Chapter 200

“Uwah?!” Flumf! Her tail swung hard, and I lost my grip on it. Fuyao turned around, fuming. It’s over. I’m dead. Her next words took me by surprise. “…I’m not going to kill them. They’re small fries, not ready to die. Unworthy of the Null Night Blade.” “Ready to…? Aren’t you a terrorist? Don’t you kill anyone in your path?” Fuyao turned back around grumpily. She ignored my plea and walked up to Black Scorpion. Without reserve or consideration, she began rummaging through their clothes, grabbing their wallets and guild cards. “Hmph.” She snorted while playing with the cards in her hand. “They really were mercenaries. All of them Warblades. Eugena Scorpin, Bearde Hedge, and Shirless Hedge. So the men were brothers.” She just wanted to check who they were? I jumped to the wrong conclusion. “S-sorry. I was sure you were going to kill them.” “…I’ve never killed someone who didn’t want to die.” “Huh?” She sheathed her sword and crossed her arms. “I have a code. Although I’m sure you wouldn’t understand…” “Komari, are you okay?! They didn’t hurt you, did they?!” “Yow! The hoodlums are already after us! No wonder Neoplus is so infamous!” Lingzi and Spica ran over to us. I finally snapped out of it. Fuyao’s comment was still on my mind, but there was something more alarming at hand. We had to find out why I’d almost gotten killed. Why were these assassins after me and Spica? “I see, I see.” With a grin on her face, Spica picked up the wanted poster from the floor. “So this is what it’s all about! That’s why those killers were tailing us!” “You knew?! Why didn’t you tell me?!” “They knew about us! There could only be one explanation for this—Star Citadel was expecting us to come to Neoplus!” Huh? That doesn’t sound good. Our plan was to sneak into Star Cave to catch Star Citadel by surprise. It was ruined from the very outset. “Your Highness, there’s more,” Fuyao murmured aggressively. “Oh. Looks like there’s no reason to hide anymore, huh?” “More? No way.” I turned fearfully toward the entrance. Multiple men were standing near the entrance. In their hands were…guns? They looked lot more primitive than the kind Prohellya used, though. “Die.” They all fired at once. A hail of bullets ravaged the floor. “Waaaah?!” The storm of shots thundered all over the ladies’ restroom, turning it into Swiss cheese. I took cover without shame. The windows shattered. Passersby outside screamed and ran. What the heck? Don’t they have a shred of humanity? “Your Highness! The outside is crawling with enemies!” Fuyao yelled while repelling the bullets with her Null Night Blade. “Komari, are you okay?!” Lingzi shrieked as she unfolded her iron fan and flicked away the bullets flying toward me. I couldn’t even scream anymore. Spica produced a strange sphere from her pocket and threw it. “Retreat! This place is too cramped!” Fuyao and Lingzi realized what she meant. Lingzi hugged me all of a sudden, and my vision turned white. Spica had hurled a smoke bomb. The next thing I knew, I was already out of the window. Lingzi had carried me away. Spica and Fuyao nimbly jumped out of the window, too. “Bitches!” “You’re not getting away!” the assassins screamed from the restroom. I held on to Lingzi as I pulled myself up. “Wh-what’s going on?! How can someone be so savage?!” A stray cat in the alleyway fled, startled. The passersby stared at us suspiciously. “Isn’t it obvious?!” Spica smiled gleefully. “Some hired guns are here to kill us! They only care about money! Simpletons blinded by greed! Now that’s what you call a gold rush! There’s nothing more wretched!” “What are you smiling for?!” “She’s right. We’re surrounded,” Fuyao said in a low voice, holding up her Null Night Blade. Just then a bunch of men appeared in the alleyway. Lingzi let out an “Eep” in fright. Anyone would do the same when stared down by a bunch of greedy killers. “What a grand reception! Who hired you?!” asked Spica. “Heh-heh.” A man with a tattoo on his face chuckled. “We just gotta kill you, and we’re loaded! Your lives end here!” The men charged with their swords. They targeted Spica first. I almost ran to defend her. Spica was a wicked terrorist, but it wasn’t fair for her to go out like that here. “Spicaaa!” But my concern was unnecessary. Spica took a lollipop out of her pocket and put it in her mouth. She clenched her hands into fists, lowered one hip, and glared directly at the killers. The moment they swung their weapons, she sprang upward with her fists forward. A shock wave. I thought the whole world had been smashed. The men screamed as they were blown away. A powerful gust blew. All the windows on the buildings in the vicinity shattered, and the pavement was uprooted and ripped apart into a million pieces. Lingzi and I stood there, frozen, our jaws on the ground. That was not magic. Nor Core Implosion. It was purely the power of her punch. Not even a gorilla could have done that. “Her Highness’s weapon is her fists.” Tryphon had shown up next to us out of nowhere. When did you get here?! The Sapphire terrorist ignored my reaction as he gazed at