The One resembled a talking dog, but according to him, he was an alien being of pure mind merely possessing the body of a dog. And a servant of the devil too, at least by Marine’s estimation.
He’d baited Marine into using the Faceless Power, knowing full well what would happen.
“You tricked me!” Marine screamed.
But The One just smiled back.
“Hahaha! Give power to a life form, and it always ends up the same way. That’s all there is to it.”
“And if that’s not trickery, what is?” In this moment, Marine gave up on negotiating with The One. He accelerated his body to smash his fist into the dog’s face. But...
—Why?!
Marine’s body froze. He couldn’t move forward. He couldn’t even raise a fist. It was like his body was moving through a sea of heavy mud.
“Ha, hah!” The One laughed.
“I’m using something like hypnosis! I subjected you to it when I saved you. You can’t attack me. When I’m up against someone strong like you, it’s important to take precautions.”
“It can’t be... an implant?!”
There was no way to control another person’s mind with normal magic. With one exception. You could implant a device inside their body, where their mana was strongest.
“Very perceptive. That’s right. I can’t just take over completely, after all. I need you to use the Faceless Power...”
“Tch... You’re going to make me use it again? We’re already at the point where a world war is unavoidable...”
“Yes, we’ve succeeded in causing a world war. But I’m interested in what happens after that,” The One said.
“There’s... more?” Marine’s face twisted in even greater terror. He’d never even considered that they were planning something greater than a world war.
“That’s right. I’m going to destroy the world in a way you’d never expect. And for that to happen, I need the Faceless Power. And I’ll need more help from your subjects.”
Just then, an alarm sounded as a hole was blasted in the side of the airship. The One and Marine both looked up, confused at what had just happened. Akuto slowly walked out of the smoke, after blasting through the wall with overwhelming force. Neither Marine nor The One could say a single word.
There was no way they could’ve predicted that a man would fly toward their ship at a speed too fast to detect, blast straight through several walls, and then slowly walk toward them.
Akuto opened his mouth.
“I’m not interested in what you have to say.”
His voice was low, like a growl. It chilled Marine to his very bones. But at the same time, he couldn’t bring himself to look away. Along with the fear, he felt an incredible attraction. The same thing was true for The One.
“Have you come bearing death, cursed one?” The One asked. There was fear in his voice, but also a note of praise. But The One’s actions were those of a creature acting out of fear.
He grabbed the Jeweled Branch in his mouth, and jumped on top of a pilot’s seat that was shaped like a dog’s bed.
“I may be old, but I’m not senile enough to try and face you head on!” The One said, as shutters came down and sealed off the whole cockpit.
On the other side of the shutters, you could hear the sound of air pressure changing. The cockpit had probably been ejected from the airship.
Normally Akuto would’ve broken through the shutters and chased after him, but at this point he was far from sane. There was telling what he’d do.
“You killed Junko!” He charged thoughtlessly at Marine and attacked.
Marine raised a hand to try and block, but a torrent of power swept over him that made that impossible. Without even thinking, Marine used the Faceless Power. A light made of compressed mana, and a different, dazzling light, exploded between them.
“Gaah!”
“Guh!”
The two of them both moaned in pain and fell back from one another. There still seemed to be a burning heat in the air between them.
“That power...! Is that power what killed Junko?!” Akuto screamed.
“This... power...” Marine stared down at his hands.
He’d just used a power that wasn’t mana in combat. He could feel it. This was the same power that the Republic’s people had used to destroy the coast. The Faceless Power. A mysterious power that unleashed massive destruction in response to a strong human will. A forbidden power that The One had encouraged him to use freely.
Marine could feel that the power had reacted to his own will. His fear of Akuto and his self-defense instincts had caused it to activate.
“Did that evil within you kill her?” Akuto howled.
His power began to grow again. It was coming off him in waves of tangible pressure.
The mana was spreading out around him in a ball. And at the ball’s center, Akuto made it explode.
“Gwoah!”
Marine used the Faceless Power again. If he hadn’t, the shock wave would’ve ripped him apart. It was too much for the airship, which was torn apart from the inside.
How much power it would take to do that...
Marine didn’t want to think about it.
A warship like this would have armor only slightly less thick than a tank. And Akuto had blown it apart like a bursting balloon. Of course, Marine was just as capable of the impossible. The Faceless Power easily shielded him from it.
Fragments of the airship began to fall to the ground around him. The two of them were at the center of the explosion, but both were unharmed. Marine’s feelings about the Faceless Power were complex. It seemed equal in strength to Akuto’s mana. He had the power to fight Akuto, if he wanted.
Without it, he was dead, but it was hard to imagine such power as this not coming with a price. And then there was what The One had said to consider, as well.
“Stop this at once! You and I shouldn’t fight!” Marine shouted.
Akuto was unimpressed.
“Uwoooah!”
He rushed toward Marine once more.
Marine hadn’t lost control, and despite its incredible power, it would’ve been fairly easy for him to dodge Akuto’s charge. But instead, he blocked.
“Nuh...!”
He collided with Akuto head on. There was the sound of an explosion as their two powers collided. They both grimaced. But Akuto kept up his attack without slowing down.
“Uwooooaaah!”
Punches rained down on Marine. But Marine still just tried to block. And instead of using the Faceless Power, he blocked it with his own mana.
“Gaaah...!
He was blocking with his own mana-enhanced arms, but Akuto was using every ounce of his power. In the blink of an eye, his arms had sustained incredible damage.
“So this is your rage... your hatred....”
Marine had the vague idea that this was his punishment. Perhaps the Faceless Power was too much for humans to play with... For a single moment, Akuto’s fists stopped.
“What are you doing...?” Akuto asked.
“Well... The only time a man can lose his cool is when his parents or lover are killed. And that’s probably what’s happening to you right now. But... I see in you a man who bears the fate of an entire country. And thus, as someone who wishes to speak to you as an equal, it is my duty to endure your fury until you regain your senses.”