Mushi Uta:Volume 8 Chapter 5

5.00 The Beast and the Beast

Walking through the alley assaulted by the strong downpour, he felt as if he'd entered inside a painting.

In the space full of vacant houses, there was no other sound than that of rain. Bizarre people wearing black were collapsed around, covered in the water flowing to the gutter. He didn't see anyone who seemed to be mortally wounded, but none of the people seemed about to get up.

The alley itself contained no traces of battle. All of the collapsed people looked as if they had been expelled from a different space.

Even so the slightly remaining dreary atmosphere was being cleaned by the severe rain.

A dirty alley and a cleansing rain.

And one other thing.

There was a statue kneeling on the ground and facing the rainy sky as if praying to god.

Perhaps it had been a human a while before—supporting this impression was one part of the blackened skin that still retained a normal skin tone. Also, the small lights that could be seen from the gaps in the cloth covering the face were perhaps his eyes.

The hoodie-wearing boy approached the statue. Putting both hands inside his pocket and keeping the hood on, he looked down the statue.

He heard a cracking sound coming from the statue's mouth.

The statue facing toward the heavens wore the smile of a beast. It was the smile of someone living alone, finding their place and fighting until the very end to protect it.

"—Yo, Kusuriya Daisuke."

It was unexpected he could still speak. Unsuited to his appearance, his voice was casual as if he was merely chatting.

He was sure the other boy had already died or at least become a Fallen.

Yet he wasn't surprised. He opened his mouth without any smile.

"Yo, Kusuriya Daisuke."

There was a bandage on the boy's cheeks hidden by the hood. Other than that he had no distinguishing features—unlike the statue with his handsome face barely visible, his was just plain normal.

"You're late. Why have you come here?"

"I am late. What should I do?"

"I wore those clothes the day before yesterday."

"I wore those clothes three days ago."

"So Kirari was also taking care of you. She really is too kind."

"Because she didn't know who of us was Kusuriya Daisuke… or so she said."

Silence befell. —The statue tried laughing, but no sound came out.

The hooded boy gazed down the unmoving statue.

Which of them was a statue? Even the question of which of them had the expression of someone heading toward their death was vague. The boy thought that the statue in front of him looked much more "alive" than he was.

"I've heard about you from Kirari. You have also—"

There wasn't even the faintest trace of any motivation in the hoodie boy's voice.

"Been tortured by your Mushi's rampage, shamefully begged for your life to those trampling on you, ran away pathetically from your delusions, and feared a monster—meaning me, right?"

"You're the one who's been tortured by his Mushi, shamefully tried to repent and escaped from an illusion, on top of being scared of a monster—which was me, right?"

"Well, we don't even know which of us is Kusuriya Daisuke now."

"Obviously? Because both of us are Kusuriya Daisuke."

The hooded boy looked with clouded eyes toward the lively statue.

"You—who were you?"

"How many times do I have to say? I'm Kusuriya Daisuke."

The statue's voice sounded cheerful.

"But, a while before… I might have been in the crazy place called the Annihilators."

"…"

"Do you know about the experiments conducted by the Central HQ?"

"I don't care. No need to ask. After all it's—"

"Well, just listen. Think you're looking into a mirror. …There's this thing called the Fragment of Diorestoi. It's the Fragment of this sort of community or network known as Shinpu. I don't know why the SEPB's in possession of that thing, but—"

The statue spoke quickly as if giving a lecture. His tone had a cynical smile mixed in with it, but he didn't stammer. He didn't stop. Words came flying out of his mouth as if he was a machine spitting out its records.

"—And, well, if you also use C's ability, you can abuse it quite a bit. The Annihilators also kept lengthening the experiments. By stimulating the Fragment, you can amplify its ability. There were still many side effects, though… I was an exception even among them; they attempted to fix the Fragment itself onto my Mushi. Most of the Annihilators including me were strong, but none of them lived long. Maybe those who could are only monsters like Shera or Harukiyo…"

"…"

"What I know is only the result they acquired at the current time. The amplification of an ability and pseudo-revival from Fallen state—since the reviver Fuyuhotaru appeared, perhaps they used the Fragment for that kind of experiment as well… but anyway, in the end I hadn't been able to investigate what the experiment's goals were."

"What do you mean by investigate? Where have you come from before joining the—"

"Who knows…? I've already forgotten."

"Why are you talking to me about this?"

"Isn't it obvious? Do I look like I can go and tell anyone else about it?"

"I'm already… I can't use my Mushi's power anymore. If I use it, I won't be able to go back. Nobody needs a Mushitsuki like that."

"Wasn't it someone else who decided that?"

The statue looked at the same things the hooded boy had seen so far.

The eyes of those who pushed his back in exchange for stopping.

Those who couldn't help but stop walking there.

There was much hatred and anger, envy and jealousy.

However, there were slight hope and expectation, as well as—his dream embedded inside his chest.

All of them were saying the same thing.

Move just one step forward.

A bit further.

Go on.

Run.

"I'm tired…"

The hoodie boy hung his head.

The statue laughed.

"Don't be spoiled."

"Haven't I done enough already?"

"You can still go further."

"It's impossible…"

"Don't say that."

"I'm not strong at all…"

"I know. I'm Kusuriya Daisuke after all."

The statue remained with both knees on the dirty ground, his face pelted with clear rain.

There was another sound of cracking and the statue's smile deepened.

"So… Kusuriya Daisuke will die here once."

The hooded boy widened his eyes.

"I don't have a choice, right? You're a troublesome guy."

With his pupils that seemed about to lose their light any moment, the statue asserted this as if he had reached enlightenment.

No, he probably knew it.

What they held was similar, as well as their pains.

The only difference was—

One had stood in place, and the other was still standing on the ground. Just that.

"Isn't that so? I can die once. So in exchange—"

The statue said.

"I'll give you my secret."

"Secret…"

"Even someone like me fell in love."

"…"

"Right now that girl's probably a Mushitsuki with a beautiful pattern on her body—"

The smile vanished from the statue.

"She's a coward and a weakling… just a normal kid unsuited to be a Mushitsuki."

For an instant, the statue's cheek hit by the rain was colored by a more transparent liquid.

Was this his last remaining liveliness? The final drop?

The statue's eyelids were slowly closing.

"So, Kusuriya Daisuke… If I go and die here, you should be able to keep walking for a while…"

The hooded boy bit his lips.

The sound of a shuffle announced the boy turning on his heels. With his lifeless eyes directed at the ground, he walked inside the raining alley.

"I'll… die in your place… so…"

"—Wait."

Just for a little bit.

The vanishing flames would burn somewhere else.

As if returning something entrusted to him—

"Please be Kusuriya Daisuke for just a little while longer."

A little light returned to the eyes of the boy walking in an unsteady gait.

He didn't fully understand it.

Each of the two had about half of the name Kusuriya Daisuke.

"Fuhaha—"

His voice was hoarse and mumbled, but it was undoubtedly a laugh.

"This is the best… place to die… my dream is finally…"

"…"

"The world's looking. It's watching what's going on in your country…"

Still expressionless, the hooded boy didn't look back.

"But, for just a little bit more—I'll let you off the hook."

Although of a different face and shape, they were both beasts.

One looked for a place he belonged to so he could live in it, while the other sought a place where he could die.

The two Kusuriya Daisukes thus parted.

5.01 Marker-user VS The Annihilators' Shera Part 2

Central Headquarters considered Fusion-Type Mushitsuki dangerous.

They possessed terrifying powers and would never yield to anyone.

The one who stopped the coup d'état incident a few years ago, stopped the rampage of the powerful Mushitsuki Fuyuhotaru and even defeated Lady Bird's Maturation was Kakkou.

As long as this power that could stop even the incidents that made the entire country almost give up was under control, everything was fine.