Spica like a father looking at his pride and joy. “Her magic and Core Implosion are out of this world, but what’s most impressive is her arm and grip strength. Smashing anything in her way with brute force—that’s how Spica La Gemini’s fights.” What the heck? You can’t just punch through literally everything! Spica cackled as she looked at the flustered killers. “They just keep coming, huh?! Just how greedy are you all?!” “Wha…?” It wasn’t over yet. More and more people emerged from the shadows. Shoot, there’s too many of them… “Terakomari! You take care of that side! I’ll get rid of these guys.” “Huh…? What side?” I turned around automatically. Oooh, I’m dead. A bunch of killers were rushing from the other side. “DIIIE!!” “WAAAH!!” “Watch out, Komari!” An iron fan slammed into one man’s face. He collapsed on the ground, unconscious. Lingzi stood valiantly before me. “Lingzi?! You can fight?!” “Y-yeah, I’ve been trained since I was little…!” Right, she was a commander in the Enchanted Lands. I had no time to waste being impressed, though. Assassins jumped at us from every which way. Lingzi quickly swung her iron fan. One of the assailants got through her defenses and charged at me with sword in hand…but Fuyao knocked him out with the back of her blade. “Sly bunch. Give up already.” Tryphon activated his Core Implosion. His needles pierced the attackers in the legs, and their screams echoed in the back alley. Yet still, more men kept coming. Intermittenly, I could hear Spica punching people behind me. My brain was a mess. Why must people wage war? The battle was so fierce, it was making me philosophical. The enemy would win through sheer force of numbers at this rate. If only we had a trump card… “Oh, I get it now! It was the governor who put the bounty on us!” Spica yelled. She was smiling while strangling a guy. “What?! She’s with Star Citadel?!” “Not sure yet, but what’s certain is that hit men will keep coming for us from all over Neoplus if we don’t do something! Annoying, right?” “‘Annoying’ is putting it lightly!! I’m crapping my pants in fear!!” “The problem is they’re taking us lightly! It’ll all be over once we show ’em our power! Terakomari! Go wild! Burn it all!” “Huh? Uh…” Spica swung her bloody right arm. A few drops of blood flew…all the way into my mouth. “Komari!” Lingzi yelped, but it was over already. The story took a hard turn the moment I drank blood. My heart beat faster. I felt exalted. Mana that shouldn’t exist in the Netherworld gushed out of me. A crimson light enveloped the world. The hit men thought they had an easy job. The government sent the hit list to the shady parts of Neoplus. A dream job—just kill two girls and get rich. But then they met them. The girls were monsters. Spica La Gemini’s brute strength was abnormal; she sent the largest mercenaries flying with a punch. Not even moon ranks could beat her. As for the other… Terakomari Gandesblood… “Ahhh…” The hit men looked up at the sky in despair. The vampire floated in the air, wrapped in deep-crimson malice. She was no Immortal, yet she was floating. What sort of strange trick was she pulling? Moreover, crimson energy glowed and crackled all around her. Simply getting near her made one’s flesh burn. Her hostile aura was just that strong. They couldn’t make any sense of it. The only thing they knew was the hunter had become the hunted. “No way… She’s an esper?!” “R-retreat! These wenches are worse than Varmints!” They had no idea who they were going up against. This monstrous girl could not be felled by human hands. The killers scurried away like cockroaches. However, the monster did not let them go. “Stop.” She swept her finger down. The next moment, crimson lightning ravaged the world. The hit men were blown back, screaming. The buildings in the vicinity crumbled, and the passersby escaped as they shrieked. But the girl’s lightning only hit hostile mercenaries. The attackers threw themselves to the ground as they tried to run for their lives. She’s not human…! “Terakomari! The governor’s the root of all this! She’s right over there!” yelled the twin-tailed vampire gleefully. Terakomari’s animosity switched targets. Her eyes were locked onto the symbol of Neoplus: the government office. She slowly raised her arm. The crimson lightning congregated in her small fingertips. Impossible! Is she…?! The hit men who were still alive felt their hair stand on end. Terakomari muttered the exact words they feared: “Repent.” They heard the world break. A gigantic beam fired from her fingertips at the government office. “Pizza! Pizza! I love pizza! Topped with cheese and onions and bacon! ” Around that time, Count Sandberry, aka Nefty Strawberry, was in her office eating pizza. It was lunchtime. She thought there was nothing better than pizza after a morning of annoying work. She savored the mouthwatering melted cheese in a state of pure bliss. Coffin Bearer Nefty Strawberry. The Princess of the Desert was a member of Star Citadel. She was in charge of protecting the group’s leader. That said, her current main focus was overseeing