Vol 9 Chapter 4 (2/2)

”And that is?”

Apparently poked in a sore spot, Tia stopped but I was still lost

Vritra had said just now that she had obtained her knowledge frodrasil, had become enemies with different viewpoints What had happened in the course of all this?

”What's going on? Explain properly I don't think I'm Neun either What evidence do you have, Vritra?”

Without hiding my doubts, I asked and Vritra nodded deeply

”Yes The reason is sihth calamity, which was a retread of Atlantis, every calamity would increase in threat level By the seventh tions' ability to defend”

”Beyond the counterdragons' ability to defend? In other words, the world ended once already?”

I pointed out the contradiction in Vritra's words However, Vritra looked at me solemnly and confirmed what I had pointed out

”Indeed, the world has been destroyed once already”

”Huh?”

What was she talking about? I stared at Vritra speechlessly

”I shall tell thee how the world survived the seventh calamity The answer—It did not Unable to resist that calamity, Kiskanu, who had joined forces with ether with all plant life After the calamity had left, I used dark matter to restore the world as much as possible”

If plant life went extinct, it was inevitable for Kiskanu's consciousness to disappear as the core That was surely the point when Yggdrasil took over But—

”Restoring the world Is that even possible?”

Unable to accept such a shocking idea, I asked Vritra

”'Twas achieved by consu , 'twasreain nor enough dark matter to fully restore the world Ye Ds may not know it, but dark matter is limited”

Answering with self-deprecation, Vritra gazed at me

”Yet that despairing seventh calamity was only a prelude Eventually, its 'true form' shall arrive at Gaia as predicted by Kiskanu's analysis The world shall be destroyed in the ninth calamity”

””

Indeed, this conclusion was only natural If the ninth calaer than the seventh, destruction was unavoidable By the ti the calamities

If the world could only be restored once, there were no counter this move

”But displeased that the world I risked then life on Gaia to improve odds of survival This was the plan to use Ds to ons However, this attedrasil”

Confronted with Vritra's angry stares, Tia spoke with a slightly troubled expression

”After Kiskanu perished, Yggdrasil—the newly born core consciousness of the Akashi+c Record—hated dying again, thus prioritizing its survival above all else As a result, it tried to gather authorities as much as possible, so that it may survive”

”Survive Somy consciousness was all for that?”

Recalling how Yggdrasil had stolen control of my mind, I asked

Back then, Yggdrasil had tried everything to control me Without Charlotte's help, my consciousness would have been seized completely

”Yes If you really are Neun, Yuu, then you'd have antibodies to resist the ninth cala them would be the best way to increase chances of survival”

Listening to this point, Vritra froith displeasure

”Hmph—since there are no ive rise to new counterdragons either We should not place our hopes in Neun's existence Moreover”

Halfway through, Vritra stared intently at me

”What?”

Curious, I asked her Subtle fear appeared on Vritra's face, al an unthinkable possibility

”If thou art Neun—'Tis very odd thou hast not had an encounter”

”An encounter? An encounter hat—?”

I sought her explanation Vritra sighed and continued

”The ninth calaon”

”What?”

I heldinto Vritra's eyes with an ”are you serious?” gaze However, Vritra's eyes glinted with solemnity and she answered

”The Counter Code appeareth upon the entity's first encounter with the calamity Unrelated to race or disposition, 'tis by chance that the entity transforon Hence, if thou art Neun, thou o”

Vritra suppleer

”Cala that?”

The first dragon I encountered was ”Blue” Hekatonkheir—but it was actually Vritra's fictional aron too

”'Tis as suspected Without self-awareness as a counterdragon, 'tis i told by anyone else, the initial entity conferred with the authority ought to knehat it needeth to do”

Speaking of which, I reon, had received power to ”save the world” In other words, he kne to use his authority from the start

However, I thought over it again and again but could not find this sort of self-awareness

”Nevertheless, 'tis nothee this When didst thou first realize thou art not human?”

Due to my facial expression, Vritra felt very confident in her beliefs and asked calmly

However, an to beat rapidly the instant I heard her question

”—”

”Yuu?”

Tia looked at me in worry but my vision was overwritten with a scene from the past

It was a pastof recently To reatest calamity

The traffic accident that Mitsuki, her parents and I, the four of us had gotten involved in

That was the tienerate dark matter to save our lives However, Uncle and Auntie

The painful sense of despair back then was carved in the depths of my heart

What had I seen over there? No, I did not see anything Everything was sealed away in darkness Terrifying no uous—

Knock knock!

