Volume 2 Chapter 8 (2/2)
”We were sick of it, too”
The blue bunny girl arave the answer I did not want
”We tried to explain that ere different froerous But the hu exa the over people's i us Archenehbors, we sealed away our power as immortals and completed our houseith our oer, and we even paid taxes It was all to remain with those we loved, but people would say we must be the same as them And who even is this theends it's based on And thanks to that product of their iinations, ere persecuted, our small houses were burned down, and everyone we cared for was taken from us…”
She kept up thesmile
Frolittered like a tropical butterfly and thatsmile was oddly frozen on her face For some reason, I was overco tears of blood
”So of course I took revenge Of course I took the heads of the religious armies and volunteer armies I becao back Once that hole was opened in ain There was a time when I tried to live a new life I would…But no matter what, there was always someone who cruelly intervened”
What was a Valkyrie?
They were divine ht the army which would destroy the world
But they were also wives who descended to the loorld and fell in love with huical reason
Just hoisted was her path?
How iven to this Valkyrie and Archenemy?
”Again and again, I failed Each tie on the entire world and wailed in sorroithin a pool of blood Eventually, someone realized that huether those problematic aspects and redirected the harathered together and created what is non as the Bright Cross”
They did not support humans or Archenemies They simply controlled the darkness of both sides
Karen and the others had been fighting against the term Archenemy So when an individual was deemed hopeless, they would be crushed But when one ht about human society and supported from the shadows
I recalled that the Bright Cross had been founded 1500 years ago
That was how long they had despaired in the foolishness of huiven up on us That Valkyrie had been unable to stop loving humans and return to heaven
Was she…
Was Valkyrie Karen on our side?
That was a truly hopeless conclusion
And how much was her love for humans to keep it up all this time?
I iven up on them the very first time
When I had seen the secret below Kukyou City inside my disaster environment simulator, I had realized that there were some hu, who I could never see eye-to-eye with, and ere trash a trash
But she had not given up on us Her small happiness had been destroyed over and over, but every tiether her fallen tower of sand and worked to build up a neer
How had she been able to keep that up for so long?
Why hadn't she given into despair and given up on us?
The ansas obvious
Because she had a much deeper love for humankind than I did Because no matter how ridiculous and impossible she knew it to be, she could not throw out her drea a happy life with the human she loved
Thathair dyed blue, was hesitant to kill me She had readily attacked the witch and dark elf, her fellow Archenemies, and she had sent her hatred toward a professional soldier trained to perfor apart a powerless and weak neighbor who ”had nothing”
…What was I doing?
This Valkyrie had spentto deepen her understanding with hu all of the harmful Archene the problematic side of humans so it could not leak out This woman had not supported humans or Archenemies and instead faced the darkness of both sides What was I showing her as one of the humans she desired from the bottom of her heart?
Of course, I could not forgive Karen, or those like her, for what they had done Just because it was the most efficient option, I could never allow for that Colosseum which had trapped Archeneht to the death That had harmed Kuroyama Hinoki, Hanesaki Minori, Muramatsu Yukie, Itou Helen, my older sister Erika, and my little sister Ayumi However it had started, it was aits victims ”appropriately” and the standards for that selection were far too one-sided in the first place If you took a proud stray cat from its spacious territory, attached a restrictive bell to its collar, , and never let it leave your roo happy? You couldn't make that decision from the human point of view The Colosseu with andfriends with that blue Valkyrie was simply not an option at this point
But
Even so
My inability to do that and ht prickle of pain to ht about that other option, even if it was too distant to even think about choosing
If we could turn back the hands of the clock, could I have set that impossible fantasy out of my mind
But then I spoke loudly as if to shake free of my hesitation
”To hell with that, you monster Did you really think you could justify your murders like that?”
The blue bunny girl, Valkyrie Karen,sed out and wriggled irregularly I had known hearing that froone for it anyway I really was the worst and I was
She did not hesitate to pull the cross-spear tip froh
She held the shaft close to the tip and once more took aim with the bloody blade
Was it my heart this time?
With Karen's strength and a spear weighing more than twice one made of steel, she didn't need to stop at a measly heart She could easily tear my entire torso to pieces
Meanwhile, I was dangling from her hand and could only reach for ic wand I pulled out It was a simple 4-color ballpoint pen
Karen gave a derisive snort of laughter
Utterly helpless, I swung the writing tool that couldn't have cost even 300 yen
I was up against a real divinethe assistance of Laplace, a si, there was no way I could win All of er Even if I targeted her eyeball or throat where , I could never slip past that Valkyrie spear which had accurately knocked down bullets
But
A moment later, the tip of the pen entered the side of the blue bunny girl's neck with a wet sound
”…Ah?”