However, if that power went out of control, it was obvious an unprecedented catastrophe would occur.

Overly strong power was merely dangerous.

And now a new power was born.

What on earth would that Mushitsuki—do against the country?

"Waaah… hick, uuh…"

In the substation hit by the strong rain, Yamamoto Rau faced that Mushitsuki.

The newly born Fusion-Type Mushitsuki—Tanaka Momo—was crying.

On the body of the girl leaking her sobs there was a pattern glowing in rainbow colors. Her clothes were torn and her hair was wet. Having fallen to the ground countless times, her cheeks were covered in dirt.

The tip of the marker she held in one hand was emitting a bright, white light. The glowing pattern passed through her fingers and permeated even that marker.

From the report of Ashimaki, who came in contact with this new Fusion-Type first, she should've had no special abilities. However, seeing that Ashimaki and the rest have been defeated after this report, Momo probably did develop some kind of power.

"A marker, huh… even your ability is Tanaka Momo-like."

Rau muttered in a gloomy voice. Since the black body suit covered her entire body including her face, her voice was low, so Momo didn't notice her.

Tanaka Momo was the student of Rau who infiltrated the school under the guise of a teacher.

"Waaaahhh!"

Swinging up her fist, the girl charged toward Rau with the speed of a bullet.

The student called Tanaka Momo was a problem child.

Yet she had an artistic sense. She was blessed with sensitivity, and she was continuously extending her antenna to create something new—this was the normal high schooler she was.

"No…"

Rau clenched her fist. She closed her eyes and calmed herself.

It didn't matter who her opponent was.

Rau had already killed many boys and girls of Momo's age. This would just increase the number of people she killed by one.

"You—you're simply the dangerous Marker-User."

With her eyes still closed, she moved to the side to dodge Momo's fist.

Although it had speed and overwhelming power, it was still the attack of a normal girl. It would never hit someone like Rau who underwent grueling training and who had experienced being on the verge of death for many years.

"I will erase all dangerous elements. Die."

The moment when she opened both eyes, Rau blew Momo aside with her right fist.

This impact, much like a direct hit from a steel ball, blew the girl's torso away along with a spray of rainwater.

Rotating in air, the girl's body crashed to the ground. Causing it to cave in, she kept rolling backward, crashing into the forest of poles. The steel-made column broke, with ripped power lines dancing in the air.

"…"

While feeling a tremor, Rau let leak a gloomy sigh.

Rau completed her duty.

She would simply confirm Tanaka Momo's corpse and leave town.

She would also finally be released from the annoying days of being manipulated by the kids of the Visual Design course.

However, something happened when she dragged her legs like the usual in order to get to Momo's body.

"…Tch."

A sharp pain ran through her.

Since Momo was much too defenseless, Rau had apparently hurt her fist with using her whole might.

Feeling shame at this silly injury, she looked down her fist.

"…"

Rau furrowed her brows.

She had forgotten which fist she used to hit Momo.

Right? Left? No, was it even a fist?

She felt no pain in either hand. It didn't seem like she hurt herself.

Even so—the pain that nearly caused her to fall wasn't gone.

—You're a good teacher, yeah.

Throb.

For some reason, when Momo's smile rose to her mind, another pain ran through her.

What hurt was something in the inner depths of her chest.

"…"

Inside the suit, her gloomy face grimaced.

It was just an illusion.

Or perhaps she'd been hurt around her chest in the battle against Hakamori a little while ago without noticing. Either way it should heal soon.

Her fist that could pulverize even an armored vehicle slayed dangerous Mushitsuki.

Now that she accomplished her mission, Rau tried dragging her legs again.

"Coatlll…!"

There was a voice from beneath the metal wreckage.

Rau's face strained.

"—Heaaad!"

A large spear was blown toward her brow.

"Nwoh!"

She felt like she was trying to stop a tank's shot. She barely managed to grasp this object that was apparently part of the steel pole. Just her body suit wasn't enough to stop the projectile's momentum, so Rau's legs sank into the ground. A second later, an explosive wind brought by the pillar blew through the substation.

Yet the unthinkable recoil didn't stop at that.

Part of the stopped pillar had a blue glowing mark on it.

"Coatl Head"—Rau knew the name of that symbol.

The mark's light burst.

"…!"

Rau had her intuition because she'd gone through many battlefields. She immediately threw the blue, glowing pillar away.

However, she wasn't able to fully avoid the effect. The part of the suit covering her right arm that was touched by the light dissolved.

That ability was the same as Hakamori's—Mushi-killing power…!

Even if the effect was the same, Shinpu's decaying power felt different.

If she had to classify it, this was "cleansing".

A baby blue glow that inflicted no wounds on humans and merely erased Mushi.

"So that's what defeated Ashimaki and the rest…!"

"UuuUUhhh!"

Her groan mixed with a sob, Tanaka Momo leapt out of the forest of steel.

There were bruises on her temples where she received Rau's blow and one of her eyes was heavily bloodshot. Yet this damage wasn't fatal.

"Y-you—"

Rau again confirmed that the enemy in front of her was a Fusion Type Mushitsuki.

She was different at the root from the other Mushitsuki she'd fought against until now—

"I'll definitely… kill you."

Rau's expression changed.

Momo was probably trying to draw directly on her body suit. She easily evaded Momo's thrust marker, hitting her in the abdomen with a heavy counter.

"Bpeh!"

"Now you'll die."

Producing a quasi-plastic bomb in her open fist, she made it detonate.

The explosive flames swallowed Momo.

She killed countless targets using that bomb.

She killed this and this person using it—these sorts of memories resurfaced.

"…"

Rau grimaced, erasing the people that rose to her mind.

Although Momo hadn't been reduced to smithereens, she fell onto the crushed ground.

There were no enemies who wouldn't collapse after a direct hit from that bomb. Even Shinpu's Church was destroyed.

She felt a small pain in her chest—and just a slight bit of relief.

This should definitely defeat her—

"Co—"

Rau widened her eyes.

Momo's arm moved. Her trembling marker drew something on her forehead.

"Coatl… Head…"

The body of the collapsed girl was enveloped in a glow of vivid orange.

Since Rau was an arts teacher, she knew that color's official name.

Vivid reddish blue—a marigold of healing.

"T-that ability… no way—"

Seeing the girl instantly raise her body, Rau groaned in shock.

She was aware to a painful degree how agitated she was. Even finding out that Hakamori was alive wasn't this much of a shock.

"You were actually listening to my lessons…?"

She realized it in a glance.

Tanaka Momo's ability was obviously influenced by Rau's classes.

When Momo fought against Rau's Annihilators subordinates she hadn't used the marker. Even so, was able to use this to gain further power.

She was evolving—

The new Fusion Type, Tanaka Momo, was rapidly evolving in the midst of battle.

With her flexible thinking.

With her impressionable imagination.

She was blooming with unlimited possibilities.

And the one who made it all possible was her teacher, Yamamoto Rau.

"You liar…"

She had created this dangerous Mushitsuki by her own hands.

She had been putting the cart before the horse; this was an unsalvageable failure.

But even so—

"You were properly listening to my lectures—"

Rau felt happiness unsuitable for this situation.

Rau met with the moment when her student's talent bloomed.

This kind of happiness was probably felt only by very few teachers. Confirming the potential of the next generation from up close with her own eyes was bliss.

She had simply donned the mask of a teacher for her job as an assassin.

Worried by her troublesome students, she only thought of them as annoying.

However, now that she was trying to kill her by those hands, during this very moment—

Her problem student's brush ripped away her mask as an assassin, forcibly making her wear the mask of a teacher—

"Uuuh!"

As she kicked the ground, Momo's wounds were healed. The damage she received from the first attack also healed, but instead her body was swaying with fatigue.