As a terrible chill cli, I was pulled back to reality by the sound of fierce knocking on the door

”—Onii-chan!”

I turned to the door It was Ren's voice Startled by a voice that was hard to i from her usually reticent self, I hurried over to the doorway

”What happened!?”

I hastily opened the door and Ren hugged me suddenly

”Onii-chan Onee-chan, Onee-chan is!”

Looking up atdown her face There was only one person whom she called ”Onee-chan”

”Ariella What happened to her?”

I placedet even more emotional

”Mm She is not here”

Nodding, Ren replied

”Not here?”

”Onee-chan is nowhere!”

Ren's shout, echoing in the cavern, was dominated by anxiety and the fear of loss

Part 4

””

I ran as fast as I could inside the cavern where the water vapor made for poor visibility

My destination was the passage on the other end that Ariella was in charge of guarding

Ren had gone over there to speak with her alone and checked the other side already, but there were no signs of her

Tia, Vritra and the panicking Ren had gone back to the cottage together I asked thee to Jeanne to take over my post, so our defenses should not weaken as a result

What I had heard from Tia and Vritra, thearound in my head but I had to think about it later

—Where on earth did Ariella go?

To avoid running past her inadvertently, I looked around and checked back and forth

Although visibility was poor due to the water vapor, with only one path,her was unlikely

Since Ren was safe, NIFL's intrusion was not possible so Ariella must have left her spot on her own volition

Perhaps I should have talked to Ariella earlier

Regrets and a foreboding sense that it was too late noere occupying my heart

However, I stopped in surprise just as the door to the passage came into view

Aure appeared I cautiously approached It was a girl with her hair tied in a ponytail with a green ribbon—Ariella

Noticing me as well, she looked in my direction

I instantly felt a sense of relief, but iuard

Ren could not have lied To be that shaken, she must have called Ariella's name many times Had Ariella been in the cavern, she could not possibly miss Ren's voice

”What's wrong, Mononobe-kun? Aren't you in charge of guarding the other door?”

I stopped at a distance of three meters Ariella tilted her head and asked

Ariella looked like she did not know that Ren had visited In other words, she had been somewhere beyond earshot of Ren's voice when Ren had come over

”What about you, Ariella, where did you go?”

I stared into Ariella's eyes and asked in return However, she froith a lost expression

”Where did I go? I've been here the whole time”

”—You're lying Ren came over just and she didn't see you”

It was heartrending to expose a friend's lie, but I told her firmly

Hearing that, Ariella widened her eyes slightly and made a wry smile

”Really? So Ren hasn't slept yet”

Seeing that she did not try to find an excuse, I felt bitterness fill up my heart

”You went up?”

Considering Ren's and h ti that, I confirmed with Ariella

”Yes, I had so to do”

”So to do huh—”

I could only think of one reason why she would go up to Midgard's lowest level and return immediately It e had discussed before

”To go so someone?”

””

Ariella smiled wryly but did not answer

Although I had her pegged as an upfront person, right now, that son mark was hot and painful

”I actually don't knohat you're thinking or doing, Ariella But if you have any troubles, I want to help you If you're in pain, I want to support you So, right now, could you hold my hand first?”

Saying that, I extended my left hand

”So you want me to become your mate, Mononobe-kun?”

”That's right Let's talk about the rest later I will do everything I can for your happiness, Ariella Trust me”

I looked straight at Ariella while I spoke, pro a flush of red on her face

”It's almost like a proposal”

Ariella scratched her cheek shyly and avoided eye contact However, her wry smile did not disappear Instead, sadness was mixed into it

”I trust you, but as soon as I think about what I have to do next, I can't hold your hand No I never had the right to stay with everyone in the first place”

Staring at my outstretched hand, Ariella shook her head

”Right?”

”I have no right You don't know anything about me, Mononobe-kun If you did, you'd surely hate me”

”—Nothing of that sort I will prove it So tell me”

While putting down my hand, I stared at her and asserted

”Is that so? It's already the end, so I guess I should say it first”

However, she see fro in her way, I did not ask about it

”I think I ht?”