The one most baffled by the outcome must have been Valkyrie Karen herself It was the side of her neck: the carotid artery Right next to her ribbon tie The puny stake stabbed into one of the most famous vital points, but instead of pain or fear, it was blank confusion that filled her expression
She see why
Unable to strike back properly, the blue bunny girl collapsed backwards Since I was dangling fro on top of the bloody woman With no concern for the pen stabbed into her vital point and no atteolden spear she had dropped, Karen pulled ently bite my earlobe
”Well done accurately targeting my neck at that moment despite the difference in power But how did an amateur pull that off?”
”To be honest, I never thought I could convince you”
No ht Cross elite who had been a central figure in running their horrific Colosseu I could say would alter her conviction and beliefs now
Then to whootiation, threats, and bluffs been sent?
In her blue-fralasses, Karen slowly breathed in and spoke in an oddly scratchy voice
”…Ohh, I see”
”Laplace If I could convince that simulator, it was possible I could shi+ft your aim while you relied on its assistance Well, I'll adshot”
It was true Laplace was only a machine It did not have the authorization to reject a user's coram? But that was the entire point I just about did so when I learned about the plan, but it rong to treat Laplace like an absolute evil
And when I thought about it, there were traces of this here and there
If Laplace had repeated si Maxwell's and had thoroughly cornered us, Itou Helen and I never would have won even the 1st round Every decision we could havewe did would have been met with a deadly counterattack That would have been the only option for us
Of course, it was possible they were intentionally letting us win toas a form of entertainment If ere doomed to die either way thanks to the Five Battles Precipice and the de us a glimpse of hope in the meantime
But that seemed overly complicated to me
If they only wanted to excite the viewers, they only had to set up crueler, , and bloodier accidents But Laplace had not done so It belonged to the Bright Cross, but Laplace had al over the Archenemies in the Colosseum
In that case
Was it possible?
If I convinced Laplace, would it pass judgainst the Colosseum which sacrificed so many Archenemy lives?
”I…don't think an AI can be good or evil I was almost led astray by the fact that it was created to choose the course of people's lives for them, but when I look at it rationally, I just can't accept it It only looks that way because the humans couldn't use it any other way”
Not even I believed I was using Maxwell solely for the good of humankind To be honest, about 70-80 of it was for my own personal desires and anyone else would see it as misuse I couldn't exactly defend the Class Rep swimsuit dance file set
But there was one thing I could say for sure:
…I would never use theht Cross was
”I see, I see…I see”
As her blue bunny costurew red with her own blood, weakened Karen spoke holehearted admiration in her voice
”So the last thing standing inthat, I can't exactly struggle any further, can I?”
”…Sorry In the end, I was a foolish human too”
”Ha ha Stop that Don't make me fall in love when I' is, Karen-chan here tends to fall in love easily And I always end up getting burned by that…”
She loved humans more than anyone
She had refused to give up on huer than anyone
That was the truth of this immortal, this Archenemy
”Oh, but I was an uglywith et you burned Just like the husband who has walked by ”
The bloody wohtly
She would not last er
I had killed this Archenemy With my own hands and of my own free will She was the same as my faet that
And Karen th to whisper some more
”Even now, I a to drive Itou Helen to her definite doom Yes, this is really just an excuse and I never expected to lose here But regardless, e as originally planned”
”What…are you…?”
”The Five Battles Precipice” The Valkyrie spat out those cursed words ”No matter the Archenemy, the Colosseum format ensures a defeat and death after 5 battles Just like a casino's profits, there is no changing this …Well, there are soamblers who have overturned this theory, such as your sisters, but Itou Helen is different The switch of certain death will be thrown during her 5th battle”
”So what?”
”You don't understand? Itou Helen has already fought 3 battles Just now, she overcaainst a Valkyrie with your help It was certainly irregular, but this completes the 4th round That means we have reached check 5th round, it is all over once the opening gong sounds Itou Helen will be ensnared by the demon of statistics and she will meet certain defeat and death”
”So what!? We've stopped Laplace which is what ht Cross so special And we defeated the Valkyrie supporting their ement We don't have to continue on with that farce of a Colosseue everything And that includes the Bright Cross's oppression and these actual fights to the death disguised as entertainanization will fall apart and all the trapped Archenemies will be freed! It's all over, isn't it!? Why would we have to stand before the TV cameras now!?”
