lifeline was cut in an instant. Without a moment’s delay, a golden sword dug into the rubble behind her. No mercy. “Give up.” “Hee-hee. I won’t.” Yet that mercilessness would cost Terakomari her life. Screams permeated the world out of the blue. Trees rustled and houses collapsed. “What’s happening?!” Both villagers and Arukan soldiers stood frozen in shock. “? What did you do?” “You don’t get it? That last string was Lumiere’s lifeline. This village is done for. And you cut the last thread supporting it.” Disturbance carved a line in Terakomari’s intrepid expression. Soon cracks ran across the ground of Lumiere. The earth caved in with thunderous destruction. The rivers overflowed and rampaged like dragons as the banks collapsed, flooding everywhere. Rubble pushed villagers and soldiers into the current. Earth and heavens wailed as the curtains of tragedy rose. Tremolo pushed her poisoned body to the limit to leap. She stood on the roof of a brick house with relatively low damage and placed her biwa on her back again. She had split the ground of Lumiere into blocks with the Myogo String. The reason nobody had noticed was very simple: She’d linked them back with strings. Once the threads holding the blocks together were cut, collapse was inevitable. “Now then, Ms. Terakomari. I am honored to have your full attention, but should you be wasting time on me, with the lives of the villagers at stake?” “…” Terakomari remained silent in the air, but it didn’t take long for her to react. She pulled back the golden mana and flashed around the village with the speed of a star. Tremolo took a knife out of her vestment’s pocket. There were plenty of openings. My sense of omnipotence began to fade. The urgency of the situation banished my clear judgment. I flew all over the village pretty much subconsciously. Below me were the people embroiled in the floods. I hurried to them, pulled them up, and took them to safety. As I kept repeating that, despair budded in my heart. I couldn’t do it all by myself. The flood, the caving ground, the collapsing houses… There were too many people to save. “Th-this can’t…” Vill. Esther. Colette. Nelia. Were my friends okay? I couldn’t tell from here. I wanted to be with them. But I had to save those in need. “!” Then I saw a small child holding on to a tree. The torrent was almost pushing it over to the ground. I moved on autopilot. Golden mana scattered around as I dived like a swallow. “Ugh!” Then a blow hit my side. The mana faded away. The despair took over. A knife had flown from who knows where and dug into my belly. I couldn’t fly anymore. The Blood Curse was disabled, and I tailspun into the ground. I nearly blacked out from crashing into the ground. The silver lining was that I’d fallen onto a relatively high spot instead of the maelstrom of the flood and landslide. But it hurt so bad that it didn’t matter. Blood spurted uncontrollably from my wound. I ground my teeth to withstand it. There were a lot of people in this village in worse shape than me. “You’re tough. No wonder you’re a threat to Star Citadel.” The voice came from in front of me. Panting, I looked up. There stood Tremolo Parcostella, knife in hand. She smiled bashfully and took a slow step forward, ready to finish me off. “You… Didn’t Vill’s…poison hit…you…?” “I recovered. That poison wasn’t made for Elegists.” What did that even mean? Either way, the fact was that she was healed. I sat up to try and run, but all strength left my muscles, and I fell back down. My head was hazy. The pain began to dull. I had already sustained a few wounds, but this one was critical. “Now, let’s have some fun.” Cloing. Cloing. The sound of the biwa echoed in the village. Tremolo inched closer with elated steps. “Time to take revenge for Lady Nerzanpi.” Ah, so I’m going to die here. As I gave up on life… “Lady Komari!!” …I saw a blue-haired girl coming up from the horizon of my fuzzy sight. Colette propped up Villhaze as the latter scrambled forward. She’d hit her right ankle defending Colette during the landslide. No pain could stop her now, though. For her beloved lady had fallen on a hill of the flooded village. “Lady Komari!” She yelled and cried on her way to Komari. The girl lay on the ground in pain. Her belly was gouged, and she’d lost a dangerous amount of blood. “Vill…” “Don’t speak, Lady Komari. I’ll stop the bleeding…” “…Thank goodness. You and Colette…are okay. What about the kid…? And…Nelia and Esther…?” Colette gasped. Vill grabbed Komari’s hand, trembling with anger. She wanted to yell at her, “Why are you putting other people first right now?!” She was too indifferent to her own pain. Vill had to heal her. But…she didn’t have the faintest idea what to do. There was no Dark Core. Komari’s injuries would take a while to heal. “Vill! Terakomari’s going pale…,” Colette shrieked. Komari had lost consciousness. Her face was discolored like dried glass, and her breathing was thin. Vill realized the awful truth—this was the same future she’d seen with Pandora’s Poison. “She died like in deep slumber. Now Star Citadel has one less obstacle in its path.” She heard a nasty giggle. Tremolo Parcostella stood there, hands in her pockets. “Eek!” Colette stepped back in fear. “Sh-she’s crazy! Let’s take Terakomari and run!” “B-but Lady Komari is…” “Her doom is set. Here ends her long journey. And Villhaze, now it’s your turn.” Tremolo approached with knife in hand. She had to fight. But she couldn’t leave Komari. And could she even take on Tremolo with her foot like this? No, she had to stop Komari’s bleeding ASAP. But then Tremolo would kill her. She wouldn’t be able to protect Colette, either. What could she do? Cloing. “Don’t move. I’m not good with blades.” A shadow dropped. The murderer was right in front of her. The knife fell with a snakelike movement. Vill sat frozen in place, paralyzed by the prediction that Komari would die. Her heart beat hard and loud, but it didn’t drown out Colette’s scream. Everything that had happened up to now flashed before her eyes. “There you are! So you’re Star Citadel’s underling!” She heard a familiar voice from above. Then something fell before her eyes at tremendous speed. Dirt was kicked up, and dust filled the air. Colette tipped over with a scream, and Vill closed her eyes and looked away on reflex. She couldn’t keep up. What was going on? Vill felt an ominous aura and looked up. She wouldn’t stop shaking. The thorny, wicked presence encroached upon the whole world. Further darkness enveloped Lumiere Village. Vill wrung out her voice, shaking: