2022-12-23 15:13:11The rest of the day passes by in a flash. At least, it does for Haru, who opted to take a nap instead of help with the preparations. Still, nobody’s come to get her yet so she assumes everything is proceeding smoothly. Well, nobody until right now.
“Psst… Haru…”
“Hm?”
Slowly, lazily, she lets her eyelids split themselves apart. The orange glow of the sun starting to set fills her eyes. She takes a deep breath. Is it that late already? She lets her head hang off of the tree branch she was lying down on. As her head swings back and forth, she sees Tsumugi’s upside down face staring back at her.“Are you busy?”
“Nah, I’m just chilling. What’s up?”She lifts her head back onto the tree branch and lets her body go limp. For now, she’s just another vine hanging from the canopy. The only part of her that she lets stay conscious is her head and her mouth. Everything else is functionally asleep.“So, um, I was just thinking that I don’t think the elites entirely trust you yet.”
“I’ve been over this already. What part of my rock-solid alibi don’t they still get?”
“Yeah, I know that this can be really frustrating, but you know how prejudices can be. Married or not, it seems that they still see you as an outsider.”
“Ah, whatever. I’ll be a controversial figure. Suits me just fine.”“I dunno. I sort of want the elites to feel like they still have an ally in all this, y’know? Their wife and leader just died, I’m sure that they must be feeling lost right now.”“Really? They all seem fine to me. Even Kikimi’s still got that fighting spirit in her.”“Well, maybe to you, but to me… I dunno. I just dunno, I get the feeling she’s struggling. If it’s not too much trouble, would you mind… like, patching things over with her? I get that you both haven’t exactly been getting along. I was wondering if we could change that, y’know? Set a new precedent. If the other Elites see you two getting along, then, we might see some things change for the better.”
“Mmmmm… I feel like this is going to be a bad idea, but alright, sure, you’ve talked me into it.”
“Really?! Thanks, Haru! I knew I could count on you!”
“N-no problem. Just l-leave it to me.”
Tsumugi squeals a little and does a little hop for joy. For some reason, Haru feels her heart do the same.———————————————————————————————————————
“Ayyyy, Kikimi.”
“...Hmph. What do you want?”
Kikimi cocks her rifle restlessly. An Ak-47. An amalgamation of wood and steel coming together to create a death-dealing machine for a ridiculously low price. The rhythmically deafening sounds of the assault rifle sound like a soothing melody to Haru. They remind her of the good ol’ days before she owned KANNIBAL. When non-magitech guns were the best that she could find. That was a long time ago. Oh where did the days go? Haru cocks the pistol that Asuka gave her. Is this the biggest caliber you have? She asked. Asuka only nodded.
The first criteria anyone should have when using a gun is whether it goes ‘POP’ or ‘BANG’. If it pops, drop. If it bangs... She can’t remember how the saying ends but she assumes that ‘bang’ is what you want to go for. This gun pops, sadly, but it’ll have to do, she supposes. Semi-automatic. Compact. Good for concealed carry. Or just carry. Concealment hasn’t mattered in a long time. Glock… 19– no, 17. If nothing else, it’s dependable.
“I’m bored.”
“Yeah? Why don’t you help with the train, then.”“But you’re not helping either.”“Shut up.”“Regardless, I’m still bored.”
“You can do whatever you want.”
“Mmmmm…”“...”
“...”
“Hey, Kikimi.”“What is it?”
“Are you still mad at me?”
“What do you think?”“Hm. I think you are.”
“Whatever you say, Haru.”“...”“...”
Hm, this doesn’t seem like it’s working. Time for a change in tactics. Something a little more traditional.“Hey, Kikimi.”
“What is it now?”
“Have you ever wondered what it’s like to shoot someone in the head?”“I’ve shot Monarchs in the head before.”
“That’s cool.”“...”
“...Wanna shoot me in the head?”
Haru takes out her pistol.
“What? No?”
“Oh c’mon, think of it as my way of apologizing for being such a pain in the neck.”Haru takes a step towards Kikimi. Kikimi takes a step away.
“What are you…?
“It might be fun.”
Haru takes another step towards Kikimi. Kikimi takes another step away.“You’re going to have to work for your meal, though.”
“Don’t come any closer!”
Kikimi levels her gun at Haru, but not without hesitating. In that miniscule interval the electric signals in her brain travel to her hand, Haru closes the distance between them. Before the gun’s barrel is even pointed at her face, her hand is already in position to bat it aside.
“Don’t be such a stick in the mud.”Kikimi steps back and fires off a warning shot. It misses Haru’s brow by mere inches.
“Ooh, nice aim you’ve got there, lamb chop.”
“I don’t know what you’re trying to pull, but–”
“I’m not trying to pull anything, I’m just trying to have some fun.”
Guard.A familiar circular plane of energy appears in front of Haru as she saunters towards Kikimi. It stops the barrage of bullets that Kikimi’s unloading from her gun. There’s desperation in her eyes, they’re both fixated on the carefree smile on Haru’s face. The most terrifying thing is that there isn’t even an inch of malice in her expression. Unlike the Magitech weapons the Monarchs used against her, traditional bullets simply bounce harmlessly off the surface of the guard. Little bruises like polka dots begin to blossom along her arm as the magic takes its toll. But that’s fine, it’s not as though she has to keep up the shield for very long.