Rau stuck out her arm, transforming her suit to countless needles and aiming them at Momo.

She also killed many people using this ability.

—I won.

That girl, who had been smiling even while being skewered, was called Haemori Ako.

Although only a little, the footage left by Ako had been definitely broadcasted into the world. However, since Rau killed her, it was supposed to be her win.

Or perhaps—whatever Ako had left was still living somewhere?

Had she been unable to win anything?

Seeing the potential of Tanaka Momo, Rau ended up thinking of such things.

All those children possessed a power that not even Mushi could compare to—

"…So stupid."

Momo evaded the launched needles by clumsily rolling on the ground.

If she possessed a power even stronger than Mushi, there was nothing more dangerous than that.

So Rau had no choice but nipping it in the bud.

Watching her growth was absurd.

"Die…!"

As it took Momo everything she had just to rise up again, she couldn't possibly dodge Rau's repeated needle attack. Since her opponent was a civilian it was obvious.

"Coatl Head—"

At the same time as Momo's mumble the area was filled with a pure, white light.

In the center of the light was the ground Momo rolled upon. A mark was being drawn in white ink.

"…!"

Had she drawn it the moment she rolled?

Rau accepted her own miscalculation.

Although her movements were those of a civilian, Tanaka Momo was still a VD1 student. This girl was always drawing something; this was the nature of problem child Tanaka Momo.

It was a neutralizing white—a pure white that painted over anything.

The moment they touched the light, the needles launched by Rau lost their power. They bent down the instant before piercing Momo's head, falling to the ground.

Rau's ability lost its effect and Momo stepped on the needles that now were mere resin.

"So it's ability nullification…!"

"Waaah!"

Leaping forward, Momo thrust out her marker toward Rau.

Yet Rau easily sidestepped the girl's arm, launching a high kick. The girl's thin body sank into the ground along with a roar.

Rau produced a bomb in hands and tried finishing her off. Yet seeing a glow on the ground at her feet, she reflexively leapt backward.

"…!"

The moment after she collapsed, Momo drew a blue mark on the ground.

Although Rau managed to escape the range of baby blue, she dropped the bomb.

There was a large explosion.

Without waiting for the explosive roar to settle, Momo plunged through the wall of smoke to pursue Rau.

"Waah!"

The girl reached out, trying to grab Rau's arm.

Yet Rau slapped the girl's hand aside, repeating the kick.

"Ghi!"

Momo grimaced. Grinding her teeth, she reached again.

"Agh! Ii! Gwah! Uugh!"

Even while directly hit by Rau's attacks, Momo didn't give up. She tried grabbing Rau's body using her left hand but swiped through empty air, extending the marker in her right hand to receive a counter.

"Aaah!"

"…!"

When the girl's fingers finally grazed her shoulders, Rau felt a shiver.

If Momo managed to grab her—would she be able to shake off her superhuman strength?

There was no method to evade Momo's reckless movements. Her ability was powerful, but if an extremely close-range type didn't land her blows it had no meaning. She had the confidence she could keep evading hundreds of attacks.

However, would she be able to keep doing that in the thousands?

Imagining this, she felt a chill.

She knew that starting from the first attack using the steel column, Momo no longer hesitated.

When she'd manage to grab Rau the thousandth time, she would unerringly kill her—

"Coatl—"

"No you're not!"

After collapsing to the ground, she kicked Momo who was trying to draw.

"Ugh!"

She repeated a blade hand toward the chin of the girl facing upward.

However—

"…!"

Rau's attack cut through air.

Momo lowered her head, evading the hand blade.

The tip of the marker glowing in blue touched Rau's arm. The cold sensation of the marker pressing on her ran on her ample chest.

"WOOOOH!"

The mask of a cold assassin vanished from Rau's expression. With the expression not of a kind teacher, either, but of a simple Mushitsuki scared of loss, she detonated the bomb in her hand.

The occurring explosion separated Rau from Momo.

"Guh…!"

Rau also received damage from her bomb, grimacing.

"Coatl Head…!"

While breathing heavily, Momo used the marigold mark on her forehead to heal.

She was strong—

Rau transformed her suit, growing long needles from her whole body.

"But you're not going to win against me—"

This Mushitsuki exceeded all of Rau's expectations. She had never met such a strong enemy.

But she knew the effects of blue, white and yellow now.

While she was in the midst of evolving, Rau's advantage shouldn't waver.

"UUUuuuUUh!"

However, seeing the marker of the groaning Momo, she went speechless.

Blue, white, yellow—weren't the only colors.

The color of light on the glowing marker was changing. It was as if—

"She's still searching for more…?"

An unconscious groan leaked from Rau's mouth.

The marker's glow was wrapped in pitch black.

The black that was on the opposite side of pure white—a perfect black that swallowed everything whole. She couldn't even imagine what would happen to her, were she swallowed by this dark domain.

Just when she thought this, it transformed to a vivid reddish purple. —In front of the alluring magenta glow, the resin needles created by Rau grew restive. She wasn't able to control it well and it hurt her body.

Momo had apparently chosen the next color.

She marked her own forehead and shouted.

"Coatl Headdd!!!"

It was a light like the marigold of healing, but different.

Vivid yellow—an invigorating dandelion. The pattern covering Momo's entire body glowed even brighter.

"—"

Rau became speechless and froze.

She possessed physical strength.

Her ample imagination, unbound by any mold, could create various powers.

She was ruthless and merciless.

Furthermore, all of those abilities were born in order to fight.

Was she actually this sort of scary being all along?

The girl that seemed as if she was born to become a Mushitsuki—Tanaka Momo.

Now, right in front of Rau's eyes, was the undisputable strongest Mushitsuki.

"…"

In order to intercept Momo's next attack thrusting at her, she readied her body.

However, the pressure she felt from Momo was unlike before. If she were to further enhance her power, it would already be far beyond anything Rau could do.

The sense of despair started crawling up her legs.

I'm going to be killed right here and now—

She had no way to stand against Momo who'd grown this much.

Is my dream going to end here…?

She gritted her teeth before this overwhelming enemy.

"—"

The world suddenly froze.

Her limbs stopped in place and even her breathing stopped. She couldn't move even a single finger.

But Tanaka Momo was stopped just the same.

Even the downpour of rain stopped in air.

While even her thinking was grinding to halt, Rau's eyes reflected a shadow wrapped around her arm.

A black miasma that colored her in darkness.

Diorestoi's Fragment—so something remained after I beat Hakamori…?!

The astonished Rau was moaning in her heart.

The polluted sound of a bell reverberated from somewhere.

When she came to, she was at an unknown place.

No.

Right now, Rau knew the place she was standing in.

A desolate floor and a broken chair. Broken stained glass and rusted lamps. The place where there should have been a statue was empty, and there was no one other than Rau.

Rau was standing alone inside the church filled with polluted miasma.

She could hear the broken bell sounds from somewhere. Every time she heard them the air grew staler, muddier, and clung around her entire body.

Her body suit was crumbling, and her silver-streaked hair was revealed.

"Why… am I here—"

Being violated by the polluted miasma, her thinking was paralyzed. As Rau started absently gazing around the church, a white caterpillar crawled on her arm.

"Once, thou have embraced thy dream here… A dream that was close to me…"

She heard a hoarse voice from somewhere.

A bell rang again.

"…"

The broken, ear-grating sound dragged out the memories buried inside Rau's inner depths.

Yamamoto Rau had been born in a small, poor country.

Going to a big city there were concrete buildings and cars, but only very few people could live there. Most of the citizens earned their keep as fishermen or farmers, and they'd never be able to live in the big city with such jobs.

Rau was born to that country's royal family.

Although the country had constitutional monarchy, there was nothing such as a queen. The one destined to become the king was the prince, so she was only fated to someday marry someone with influence.