”—That's right”

I confirmed

After ”Yellow” Hraesvelgr devoured the souls of her deceased faanization hostile to Ds and dragons to seek refuge However, when she becaanization had sold her to Ren's father—Miyazawa Kenya—for conducting research on Ds

”Probably because its activities were very sianization had anization kept in contact with NIFL and it caional branch”

Ariella calanization, but when she mentioned NIFL, I felt an even

”Apparently anization worked under NIFL and a former cadre heard about what had happened to ard I was really surprised at the tihtened that I dared not breathe”

Ariella sht of her experiences But realizing everything she said was the truth, I focused with bated breath

”Do you understand now, Mononobe-kun? Starting then, I've stayed in contact with NIFL the whole tiard's inside information many times—In other words, I'm what you'd call a spy”

Ariella spoke in self-deprecation but I could not accept it so easily

”That's very weird Why would you cooperate with a cadre froanization that sold you?”

I brought up a question bu Ariella's expression turned icy cold

”—There are reasons, many of them Then there are also reasons too why I must kill the principal—'Gray'”

”What”

Shocked, I involuntarily took a step forward, but Ariella ht arm to stop me

”Aegis”

What manifested to cover her arauntlet Ariella pointed it at me and asked calmly:

”Mononobe-kun, the fact that ear Do you knohy?”

Although I wanted to question her on why she must kill Charlotte, in order to calm myself, I answered her question first

”Isn't it to protect everyone—to protect Ren?”

I thought that because Ariella always volunteered first to take on defensive”you regard hly”

”The reason is simpler than that I don't hold weapons, nohuman lives as trash”

Ariella told me mournfully then slowly unfastened the ribbon on her hair The untied hair fell down to her shoulders

”Ariella, what on earth are you going to”

Unsure whatwas behind her actions, I asked

However, she did not answer After gazing at the ribbon in her hand for a while, she slowly uncurled her fingers The green ribbon floated down lightly

Before the ribbon reached the ground, Ariella spoke

”—Go”

Wind was released fro ribbon towards me

After I reflexively reached out and caught the ribbon, Ariella smiled faintly

”That ribbon was Ren's first gift to h it's such an important treasure I think it's inappropriate if I keep it while heading off to commit murder next”

”Are you really going to kill Charl—to kill the principal?”

Holding the ribbon, I asked She nodded without hesitation

”Yes Although she's i I can kill her Once I hold a weapon I'll kno to kill her”

Ariella generated a blackit into a silver knife

The instant she caught it in the air, the aura exuded froed

An intense chill rushed up fro cold sweat to break out of my forehead

Warned by instinct, I took a leap back to pull away Unlike the tih death itself had taken physical form before me

Holding the knife in her hand, Ariella sneered at my response

”The first ti, I noticed erous that I almost killed the instructor Afraid of that side of mine I only learned combat skills that did not require weapons”

Her voice and expression were sharp beyond coh I had h I had a knife to my throat

However, why? I did not feel any sense of dissonance to see her like that It was probably because she was too similar Not to Hreidmar but to me—My ”Fafnir”

”Then drop the knife, take this ribbon and return with me to Ren's side”

I raised the ribbon and said to Ariella Precisely because it was so sie had happened to Ariella now Instinct warned me it was a step that must never be taken However, she quietly shook her head

”I actually do want to see Ren one last ti up with NIFL's forces next, to take Gray's head”

”—Don't go!”

Anti-personnel weapon—AT Nergal

I generated dark matter and instantly transmuted it into an anti-personnel projectile-based electroshock gun Using this Nergal, I would be able to neutralize Ariella without killing her It was past the point of stopping her ords, but I had to convey these thoughts to her

”I nohat you've hidden till now, Ariella But even so, I can't hate you and I've no intention of going back on what I said in the beginning For my sake and Ren's, as well as your own I will stop you noto do!”

I pointed the gun's muzzle at her and declared

”Mononobe-kun, you are so nice But Do you really get it? During the Leviathan battle, that NIFL teaive ht them in?”

”That's right, I forgive you But you'll have to apologize to Iris afterwards”

I instantly answered without any wavering

My heart was not wavering the slightest Suppose what Ariella said was true, I believe thereCharlotte, Ariella actually did not want to commit murder

I was convinced not because of presu her all along

”Haha—Looks like I underestiain”

Widening her eyes at my answer, Ariella smiled and touched her lower abdoon mark

”At the Principality of Erlia, starting fror I couldn't help but become obsessed with you When we returned to japan and I sa you did everything you could for Ren's sake, I wanted to support you By the tiaze away from you anymore”

After gently touching her lower abdomen, Ariella readied her knife in a carefree manner

”My dragon s Somewhere in my heart, I hoped you'd choose me”

”In that case You don't need to overthink things I will hold you tightly in these aro”

Holding Nergal, I declared but Ariella grinned

”Sure—Mononobe-kun I will obey you—if you can touch me and make me yours However Definitely, you won't be able to stop me”

With these words, Ariella kicked the ground Instead of retreating, she was closing in

The risk of touchinght with a knife

”!”