“Those are useless against us magic users, you know~”
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Chapter 70 Epilogue
“Please, help yourself to some tea.” Nanashi gestures at the chair across from her for Haru to sit down. It hasn’t been that long since they’ve last met but already, she’s made a little home for herself in Takakumo. It’s surprising how much laboratory apparatus she’s managed to cram into such a tiny space. Arcane sigils, test tubes, and strange machines clutter the room in an organizational system that Haru could never decipher even if she had a lifetime to try. And in the center, is a simple table and two stools set up. “No thank you, I have a temperature-sensitive tongue. It burns when I eat even slightly warm food.” “Ah well, that’s a pity.” Nanashi takes the teacup away. It looks comically tiny in her armored grasp. “So, what business do you have with me?” “I believe your terms with Tsumugi stipulated that only half of the Papilio in Takakumo return to their Think-Tanks, correct?” “Yes, that is true.” “By any chance, would you ever consider capturing Takakumo for yourself and
Chapter 69 Cask
“Long time no see, Tot.” “It’s literally been a single day.” Kazuko walks along the pristine battlefield and comes to a stop exactly ten paces away from where Haru’s standing. “What do you want?” Haru adjusts her stance, placing herself between Kazuko and the unconscious Tsumugi. “I’ve come to talk.”“That’s it?” “Yep. I realized that after all this time, we never got a chance to properly talk to each other.” “I suppose you’re right.” “I must thank you, Tot.” Kazuko plants her rapier on the ground. “I think you’ve helped me to realize something about myself.” “And what is that?” “That you and I are the same. We’re two sides of the same coin, you and I. We can claim to be soldiers or heroes or avenging angels all we want, but in the end, we both kill.” “You’ve come all this way just to tell me that?” “Not quite. I’ve decided that I won’t tolerate any more excuses. From you or from myself. Regardless of whether we chose our lives or our lives chose us, we’re both killers. Jud
Chapter 68 Stellar Stellar
A gargantuan scythe blade the size of a mountain manifests from the tip of Tsumugi’s staff while Gleam blazes pure white, light magic seeping out of her very being. With a ponderous sweep of her arm, Tsumugi brings the scythe down, its tip aimed right for the crowd. The Deathless start to disperse but there’s not enough time. Someone trips. She closes her eyes to brace for impact but the impact never comes. Instead, there’s a brutal grinding sound. Opening her eyes, instead of seeing the tip of the scythe bearing down on her, she sees Gleam’s back as she clashes against Tsumugi’s scythe. “RUN!” The girl scrambles to her feet and runs away. Now all Gleam has to worry about is the mountain of cursed energy bearing down on her. “GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHH!!!” Gleam lets out an unearthly cry as she wills herself to go faster, to break through Tsumugi’s attack, to turn the tides of this battle. “STELLAR!” The speed of light isn’t fast enough to move the scythe more than a few inches.
Chapter 67 Motteke! Sailor Fuku!
They come bursting out from the trees. Large metal transports with segmented armor that makes them resemble pillbugs. A far cry from the train-like things the Monarchs used all those years ago. They speed across the landscape, skimming across the flora of these lands. One transport in particular rushes ahead of the others, setting an example that the other transports follow. Atop its roof, stands a green-haired girl shredding her guitar. Heavy rock music, amplified by her sound sorcery, blasts outwards. It’s so loud that the ground almost seems to vibrate as they approach. But they find nothing. No patrols. No Deathless anywhere. It reeks of a trap. Tsumugi sticks her head out of the transport she’s in to yell at Haru.“Stick to the plan!” Haru nods and swaps tracks to the one corresponding to the signal for ‘Stick to the Plan’. The transition is nearly seamless. One by one, the transports climb the walls protecting Takakumo like it’s nothing. In the distance, they see it, Takakumo
Chapter 66 Aloha
“It seems we’re not welcome here anymore. You’ve been exiled.” Haru relays Gleam’s speech to Tsumugi. “What do we do?” Florence asks. “Nothing has changed. Let’s keep moving.” Haru waves her hand out the car window at the other Elites to follow close behind. They comply, mostly out of fear. They know that their duty is to Lady Kentomi first, Takakumo second, and Haru third, but the thought of going against Haru is just too much. The streets are empty, nearly everyone’s attending Gleam’s speech. What few people are left behind smile and wave at them as they pass, blissfully unaware of what Tsumugi’s become. They know not what she knows. “Where are we going exactly?” “To the forest on the edge of Takakumo’s borders. I’ve arranged for a meeting there.” Ah, to where it all began. The memories of a month or two ago come flooding back to Haru. It felt like a lifetime ago they were on that train and came crashing into Takakumo, completely unwelcome. “This is nostalgic.” Haru rests he
Chapter 65 Alter Ego Messiah
Letters make words, words make sentences, sentences make paragraphs, paragraphs fill pages, and pages fill up the tome. Number 3344 works dutifully, slowly but surely working through the book she’s been tasked to fill up. That is the purpose of the Papilio after all, to lend their minds as processors to the great Monarchian supercomputer complex, Nivosus. It is a purpose shared by the uncountable Papilio filling up this facility. They do not know better. None of them do. So they toil away, their minds working to the bone in the computational visual matrix.Every paragraph, every sentence, every letter is another crumb of data in the great compendium that the Monarchs seek to fill with all knowledge in existence. Years pass in the blink of an eye for the Papilio. Seasons pass them by without being noticed. They all keep their eyes downwards, scribing everything being fed to them. Number 3344 is no different. Just another drop in the ocean. Just another body being kept in a tube. Then
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