Even her receiving high education was just because she was the royal daughter. She was called a heavenly maiden because she was blessed with intelligence, but because of that she couldn't understand the situation in her own country during her young days.

It was said that they kept their independence only because it was convenient for the neighboring powerful country. In exchange for that, however, they made only disadvantageous treaties with other countries, and the national finances were being sucked dry. As long as they wouldn't be able to break through the status quo in Rau's country, they would never diminish the numbers of families that lived by picking up trash and the children that staved off starvation by eating the worms that latched to trees.

When she'd come to this country as an exchange student, her thoughts changed to conviction.

For Rau, the height of this country's culture and its abundance were abnormal. Even excluding the fact it was one of the top three major nations in the world, it was more than enough for her to despair.

In order to compare to this world power, she had to acquire power like this country.

Rau couldn't even imagine a way of making this dream come true. And since she was convinced it couldn't be done, hatred rose inside her.

Her country was poor, but such big, plentiful countries also existed. This meant that one of them stole from another.

I'll steal it all back one day—

The hatred kept swelling inside young Rau.

I'll find some way to take control of this country—

Wishing for this, Rau became a Mushitsuki.

"A dream much too large for the royalty of such a miniscule country like thee…"

Becoming a Mushitsuki, Rau thought to herself.

—This is my chance.

No other country had the power called Mushi.

If she was able to decipher this power, she would be able to strengthen her own country.

"And yet thy feelings are strong… Thou, too, shalt try to attain the qualifications of the King…"

The runway student Rau was already treated as missing by her country.

And Rau had been caught by the SEPB. She said she was an illegal alien and kept living as a Mushitsuki. As a combatant of the SEPB, she kept waiting for someone to reveal the power of Mushi.

Until then, she needed this country to keep being big.

If some kind of danger weakened this country, it would create an opening for other countries. And if that happened, other countries might obtain the power of Mushi before her.

One day, Rau would steal the power of Mushi from this country, as long as it continued being a large power.

She'd take over this country.

That was what royal-born Rau thought of as her job.

"If thou swear to become the King and release me from my fetters, I shall grant thee power…"

The hoarse voice whispered to Rau standing in place.

"Right… To save my country I thought of taking control of this land…"

She remembered.

She recalled the hatred she'd felt about this country that was plentiful unlike her own.

The rage she felt toward this environment that was ridiculously different than hers.

"This is why… I protected this country, so that it would not be invaded by any country other than my own…"

And she had taken the life of many people.

She spent her days in infiltration and fighting behind the scenes as an assassin.

"I shalt give my power to thee, royal of a humble country…"

She was born as royalty, and became a Mushitsuki.

Ever since then, she kept living as an assassin.

And at some point she even obtained the mask of a teacher.

"Gaining power, will I… become a living corpse? Just like Hakamori."

The moment her memory was reborn, Rau recalled the power she'd gained through training. Strengthening her resistance to mental attacks, she distanced herself from Shinpu's miasma attempting to permeate her.

Rau had told Hakamori the following.

—You… who were you?

And he gave her an answer.

In this town that man was Kusuriya Daisuke—and he was also another Rau at the same time.

He was probably a soldier sent from somewhere abroad, planning to take control of this bountiful country.

Rau clenched her teeth.

Even if Rau and Hakamori were similar, he didn't reach the same path as her.

Only her own power would grant her dream.

She lived through countless battles for that.

And—she didn't make a mistake like Hakamori's.

She hadn't prioritized her feelings and stood in place.

She was decidedly emotionless.

She ignored anything other than her job, trying to take hold of her dream.

"A royalty of some remote region dares stand against me? I shalt—"

"Begone, trash."

Resolutely asserting this, Rau grabbed the caterpillar clinging to her arm.

"Although you'd made me a Mushitsuki, I will not succumb to you."

She had no reason to plead for help from Shinpu.

Rau would keep pressing ahead on her own blood-stained path.

All of it was the path she'd chosen.

No matter what ending waited for her, begging for her life was the only thing she couldn't do.

"You can gnash your teeth however much you'd like. —One day, I'll get everything from you."

She crushed the caterpillar.

The bell sounds stopped.

Inside the crumbling church, Rau faced forward.

On the other side of the collapsing space.

The one there—was none other than her strongest enemy.

Having denied Shinpu's whispers, Rau's consciousness was brought back to the real world.

As time resumed in the world, the grim reaper in front of her pressed forward.

"WAAAaaaAA!"

Tanaka Momo, the pattern on her body glowing, threw an unsophisticated punch at Rau.

"—"

Rau opened her mouth wide and shouted.

Had she ever let out such a loud voice in her entire life?

The scream flowing out of her throat was in her mother tongue that she hadn't used in many years. If she translated the words to Japanese—she couldn't think of any good words to represent it.

"WOOOH!"

Rau received Momo's attack with all of her might.

However, having been reinforced by the ability of dandelion, that blow was too heavy. Rau's arm was blown away and the girl's fist pierced her stomach.

"…!"

Even the body suit was unable to absorb the impact. Hearing her elbows break, Rau didn't lower her face. She knew the real attack would come next.

Just like she thought.

Next Momo stuck out the marker in her right arm.

Having anticipated the attack, Rau barely grabbed the hand of the girl grasping the marker.

Yet the gap in their strength was large. The glowing tip was slowly approaching Rau.

"Woooh!"

Rau howled again.

Still grasping the girl's arm, she created a quasi-plastic bomb in her arms and detonated it.

"AaaAAh!"

"GuuUUUh!"

It was probably the difference in their endurance. There was a huge difference in the damage they received.

Momo bore heavy burns on her arm holding the marker—while Rau had one hand blown off without a trace.

Yet this was according to Rau's plan.

Succeeding in sealing Momo's marker, Rau hit her remaining arm.

"Uuugh!"

Even her reflexes seemed to have been invigorated. Momo used her unhurt left arm to block Rau.

Yet the next moment Momo's eyes flew open.

"Gbfh…"

A mass of blood spurt from the girl's mouth.

Rau's supposedly lost arm regenerated from shoulder, burying itself in Momo's stomach.

Using her ability to control resin, she sealed the wound using plastic. Immediately after she created a prosthetic using resin and attacked Momo with it.

"I was the one who taught you to break the mold, Tanaka Momo…!"

She couldn't lose to her student in her way of using her ability.

"…"

Momo glared at Rau.

With an incredibly cold gaze.

These were the eyes of a demon, viewing Rau as nothing but a mere worm.

The girl spat her blood on Rau.

"…?"

Was this a symbol of her defiance?

Thinking this, Rau saw Momo's blood sticking to her chest.

A moment later, a glow was born on her chest.

"…!"

The blood spat by Momo moved slowly.

Moving like a living being, it slowly drew a small, red mark.

The glowing color was a vivid red—a burning signal red carmine.

"What… the—"

Surging warmth burst out of Rau's frozen chest.

Resin was weak to fire. Her defensive capabilities against the scorching mark were basically nonexistent.

The body suit enveloping Rau started melting from her chest.

Momo smiled.

Seeing her happy at burning her enemy—a mad smile.

"Co."

Momo's lips moved slowly.

"Ah."

As if tormenting Rau, the scorching heat slightly singed her body.

"Te."

While her body suit was melting, Rau waited for the right time.

She was going to die.

There was no doubt.

However—this wasn't the end.

"El."

She glared at Momo who was reciting this enjoyably.

Rau would use her final ability.

The moment of her death, instead of her burnt body she would supplement all of her bodily functions with resin.

She would recreate her entire body using resin.

Obviously, she had never used this ability. But she'd been able to produce a new arm for herself. Theoretically it was possible.

Meaning Rau could die once—

And after dying, she would cause the body made of plastic to attack the enemy.

