Vol 8 Chapter 5 (1/2)

Chapter 5 – God of Happiness and Sadness

Part 1

Hokuto was lying down on the bed in her room In the short while of a fine afternoon, Hokuto liked to drift about in a peaceful nap

“Hokuto-sa irresponsible and wake up”

A feentle voice

“Uun……I don’t wannaa”

“You are not soet a hold of yourself, our world will be ruined”

Hokuto woke up reluctantly

“You are really exaggerating”

She changed clothes into the one prepared for her and exited her room When she walked inside the palace, she passed by various people The people working in the palace showed happy sure and bowed their head Hokuto liked seeing the s face of such people Moreover, the fact that theyfurther made her happy and proud

For that reason, she could endure even the long distance from her room until the throne

However actually she was thinking that if she had to walk all the same then it was better to do it in the city There were a lot of store in the city, there were a lot of delicious thing in the city, everyone was s joyfully

‘――I want to be taken along to city again’

She pestered to the people around her for that, but the chance for her to go outside was not many Even her meal, she was told that the food of the mass was bad for her, she wasn’t really let to eat those kind of foods

But, the next time she went, she would absolutely want to try to eat the food in that stand Thinking of that , she arrived at the hall of the throne She jumped and sat on the throne, then an oldWho was this person Hokuto felt like she kneho this person was, but she couldn’t recall no matter what

Come to think of it, the faces of the many helpers and officials around her were hazy, she also didn’t know their name She didn’t knoho they were However, since Hokuto was born they had be of assistance to her all along, she had good relationshi+p with the a family for her

That fa in succession In the blink of eye the room was filled with many peole

And then when the door of the throne hall was left open, a vast courtyard entered her eye Several thousand of people were gathering there

“Just why is everyone here like this?”

When Hokuto asked that, the old man in the most front row raised his head reverently

“Today is the day of farewell, so we are offering our parting salutation with all of us present like this”

“……Farewell?”

“It’s a little different fro in this world is going to be entrusted to Hokuto-sama”

“Then this is not a farewell? We can ether?”

Thereupon the oldup behind hi sad faces

“No way……I don’t wanna! I don’t want any farewell”

“This star is already on its end There is no other path for us except ruin We are entrusting the future to Hokuto-sama in our final moment, there is no one but you who can do this That’s why, Hokuto-sama――”

‘――I don’t wanna!’

Hokuto’s eyes opened

“……Eh?”

Hokuto was on top of the bed in her room

She had no need to sleep That was because her body was one that wouldn’t have any problem even if she didn’t take rest Even maintenance was carried on without any suspension on her body

That hy she wasn’t supposed to see anything like dream

However when she checked the data of the past, so like this happened sometimes

“Everyone……”

People that she awfully missed

The people living in the world of the far past

This uninhabited city was the same like that

This space was soenerate naturalmemory The objective this world was created for was different from Lemuria and Atlantis

She wanted to reproduce the appearance of the days of yore of the world that she once lived at

She understood that such an act had no ically, it was a really pointless waste of energy However she couldn’t help but doing it

The people she loved and missed

She had to protect those people

She had to protect the world those people lived at

This world she created was a mere copy A fake that she created as iarden

She missed those people so much her chest felt pained Those people whose faces she couldn’t even remember, just who and where in the world they were She couldn’t even remember their name anymore

――But

Everyone lived inside her

“That’s why……even though for everyone’s sake, it’s no good……if I’ happy”

Hokuto forcefullyface and jumped out from the bed

“No―w then, what to do today――”

At that moment, she felt an abnormal presence

“This feeling……!?”

Someone arrived in this world

“Thanatos? Or else Osiris, don’t tell me it’s Odin……”

The presence she felt was different from any of those

So other than herself

An uninvited guest arrived in this world

Part 2

“Not a single soul is here……”

“It see……what a ”

Kizuna and Himekawa, also Nayuta stepped their feet toward the city of the alternate world they had e in

This city appeared to be a city of the masses There were orderly lined up districts, but the inside was actually atile roof and the white wall had cos with various sizes were built up without any sense of unity

{Is there no danger?}

Communicationfrom Reiri opened in front of Kizuna

“Yeah, it see, there is also no existence of living thing or machine at all”

The inspection of battleshi+p Ataraxia was finished and fleay from this island If Hokuto was in this island, in that case they wouldn’t knohat kind of danger would there be Right now the battleshi+p had chose one of the floating island with slight distance and in the state of hiding at the shadow of that island

{I rash no matter what}

“I understand already It will be troubleso it off now”

When the as closed, silence arrived once

Any of the buildings facing the street seemed like shop, they put up colorful billboard and attached decoration as they pleased The letters were different, but the place like shopping district so and lively town, but because there was no a single person, it instead drifted off an eerie atmosphere

The shopfront of the stores lined up their products, and there was stea up from the pot of the stand The situation felt like there were people here until just now, but so happened and all of them went somewhere all at once

“Actually this is really interesting”

It was only a little, but Nayuta’s voice felt a little cheery froht It was rare for Nayuta who usually didn’t show her emotion to be like this Kizuna looked at Nayuta alking ahead and spoke to her

“Did you understand so?”