the mining city of Neoplus as its governor. Her goals were to gather mercenaries—using the Mandala minerals as bait—and make them search for the Dark Core, and to amass funds for Star Citadel through the mining tax. I’m doing a pretty good job, if I say so myself, Nefty thought. The hardest part had been attaining the position of governor. She’d needed to pass the strenuous civil servant exam, climb the steepest social ladder, and finally get assigned to the mining city. Nefty’s hard work had allowed Star Citadel to build a strong foundation. Tremolo and Nerzanpi should be more grateful for her. Who did they think made it possible to be terrorists without worrying about their finances? “Star Citadel would be over without me. Nom-nom.” Tremolo was particularly difficult to deal with. She was planning to set up a trap in Star Cave to ambush Spica and Terakomari, but why take such a slow approach? So Nefty had put a bounty on their heads and sent hit men out for them. They must be under fire from the money-grubbers by now. She didn’t think the gunmen would actually kill them, but it would be more than enough if they took an arm or two from them. “All quiet in Neoplus. Everything is going according to plan.” Now the only issue was finding the Dark Core. The mercenaries were less useful than she’d hoped. Tremolo said she would help, but Nefty had already been looking for years and had no results. No way someone who was new to this could accomplish anything. Anyway, let’s just enjoy the pizza for now. Nom-nom. Gulp. “Hmm?” Light shone outside the window. Nefty turned around while reaching for her next slice. It wasn’t light, exactly—it was like the window had been dyed with blood. The red color signified a mana reaction. What’s going on? The moment she cocked her head, raising the slice to her mouth, the window broke. The wall came down. A gust that would send a sumo wrestler flying blew. Da-da-da-da-da-da!! Her brain shook. The floor below her trembled, the pizza slid out of her hand, and an avalanche of debris crashed down on her. “NWAAAAH?!” Nefty fell off her chair and rolled around. The impact was so sudden, she could do nothing to defend herself. Crimson lightning enveloped the office, gouging everything inside it. Oh no. This is bad. I’m gonna die. I gotta get up. “Pwagh?!” Rubble hit the back of her head. Her vision went blurry and red. No. No, this can’t be… Plop. Nefty lost consciousness without a clue as to what was going on. When I came to, the city was in shambles. I was surrounded by heaps of unconscious mercenaries. The people looked at me in fear. I see, I see. I understood everything, as I had used my Core Implosion multiple times before already. That had happened. The usual ordeal. “Ah-ha-ha-ha! Well done, Terakomari! Now that’s the slaughter commander for you!” Spica laughed heartily, slapping my back. I wanted to slip away from reality. I don’t think anybody’s dead. I kinda remember adjusting for that. But there were way too many wrecked buildings for my liking. If I’m going to be made responsible for all this, I might have no choice but to get on a boat and become a tuna fisherwoman. “AAAH?! What do I do?! I can’t pay for repairs!” “Who cares! Let’s go to the government office!” “Who cares about that! Uh, w-wah, don’t pull me!” Spica pulled me by the hand across the alleyway. Alarms rang in the distance. The police had to be on the move. The people on the streets screamed and ran like they had come across a demon. This is worse than any damage the wanted poster could’ve done! “Lingzi…am I gonna get arrested…?” “I-it’s okay! I’ll prove your innocence…!” She gallantly cheered me up while running next to us. “That’s impossible,” Fuyao said from the opposite side of me. Damn it, the terrorist’s right! “Don’t worry! The world’s gonna turn on its head! Look—the government office!” Spica said. We arrived, and my eyeballs jumped out of their sockets. The majestic mansion we’d just visited was in ruins. The ceiling was gone. The interior was exposed. The surroundings were covered in rubble, and the civil servants were running around in a panic. “Spica…? Did I do this…?” “Yup! But you’re not getting charged for any crimes.” Spica walked forward, cheerily licking her lollipop. Beyond the rubble was a space with the remains of expensive-looking furniture. Probably Governor Sandberry’s office. A chair stood in the middle of the devastation. The gaudy chair where that brown-skinned girl had sat. Somehow, it had escaped destruction. “Heigh-ho.” Spica sat on it. “Hey! What’re you doing, Spi—?” “I’m the governor now!” “Wha…?” I thought there was something wrong with my hearing, but nope. Spica smiled from ear to ear and declared: “I said! I’m taking over as governor of Neoplus Prefecture in Count Sandberry’s stead! This whooole city is mine now! And thus, I absolve you of your crimes!” “““………””” Lingzi, Fuyao, and I turned to stone. “Wonderful!” Tryphon showed up out of nowhere and clapped. A few hours after arriving in Neoplus…we had somehow taken control of the city. “…Wha—?!” Nefty Strawberry woke