Chapter 1206 (1/2)

After the light faded from Pluto's eyes, Amemiya Hiroto felt a sense of disheartenment that he couldn't easily rid himself of

In order to atone for destroying the 'Undead' without realizing that it had been one of the 101 reincarnated individuals, he had tried to save the hth Guidance who had been saved by the Undead Despite that, he had ended up killing the last re member with his own hands, even if it was to save the life of his oife, Narumi

And to s worse, he had done so at the moment when Pluto had noticed the small life harbored inside Narumi's body and sacrificed herself to protect it

I just ended upthe same mistake as I did with the Undead…

He had definitelyhe could think after how things had turned out; he felt an urge to let out a shout

“… Let's at least burn their remains I'm sure they would have wanted that,” he said

No matter what he did, time couldn't be reversed

“You're right…” Narureed as she closed Pluto's eyes “I'h we couldn't save the one as important to you…”

“You otten this, but the United Nations have appealed for us to retrieve the bodies, so… alright We just have to make it seem like we ran into unexpected resistance and couldn't retrieve the bodies, right?” said the 'Avalon' Rikudou Hijiri with a bitter s his shoulders “But we should be prepared to face a lot of criticisht now is an accomplice”

This plan was one that had been created by the Bravers As a result, they had succeeded in wiping out the Eighth Guidance, but the special forces of the various nations had also been almost completely exter moves on their own

And Ahth Guidance's corpses, the clues to death-attribute h officials of every nation so desperately wanted, could not be recovered

“I don't mind that,” Hiroto said

He had prepared hilowed in his hand But before he could release it, news ca watch in the tunnel, telling hied

“Hiroto, Muraka some crazy stuff!”

“Soators!”

“Undercover investigators?” Hiroto replied “You mean Murakami is…?!”

Through Angel, he could see Muraka Tsuchiya They had finally shown the identification papers from a federal state

It was difficult to believe, but the identification papers looked genuine

This is bad

Hiroto didn't kno Murakaators for a federal nation, but he knehat they were here for They were going to demand that the remains of Pluto and her companions be handed over

If he let that happen, Pluto and her cos like the Undead and the Eighth Guidance would be created for the purpose of researching the death attribute

Hiroto hastily began re-casting the spell that had been interrupted by the unexpected communications “Hijiri, you take care of that boy's body –”

At that moment, the voice of the 'Venus' Tsuchiya Kanako, who shouldn't have been connected to Angel, cah

“Okay, stop! If you dae Pluto and En our search!”

“Wha –?! Why are you connected to Angel?!”

Hiroto looked at Naru a surprised expression as well But her surprise signified so different from Hiroto's

“H-huh? Why did I leave her connected to Angel? Why did I think she was an ally…?”

Seeing Narumi in this dazed state, Hiroto instinctively realized what Kanako had done

“Kuh, she used her ability!”

Hiroto groaned at the fact that he and his companions hadn't understood Kanako's ability, and in disappoint it But even so, he tried to burn Pluto and Enma's bodies However, Hijiri stopped him

“Hijiri, why are you stopping me?!” Hiroto demanded

“Hiroto, it's too late Now that we've been seen by Tsuchiya, our excuses won't work Or do you intend to be arrested for obstruction of investigation?”

“This isn't the federal state!”

“That's right; we're in a nation in the European Union But do you think the European Union will cover for you? If you became a criminal, the Bravers could becoht send a new supervisor to take charge I don't want that”

“That's… kuh!”

Hiroto tried to think of a way, using whatever abilities, ic, information and connections possible, to protect his Braver co over Pluto and Enma's remains

He couldn't trust the United Nations, which was ruled by the European Union and the federal state that had ators

Kanako had already seen that Pluto and Enma were dead

And every high government official and wealthy person in the world desired the death-attribute Mana that lingered in Pluto and Enma's corpses

“… shi+t”

Unable to find a way to fulfil both of his wishes, Hiroto chose to protect his living coanization

And then Murakami Junpei entered the roo expression, with Kanako behind him

“What's theyou're the ones who chose to leave us,” Hiroto said

“It wasn't a complete victory for us, either There were unexpected situations happening one after another, and we only narrowly came out victorious,” Murakami replied

Murakaator to the Bravers because he'd wanted to He had been left with no other choice; he had only done this because it was the final option he had been left with

It would have been best if we'd uys noticing, or snatch the corpses after these guys killed thehth Guidance and try to burn the corpses Are they crazy? Don't they kno ht bitterly as he pointed his chin towards the door, signaling for Hiroto and his companions to leave

“Now then, we'll be collecting these You guys go clean things up elsewhere,” he told them

“It'd be troublesoot in our way, you know!” said Kanako cheerfully

Neither party wanted to look at each other's faces Now that there was nothingthe room

“… Before that, I want you to tell ,” Hiroto said “Were you the one who set off a bomb in the Bravers headquarters and killed Izumi and Aran?”

