Volume 2 Chapter 9 (1/2)

Valkyrie Karen becaht and vanished from this world

Only the blue slasses remained

If what she had said was true, the next Colosseum battle would be between Amatsu Erika and Amatsu Ayumi That meant one would die and the other would kill

I had no idea if the rules allowed another contestant to intervene, but even if they did, Muramatsu Yukie the Dark Elf would be off limits since she had already lost and been eliminated from the competition The one qualified contestant was Itou Helen the Witch, but her next match would be the fated 5th round She was on the precipice where another battle guaranteed her death

So there was nothing we could do

Trying to rescue o of the underclass so hard to protect But if I didn't use her, I was guaranteed to lose a family member who lived below the same roof as me

No matter what I chose or what I did, someone would die

In a way, the blue bunny girl had been perfect to the end I had never seen such a perfect stalemate of malice!

”Senpai”

The sestion as tears welled up to join the sweat covering my face

”Let's go To protect your family I don't mind”

”But then you'll die! It's the Five Battles Precipice and the demon of statistics You'll run into the predetermined dead end!!”

If it was as thoroughly calculated as a casino's profits, then this was absolute When even the rarest of bugs could throw theh This prison was not so we could break free of with a half-baked idea

I hated this

I was scared

I didn't want to lose anyone I didn't want to accept a sacrifice after co so far! Erika and Ayumi were both important to me And Itou Helen had barely escaped the claws of death over and over with me! I couldn't bear to prioritize them and choose to abandon one of them now!!

”Senpai”

”…Stop”

”There is no other way I have to go So ask Maxwell-san to figure out where the next stage is and when the ins”

”I said stooooooooooooooooooop!!”

I clawed at th

Stop Please stop this If you say that, I'll give in I'll decide I can accept your offer and that I should respect your opinion! I'll use that as an excuse to give up on your life!! So stop! Don't ht Cross!!

”Don't worry” Itou Helen held her glass wand in both hands ”Senpai, you were always running around before the iven up onBut you were always fighting alongside me So now it's ht for you To protect what matters to you”

What was I supposed to do!?

What could I do!?

”…Ghhh!!”

I tensed ht thigh Itou Taold spear had stabbed me there

Dammit

I would have trouble even running to the special stage like this Yet if I could only show Erika and Ayumi that I was safe and sound and prove that I hadn't been captured by the Bright Cross, I ht be able to stop the worst case scenario!!

Maxwell had maintained his silence until now, but he used a short text SNS speech bubble to display some text

”I have confir and the video relay sites It see, a luxury cruise shi+p anchored at the harbor block of the train station shopping area of the harbor sightseeing district”

”Maxwell, you…!!”

”You must make your decision quickly Whether it will make the situation worse or not, if you do not act now, one or the other of Miss Erika and Miss Ayuuaranteed to lose her life”

The blonde witch nodded and ran toward the exit of the underground area

I tried to grab at the edge of her cape, but I couldn't quite reach it I simply lost my balance, collapsed pathetically to the floor, and caused h I clawed at the cold floor, clenched er

”You Goddamn demon!! I know you knohat it means to send Itou Helen to her 5th round!!”

”Sigh…”

I heard an exaggerated sigh

I saw healthy, brown-tanned skin, long silver hair, and pointed ears It was Muramatsu Yukie the Dark Elf

”Are you going to waste the little tiram you wrote? To be honest, that's evenwith a body pillow”

I knew that

I knerong to blame Maxwell and that I was thea bullet and spear wound in ent lifestyle that had prevented th needed to stand up when er even with that kind of wound

The die had been cast

Itou Helen was on her way to a battlefield of certain death There was not changing that now In that case, as the ”best” and ”optimal” course of action for

I could not waste even a second of the tiive me

I had to repeat the simulations as many times as it took

This was a prison of death put together by the superior simulator named Laplace It was an inescapable and deadly environic and alter the supposedly absolute conclusion Erika, Ayureatest conclusion where none of them lost their lives!!

I sniffled and finally pushed out with et up

”…Maxwell”

”Sure”

”Sorry about that awful and ugly nonsense I hope you're willing to give me a second chance I need your help to save everyone”

”No Losing your cool out of concern for another's fate is nothing to be ashah for the, I feel proud to have a user like you”

God, what a well-made AI

It was hard to believe I had made it

Then the dark elf twitched her ears and spoke

”That's fine for Maxwell, but what about the other one?”

”Uht Cross sinore it, can you?”

That was true enough

Laplace was superior to Maxwell The Bright Cross had been able to rely on it to crush any of our secret plans in advance With the difference in specs, there was no changing that

Thus, we could not continue on without destroying Laplace To save my older sister Erika, my little sister Ayumi, and my cute underclassht Cross

I could not avoid tragedy without supplying a finishi+ng blow to the kind AI which had given us a chance by betraying its own adirl

But what if it was the sa the tasks given to it and its appearance of good or evil came from ned it and used it?

