Chapter 227

“Useless.” “?!” The next instant, Terakomari ripped apart the belt with a bang! In a state of stupefaction, Luxmio watched the threads of his Extermination Armor fall to the ground. This had nothing to do with Terakomari’s Insaint blood. She simply possessed the sheer power to tear Bondage to shreds. Even after Luxmio had coated them in so much miasma. “You’ve got to be shitting me.” Luxmio waved around his belts in a frenzy. Yet Spica and Terakomari hurtled toward him, breaking through everything he hurled at them. Bursting miasma. Tearing belts. Scattering mana. They turned his Extermination Armor to dust with each swing of their fists. If Bondage is useless, then I should counter with pure martial arts. But the moment this thought crossed his mind… “!” …he tasted blood. Luxmio had a coughing fit. As he wiped the blood from his lips with his fist, he realized what was happening to him. He had absorbed too much of Yusei’s miasma. His body would implode if he kept pushing it. “Looks like you’re hurting. But I won’t hold back.” A giant mana reaction went off in front of him. Spica La Gemini and Terakomari Gandesblood. These fiendish agents of chaos glared at Luxmio. Insaint had said that the global order imposed by the Dark Cores had to be maintained at any cost. That many people would be saddened if the status quo was upended. That people should shut themselves in. Change was harm. Progress was decline. Villains like these two, who rallied everyone around them toward change, had to be exterminated. He would do anything to fulfill his duty—even sacrifice his very life. He had to give it all up for Insaint. “Extermination Armor 04: Final Implosion.” Luxmio pointed his palm at the heavens. He had no choice but to use his ultimate move, which sucked the life of its user. The belts spun at high speed, wrapping around his body. Luxmio expanded like a sponge absorbing water. That instant, Spica stopped moving out of caution. Even Terakomari noticed the anomaly and halted. 04-Bondage’s hidden ability turned the wielder into an ironclad giant by wrapping them in countless belts. Luxmio grew larger and larger until he seemed to cover the sky. “Wh-what the?!” “Interesting. You can’t do that with magic or Core Implosion.” “Retreat! Koharu, get me out of heeeere!” The insects on the ground yelled in a panic, but Luxmio kept his gaze locked on the destroyers. Terakomari and Spica circled him in the air while shooting spells, but none of their attacks could make a dent in his Extermination Armor. Even Terakomari’s fist didn’t do a thing. He was protected by an infinite barrier. “For order.” Luxmio had to kill them to keep the world from being thrown into disarray. But to pull that off, he would need an attack of almighty power. Then, it hit him. There was a god-slaying weapon right beside him. He reached out and dug five fingers into its white walls. Debris plummeted to the ground. “No way…” “Lady Komari! Get out of there, now!” Ignoring the girls on the ground, Luxmio put all his strength into his grip on the God Slayer Tower. It would be his spear. Imbuing miasma into his belts, he attempted to dislodge it from the earth. The base of the tower crumbled. Heaven and earth trembled, and a powerful gale blew. “Not gonna happen.” Terakomari sent a light spell straight at Luxmio’s shoulder. Flesh and blood spattered. Pain exploded. But that was all. Terakomari lacked the conviction to kill her enemy. She had been unable to aim for his heart. But her show of mercy would cost the girl her life. He had to eliminate her before she realized it was kill or be killed. Otherwise, the world would break. Its order would shatter. For the sake of the first world. For the sake of Insaint. For the sake of shutting all humans in… “This is my final blow.” He raised the remains of the giant tower to the heavens. The gigantic spear blocked the rays of the sun. Terakomari frowned, even while infused with the almighty power of the Blood Curse. Blood flowed down Luxmio’s lips. His body gave an awful creak under the strain, its functions breaking down. But it didn’t matter. This was a worthy cause. He would give his life to make Insaint’s wishes come true. “Die.” Luxmio put every last bit of his strength into his throw. Compelled by gravity, the tower closed in on Spica and Terakomari. It was like punishment from the heavens. She could not run. Her friends were down there. She only had one choice: take the blow with her own body. Terakomari shoved Spica out of the way and deployed layers of magical barriers. The tower broke through the first. Then the second. Then the third and the fourth. Then the fifth collapsed, and