”You will still head to the special stage”
The Valkyrie s profusely
Or was death to her only a return to heaven after a temporary life on the surface?
”The Colosseum's 5th round will finally be announced The fated contestants are as follows…”
Her pale lipsthe words to escape from reality
What was this?
Who was she going to set Itou Helen the Witch up against this tiainst Karen counted If her death was assured, then it would have to be a formidable opponent indeed Would it be a Medusa? A Chiht a Valkyrie literally to the death No fa to shock me here
Or so I thought
I was too naïve
”Amatsu Erika the Vampire vs Amatsu Ayumi the Zombie Only one can survive No Let's see which of these beautiful sisters can leave the cage alive…☆”
Y-…
”You!!!!!!”
”Nee hee Didn't I tell you, Mr Second? You will head to the special stage Even if the witch and the dark elf refuse, you, the huo there…”
Karen was evil to the end No, now that they had lost the support of the Valkyrie and Laplace, the already straying Bright Cross had completely left their established rails and no one could predict where they would go No one kne many lives would be lost in the accident that caused
”I knew exactly what you were thinking because I once thought so similar …You kept your faet them involved, but that backfired You left your collapsible bike at the stadium, so we only had to turn it to scraps and send it to your farow quite pale indeed Your sisters assuht Cross Frootiator to easily convince theer sister Vampire and zombie We demanded they try to kill each other just like old times We promised to return their powerless and adorable brother if they did They had no choice but to obey that untrustworthy promise☆”
”Goddammit…!!”
I quickly reached for my smartphone, but they did not answer my calls or emails
…Had their phones been taken from them?
I had heard that an iet so they couldn't get advice from anyone else
”Noill you do, Mr Second?”
The blue bunny girl laughed and her entire body gloith a pale light
”Do nothing and one of your sisters is sure to die But the only one who can interfere is the champion, Itou Helen, who has her fated 5th round up next So will you save your family or your underclassman? Those are your only options”
Her body and her outlines broke apart into light She turned into particles or countless fireflies Only the artificial sirl left her temporary life behind
She returned to heaven as a divine er
And she said one last thing
”Choose, beloved huirl's life will you sacrifice?”
It was a cold corridor with the walls and floor made from stainless steel The ”outside” was a luxurious space decorated with gold, silver, jewels, and carpets worthy of a French palace, but thatto them
Their footsteps sounded hard on the floor
A girl with her long blonde hair worn in gorgeous ringlet curls walked with men in black on either side Her sexy body was adorned with a black gothic lolita dress and a small hat
”I'm impressed you could recreate it so perfectly Even the sround space”
Her voice echoed through the solid corridor and seeness Theto herself
But they were not taking this lightly
As the cold fluorescent lights shi+ned on the, their lips were pale, and sweat coated their faces
An Archenemy A vampire
Their handguns were nowhere near enough to relax around this i
”Don't worry,” said the blonde ringlet curl girl as the shtly in a sh the air, so you don't need protective suits …And if I did decide to take your souls, I could bite through even a knight's armor or a bomb-resistant suit”
They still did not reply
Their sweat and treht Cross knew they had continued to enrage this beautiful vampire
And at that very roup walked down froroup was also coirl was short and slender with her black hair worn in twintails with the ends rolled up If you ignored the ridiculous number of stitches, she had a healthy body covered only by a sports-brand track suit and jogging gear
An Archenemy A zombie
The two girls faced each other at the center of the corridor They were both forroup combat and could destroy an entire continent if they used their power correctly
”So it has to be this way after all, Onee-chan”
”Well, yes I was prepared for this ever since I heard about the executionbroadcast on TV”
They were Archenemies who had passed the ”test” and been prouarantee It was only a one-way seal of approval given by the Bright Cross, so strife and confusion within the Bright Cross could lead to exactly this There had always been a risk of the Bright Cross reneging on their promise
A certain boy had faced that giant organization alone in order to bring an end to this tightrope walk They could not ignore it if his life was at risk as a result
Of course, the two girls were family and sisters And they respected each other even more than that entailed But they were also Archenemies, the immortal
While the boy would die if even a single artery was torn, they were tougher So they had weighed their options and decided to start by rescuing their human family Archenemies were sturdy, so they could take more punishment
And yet they should have known that the Colosseum was not so kind
”Let's do this, Onee-chan”
”Of course, Ayumi-chan”
They smiled at each other and spoke in unison
”No hard feelings”
”No hard feelings”
Amatsu Erika and Amatsu Ayumi
They did not shake hands
They walked past each other, turned their backs on each other, and walked to their respective dressing rooms