Chapter 211

The sound of the corpse echoed. Elegists conveyed their sadness to their close ones upon meeting death. Cloing. Cloing. The melody of the eerie and nosy biwa bard shook Nefty Strawberry’s eardrums. The tune drove home the fact that death came to all equally, even the peppiest. It cast a dark cloud on the future of Star Citadel. Nefty always thought they could never see eye to eye, but even so, they were allies and friends. “Crazy daredevil…” Nefty endured the twinge in her chest as she looked down at Tremolo Parcostella, who had fallen by the underground lake in Star Cave. She loathed herself for underestimating Terakomari and her fellows. Tremolo was already dead by the time Nefty arrived. If only she had gotten to her sooner. At the very least, she could have prevented her from using Necrocurse Mandala. “Yusei, Tremolo’s dead.” Nefty spoke to the bunny plush under her arm. Yusei’s body was dormant somewhere outside the Netherworld. The only way she could contact her followers was by sending her willpower to an object. The plushy was her current medium of choice. “You don’t need to cry, Nefty.” Yusei spoke via telepathy using willpower. “You can meet again even after death. That is what Star Citadel is here for.” “But…” “It’s okay. Don’t worry.” “But…! Tremolo and Nerzanpi are gone! Can we really make our wish come true…?” The three members of Star Citadel were apostates, ostracized by the world. They thought they would earn true bliss if they followed Yusei. But how did that explain the pain in her chest? Would her heart break eventually if she kept at this fight? “You see.” Yusei smiled softly. “Bliss is found after overcoming hardship. Enterprise is always painful, but if you can endure this pain, you will be saved. Now, take the biwa.” “…” Yusei was always right. Nefty carried Tremolo’s biwa on her shoulder as told. The Divine Instrument was called the Strings of Asterism. It was able to store willpower inside it, and Tremolo had used it to collect miasma to provide to Yusei. “Oof, that’s heavy! Sheesh… Just how much miasma did she get?” “We might be able to defeat Yulinne with that.” “Yulinne…?” “She appears to have discovered my location.” “What?” “She used large-scale detection Effulgent Magic. It crossed the walls of the world… She probably used a Netherworld Dark Core to pull that off.” Yulinne Gandesblood—the woman who was fighting to destroy Star Citadel’s ambitions. She had been unable to even locate Yusei…until now. “I’d appreciate it if you could come back soon. We may have to fight Full Moon next.” “Isn’t that too much? Full Moon, Terakomari, Observatory… How are we gonna deal with all of them?” “Don’t forget about Inverse Moon. I encountered Spica just now and failed to kill her by a hair. She is strong.” “See? It’s gonna be tough.” “It will. So don’t abandon me, yes, Nefty?” “…I’ll head over there, but what about Neoplus?” “Leave it. Best to get rid of it now that it’s useless.” “Tsk… All that work to become governor, wasted…” Nefty walked away with the biwa on her back. More and more foes were seeking to impede the stars. But she had to keep going. For her fallen comrades. And for her own happiness. A few days passed. The world was in turmoil. Every country declared war on one another. Inhuman strife happened in every corner of the Netherworld, bringing suffering upon many of its inhabitants. Amatsu and Kilty said it was a parting gift from Star Citadel. They disappeared after Tremolo’s defeat. Upon their departure, the tension Tremolo had been building all over the world snapped, bringing about new conflict. Star Citadel had always had the means to plunge the Netherworld into further chaos. In the end, we had been dancing in the palm of the bard’s hand all along. As for the foxgirl who’d defeated the bard in question…Fuyao Meteorite… She accomplished her purpose and took her last breath in quiet. Her funeral was already over. She was buried in the land of the former Lunar Village. Karla’s powers could not bring her back. The regret of having to part ways with her like this tore me apart. Desperation clouded my mind, the thought of things having ended differently if only I did better running through my head. But I couldn’t keep crying like a kid forever. Fuyao had entrusted me with the future. No matter how sad or pained I was, I had to stand back up with a will of steel. That was my job as a Crimson Lord. I could not shut myself in. “…Thanks for everything. I’ll take over from here.” It was night. I was gazing at the stars from the hotel window. The air in the Netherworld was glum. Muddy like a fish tank that hadn’t been cleaned in days. A consequence of endless conquest popping up all across the world. “Terakomari, what’s got you so glum?” Someone came up behind me. The vampire with the weird hat, Spica La Gemini. “Spica? Your wounds are healed already?” “I was never hurt. I was just sleeping.” Spica took a lollipop out of her pocket and put it in her mouth. She sat down on the chair