Nayuta stood still and twirled to turn at hi hi

“I think this place is unmistakably the world that Hokuto created I feel her existence”

Nervousness ran through Kizuna and Himekawa

“It’s just, there is nothat is a little strange”

“I understand that it’s strange looking at his Even though it’s a city that look this lively, there is not a single person here It’s strange enough, even eerie

“There is that but”

Nayuta entered the shop they happened to pass as if she thought of so from the many clothes lined up there, it see

“Oi, where are you going?”

Perhaps she didn’t hear Kizuna’s voice, Nayuta kept advancing deeper without paying it any notice Kizuna and Himekawa looked at each other and entered into the shop following behind Nayuta

“This is……”

When they entered inside the shop, there were clothes in China style lined up But, it was a little unusual

“There are only the same clothes here……”

“Besides the sizes are all almost about the same aren’t they”

When Hi up several of them Thereupon, certainly all of theht, if Hokuto was in her human size without the Gear, wouldn’t these clothes fit her just right?

“Both of you, please try to come here”

There was a door inside the shop, Nayuta was beckoning theuessed that likely there was a warehouse or office there Kizuna opened that door

“……What, is this?”

Inside there was no roo up

They tried to peek at the other shops and buildings, but they all hadfroed, but at the inside there were only rock surface or door orthat was fixed still

“For some reason, this is like a movie set”

“It’s so siood that is created to i In addition it is also like a bad copy with quite a bad make”

“Copy……wait, what does that mean?”

“For exa reproduced fro in Le created in i”

At first it looked like a gorgeous and splendid city, but they gradually ca flimsy When they looked even closer, there were several shops with the same construction Himekawa tilted her head with a complicated face

“However even if you say that this is i of?”

“Most likely, the world she once existed at And in addition, perhaps it was before she became God”

‘――Before she became God?”

Kizuna once again looked around at the deserted townscape Its gorgeous adornhted instead His eyes caught a single poster pasted at a street corner

“Is so the matter Kizuna-kun?”

“No……this picture photographed there”

Himekawa and Nayuta also approached that poster

“This, is it……Hokuto?”

The photo had a great nuirl at the center It was like a commemoration photo, but they didn’t understand what the poster was for The face of that girl was exactly the same with Hokuto But her body was not that of the machine God’s appearance, but that of a human She displayed a smile that was happy fro they could feel how happy she was

However as curious, was the people around her, their faces One person had gradation on the face, other person was painted off, another one had only the face part torn off, there was no human inside the picture that had their face pictured

“Somehow……it looks scary”

“Yeah Just what in the world, this means――”

Fierce explosive sound thundered, tremor was transmitted underneath them

Kizuna took off his eye frouard toward the direction where the sound came from

“You all……how did you come into my world?”

The ground caved in and a fissure traveled along the ground Vapor and dust cloud were rising up froirl in red China dress at the center of a depression on the ground

“……Deus ex Machina Hokuto”

However her figure ithout armor She looked exactly like human

――She was similar

With that girl in the poster

And then she showed the sah it should be the same it looked different somewhere That smile had a hidden side that was different somehow

“This saves the trouble of looking for you all, is what I want to say but……just how this happen? Before this too you all suddenly vanished and I couldn’t even chase after you, how did you come here――”

Hokuto’s eyes stopped at the little girl with the s them

“……I see This is your doing isn’t it”

“Yes It’s an honor to be noticed once more”

‘Hmph’, Hokuto sniffed her nose

“To use that Genesis and trying to beco the same like us……”

“HoweverI will have you hand over your data for reference together with the data of our worlds”

“I won’t return that data just so you know Because the experiment failed we cannot continue, but with the harvested data as the base, it will serve as the clue to restore my world”

“Restoring……your world?”

Kizuna couldn’t understand the content of what Hokuto was talking about But, they could understand that different from Kizuna and others, the world where Hokuto once existed at was unable to be restored because of some kind of reason This world was also this badly made because of that

“That’s why, it helped that you all come here by yourself! I’ll also turn all of you into data here and retrieve it cleanly!”