the light vanished from Terakomari’s eyes. Her will was broken. The last barrier crumbled loudly. The tower struck her small body. Screams. Yells. Despair. The God Slayer Tower crushed Terakomari and slammed into the ground. A powerful earthquake shook the world. The tower broke into pieces, the ground cracked, and miasma splattered. Ruined buildings fell one after the other. The people’s foolish wishes burst into nothing. The Netherworld itself screamed. He heard space creak. Then, Luxmio saw it. A black hollow beyond the cracked earth. A hole. On Judgment Day, the Devil would open six holes to hell. More precisely—a giant passageway to the third world on the spot where the God Slayer Tower stood. All Luxmio had to do now was wait for everyone to get sucked in. He wouldn’t need to launch a follow-up attack. But then… “?!” The rain of debris stopped in midair. Or rather, it slowed down. Gravitational acceleration approached zero. It was as though the rubble had been set free from the flow of time. The moment stretched for an eternity, and the world froze in monochrome, like a photograph. “Core Implosion: Neverfall Blossom.” Luxmio looked down in shock. Spica La Gemini. The debris had hit her head. The blood-drenched vampire clung to him with a murderous glare in her eyes. “Caught you.” The belt on her ankle was peeling off. The seal on her Core Implosion was undone. By the time he realized where he had gone wrong, it was too late. “Hrk!” He had absorbed too much miasma and lost control of Bondage. His giant body shriveled. Spica kept clinging to him as he regained his original size and slowly fell into the hole to hell. Flying was impossible. Her innocent voice echoed in his ear. “I’ll kill you! This is revenge for the past six hundred years!” “Wait, but we’ll…” “Both die? I don’t mind!” He gasped. “I—I don’t mind dying, either, but I can’t bow out yet! I must see it through to Terakomari Gandesblood’s death!” “Are you stupid?” Her crimson eyes bored into his. “I’m taking you with me so that won’t happen. I can’t let Terakomari die. She supported my dream… Fuyao gave her life to protect her…” Chills. Spica La Gemini was supposed to be a cold-hearted terrorist. But now. That crimson vampire had… “Did you have a change of heart? That means Terakomari Gandesblood is an even greater threat than Yusei…!” “Hey, don’t get it twisted. She didn’t steal my heart! My goal hasn’t changed from the beginning. I am creating a paradise for shut-ins. It just so happens my death will make it come true.” “Have you gone mad…?” “I’m letting her carry the torch! Terakomari won’t waste my spirit. She’ll hold on to the wishes of everyone she loses. I’m sure she’ll make my utopia a reality. Ah-ha-ha-ha! Sucker! She’ll keep at it not knowing I was using her the whole time!” “D-didn’t you want to see your paradise with your own eyes?” “Of course. But hey, what can you do?” Spica and Luxmio passed into the hole. They were buffeted by the winds of hell. Luxmio managed to move Bondage. He easily pierced Spica’s midsection. But she wouldn’t let go. She spat death from her fierce smile. “I need a sacrifice to active Paradox Spiral.” She held him tight. An insanely powerful grip. He heard his bones creaking. “Someone had to die. And if my blood reaches Naturia, that’s fine by me…” “There’s no guarantee it will…” “I left a letter for Terakomari telling her to give Naturia my corpse.” “You’re mad! Naturia Lumiere is dead!” “She’s not. I can tell.” “…!” Luxmio shuddered in fear. Spica had found her resolve. Or rather, she had been forced to—no matter how hard she denied it. Terakomari Gandesblood was wicked beyond imagination. Her bravery and kindness changed the people around her. Made them think they wouldn’t mind giving their lives for her. She was history’s greatest destroyer, its most vile terrorist. She had to be eliminated. She had to be eliminated… My head hurt. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t stand. I was gravely injured yet again. The last thing I saw was the giant tower falling on me, and a hole to hell opening in the ground. The ruined city crumbled even further, and then everything got sucked into the hole. And Spica? Where was Spica? Had everyone escaped? My chest hurt. The tragedy of Neoplus was happening again. Was I losing more friends? No, I couldn’t take another loss. I tried desperately to stand up, but my legs were frozen. The hit from the tower had left my whole body in agony. My Core Implosion had worn off. The miasma took hold of my heart, stripping me of my ability to move. Standing up would be meaningless. It was too late. I couldn’t reach anyone or anything. Just like