Even if her opponent was a Rank 1 Mushitsuki, they would lower their guards after killing their enemy. There she would be able to land a killing blow.

"He."

Now then, kill me, Tanaka Momo—

Rau was an assassin, targeting this country as part of her ambition.

A cold assassin that had killed more people than she could count.

She had no need to hold back.

The waiting Rau's eyes reflected Momo wearing an astonished expression.

"…!"

For some reason.

Momo reached out toward the burning Rau.

With her hand covered in burns.

"Uh…AAAH!"

Her arm becoming wrapped in flames, Momo screamed.

"Wha—"

Rau could only stand frozen.

Momo desperately moved her wounded hand, using the marker to paint over the scorching signal red carmine.

"What are you doing, Tanaka Momooo!"

"WAAAAH!"

"If you do that—you'll never be able to hold a brush again!"

Shouting, she pushed Momo away.

"Augh!"

Thrown on the asphalt, Momo raised a tear-stained face.

"Yamamoto-sensei…"

Rau raised her face with a start.

Her body suit melted and revealed her face.

Also, the flames on her chest were cancelled—and instead a pure blue mark was glowing.

The vivid baby blue light enveloped Rau.

"Senseiii…"

Momo looked at Rau's face, having apparently changed the color of the mark. The skin of the hand grasping the marker was festering and covered in horrible burns.

Rau absently gazed at the blue mark on her chest.

"Kh—"

What welled out of her was a pathetic laugh.

"'You'll never be able to hold a brush again', huh… Not something you say to your enemy…"

At some point it became her habit. She leaked a gloomy sigh.

She actually understood it.

Even if she used her ability at the very end, it was only theoretical.

Also, even if she used it, she wouldn't have used it to take Momo's life.

She was supposed to have thrown away her mask as a teacher.

She was supposed to have even thrown her mask as an assassin.

She was supposed to have exposed her true face to challenge Marker-User.

Even so—the mask that stuck to her face even more stubbornly than any other was confusing and annoying.

The teacher, Yamamoto Rau.

That mask was too heavy… at some point it had apparently fused with her face.

Even if she could kill anyone else—

She was unable to kill only her own "students"—

"Sorry, Tanaka Momo…"

While her body suit was being erased, Rau smiled.

While smiling, she shed tears.

"I wasn't able to save you… even though I'm your teacher."

The moment she saw the signal red carmine mark, she understood everything.

Momo's symbol produced all possible effects.

The energy source for that wasn't anything like ink.

It was said that Fusion Type Mushitsuki fused with their own Mushi to remake their bodies. In Momo's case, it transformed the thing flowing in her body.

So the source of the amazing energy wielded by Momo—

It was the blood coursing through her veins.

She didn't think even Momo herself could control energy capable of this many effects.

"UUUuuUUh!"

Momo groaned. The pattern glowing on her body raised white smoke.

The plain Momo had no power to control her Mushitsuki ability.

—Rau thought it was strange.

When she first became Mushitsuki, Momo shouldn't have known to use the abilities of the marker. Even so, a large crater was created in the substation.

That wasn't her marking ability.

Most likely—just by shedding blood, Momo had enough power to destroy the earth.

The one who knew this cast the suggestion on her.

The marking ability was nothing more than a medium for the awesome power she held—

"Are you sad, Tanaka Momo…?"

Rau kept shedding tears.

Momo was too weak to control the power of a Fusion Type.

Because of that, just hiding Momo as a Mushitsuki was wrong.

Momo herself needed to forget that she was a Mushitsuki.

Coatl Head.

A charm that could make anything come true.

Its identity was the suggestion made to seal the Mushi inside Momo.

A mark that existed to let a Mushitsuki that was sure to rampage go to sleep.

"Obviously this is not good at all…"

Within her thinning consciousness, Rau's powerlessness made her sad.

Never mind not saving her country.

The power she had tempered by fighting and killing was unable to save even a single, weak student of hers.

"There's no way that a Mushitsuki with a fate of self-destruction should be born…"

Literal self-destruction.

Or perhaps it would be "suicide bombing".

In this state where she had too much energy, if she exploded—how many victims would she claim? She didn't even know if it wouldn't go beyond this one town.

It wasn't at a level of being merely "dangerous".

She felt as if she finally understood why Central Headquarters were so afraid of Fusion Types.

In all senses.

Including anything and everything.

Momo was a Mushitsuki who should've never been born—

"WAAAAaaaaAAAAAH!"

Rau could only watch the howling Momo while crying.

Perhaps if she got the girl to bring out her full power and exhaust it then she could be saved. She thought so, but Rau already had no power.

She couldn't stop Momo anymore.

No-one could stop her.

There no longer remained anyone who could stop her.

"No—you were supposedly here in town…"

The moment before she closed her eyelids, Rau saw a single boy.

Perhaps it was a new source of despair.

However, Rau—

"Kakkou… Please save Tanaka Momo…"

Please save my student—

Leaving her final hope to him, she collapsed.

5.02 Marker-user VS Kakkou

A Mushitsuki sure to destroy herself.

Muttering this, the woman collapsed.

Daisuke, having come to the substation, hands still inside his hoodie pockets, gazed absently at that Mushitsuki.

"Coatl Head."

The new Fusion Type Mushitsuki, Tanaka Momo, howled. Using her marker she drew a symbol on her head and it shone with the color of healing marigold.

While seeing Momo's wounds being healed, Daisuke started walking to another direction.

"…"

Removing the goggles from the Annihilators member collapsed nearby, he equipped them on himself.

"Coatl Head!"

Once again Momo drew on her head. It was an invigorating dandelion. The pattern on her body glowed brighter.

"…"

Daisuke slowly took the pitch-black coat of another Annihilator and wore it.

Then, the pair faced each other.

The Fusion Type Mushitsuki, Kakkou. —Kusuriya Daisuke.

The Fusion Type Mushitsuki, Marker-User. —Tanaka Momo.

Their expressions as they gazed each other were the exact same.

They were Mushitsuki who were beaten, tired, and sick of fighting.

Although both wished to run away from the battlefield, they had nowhere to go to.

There was no other way than fighting, and they could only keep running ahead.

"So that's what you meant… Haji…"

Daisuke mumbled.

He now realized.

"Kirari was… the same as Touko-san or Wanko and the rest…"

East Central Branch Acting Director, Goroumaru Touko.

Asagi—Shishidou Inuko—and her disciples.

Handyman, Ikarino Kirari.

Perhaps that was why he sent Kasuou, Nene or C back to the Central Headquarters.

All of them—all were people Haji Keigo had prepared for Daisuke's sake.

That man, always wearing a thin smile, had been able to foresee that Daisuke would one day become a runaway. On top of that he managed to put all these people at places so that they could support him—or possibly stop his escape.

How far ahead had Haji Keigo seen?

He was a sly and cruel schemer, about as much as Miguruma Yaeko from the Central Headquarters. Had the man gotten so many plans underway because he'd foreseen that Daisuke would fight until the end? Was he convinced that he would live until the very end?

Daisuke put his hand around the back of his waist, pulling out his concealed handgun.

"…"

Immediately after running away from the East Central Branch interior, he left not only with goggles but a gun as well. Keeping it all this time—was perhaps because he knew that he would fight against someone again.

Even if he tried running, he couldn't run.

Even if he didn't want to fight, he had to fight.

He realized that all long ago.

"Who… are you?"

Momo looked at Daisuke calmly.

The girl's stance seemed calm, but he knew she was already losing her rationality. Her clouded eyes were those of the moment before her Mushi fully devoured her dreams, and the brightly shining pattern on her body was out of her control.

Underneath the unceasing rain, the two Fusion Types quietly gazed at each other.

"Kakkou."

Almost everyone who used his name was his enemy.

At times allies, too.

And only one of them—was the girl he loved.