He asked this question in the end Previously, Kouya had investigated with Oracle and come up with the answer that the crime would have been impossible to commit with the abilities that Murakami and his nine companions possessed

“Ah, that incident,” Muraka

The truth was that it was indeed Muraka

Using a certain contact, he had received a hand grenade fro his Chronos ability, he had kept it for a long tinir

He had then thrown the hand grenade through the walls of the Bravers headquarters to kill his two targets

“Sorry to disappoint you, but it wasn't us It was the Eighth Guidance guys I don't knohat h,” Murakami said

There was no reason for him to be honest and tell the truth

“Is that true?” Hiroto asked

Of course, he didn't simply believe Murakami's words immediately

But Kanako gave hi to use as a basis to doubt us?” she asked

Hiroto let out a noise of frustration

Both the 'Inspector' shi+mada Izumi and the 'Laplace' Machida Aran, who possessed the Calculation ability, would have used their abilities in situations like this, but they were the ones who had fallen victim

“Well, you'd just need to ask the Oracle once you return, wouldn't you?” Kanako continued

Though Hiroto and his companions didn't know this yet, the 'Oracle' Endou Kouya had also already been killed

“As long as we're here, on't let you do as you please,” Hiroto spat as he left the roo bitterly at Murakami and Kanako

Murakahs as he left

“Does that person think that we're doing as we please?” Kanako said

“We've got a lot of trouble ahead of us Us villains have our own problems, you piece of shi+t,” Murakami muttered

The two of the with the retrieval of Pluto's corpse If they didn't take it back with theators, so this was necessary for them as well

Within the day, Murakais' Melissa and the 'Hecatoncheir' Doug, were at the federal nation's national departon, coon

The headquarters of the intelligence agency that had eon was a top-secret research facility, sheltering the few surviving researchers froinally discovered the death attribute

That hy they had been suhth Guidance's corpses with them

“Haah… everything's so serious here,” Doug muttered

“We're the ones who found employment at such a serious place,” said Melissa

“And I feel pretty depressed”

“We almost failed, after all I hope they don't cut our rewards”

With the dissatisfied Doug and Melissa behind them, Muraka room, led by some other employees

Beneath the Hexagon, the corpses of Pluto and the others would be thoroughly exa research into the death attribute

The corpses of Shade, Izanaal had been ied to collect the corpse of Enma as well as Jack o' Lantern's corpse, Ghost's corpse, Valkyrie's blood and Berserk's rements

These would be analyzed, and inhumane research and experiments that Hiroto and his companions would want to avert their eyes from would be conducted here

With the justification that this was for the benefit of the entire human race

Muraka in contact with the Eighth Guidanceperiod of tiht here to be questioned to aid the research as well

“You think they'll coladly fight theo crazy last time”

“Doug, if you're talking about the Bravers, there's no way they'll co here would start a war There's no way that Aood boy, would allow that,” said Melissa

“And thanks to Shade, he doesn't have the time for that, either,” Kanako added

The Bravers were currently being showered in criticism from the entire world Thanks to the false inforh the internet by the 'Oracle' Endou Kouya, whose body had been possessed by Shade, there was now a great fuss about hi been a devil worshi+pper, and hi obtained their abilities bycontracts with the devil

Unfortunately, the devil had never been confirmed to exist, A that this wasn't true

There was no way to prove that they hadn't signed a contract with a being whose existence hadn't been proven

It literally was the 'Devil's Proof'

TLN: 'Devil's Proof,' or 'probatio diabolica,' is a law terical dile, the lack of evidence fails to disprove it

There were all kinds of other rumors as well, such as that the Bravers had deliberately let the special forces soldiers of the nations perish, that Kaidou Kanata's evil deeds had been ordered byAiven the order to kill the 'Metamorph' shi+houin Mari because she had discovered the truth

“Well, all of that is baseless nonsense After a while, that information will become known to be the crazy words of the mad Oracle or fake infor the Bravers will clear, but the nus turned out perfectly, didn't they?” Doug concluded

“I see, so that's how it is… hey, can you not just appear out of nowhere and scare Sensei like that, Rikudou?” said Melissa

Doug and Melissa looked in surprise at the fifth person in the room, the 'Avalon' Rikudou Hijiri

But Hijiri was unperturbed by his presence being noticed; he gave Murakaentleed to accomplish the minimum of as requested, but it was quite the crude work, wasn't it?”