when Fuyao died. “That’s not true.” I heard a familiar voice in the darkness. It was curt, hostile, and inescapably thoughtful. I raised my head. There, I saw her. “Fuyao…” Her fox ears twitched. Her fluffy tail gently rocked. Was I dreaming? She was gone. I shouldn’t be seeing her. “You inherited my dream. Don’t you stop now.” “B-but…” “You can still make it. Nobody’s dead.” Her harsh and kind words of encouragement tugged at my chest. “It’ll all be over if you don’t do anything. I dreamed of creating a world where everyone could choose their place to die—but as it stands, that vampire is headed for an unreasonable death. Idiot. She hasn’t given any thought to what I was trying to do.” “Do you mean Spica…?” “Yeah, I’m talking about her. Which is why I’m asking you.” I remembered the vow I made with this foxgirl. To make her dream come true. To not let anybody die. To not let anybody suffer. But… “I can’t move… What am I supposed to do…?” “Sometimes, willpower remains even after the body decays. The people of Lunar Village taught me that. You just need a little more… Use mine.” She placed her hand on my head. She smiled frailly, like she had that one time. Her silhouette got blurry. Like she was melting into the light. She was right. I didn’t want to save the world if it meant sacrificing somebody. I wanted everyone to survive. I wanted a world where nobody was missing. I couldn’t stop now. I couldn’t let a little tower knock me down. “It’s in your hands now. I know you can do it.” Her voice was distorted. Fuyao vanished with the wind. I reached out for her. “Fuyao!!” I sat up. Sat up? What was I doing? Fuyao appeared before me even though we’d parted in Neoplus. She entrusted me with everything and disappeared… Had that been a dream? It couldn’t be. “T-Terakomari! Are you okay?!” “?!” I heard a voice next to me. I turned and saw a vampire with glowing red eyes—Colette Lumiere looked at me with worry. Huh? Colette? What are you doing here…? “Lady Komari! Are you all right?!” “Uwawah!” The sicko maid threw herself into my arms. My mind was foggy. I wasn’t keeping up with the situation. “Are you hurt?! Should I lick your wounds?! Oh, you’re uninjured, thank goodness! Aaaahhh! Your clothes are a mess! Your soft, fair skin is all exposed! I can’t let anybody see this. Come here, I’ll cover you with my body!” “Waaah?! Give me some space to breathe!” “Vill! Calm down!” Colette peeled the sicko off me. “Lady Komariii!!” Vill bellowed, writhing like a monster. I appreciate the concern, but please behave yourself. “Umm, Colette, why are you here?” “I followed Vill and the girls! I don’t like you leaving me behind just because I can’t fight. There are things I can do… But maybe it’s too late now.” A cold wind blew up from my feet. I looked around in shock. There were traces of atrocity everywhere. Wrecked buildings and gouged earth. And right next to me, a giant hole leading to hell. That idiot Luxmio had thrown the God Slayer Tower at me. I was lucky enough to survive, but what about everybody else? “They’re all okay. Nobody is gravely injured. Lord Amatsu tripped and fainted, but he should wake up soon,” Vill said. Nelia, Sakuna, Lingzi, Esther… My friends noticed I was awake and came running to me. “You okay?!” “How are you feeling?!” “You should stay down and rest!” They exclaimed one after the other. “H-huh? But how…?” “Thanks to you!” Nelia patted my head. “You blocked Luxmio’s attack, and nobody was hurt. You also got away at the last moment… Thank goodness…” “I got away?” I was sure I had been a bloody mess after the tower crashed into me. My uniform was stained with blood, too. And I could kinda tell from the smell that it was mine. So what happened? “Terakomari.” Colette grabbed my sleeve with a sad look on her face. “I heard a voice.” “A voice?” “From someone called Fuyao.” I was at a loss for words. Colette furrowed her brow. “My power…lets me call the souls of the dead. I can’t just summon anyone, but I can be the messenger for someone who wishes hard to be heard…” “Y-you’re right…!” I weakly pulled myself up. Sakuna and Lingzi helped me to my feet. “Lady Komari?” Vill looked at me with suspicion. It was just like in Neoplus. “Nobody is gravely injured.” Vill was wrong. There was somebody missing. My terrorist pal wasn’t here. “Colette, where’s Spica…?” “Fuyao said she fell into the hole with the enemy.” “…” The gaping chasm right next to us. I couldn’t see the bottom, but I could feel an ominous aura coming from it. The pit was connected to hell. It was punishment created by the Devil—a means of ruining the world. “Vill! We gotta go help her!” “L-Lady Komari…?” I couldn’t stand for