Lines of light ran over Hokuto’s body Metallic lump and coht that ignored law of physics From Hokuto’s slender body, machine and armor that no matter how one saw it couldn’t possibly be stored inside there were pouring out The ed It was like unseen hands were perfor work And then in the blink of eye Hokuto’s body rapped in an armor that was shaped after Kirin

Looking up at that figure, Kizuna’s breath got caught He was overwhelure as Deus ex Machina Originally they planned to invest all their battle strength in an all-out battle including Vatlantis and Izgard But the fact was currently they were in a situation where they had to fight with only Kizuna and Hith as th, but it was unkno much useful she would be in the current state Besides, she was someone they couldn’t trust in the first place

But, there was no other choice but to fight

“Here we go! Eros!!”

Kizuna’s body rapped in jet black armor It was the Heart Hybrid Gear that was just like usual The black armor that already becaic power running over it Although his Core had been reinstalled, the appearance didn’t change at all But――,

“Neros!!”

The radiance wrapping Hiot blinded The strength of that brightness was displaying subli that the level of what she equipped was different froic power Hiht particles also had wide difference than before The brightness enveloping her body didn’t shrink and expanded widely like wings

The beautiful dazzling light spreading several ti and instead the ic power condensed and increased in thickness

And then when the veil of light was cleared away, a new Heart Hybrid Gear manifested

“……This is!?’

After the brightness cleared up, the first thing that Himekawa felt out of place about was the difference in scenery

The location of her point of vieas high Kizuna’s face that looked up at her in shock was located around her waist And then when the ar her body entered her eyes when she looked down, she opened her eyes wide

“A……”

Hih of admiration The are fuselage It was as though it was a fuselage of the sa in the air, however it also had the trace of Neros in it

A sharp silhouette even with its large scale Form with a close resemblance like a polished japanese katana If the previous Gear was like a casual outfit, the arht noas like a battle outfit with heavy ar to say it like an infantry turning over into jet fighter

While the fuselage itself was large, there was no pointless protector attached on the body of Hiht like an expression of confidence, that no harm would reach the pilot Because of that, her beautiful body line looked even more emphasized

Ar little by little from her visibly exposed shoulders until her elbow before the arh th of Himekawa’s arm

Her point of view becae The arh stretched until her toe and underneath it there was mechanical knee joint A blade was mounted around her waist like a japanese katana that waslike wings Their whole length was less than two ic poas flowing on the blade In a glance, rather than calling theeously slender aircraft It was like they were i for Hi up and down

‘――There are, the new Blades’

Regardless that what she as a co of it

“This is……the rebirth Neros”

Looking up at the new Neros, Nayuta nodded in satisfaction

“Great craftmantshi+p With that, surely it’s possible to oppose even Deus ex Machina”

Himekawa looked down at Nayuta

“Can I really……fight against that Deus ex Machina? Before this I cannot do a single thing against her”

To Himekaho directed anxious eyes at her, Nayuta replied back kindly

“The reinstall is for that sake I don’t do anythingit in reverse, the only one who can protect this world right now are only you and Kizuna”

However Kizuna’s appearance looked exactly the saht against Deus ex Machina? Even Kizuna rim expression and faced Nayuta

“Hey, do I really have to test that you-knohat?”

“Yes I was convinced after looking around at this city Other than using thatDeus ex Machina is iroundwork for that sake”

Inside Himekawa’s head became fully filled with questionabout

Was Eros failed to power up? In the first place Eros was a unique Heart Hybrid Gear Perhaps this time it also accomplished a power up that was different from usual

“At any rate, I have to be the one standing as the vanguard right?”

Hi down on her waist Matching with Neros’s body size, it also becae Its destructive power should be raised remarkably

“It looks considerably different……the before this isn’t it?”

Hokuto glared at Hiuard toward the luy that suddenly appeared

“But, just by getting a little stronger, there is no way you all can be a in is just different after all”

“Overwhelht is me……I have”

Red light traveled through Sword’s blade The Blades on her back instantaneously got up and pointed their tips at Hokuto

“Already finished experiencing that!”

Sparks scattered in front of Hokuto’s eyes The Blades and the octagon shi+eld of light deployed in front of Hokuto pushed at each other Two lights of ht everywhere

The Blades sliding out from Himekawa’s back instantly attacked

“To stop that just now, as expected from Deus ex Machina I’m filled with awe”

“Hmph……looks like it become quite fast, but――”

Hiround dented and the stone tiles were thrown up Wind pressure and shockwave gouged the surface and rolled up dust Neros’s thrusters eht before Hokuto’s eyes in an instant

“Wwha-!?”