next to me and haughtily crossed her legs while looking up at the night sky. From what I heard, Yusei had staged a surprise attack on her in Star Cave. Lingzi and Tryphon had managed to get her to the surface, and she had been so badly wounded that she was unconscious for a while. Yet she’d said it was nothing just now. Obviously, it was something. I was impressed by that human display of emotion. And in awe of Yusei’s power for nearly taking down Spica La Gemini. “Dang it! Good grief!” Spica yelled, uncannily loud. “They’re unbelievable! Star Citadel makes a mess out of the Netherworld, and then they just up and disappear! Tremolo’s defeat alone doesn’t even bring this to a draw!” “Yeah…” “They killed Fuyao! One of my valuable underlings who understood my ideals! My superstrong bodyguard! But hey, maybe it was for the best!” I stared at her in disbelief. “I mean, she got to choose her ideal death! She must be glad to have been able to fulfill Inverse Moon’s belief of a meaningful death! Yup, that’s the world I wanted to make! One where anyone could die a perfect death like Fuyao!” “Spica…” “I knew that girl was going to be great! She died in satisfaction like the Lunae who came before her… Good. Very good. I thought she would leave after she got her revenge, but hey, she didn’t. She didn’t… It wasn’t quite like I thought… Fuyao…” Drops. To my surprise, Spica was crying. Perhaps I shouldn’t be surprised. Fuyao was her dear comrade. This only showed me this girl had a normal heart—one that could grieve for her friends’ deaths. I had no idea what to say to her. So I just stated the facts. “Fuyao was a good girl.” “She was.” “She worked hard to fulfill her dream…” “She did!!” Blam!! The nearby table broke in two all of a sudden. Spica had punched it. “OWAAAH?!” I screamed, standing up. “Wh-what’re you doing?! They’re gonna make us pay for that!” “Star Citadel are destroying the world! Who cares about a table!” “Calm down! Don’t break anything else!” “I know! I know breaking stuff won’t solve anything.” She cracked her lollipop with a bite and glared bare hostility at the stars in the sky. “Let’s call it a draw. But next time, we’ll win. They’ll die, in the name of Fuyao. And you better help me, okay?” “…Hey.” I asked plainly what was on my mind. “Are you a good guy? A bad guy? Make it clear…” “Asking that’s a waste of time! Just keep in mind I’m a pacifist working to quell the war in the Netherworld.” “I see…” What a weird vampire. Amatsu said that Spica would kill me in the future. Perhaps the day when we clashed would come. But for now, we had to work together. To be honest, I was scared, but I knew this girl seriously wanted to change the Netherworld. Spica crossed her arms in annoyance. “Let’s forget about Yusei for now and focus on doing something about the Netherworld.” “Doing what how?” “The God Slayer Tower.” “Huh?” “The huge white tower in the middle of the Netherworld, very near Lumiere, where I used to have my base.” I knew the place. I had seen the real thing with Nelia. It was a world heritage site, if I recalled correctly. What about it…? “The tower is sealed, so no one can enter, but the seal can be broken by gathering the Netherworld’s Dark Cores.” “The Dark Cores sealed it…?” “Yup. That’s what their job is, to seal the God Slayer Tower.” Great power came from reuniting the six Dark Cores. While the Dark Cores in the other world functioned as the basis for each nation, the ones over here were meant to seal that white tower. “…And what happens if we break the seal?” “I can reunite with my friend.” Spica narrowed her eyes in nostalgia. “She hid in there after losing the fight with those fools. The Dark Core seal is meant to protect her. And we promised to meet again six hundred twenty-two years in the future. She’s a medium who can see the future, so I’m sure our promise will come true.” “Uh-huh…” “And if my math is correct, it’ll be six hundred twenty-two years this year. With her power to see the future, we can plan out the road map to world peace. So I have to gather the Netherworld’s Dark Cores, unlock their function, unseal the tower, and meet back up with her.” “Hold on… Is this that friend you got separated from a long time ago who you mentioned?” “Yes. And the seal disconnects her from the flow of time. She’s still alive.” “This world was created six hundred years ago at the hand of the strongest vampire—the Scholar. She used her power to bring order to the world of chaos. She lives even now in the God Slayer Tower at the center of the world… Or so they say. I don’t believe it. There’s no way someone can live for six hundred years.” “Huh? Wait…? Is that the Scholar who created the Netherworld…?” “No, that’s me! She’s not the Scholar; she’s the Shrine Maiden. It wasn’t me who was sealed; it was her. The legends got some details wrong.” “…The Shrine Maiden? You mean, like, the one in Lumiere Village?” “Is there any other Shrine Maiden? She was the first Shrine Maiden in the Netherworld and one of the