Indeed, it was the 'Avalon' Rikudou Hijiri, as still a meroup

He had persuaded the secluded individuals, Murakami Junpei and Tsuchiya Kanako, to betray the Bravers; he had planned things so that Murakarenade froroup to ency of the federal nation whom he had brainwashed secretly beforehand; he had even had a hand in the kidnapping of the 'Gazer' Minu treatment in a facility

And it had also been him who had helped Shade kill Endou Kouya of the Bravers, without even Shade hi it

“It is our first job, after all,” Murakami said

“Everyone has a first job But results are desired froht?” Hijiri said

“… That's true,” Muraka into silence

Their previous relationshi+p on Earth was no longer valid here

Hijiri had requested Murakas: Secure Pluto's corpse and hand it over to the federal state; dispose of Gazer, Marionette and Death Scythe before the hth Guidance members that could be obtained; and erase any traces of what couldn't be collected

The final part, the disposal, had been done by the Bravers of their oill, but all of the requests had been cleared

However, three companions had been lost and the fact that they were now employed by the federal state had been revealed to Hiroto and his companions; if this was an exa mark

“But Hijiri, you were there as well! Couldn't you have helped us a little? Don't act like you're so i out at Hijiri

“Doug, don't say such stupid things!”

Melissa and Kanako hastily tried to stop him

“It's fine,” Hijiri said, his s I… Rikudou Hijiri, was never there The one as there was her”

“Eh? What are you talking about, Rikudou-kun, you ith the Bravers the whole tian

Hijiri's appearance changed into that of a woht before the confused Kanako's eyes Kanako and Murakami knew that woman well

“The 'Metamorph' shi+houin Mari…?!”

“Yeah, don't call her by her nah,” said shi+houin Mari, as supposed to have died in an explosion that occurred at her isolated cell She was speaking with the exact same expression and tone, as if she had been taken over by Rikudou Hijiri his, but it's not an ability, so it can't be called perfect There ht be sudden moments of noise, so be careful, just in case”

And then she transformed back into the 'Avalon' Rikudou Hijiri once more

The one ith the Bravers back then was not Rikudou Hijiri himself, but the 'Metamorph' shi+houin Mari, who had transformed into him

Muraka this fact, but at the same time, it made sense

I did think it strange for the ht from the start

It had also likely been Hijiri who had pulled the strings behind shi+houin Mari being blown up He had placed a different corpse there in her place, and brainwashed the real Mari to add her to his collection of pawns Though this had been treated as the doing of the Eighth Guidance, the real culprit was a the Bravers, and this had occurred after shi+mada Izumi and Machida Aran died

It had probably been simple for Hijiri, as he was deeply trusted by Amemiya Hiroto

That scrupulous ave a bitter smile as Murakami looked at him

“… Ah, don'tyour rewards This is just a little bit of idle talk,” said Hijiri, as even h Mari as apparently now no more than a relay device in the form of a person

“W-what?” said Doug, see bewildered

“Since you completed the minimum requirements of what I requested, I have no complaints That's what I mean You'll be paid the proency with the treatment that you were promised It will be difficult to have you treated like leaders right away, but I'll arrange for work to be sent your way so that you can build your achieve out favorable conditions one after another

“Are you sure you can promise stuff like that?” Murakami asked

“Of course Despite ency of a superpower nation from the shadows, and nobody knows about it except for you four, you know? It's simple”

“Then I'rateful, but…”

At thatfor Murakami and his companions

“It looks like it's ti into a Hexagon employee as he left

In an operating space, where the underground laboratory could be seen through a layer of reinforced glass, there orkers in lab coats questioning Murakami and his companions

Doug, Melissa and Kanako were cooperating with the investigation without any signs of unhappiness, as Rikudou Hijiri had assured them that their futures were secure

However, Murakae discomfort at how Rikudou Hijiri had behaved

So is off

No matter what, he couldn't shake off this unpleasant, sinister feeling

What was so off about him? His behavior? The way he'd talked like an important person? … No, that wasn't it!

It's the words he said, the words anted to hear! I said si to kill them anyway, empty promises are fine!

So then, the reason he asked us to come here and hand over Pluto's body, hich he was so obsessed, was…!

Having suddenly realized so, Murakami stood up from his seat, driven by his sensation of fear He approached the reinforced glass to look at Pluto's corpse, which was under investigation

“W-what's wrong, Murakami-sensei?”

Ignoring the surprised voices of the others, Murakami looked at Pluto's corpse just in ti scalpel

“S-STOOOOOOOP!” Murakami screamed

But the scalpel didn't stop, and it broke through Pluto's skin And then soas erupted from that point with incredible force

“W-what?!”

“Death-attribute Mana detected! This is… already beyond critical levels!”

Inside the laboratory, the researchers earing protective equipical defense as well crumpled onto the floor, one after another An alarm sounded, and operators' screams filled the air