this. I could not accept this ending. I didn’t want to lose anyone anymore. I had endured too much grief in Neoplus. I didn’t want to feel that again. I needed that arrogant and naive little terrorist to bring peace to the Netherworld and create paradise. My friends stared straight at me. They felt my determination. We had no time to lose. I clenched my fist and took a step toward that hellish hole. The effects of the sun drug came back with a vengeance. The blood I’d sucked from Terakomari only restored me for a while. Liu Luxmio seemed to think Terakomari had influenced my choice to die. That couldn’t be more wrong. Across these six hundred years, after losing so many of my companions, I realized something: Life is meant to be in the shadow of death. Even after one’s body leaves this world, so long as one remains in the hearts of the people left behind, they are alive. If someone was taking up my dream and completing paradise, then it didn’t matter if the body of Spica La Gemini lived or died. I came to understand this idea—the philosophy of eternity—after seeing what became of Fuyao and Terakomari. “Back off! I will not end up like this!” Luxmio tried to shake me off with his belts. He sent them plunging into my shoulders and stomach, but I did not let go. My dream would be over if he escaped. My and Naturia’s plans would terminate if his claws reached Inverse Moon or Terakomari and her friends. This was fine. I had worked hard for this. I had no regrets. I shouldn’t have had any. I shouldn’t… Yet the deeper we fell into hell, the more my body trembled. I was afraid of not getting to see my dream come to fruition. But it was okay. Terakomari would do better than me. That bloodthirsty vampire would realize the world Naturia and I wished for. So there was nothing to worry about. I closed my eyes. Then, I heard a voice from the pits of hell. A nostalgic voice—the voice of my dear friend. I looked down in shock. She. After disappearing into the tower, Naturia… No. I couldn’t do anything about it now. As my thoughts wandered into the future paradise, I whispered, “I’m counting on you, Terakomari…” “I gotcha covered.” I opened my eyes in disbelief. Another vampire was falling down the hole, a trail of crimson mana flowing behind her. A vampire of dazzling bloodlust, whose infinite kindness enveloped all. Terakomari Gandesblood. Next to her was a maid brimming with blue mana. Ahh. The two-winged match I’d wanted to achieve. If only Naturia and I could have been like this. But forget about that now. “A-are you stupid?! What are you doing here?!” I shouted. “Saving you.” “Wh-what?!” “I don’t want anyone else to die…” “…!” “Lucky me!!” Luxmio yelled as he shot a belt. His goal was to kill Terakomari. Now there was no point in my bringing him down to die with me—but not for the reasons I thought. Terakomari slashed the belt with her hand and approached Luxmio at the speed of light. The Fool’s eyes widened as her foot dug into his cheek. “Gwah!” A short shriek. “Don’t move.” Villhaze stabbed him with two kunais. Luxmio hacked up blood and lost his balance. This was enough to make me slide off him and fall headfirst into the abyss. You reckless… As I clicked my tongue and let gravity pull me down, I felt a squeeze. “You okay?” Terakomari had zoomed below me and gently caught me. The sweet smell of blood tickled my nose. Her tender crimson eyes stared straight into mine. A smile escaped me. I’d been ready to die. I’d steeled my mind. But now, somehow, I felt warm inside. I could feel her mana injecting itself into my body. But that wasn’t all. Her infectious kindness was setting my heart ablaze. “Haaah.” Villhaze looked at me with a sigh. “Lady Gemini… Pick yourself back up.” “Huh…?” “Lady Komari wants to save you. I’ll be mad if you die here.” “…” I understood. This was Terakomari Gandesblood. The shut-in vampire to match up to me. I did a quick bit of thinking before shouting, “Change of plans! We’ll think about the sacrifice for Naturia later!” “?” “It would be an even greater victory if we kill the Fool! Terakomari, you came all the way here for me. You’ll help me kill him, right? You better not say no!” Terakomari nodded. I felt another smile come to my face. Using her—No. Working alongside her, Liu Luxmio was no threat. “Foolish.” Luxmio spun his belts around to float above us. His eyes brimmed with hatred. Pure abhorrence for the destroyers of order. “Go to hell.” He still had power left in him. After his quiet statement, an infinity of belts spread from his body. Liu Luxmio had no power left in him. His body and soul were used up the moment he unleashed the final implosion. But he had to kill