founders of Lumiere.” “Wait… So she’s Colette’s ancestor??” “Want me to kill you?” “Why?!” “She didn’t have kids! She was just a girl of the founders’ clan.” I was so confused, I wanted to scream. I needed some time to make sense of everything. I had to take notes if I wanted to keep track of everything. One thing was clear now, though: There was still a way to bring peace to the Netherworld. In my journey, I had seen so many people suffer. Spica and I had to give it all we had so that they could live in peace. And that was also the job Fuyao had entrusted to me. “So everything will be solved if we break the tower’s seal. Can I believe you on that?” “Why would I lie?! We’re allies now!” Spica’s blue eyes shone bright like stars. Maybe it was because she had cried just a moment ago… …but I felt like I could trust her now, if only a little. “…Okay. I’ll help you.” “That’s the spirit!” Spica grinned. Maybe there were some similarities between me and her. Our methods were different. Our natures were different. But it felt like we were shooting for the same destination. Then let’s work on this together! Determination filled my chest as I shook Spica’s hand. Meanwhile… Vicious heat burned in the Powapowa Kingdom. What the heck was the Powapowa Kingdom? It was one of the many nations in the Netherworld. A paradise for beast-folk that broke off from Lapelico two hundred years in the past. A crowd gathered in the palace’s plaza. Everyone yelled with full emotion. A revolution had taken place tonight. The evil king hoarding all the bananas and grapes had been taken down, and his luxurious residence had been taken over—nay, purified—by a single Sapphire. “People of the Powapowa Kingdom! Here ends our class struggle! There will no longer be a privileged class who wrongfully monopolizes all wealth! Now begins an era of a fair and equal society!” At the palace’s balcony stood proudly one girl: Prohellya Butchersky. The beast-folk gazed at her with respect, admiration, and emotion. With every sound of her gallant words, a wave of “Lord Butcher! Lord Butcher!” spread through the crowd. “Worry no more! Let us begin with the redistribution of the fruit! There’s enough for everyone, so don’t start fighting, okay?!” “““Lord Butcher! Lord Butcher! Lord Butcher!””” “I’m no lord. Call me General Secretary… Well, I guess changing the system just now would only make you confused! Well then, I shall succeed the Powapowa Kingdom from today on! Wah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-haaaa!!” “““HAAAAAIIIIILLLLL!! Lord Butcher!! Lord Butcher!! Lord Butcher!!””” The crowd’s fervor knew no limits. People jumped and leaped, stood on their hands and head, and ran around yelling their lungs out. Prohellya grinned, looking at it all from above. Her plans for world domination were steadily making progress. It had been a few weeks since she had been thrown into this strange world with two suns. She still didn’t know how to get back. She would rather have made a triumphant return to her homeland right away, but she had been unable to stand back and watch vain conflict take place. And so, she decided to change this rotten world herself and rose up in arms. There were forty-two countries in the Netherworld. Prohellya had already conquered three of them. “This is the symbol of our ruler! Please put it on!” “Very well.” The lemurman handed her the crown. While she struggled to put it on over her hat, she heard a sluggish voice from behind: “Prohellyaaa… Are we really gonna do this another thirty-nine times? I’m tired already…” Catgirl Leona Flatt. She was drifting along with Prohellya and fighting by her side. “Don’t say that. I’ll give you a high post at the dawn of my unified government. How about Minister of Fish?” “No, thank you… Are you serious about this world domination thing?” “Of course! This world is all wrong!” Prohellya clenched her hand into a fist. “Have you heard that all the big countries keep fighting one another trying to make themselves even bigger?! The innocent are suffering for it! I have to put a stop to it!” “Sounds like something Terakomari would say. That reminds me, the newspapers said the Aruka Kingdom was looking for her… You think she’s all right?” “I’m sure she’s all right. She’s probably becoming the ruler of another country, just like me, as we speak. So maybe we won’t have to take over all other thirty-nine of them.” “By the way, that crown does not look good on you.” “Well, duh. I am not royalty. I’m the representative of the proletariat.” “I didn’t mean it like that…” Prohellya yawned. It was already late at night. That coup had worn her out. Better think about Powapowa’s management the next day. So she took a step away, when suddenly, she saw something shine in Leona’s hand. “Hey, what’s that?” “This? The king of Powapowa had it. I took it because it looked pretty.” “Don’t monopolize the treasures. That must be redistributed to the people one day, to… Hmm?” Then Prohellya noticed something strange about it. It