up. She felt as though she’d had a nightmare. A dream where a giant tornado came in and tossed her into the sky. It felt too real. She was still dizzy, and the back of her head hurt. She tried to rise to get some water and calm down. “H-huh?” But she couldn’t move her body. Her hands and feet were bound by rope. No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn’t free herself. The ropes were made of Mandala minerals, a substance beyond her strength. What was going on? Not to mention, she was on the cold floor. Her mind couldn’t process the situation. She had met Terakomari and Spica, then eaten pizza for lunch, then crimson mana had covered her eyes, and then… “…Star Citadel’s plans came tumbling down! Happily ever after!” “…?!” A young, cheery voice came from overhead. Nefty jerked her head up. The office was in shambles, and at the center of it stood a chair—the same one she used every day—now occupied by a pigtailed vampire. Spica La Gemini. She crossed her legs and licked a crimson lollipop, looking down on Nefty as though she were garbage. “Wh-what happened?! This is my office, but…” “Your office? Ha! I think you mean my office!” Nefty put her brain on nitro. The crimson light that broke the world. Spica on her chair. Beside her, Lingzi Ailan, Fuyao Meteorite, Tryphon Cross…and Terakomari Gandesblood, who was cowering with an apologetic look on her face. She understood it all now. That light had been the glow of Terakomari’s magic. This motley crew had captured her. Disgrace. Utmost humiliation. But why had they targeted the governor’s office? Did they know she was with Star Citadel? And what was that about this being Spica’s office now? She still had many questions—but Nefty had to bluff. Her coffins weren’t near her. She couldn’t kill them. “H-ha… You did all this? You think you’ll get away with it?” “Yes! Because you’re an evil terrorist!” “Huh? Coups are a big crime, you know. What do you think’ll happen once the garrison finds you? It’ll be worse than getting skinned ali— BWOOF?!” A boot came down on her head. It hurt. “Ah-ha-ha!” the cocky vampire cackled. “I’m the governor now! My word is law!” “Wha…?! I-I’m the governor! Stop with this crap, or I’ll throw you in the—” “Fuyao! Show her your power!” “Sheesh…” Next to Spica, the eyes of the foxgirl glowed red. Bomf!! Smoke covered the surroundings. From beyond appeared a brown-skinned girl in desert garb. Before Nefty Strawberry’s eyes was the same thing she saw every morning in the mirror, despite there being no mirror. Then the other her even started speaking in her voice. “I’m Count Sandberry! The governor of Neoplus!” “Wha… WHAAAAT?!” Nefty screamed while getting stepped on. Her bluff broke. She now understood Spica and Terakomari’s wicked plot. “Fuyao’s Core Implosion is called Inari-Avatar Reflection, and it allows her to copy people’s appearances. Inverse Moon will be taking your title and authority!” “Y-you… You can’t…!” “And you’re going to prison! Don’t worry; we won’t kill you…yet! We need to make you spill the beans on Yusei!” “I don’t know any Yusei! I’m just an honest governor!” “We’ll see if you say the same after a torture session.” She smiled. It was the smile of the devil. The devil poked Nefty’s forehead with her toes as she continued, “Thank you for developing Neoplus for me! This whoooooooooooole city is mine now! You’re dismissed! ” “………” Nefty’s life flashed before her eyes. She’d studied hard every day until late at night for the civil servant exam. She’d jumped with joy when her name had appeared on the board announcing the successful applicants. She’d walked around handing out snacks to her colleagues and bosses to make connections. She’d worked herself to the bone to make Neoplus flourish. She’d enjoyed her after-work pizza in the office. She reached her mental limits. “AAAAAAAAH!! SPICA LA GEMINIIIIIIIIIIIIII!! I WILL KILL YOUUUUUUUUUUU!!” “Ah-ha-ha-ha!! There’s no sweeter melody than the resentment of a loser!! Tryphon, get this screamer out of my sight!!” “Yes, ma’am.” Tryphon dragged Nefty out of the office. They were demons. They’d stolen a whole lifetime’s worth of effort just like that, and without a hint of regret. Not to mention, Nefty’s plan to help Tremolo had wound up making her comrade’s job harder. What would happen to Star Citadel now? Nefty cursed her carelessness as she was thrown into a cell. Later, the Neoplus government issued an official announcement as followed: • The mining tax is repealed. • The mining restrictions are repealed. • Any and all taxes and restrictions are repealed. Needless to say, the citizens were overjoyed. On the other hand, the governor announced she was pardoning the people who had wrecked the government office, but this was met with little in the way of opposition. Additionally, she rescinded the warrant against Spica and Terakomari, ending the possibility of attacks from hit men. And so began the reign of Inverse Moon, using (a fake) Governor Sandberry as their puppet. Spica La Gemini’s haphazard plan was going smoothly. Now they just had to kill Yusei, Tremolo, et al.