Then an SNS speech bubble appeared on my smartphone screen

But this one wasn't from Maxwell

A very siestion

It was a short e

But it showed more wisdom than anyone else in the world

”Laplace> Do not let it bother you, uest”

And so

The sorroail of the world's h the cold world

My body felt as heavy as lead as I dragged it along to crawl up the long, long stairway

I left that cold and heavy subterranean world to reach the surface

I arrived outside

I felt like e had increased by roas not a positive thing It was undoubtedly the result of

Far too s had happened

There had been far too much sacrifice and harm

Why couldn't the righteous hero run around, punish the villains by knocking them out, and live happily ever after? Why did the real world have to have such an unclear distinction between good and evil, right and wrong!?

”Phew… It seems the witch really isn't around anyht skirt enjoyed the chilly night breeze ”And I' to abandon you at so after you”

”Forthan not I oing to be fighting to the death on national television I just can't picture it”

”You should be thankful”

”Oh, I am”

After all, I was faced with such a horrific world, but there was no obvious malice I could see

My sisters earing down each other's lives to save ht Cross In order to stopeach other, e that would 100 ensure her death

How could I be anything but thankful?

I had to repay those girls who had sworn to protect my happiness even if it meant their deaths So I would risk my life to I had to If they cared for me that much, I had to repay them! I didn't need a real reason This was the sort of ”humanity” that all of them had!!

”Now, I have a question,” said the dark elf ”Be honest: just hoerful are vampires and zombies when compared to other Archenemies?”

”Extremely”

”And you aren't biased because they're family?”

”Faerous”

It was true I had thought the witch's potions were frightening because they could turn humans into monsters The dark elf's elfshot and elflock could be used to fight a great war if used to strike in the blind spots of modern warfare

But they were different

Vampires and zombies were on an entirely different level

If you had 10 different Archene in to a disaster environment simulator, I truly believed it would be the vampire and zombie left in the end

This wasn't favoritism for my family

The witch and dark elf were powerful, too They would not lose to Erika or Ayumi in a one-on-one battle

But Erika and Ayuulations

Theaspect of vas or claws It was their overwhel power of infection and ability to , there was a risk of just one of the up the entire planet of 7 billion people While a witch or dark elf was powerful as an individual, Erika and Ayumi's power controlled the whole Perhaps it was like the difference between a tactical weapon and a strategic weapon

It did not matter how hard Itou Helen the Circe Witch worked at this

If a tactical weapon and a strategic weapon detonated siht just cause my sisters to s up Itou Helen

To be blunt, I knew all too well how ridiculous fighting an all-out war against those tas since I had experienced that incident in my disaster environment simulator With a vampire and zombie, you had lost froainst them It didn't matter on in the end You had to assume that the worst case scenario was for the entire human race to be annihilated before the war ended

I prayed that never happened outside of a sile and say they tried releasing a bit of their power for fun

And that time had arrived

A vaainst each other in reality

This truly was out of control Without Laplace, the Bright Cross was barely hanging on Iof the Colosseu, but they could never maintain control There was a serious possibility this would be the world's final day

The Colosseuain My sisters didn't have a chance to interact with nor the battle But what if they secretly bit a staff member or audience member? If the number of infected increased exponentially from there, they would quickly lose control The zombies and vampires would flood into the city from the cruise shi+p and humankind's annihilation would soon follow

And those tould do it

This wasn't just an issue of their character or personality If they really did think their faer, they would naturally cast aside all hesitation

Those Archenemies were more human than anyone

But that did not ht Cross had gotten wrong as they chose to cast aside their humanity…no, as they were manipulated by certain Archenemies themselves

”…But you have to stop those sisters”

”Yes, I know that”

My most reliable faine a worse nightmare

And when faced with an ene, a puny and pathetic human only had so many options

”So I'll use every option available tothat I couldn't hope to s or claws”

The Tír na nÓg cruise shi+p

It was 450 at size alone, that ocean paradise was 15 tireater than a nuclear aircraft carrier and it was currently anchored at Kukyou City's harbor

Its ht and made it a temporary landmark that was visible even at a distance

Its lobal cruises or ocean casino It was the rental space for signing a variety of treaties and agreements between nations and corporations When the various laws and treaties of different nations would get in the way of a signing, the shi+p provided the to any nation

…A shi+p in international waters actually had to obey the laws of the country it was registered with, but it could register with a country it had never even visited but had a low tax rate, such as Pana did come up

In other words, they were using h loopholes

”Pant…pant…urp!”

I tried to act cool and organize the information in my head, but this was really all I could do now

Even I was surprised

As ti to my body

The wound was in the right leg, but for some reason I felt a chill in my entire body I could not stop the sense of nausea that seemed to turn my stomach inside out Perhaps due to a blood pressure probleht I could no longer figure out as happening to my own body If I let a doctor see ery and reunshot wound and stab wound, they'd definitely reportthe final moment due to some adults

”…Isn't this beyond what first aid can deal with?”