In order to meet that girl, there was no other way but keep fighting and survive.

"I don't know you."

"I don't know you, either."

"I don't want any more pain…"

"Me neither."

"And I don't want to fight."

"…Me neither."

"But I have to go…"

"Me too."

"There's someone I have to meet up with."

"Me too."

"Move aside."

"No."

If the rampaging Momo stepped into town, he couldn't even imagine how many victims it would cause.

There would probably be many civilian casualties. Even if the SEPB attempted to act, one or two branches would likely be destroyed before everything was over. If they dispatched the normal army it would cause a great disturbance in the country, but even then he didn't think they'd be able to stop Momo as she currently was.

"I see. If so, then—"

Momo's eyes changed. She glared at Daisuke with the merciless eyes of a demon.

A green checkered beetle landed on Daisuke's shoulder.

Daisuke was also just a step before losing control. If he used his Mushi's power, there would definitely be the signs of Maturation.

It was the same when he'd come to town.

When he'd fought at the riverside against the masked assassin—the boy that was now nothing but a statue in town, Daisuke had lost control. Even so the battle had ended in a tie and he was heavy wounded, so he'd managed to dodge his Maturation.

The time Daisuke would do to Momo what the masked boy had done to him.

Meaning—he would stop her rampage by force.

On top of that Daisuke would have to withstand his own rampage.

If Daisuke lost control, it would be the same; this country would be plunged into chaos.

Furthermore, if two Fusion Type Mushitsuki fought, it was unknown what would happen.

"I won't show you any mercy… yeah."

"Me neither."

The checkered beetle transformed, its tentacles piercing Daisuke's body. As if dyeing his body by permeating it, the tentacles became a green pattern showing on his body.

A battle full of unknown things, where you couldn't tell what would happen.

They didn't even know why they were fighting.

Even so, the two Mushitsuki—knew no other way to live other than clashing like that.

"—"

Immediately after assuming his stance, Daisuke's cheek was struck by Momo's punch.

The overwhelming power pounded him against the ground, and without even being able to land safely, he was then kicked by Momo.

Knocking over a transmission tower, he crashed into a concrete building head-first. The wall was destroyed and almost all the control panels were blown away before his momentum was finally stopped.

Yet Marker-User didn't even give him enough time to stand up.

"UUUuuuUUUh!"

Momo, enveloped in the glow of dandelion, reached above Daisuke in the blink of an eye. Straddling him, she sealed his movements and rained down her fists.

It was a reckless attack but since it was too fast he couldn't dodge. Head, chest, stomach; she pounded Daisuke all over his body.

It was like being hit by a wrecking ball weighing several tons. Unable to even counter, Daisuke's consciousness was rapidly thinning.

"WAAAaaHHH!"

Noticing that Daisuke went silent and taking advantage of that chance, Momo brandished her marker. The tip emitting a blue glow touched his forehead.

Yet Daisuke half-consciously grasped Momo's head.

"Nguh!"

Holding her head tightly, he pounded it directly against the ground. This time he straddled the girl, striking his fist against her brow.

The vibrations caused the electric control room to crumble down.

"Kaha…"

The dandelion mark on Tanaka Momo's forehead was wiped off by Daisuke's fist.

Now that the invigorating ability was gone, she was pounded by Daisuke's fist. Confirming that her pupils were losing their lights, he thrust the gun fused with the checkered beetle at her chest.

Momo's mouth moved.

"Coatl Head…!"

"…!"

Even while being hit, Momo marked the ground. The light of pure white attempted to envelop Daisuke.

Suddenly detaching from Momo, Daisuke flew outside the building.

Momo's counterattack didn't stop.

"Coatl Heeead!"

Pebbles emitting a vivid glow flew one after another from inside the building. She'd probably drawn the symbol on these concrete fragments; the spheres glowing in blue, white and purple assaulted Daisuke.

Daisuke raised his gun.

The bullet spewing hellish fire reduced the distant incoming pebbles to dust.

"Coatl Head!"

The glow of dandelion gushed out inside the building. —The moment after he noticed this, Momo transported herself using amazing speed and flew directly beside Daisuke.

"OOOOH!"

He dodged the unleashed fist that created a fierce gale, pounding his own forehead into Momo's.

"Ngh!"

She grimaced as the dandelion glow was gone from her. The blood spilling from Daisuke's cracked brow painted over her forehead.

"Co…Coatl—"

While turning hazy, Momo's hand dropped the pebble she was holding. The fragment of concrete with a symbol drawn on it fell to the ground.

Daisuke crushed it underfoot with all of his power. The impact and vibration cracked the ground, crushing the pebble to dust.

"Gh—"

Since his attention was grabbed by the fragment there was an opening. Momo's knee kick stabbed into Daisuke's chest.

"Nn! Uugh! Agh!"

"Ugh! Gwah! Uh!"

The pair exchanged fists and kicks from a short distance. Since they were focused on dodging bullets and marker swings, they were unable to stop each other's fists. Every time they pounded each other the patterns glowing on their bodies burst, with the afterimage of the glow released to the air.

A bombardment sound echoed.

The bullet grazed Momo's body as she threw her body down, and opened a large hole in the ground.

The marker glowing in seven colors reached out.

As Daisuke barely avoided it, his nose surged with the light filled with energy.

And as the pair lost their balance, their kicks and punches hit each other.

"Guh!"

"Uuuh!"

This scuffle—not a battle but mere awkward violence—continued.

If he were to take his distance, Momo would have the time needed to draw her invigorating mark. He had to avoid this dandelion that gave birth to an overwhelming gap in their abilities no matter what.

On the other hand, Momo was also scared of getting away and hit by bullets. She needed to win this physical fight and aim to apply the mark directly onto Daisuke.

After continuing the beating for a while, the balance finally crumbled.

"Uh—"

The one hit directly and folding their body—was Tanaka Momo.

Daisuke was merciless.

"Agh—"

After being hit in the temple and sent flying, Momo crashed into the ground. Along with vibrations that seemed to raise the entire electrical substation ruins, she rebounded on the ground many times.

"—"

Receiving another kick to her stomach, Momo widened her eyes.

Daisuke caught the girl's head, swinging her. Thrown away like a doll, Momo's body was rotating as she crashed into a transmission tower.

The poles were knocked down as if by a tsunami wave. Gouging the ground and mowing the lines of cables, Momo rolled on the ground.

"Hah…! Hah…!"

Breathing heavily, Daisuke looked at the steel forest.

And he widened his eyes.

He saw a figure instantly rising as if nothing happened.

How can I even… defeat someone like that?

Daisuke now knew the fear of fighting against a Fusion Type.

No—Momo's endurance was above Daisuke's. If he was hit by another attack of the same caliber, he didn't have the confidence he'd be able to stand back up again.

While being hit by the rain, Momo leaked a sob. Directing a gaze full of hatred at Daisuke, her entire body was wrapped by the glow of dandelion.

"Uuh… Coatl Headdd…"

Shit—

The moment he thought this, Daisuke's body floated in air.

As she closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye, he couldn't evade. The overwhelming destructive power that didn't even let him feel pain blew Daisuke away.

"UUuuUUUuuUh!"

Howling Momo's kick cut off Daisuke's consciousness.

"AAaaAAh!"

Yet he was soon blown away and forcibly reawakened.

He couldn't even perceive the repeating attacks. He couldn't even tell what hit it, where it hit him and how much damage he received.

"WAAAAH!"

His barely open eyes could only see Momo crying while recklessly continuing the assault.

How many successive attacks had hit him?

When he came to, Daisuke was collapsed in the center of the desolate substation.

The crying Momo straddled him.

And then—

"Coatl Head…"

She drew the mark in the color of vivid baby blue on top of the collapsed Daisuke's chest.

The light of cleansing erased the pattern on Daisuke's body.