was a sphere that shone like a star. It emanated mana. Mana that she remembered having seen before. It reminded her of the music box her subordinate Pitolina had—the Harmonic Hoarfrost. “I can’t stay put anymore! Let’s go after Komari!” Lumiere Village was recovering quickly with the help of the government. Nelia Cunningham turned around and shouted to her friends Villhaze and Esther Claire. They had finally finished healing. The doctor had released them from the hospital. It was time for them to set off. They had to save Komari from the terrorists. “Ummm… But where could she be…?” Esther timidly asked. “I don’t know. We’ll just look for her everywhere.” “Yes. We must crush Inverse Moon and feed them to the plants as soon as possible. They must be torturing Lady Komari… They’ll pay… They’ll pay… They’ll pay…” “Eep!” Esther shrieked. Villhaze was acting like Sakuna (crazy mode). “They’ll pay they’ll pay they’ll pay they’ll pay they’ll pay they’ll pay they’ll pay they’ll pay they’ll pay…” “B-but, Ms. Vill, didn’t you say that she…that the Wicked God Slayer wanted to use her?” “She’ll die if I put her down. That okay with you?” “I’ll make good use of Terakomari.” “So I think the Commander is unharmed. We should refrain from acting rashly…” “…Esther, you do know what Inverse Moon has done before, yes?” “E-erm, but it was also an Inverse Moon person who saved me from the rubble. A fox beast-folk.” “Fuyao Meteorite?” “Yes! I have to thank her…” Mmph. Villhaze clasped Esther’s face. “Eep?! Wh-wh-what are you doing, Ms. Vill?!” “Don’t even joke about thanking a terrorist. You’re too straitlaced… I shall corrupt your purity…” “I—I wouldn’t say I’m that pure. I—I… You’re scaring me…!” “Did you forget, Esther? It’s Seventh Unit tradition to charge ahead without a thought. We don’t need a plan, and we don’t need to exercise caution. We must reach Lady Komari as soon as possible. I have to slurp her thighs right now, or I’ll die.” “What happened to the coolheaded Vill I knew?! Please wake up! And could you let go of me already…?!” Nelia ignored the rambunctious duo and fell into thought. Esther was right. Acting rashly wasn’t smart. But wait too long, and you might miss an opportunity. If only they knew where Inverse Moon was… As the vexations tormented her, she heard a lively voice: “There you are! Vill, Nelia! You got a visitor!” A girl the color of the sky approached from afar—Colette Lumiere. Her balance was off after she had lost her right arm, but thankfully, she had managed to survive her injuries. Beside her was the visitor in question—a tall girl with long hair fluttering in the wind. Whom could it be? She couldn’t think of anyone who would come visit them here. “Huh…?” Nelia was speechless. Why? How? No, it makes perfect sense. She’s supposed to be here in the Netherworld. Colette puffed out her chest and said: “You won’t believe it! It’s the Hero of Twilight! It’s a shame Terakomari isn’t here to see her… But isn’t it amazing?! The strongest mercenary of all is here!” Esther and Villhaze ceased scuffling to turn around. Crimson eyes, golden hair, and that same old gentle look on her face. Nelia froze. She had yearned to see her again for so long, but now that the woman was here, all the words Nelia had prepared for her disappeared into another dimension. Ignoring Nelia’s reaction, the woman smiled. Nelia felt her heart grow warm. Yes. With her here, there was nothing to worry about. The Komari Club had a bright future ahead of them. After six hundred years, the world had grown twisted. All order was on the brink of collapse. The Dark Cores were used to seal the Scholar, weaken the forces of the Netherworld, and give infinite mana to the Foreworld. The first world’s balance had been maintained by the Dark Cores for six hundred years. But now? Inverse Moon’s mobilization. Star Citadel’s encroachment. And this fiend’s—Terakomari Gandesblood’s—transformation of people’s hearts. An unbelievable revolution had happened while they had slumbered. He could not allow such wicked people to roam free. Even the Enchanted Lands’ Dark Core had been broken. “They must be eliminated.” A single Immortal walked the roads of the Netherworld. Down the ruins of a destroyed city. Large-scale battles were taking place in every corner of the Netherworld. The source of the commotion, Star Citadel, had already vanished. But Terakomari and Spica remained in the Netherworld. Spica La Gemini was especially dangerous. The first world’s order would crumble if no one stopped her. He had to protect the Dark Cores. The Immortal clenched his hands and walked ahead. He declared war on all enemies of order. “Let’s continue where we left off six hundred years ago. Observatory will put things back in order.” Night fell on the Netherworld. Every time one tried to change the world, the power to bring it back to normal was activated. This Immortal was one member of Observatory—guardians of the Dark Cores. The ancient fools awakened to kill Spica and Terakomari.