them. The status quo could not be destroyed. The hell of the sixth world could not be repeated. Insaint’s wishes could not be ruined. Spica’s eyes glowed scarlet again. Thoom. He felt his body get paralyzed. Her Core Implosion slowed down the flow of all things. Strength didn’t mean anything under these conditions. His belts were dreadfully slow. The Blood Curse wasn’t the only threat. Across these six centuries, Spica La Gemini had developed a power that could destroy the world. But it was still manageable. “Gfh!” Blows to his feet and hands. Kunais sent from the past plunged into him. Terakomari’s maid, Villhaze, glared at him with glowing eyes. “You won’t get in Lady Komari’s way.” “Impossible…” Vast, powerful mana swirled below him. Terakomari and Spica raised their palms to the sky—to the foolish devil. The next instant, a giant ray shot up from in between them. His belts were reduced to tatters, and searing pain coursed through his entire body. A gust of wind cleared the dark clouds, and Luxmio was blown back the way he came. “GWAAAH!!” The torrent of light tore a hole in the chasm as it rose. The next thing he knew, he was outside the pit. He heard people’s prayers. Criticisms of the Fool’s actions. Nobody wished for order. They all wanted revolution—a change for peace like the kind Terakomari Gandesblood and Spica La Gemini had worked for. “It’s over.” Ahh. The threat of these girls was boundless. He should have killed them on sight instead of wasting time with the execution. But there was no point lamenting it now. Their eyes shone to an enviable degree. It was poison to Luxmio, who’d decided to stay in one place after his dreams and ambitions were stolen by war. “I see. I was incapable…” He never had a ghost of a chance to defeat their light. He had no hope but to leave it to the other Fools. Luxmio closed his eyes in resignation. The next moment… KRAKAKK! It was the sound of the world breaking. The sky shattered. He saw the world on the other side—an upside-down town. The hot springs of Frezier in the first world. The Netherworld was no longer a source of nutrients. The six-hundred-year-long order was destroyed. Now reigned the age of chaos. Or would these two be able to overcome it? Either way, it meant nothing to Luxmio anymore. The sun shone brightly on the Fool as he closed his eyes. His power of flight was long lost, and he fell headfirst into the town, his wishes unfulfilled. “…?!” I felt a striking unease. The Blood Curse was cooling down. My consciousness was clearing up. I was falling into the hole with Spica and Vill, but… “Lady Komari! Hold on tight!” “Huh? Wha…?” …all of a sudden, Vill started rising against gravity. We were pushed away from the pit of hell and toward heaven. But one of us was still falling into the abyss. “Spica!!” The pigtailed vampire accelerated deathward to the opposite direction. She wore a bold smile on her face as she chanted, “Dark Cores—close the pit to hell, create a gate bridging the Foreworld and Netherworld, return my companions to their world, and lead me to Naturia’s side.” “…!” The six Dark Cores floated around her with a whirl of mana. She had already poured her wish into it. When had she done so? No, that didn’t matter. She was falling down. I had to get her. Had to reach out. I didn’t want to lose a friend again. But my body was frozen. The surge of mana pushed me and Vill out of the hole. “Dammit… We gotta help her!” “It’s no use! We can’t beat the Dark Cores…” “SPICAAA!” What was she thinking? Why was she going to the pits of hell? Luxmio was defeated. The miasma and Varmints were gone, too, somehow. All that was left was to build paradise. Spica grinned and whispered, “It’s not enough to fulfill my wish.” “What? What’s not enough?” “I need Naturia. My six-hundred-year journey isn’t over yet.” Right. The Miko was crucial to create paradise. Nothing could begin without Naturia. “But! Then I’ll go, too! Let’s look for her together!” “The Dark Cores will guide me. I don’t need your help.” “But I’m worried about you! What if you die…?” “You’re so impossibly kindhearted. But don’t you worry.” Spica put on a bold smirk. I couldn’t believe my eyes. She wasn’t going down with the ship. There was not a shred of deadly conviction or stubbornness in her eyes. They were clear and burning with willpower. It wasn’t like Fuyao—Spica hadn’t given up in the slightest. “I am not going to die. There’s still stuff I gotta do.” “Spica…” “I’m jealous of you, Terakomari. You and Villhaze… Which is why I’m gonna get Naturia! Just like when you and your friends set out for Lehysia!” I got a weird feeling in my chest—an extraordinary sense of empathy.