Ooh—

Daisuke understood the situation.

It was his first time feeling this, so he was slow to notice.

I've… lost—

When he understood this, he felt something similar to relief.

His five senses were dulled, and his consciousness was slipping away.

And then—

"GWOOOOOOOOOH!"

The beast howled.

Tanaka Momo wore a frightened expression. She hurriedly stepped back.

Daisuke was watching this scene from afar. As if staring at a movie theater screen, he vaguely stared from somewhere silent.

So it ended up like that—

His memory was blurring and his ego was blurring as well. Enveloped in a pleasant sense of floating, his thoughts grew hazy.

Turned into a beast, Daisuke's right arm became the maw of a monster. He ripped the Coatl head mark glowing on his chest along with the coat, biting through the baby blue glow.

"U…Uah…"

A red spray of blood rose from Momo's shouldered as she grimaced in fear.

The beast's right arm launched a cannonball along with fire. The shell, after blasting Momo away, landed in a faraway river. Causing a tremor, it created a water spout as tall as a building.

As Momo thought of rising up and escaping, the monster beat the back of her head.

He hit the girl so hard she was pounded into the asphalt.

And hit.

And hit.

"UH—WAH—"

Even Momo, covered in the glow of dandelion, couldn't compare to the beast's power.

The movements of the girl distorted by fear grew softer.

The Mushi had already swallowed not just the beast's right hand but up to its torso. The pattern permeated its entire skin and several parts of its body were swelling unnaturally.

"GAAaaaHHHaaaAAAA!"

Clenching its now blood-covered fist, the beast roared in victory.

"AH—AH—"

Momo crawled, trying to escape the beast even a little. Rising to her legs unsteadily, she started running shakily.

The dandelion glow was already gone from the girl and she became covered in wounds all over. The strongest Marker-User had been overturned, crawling pathetically on the ground and running.

"Uh—Uh—"

The beast noticed the running girl. It raised the monster jaw of its right hand with a gesture as if flicking off a fly in front of it.

Momo, about to run into the desolate forest of steel, turned back.

"Auuu—Uh—"

Marker-User was shedding tears of fear.

This'll end it all—

Daisuke muttered inside his heart as if it had nothing to do with him. He didn't even understand what was going to end, but he still felt as if everything was ending.

He didn't even feel like resisting. The beast had already swallowed his mind and body like never before, making him much stronger. Even if the all the strongest people from the SEPB banded together, they wouldn't be able to land a single hit on this beast.

The next attack would end it all.

He would blow Momo away, destroy the city behind him, and—decimate anything he laid his eyes on.

"WAAaaaaAAAH!"

Momo rose up. Picking up a destroyed transmission tower, she used all her power to throw it at the cannon.

Daisuke unconsciously smiled.

Even her final resistance was a too frail of an attack. Did she really think a mere steel pole would defend against the beast's assault?

The monster jaw launched a large bullet.

This was—the end.

This was the answer to everything Daisuke went through until this far.

Thinking this, Daisuke started closing his eyes.

Yet Momo's scream prevented his sleep.

"Coatl Heaaaaad!"

The moment before it clashed with the cannon, the steel pole was enveloped in crimson light.

The color of the mark that appeared on its surface for a moment—was signal red carmine.

A scorching Coatl Head.

The bright red explosive flames filled his sight. The entire substation was engulfed by explosive wind.

And—

"Coatl Head…!"

Appearing after the wind was gone was Momo with the dandelion mark on her forehead.

Daisuke widened his eyes.

Marker-User's attack killed the beast's bombardment.

Next Momo spat some unexpected words.

"—Come at me, you monster."

Even while trembling, the girl gazed at the beast. Raising a large pole several times her height, she held it on her shoulder.

"…!"

The pole smashed the beast's shoulder. The impact caused its legs to sink underground.

The beast hadn't received any noticeable damage. However—

"Coatl Head!"

Scorching signal red carmine.

The flames of destruction surging through the steel pole glowing in red blew the beast back.

"Coatl Head! Coatl Head! Coatl Heaaad!"

Picking up the poles from several meters around her, she flung them at the beast one after another. With blood flowing out of her body and forgetting to even use the marigold of healing, she single-mindedly kept throwing the poles marked with signal red carmine like a spear-thrower athlete.

Just a little bit.

Why—

Daisuke's self-will returned ever so slightly.

She'd been living a normal life until yesterday… and she has such bad wounds, so how can she move—

Rather than restoring his memories, or restoring his reason, he felt this doubt.

She's a mere civilian, not even a combatant—

How come she was able to face against the monster that not even the SEPB could stand up to? On top of bearing grievous wounds, she was supposed to have been assaulted by mind-numbing fear.

Even so, Tanaka Momo did not run away. —It was already obvious that even her act of running into the forest of steel was only meant to prepare for a counterattack.

"GWAAaaaAAAaaAHHH!"

The confident smile vanished from the beast. Blowing away the poles, it readied its right arm.

Causing the air to tremble, a large sound of bombardment echoed around.

"Coatl Heaaad!"

She wasn't simply breaking the mold; Momo's actions were unbelievable.

She raised the large steel pole glowing in the color of signal red carmine with both arms—and used it to strike the cannonball like a baseball player.

The two attacks canceled each other, creating a large explosion.

Even while being blown backward, Momo grabbed a pole midair and stood up.

Even while she was getting covered in wounds.

Even when she couldn't control her Mushi's power and went wild.

Momo shouted on top of the steel pole about her one and only hope.

"I'm… going to Daisuke, yeaaaah!"

Daisuke widened his eyes.

She was going to the person she loved.

For that reason alone.

Aiming for such a meager hope, Tanaka Momo was fighting—

"Going to…"

Along with Momo's shout, a wind blew through the substation.

No—it wasn't wind.

A faint glow was flowing through it.

The thing glowing was the ground the beast was standing on.

Mixed with the flow of rain, it was something crimson.

It was—blood.

Momo's blood became the stream, moved on its own, and spread to the whole premises.

"I'm goinggg!"

Instantly.

The substation was wrapped in crimson light.

Noticing what was evident on the entire vast premises, Daisuke was speechless.

Coatl Head.

A mark of an absolutely colossal size was drawn on the entire substation.

The color of the glow was—the crimson of scorching, signal red carmine.

"Cooo!"

The surge of light flowing at her feet pushed back the rain from the sky.

"Aahhh!"

While Momo was shouting, the beast moved.

"GWAHHHHaaaAAaaAAHHH!"

Howling, it raised its right arm. Aiming for Marker-User who was standing on top of the pole, it readied the monster jaw and gathered energy.

"Teee!"

A single mark produced enough power to equal the beast's cannon.

He couldn't even imagine the explosion produced by this signal red carmine mark a hundred, no, thousand times larger than a normal one. He doubted that boundless energy would include only the substation. There was no doubt it would blow the neighboring down.

"Luuu!"

Self-destruction—

That term rose to Daisuke's mind.

At the end of her rampage, Tanaka Momo would destroy herself using her power.

"GWAAAaaAAAaaAH!"

On the other hand, the beast's attack would definitely kill Momo.

But he wouldn't be able to defend until Momo's ability activated.

The battle caused by the two Fusion Type Mushitsuki was obviously about to end in a tie.

And there would be many victims.

Thinking of that result, Daisuke screamed.

"GWOAAA—WAaaAAAaaaaAAAAH!"

Widening his eyes, he called back his ego.

He grasped the sleeping memory.

The distance between him and the beast was closed—grabbing it with his spread arm, he pulled it forcibly toward him.

"WOooAAAaaAAaaaAHH!"

What Daisuke grabbed was his own right arm.

The arm fused with the beetle's jaw. His left arm grabbed the other one extended toward Momo.

"He—"

Momo shouted.