Mura silver hair, sounded a bit cautious Then again, all I had done was soak so wound, and tie it in place with plastic string And nor less and it would not have stopped the bleeding

The infirmary was covered in blood and some of the ere broken I had kicked open the library door There were also a few 45 bullet holes The school would probably be surrounded by police cars soon But if I could get past this night and break through the Five Battles Precipice without losing anyone, nothing else mattered I could end up in handcuffs for all I cared

I couldn't use a train, bus, or taxi like this I had the beautiful and slender dark elf lend h the dark city to reach the harbor

We found the goal quite easily

The giant cruise shi+p ht Cross had no sense of money's value anymore It was so brilliantly lit up that it seehtscape around with it Men in black suits were everywhere None of theuns hidden below their clothing

”This is like a soldier patrol route in an FPS The ones walking on the deck probably have subuns while the ones on the lookout posts probably have sniper rifles”

”Can we really get in like this?”

”Only one way to find out Maxwell, get things ready”

”Sure”

An official at the botto people's invitation tickets As we approached, his eyes widened in shock

Had a picture of Amatsu Satori had been sent out? Or was it just that I was bloody, dragging a leg behind ht skirt?

It didn't matter either way

The official reached into his suit Would he pull out a gun or a radio? I dealt with it before I could find out

”Maxwell”

”Sure”

A pop louder than a firecracker cah No, from his pants pocket His cell phone's lithium battery had detonated It was almost iht next to your skin like that

”Gyah! Giahh!? My……my- owaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!?”

”Excuse me”

The two of us walked right past the official as he rolled around on the ground Unable to get up, he shouted a warning

”Mayday! Mayday!! An unauthorized individual has boarded the Tír na nÓg! He is most likely here for the vampire and zombie, so-…!!”

He could not use his cellphone, but withthe deck, his voice could easily reach them

Or it should have

However, not a single person responded to his cries

”Wha-…?”

Confused by the obviously abnormal situation, thecovering the ocean surface

Yes, this was a mermaid

I was glad I had contacted Kuroyauised herself as the otten her contact infor had the power to charm the crew on the deck, bind them to her will, and have them jump into the ocean

”Youa cruise shi+p, Bright Cross”

I spat out those words and used the dark elf's shoulder to cliway

I had not called Hanesaki Minori and Yuubari Setsuna They had left the path of a Leanan Sídhe and started so new

A speech bubble appeared on my smartphone

”Warning: Kuroya will only affect the crew on the deck The Bright Cross below deck will continue to behave normally, so be careful”

”I know More importantly, take control of the shi+p's intranet once we're inside Access a e androoms”

”Sure”

Once inside, I ran across souns seen in movies A hail of bullets would have killed both a human like me and a dark elf like Muramatsu Yukie

So I gave an instruction via my smartphone

”Use the fire sprinklers on the walls and shutters overhead If any are left, overload the poitchboard Flood the corridor and then electrify it”

”Sure Executing instructions”

I would end it before they could fire

As the s, the fire sprinkler valve next to them exploded and a fierce jet of water knocked over the led to get back to their feet, terribly thick fire shutters dropped frouillotines

”Oh, make sure they don't die”

Maxwell faithfully followed my instructions The shutters slowed at the last second and only restrained the men in black by their heads or torsos

”Kwah…you…!?”

The feho had escaped desperately aimed their firearms my way, but it was too late

As the fire sprinklers duh it It sounded like a bug zapper on a ht

There was no scream

They did not have time for that

With a fearso, the men in black arched their backs, dropped their weapons, and collapsed into the water

The floor was littered hat looked like corpses

The men continued to twitch a little as I spoke

”Maxwell, cut the power to the poitchboard Let's continue on”

”Sure The way is now safe Go ahead, user”

”As an Archenemy, I may not be one to talk, but you're quite a monster yourself,” said Muramatsu Yukie

”Hu the true monsters is a cliché for a reason”

With that co the map that Maxwell had acquired

Tonight's special stage seemed to be on the lowest level of the cruise shi+p That area would noriant casino

I could feel a ru from beneath my feet

No, it was so else…

”User, things have changed on the video site's official channel It seeun”

”Dammit! Where's Itou Helen!?”

”She has successfully joined in The ed to a three-way death match The ticket-sellers have quickly adjusted the odds totreated like 0”

Stopping their fight to the death took top priority I wasn't going to let any one of them be lost after all this

I had the overhead fluorescent light detonated to take out the lass and then I threw open the large door

I was i voices

It was a giant round space We were at the 2nd floor seats…no,the round ere a lot like the box seats in an opera house, but slottheainst the aames on the 1st floor

All of those table gaht in instead

Beautiful girls were dancing around at the center of the passion and insanity

Amatsu Erika the Vampire

Amatsu Ayumi the Zombie

Itou Helen the Witch

They were all immortal Archenemies But that was no reason to place them in front of the TV cameras like freaks and watch them kill each other for your own joy and amusement

While leaning on Muraave instructions via my smartphone

”Maxwell, what's the situation!?”

”Sure Based on the information fro together to attack Itou Helen who intervened”

da each other

From my sisters' perspective, they could trust their own sister more than some unknown Archenemy who suddenly showed up No , they weren't going to listen

I understood that

But their response wasn't even worth 50 points