I pulled Nergal's trigger in response to her charging in

The acute gunshot echoed inside the cavern while electrical sparks flashed on the ground

—She had dodged

Although I could see her ju to the side just before the bullet could strike, by the time I continued to look for her, she had already vanished

I felt a chilling aura of death

Relying on al to the side

There was a flash of electricity in the white water vapor and a sharp metallic noise She had al's electrical shock should conduct through a metallic blade

Just as I shi+fted ns of Ariella collapsing In other words

—She had blocked by throwing the knife huh?

Such unbelievable skills wereintent approached me from behind

”Guh!?”

What appeared beforesilver blade As though tracing a line of killing intent, the blade was blocked by al

But Ariella e me directly In her hand was a new knife created from dark matter

I fired Nergal to intercept her but Ariella swung the knife The instant before the bullet struck, she released her hand

A flash of electricity ju her arm More than ten s, turning into knives at the same time

”Generate a storm”

While raising her right arm, equipped with her fictional armament, Ariella spoke sharply

The blades attacked, accompanied by a storm

Confronted with this ht and kill

Following the wind, I jual to strike down knives that were about to hit me

Normally, it would be impossible to predict the knives' trajectories, but I captured thehmy body

While I was striking down the storm of blades, Ariella closed in even more

During an instant that felt as though tithened, our eyes met and she smiled

Within arm's reach She had no knife in her hand A perfect chance

However, instinct warned er

This was no opening—

Obeying instinct, I took half a step back and pointed Nergal's muzzle at her

But in that instant, I saw it

The first knife I had deflected in the air had returned to Ariella's hand, spinning as though there was an attractive force

A flash of silver—

Before I could pull the trigger, the barrel had already been sliced Had I not stepped back, the attack would have struck me in a vital

However, the crisis was not over Ariella pressed on and charged

I threw the two halves of Nergal at Ariella to buy tiround

But at that moment, Ariella had already launched her next attack

Despitethe knife to counterattack approaching death

A sharp ile, resisting each other's knife

We were holding the knives in our right hands I reached out with my empty left hand to touch Ariella, but—

”I knew it You're very strong, Mononobe-kun”

Ariella suddenly stopped pushi+ng and usedforce to jump backwards

My left hand uard against offensive applications of transenerated dark matter in my empty left hand

Fictional arfried

What un I aimed the muzzle at Ariella but she was a step faster in transmutation

”A serious fight with you at last This is seriously awesome”

Instead of targeting iant explosion shook the entire cavern Seeing the roof of the cavern collapse, I hastily generated antigravitational matter

”Antigravity”

The white light expanded, teiant rocks But thisall dark fried disappeared from my hand

Outside the white light, the collapse continued Aure vanished

”Well then, Mononobe-kun, I'll be leaving now Don't chase after er be myself Even if you don't kill me, I'll probably kill you—”

I heard her voice through the thunderous noise of falling rocks

”Wait, Ariella!”

I called out I wanted to rush over to her but the repulsive field eakening and a large nuup to her was impossible

If I used an explosion or a repulsive field to push the rubble away by force, the cavern's roof ht collapse further

—Screw this

However, a tide of anger was seething in my heart

”Screw this!!”

Intense eh my mouth

Even if I could not touch her with these hands right now, I o just like that I could not accept what she said

I su my way

This was only instinct If the physical obstructions could not be cleared and my voice could not reach her All I had to do was use a power unfettered by physical laws!

”Ether Bullet!!”

What I unleashed was the power inherited fro one's spirit—the soul

Applied to living beings in high enough density, it could even seal their h on my own

Hence, the purpose of this was not to stop Ariella in her tracks

Unfettered by physical laws, these particles could pass through sand and soil—Possibly reaching her My voice ht actually reach her

There was no concrete evidence, just an auous possibility However, I yelled as hard as I could, entrusting e to that sliver of hope

”Even if you change, you will always be Ariella! I will never give up on you!!”

My voice echoed inside the cavern, causing ripples in the golden particles filling the surroundings

”——!”

Then it cas she could not voice

It was no illusion Her emotions had definitely reached my heart

Dancing like snowflakes, the golden particles gradually thinned out and disappeared

—Yes, I know

Watching the debris and the wall of rock, I tightly clenchedto her thoughts in my mind