"WOOAAAAAaaaaaHHH!"

Daisuke shouted as well.

They were the same Fusion Type. Marker-User taught him.

He didn't care if he was used by anyone.

No matter how wounded he was, he wouldn't stop.

He couldn't run away from the dreams, grudge and hope he'd been given by other people.

He stopped complaining in his mind.

Daisuke would fight from now on—for a single, exceedingly simple reason.

"Dooooo!"

"WOOOOAAAAAHHH!"

The two Fusion Type Mushitsuki screamed with the same emotions.

The cannon sound breaking through the rainclouds and the signal red carmine glow enveloped the substation at the same time.

—Shiika…

An impact and a wave of scorching.

Thrown into a space enough to blow away all five senses, Daisuke closed his eyes.

5.03 The Beast and Momo The Last

The crimson light of life—signal red carmine—was vanishing.

Momo's body swayed. She fell straight down from the steel pole.

The fact she stayed fine even after falling from that height was probably due to the pattern still glowing on her body. Around her nothing was left except ground.

"…"

Slowly rising up, Momo looked around her.

The place that was supposed to be the substation became a desolate field. —In a movie she'd seen once, there was a scene where they landed on a planet without any water or trees on it. It resembled where Momo stood now.

All that remained was Momo and the pole she was standing on, as well as the black-wearing people collapsed on the earth. There was also the half-naked Yamamoto Rau.

Among the collapsed people, there was also the beast she'd been fighting just now.

His name was, if she recalled correctly, Kakkou.

Originally, she would have been completely decimated by his bombardment.

"…"

Momo looked down at the large hole carved at her feet.

The substation transformed into a wasteland was ripped to two.

Thanks to that—Momo had been saved. The instant before she activated her ability, Kakkou lowered his gun. Instead of hitting Momo, the cannonball tore the ground asunder, dispersing the signal red carmine mark.

Because of that, her ability lost its effect an instant before activating. Kakkou, Yamamoto Rau and the rest were still alive, and the destruction spread through the substation only. Also, Momo hadn't yet exhausted herself, so she was able to "extend" her time.

"—I hafta go…"

While hit by the violent rain, Momo recalled this and raised her head.

Dragging her legs, she walked through town. The rainbow-colored pattern on her body flickered on and off, looking ready to burst.

She felt something rising up from behind.

Looking back, she saw Kakkou rousing his torso on the ground. His goggles were broken, and his normal face was exposed. Even his monstrous body returned to normal.

"…"

The two Mushitsuki exchanged glances.

Now that her rampaging state was gone, Momo knew that Kakkou had been trying to save her.

Kakkou smiled.

Momo smiled as well.

"Go."

"You too, yeah."

They had just this one, short exchange.

The two Fusion Type Mushitsuki parted like this.

Kakkou said the same as Momo. He told her there was a person he wanted to see.

Since he said this, he would probably keep going. And as long as he continued forward, she knew that he would also probably never see Momo again.

Momo slowly but surely made her way to a certain area in town.

The wounds on her entire body hurt.

She was exhausted and her legs felt extremely heavy.

Her mind, still being devoured by the rainbow jewel beetle, was rapidly blurring.

Even so, a smile rose to Momo's face.

"Haa… Haa…"

She'd left the area of the electric substation ruins, but how much time passed? She walked through the silent road, but how much fatigue she could bear? As she entered town looking all beaten up, there were probably a few bystanders that turned to look at her.

Yet she didn't care about such things at all.

She had butterflies in her chest.

Her heart beat loudly.

"Haa… Haa…"

Almost all energy froze inside Momo. The very last remnants of the hot impulse were burning, but even those were forgotten.

When she was an elementary schooler, on the day before a trip, she was so excited she couldn't fall asleep.

When she was a middle schooler, after being greatly moved at an overseas museum she'd visited with her family, she started on the path of artistic design.

Immediately after becoming a high schooler, she attempted to create a masterpiece. She thought herself a genius.

All of the emotions she once had were beautiful.

Yet these all couldn't even reach the legs of the happiness now filling Momo.

"—"

Entering the darkened alley, Momo found that figure.

He was facing the sky in the center of the alley.

Just like the first time she'd met him—no, it looked even more beautiful than how she felt with her first love. So much that she wanted to depict it. She should create a statue.

Yet Momo chose none of those.

Following her instincts, she leapt at him for a hug.

And their lips pressed together—

Smiling at each other.

"Daisuke, your complexion is weird, yeah."

Momo spoke in a jesting tone with tears falling from her eyes.

"…You're the weird one."

"Kusuriya Daisuke" also moved his hardened mouth, shedding tears.

"Ehehe."

"Haha."

While crying, they smiled.

They had no idea what made them happy.

They had no idea what made them blissful.

It was obvious there weren't any words to express what they felt now.

Because nobody had ever felt as fulfilled as this pair before.

Momo's fingertips drew a mark on the boy's forehead.

Coatl Head—the very same mark of happiness she'd drawn at their first meeting.

"Coatl Coatl Para Emile."

The pair chanted.

The wish the pair shared at that time definitely came true.

Momo saved him, and he was also saved by Momo.

"Do you remember our promise? If you forgot I'll never forgive you, yeah."

While being hugged by the boy, Momo's pattern started sizzling and raising smoke. The glow of signal red carmine leaked out of her wounds.

"I do remember."

Hugging her back, Daisuke's eyelids lost their life. The movements of his mouth became sluggish.

"Let's run away together."

"Where to?"

"To where you came from…"

"It has to be further than that."

"Okay, so let's run away to the ends of the earth, yeah."

"Right, to the ends of the earth."

"To the ends of the earth, yeah…"

"To the ends of the earth …"

They hugged each other so strongly there wasn't even a millimeter between them.

The rain was stopping and the eastern sky turned white.

The alley starting to get lit by the peeking rays of the sun was wrapped in a crimson glow.

5.04 The Others

Wails echoed in the alley lit by the morning sunlight.

When Daisuke dragged his feet there, he saw Ikarino Kirari sitting down and crying.

Standing next to Kirari, he looked inside the alley.

The glow of the burning signal red carmine still remained.

As if to remind them that the boy who was Kusuriya Daisuke and the girl called Tanaka Momo have existed, a black scrap of cloth and a marker were consumed together by the flames.

"Sorry… I wasn't able to save them."

After Daisuke muttered this, Kirari raised her face toward him. It took everything she had to endure the sobbing rising from her. She couldn't speak, so she just strongly shook her head.

Daisuke looked at the burning traces they left, biting his lips.

Have they been happy?

Have they fulfilled their dream?

That answer could only come out of those two who weren't there anymore.

"I'll go back to Ouka City…"

Daisuke said.

The Kusuriya Daisuke that had run to this town vanished along with the person he loved.

So the surviving Kusuriya Daisuke had to keep moving forward.

Keep living, keep going, and see the one important to him.

He still didn't know if what waited ahead was the same destiny as the Kusuriya Daisuke that vanished in this town—or whether he'd be able to gain an ending of a different kind.

"I can probably fight at my full power only once more… but that's the only place I can go to."

Kirari nodded.

"Thanks for everything, Kirari."

Leaving this behind, he turned on his heels—

"—I'm sure that other Kusuriya Daisuke said the same, though."

He added.

The boy called Kusuriya Daisuke in this town thanked Kirari as well.

There was no need for the kind handyman to cry.

Everyone had been saved by her.

Because of that, the one left should face forward again.

"Say, Daisuke-san—"

Ikarino Kirari spoke.

"In the end… which of you was the real Kusuriya Daisuke?"

The fact that she uttered this question not with a frown but with a slight smile was the sole salvation.

Daisuke smiled too.

—I'll die in your place.

The boy who said that while smiling, was without a doubt himself.

"The one who'd been saved in this town."

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