Hokuto immediately evaded Hilio The shockwave split apart the ground, bisecting into two the ten odd-storey building behind Hokuto

“!>:

Although she evaded it, the blade of light elongating from Sword scratched the arm protector of Hokuto

For Hokuto, it was so really unexpected She fixed dule line carved on her arm

“Thi……this is”

Hokuto’s face warped in rage Flame jetted out from the armor that was modeled after Kirin That flarasped the flaed appearance into a weapon with crimson blade, [Hakke Kirin]

“How dare you wound my body!”

“Please don’t think that this will end just with a wound of that degree!”

“――!!”

Blades swooped down from the sky with an incredible speed Hokuto is and protected her body Blades ether with sparks, the ars were shaved and wounded

“YO, YOU BASTAaaRD!”

“I said it already That this won’t end with just that much wound!”

Hokuto kicked on the ground A fissure appeared and dust rolled up as if an explosion happened Hakke Kirin drew an arc above Himekawa’s head That slash was blocked by Sword

“DO YOU KNOWWW! My body is not so that is mine alone! How dare you hurt everyone, everyone’s world like this!”

Hokuto’s wings eht The propulsive force raised re Hiht while the bodies of the tere flying in a state that was slightly floating above the ground

“-……what stupid poer!?”

“Don’t you get carried away just fro a little power up!”

They flew until the end of theat the end of the road The wall broke and the two of the one after another while still locking sword And then they broke through toward the opposite side The as sments flew everywhere The foundation that was destroyed couldn’t bear the weight of the building and it tilted violently And then the houses and shops nearby got sed up, they were collapsing while raising up violent dust cloud

“This is the world that you created right!? And you just destroy it like this!”

“It’s just a fake after all! Who cares about it!”

Red light ran over the Kirin armor

It see that Himekawa struck first

“Blade!”

Theswords appeared from the two sides of the street The blades cut apart the shops and ran in parallel while destroying stone walls and blocks And then they slashed at Hokuto from four directions

“Aah! That’s just troublesome!”

Hokuto flew up to the sky The Blades that lost the target cut e up the swooped up They were chasing after Hokuto with acrobatic movements

The four Blades were turned back by Hokuto using Hakke Kirin and shi+eld of light However the Blades doggedly hounded her ti at Hokuto persistently

“How obstinate! Then!”

The whole blade of Hakke Kirin shi+ned red

“That is!?”

The sky suddenly beca became dark in the blink of eye A oht

Inside Himekawa’s brain, the memory of the attack that Hokuto released at Ataraxia was revived That pohich turned Ataraxia into scorched earth in an instant

“I won’t let you!”

Hiic circle that was shi+ning radiantly got deployed froertips

“Liberation and severance fro of this world――come”

A hilt of sword appeared frorasped that hilt and she pulled out

“Corruption Armament [Gladius]!!”

That was a sith two blades It had tide and very long curved blades, lining up parallel to each other The blade that severed apart the relation with this world The huge sharp blades that were nearly two ht for the current Neros

“Here I come!”

Fully opening the thrusters on her back, Hio

“HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

Two flashes ran from one attack

Red shockwave attacked the enemy from the movement of Gladius

The red blade of Hakke Kirin repelled the silver blade of Gladius

“Hah!”

Himekawa reversed the point of her sword and slashed horizontally ai at Hokuto’s torso

“Kuuh!”

The flashi+ng slash released particles of light, the shockwave reached until the ground That pressure bleay the roof of the building

Gladius slashed up fro up the blade tip above

‘――Got her!’

“HUAAAAAAAH!”

Together with a shriek of fighting spirit, Hi blade cut at Hokuto’s left ar into Hokuto’s armor The next instant, Hokuto’s left arm danced in the air

One of the machine God’s arm, was bisected

“Eh……?”

Unable to believe what she saw, Hokuto stared at her ar in the air

“Lies, that……”

When she looked at her left arm, certainly her arm was not there It was like there was no ar, it was bisected with clean cut

“U, u, uWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

Hokuto’s scream thundered in the sky The wave of i like a sea

“This is not funny, not funny, so like this, like this――”

Hokuto’s abnored

“!? That’s!”

The light traveling all over Hokuto’s body converged at her cut left arht drew the contour of her lost arm, in succession the lines also drew the ar a plan And then like fitting on puzzle pieces, the part surrounded by lines were changing into armor

“No way……”

Himekawa’s eyes clouded in shock

Hokuto’s left arm that should be bisected was reconstructed

Hokuto wailed while her eyes were gathering tears

“So like this is not fun at all!”

Cold sweat trickled down Himekawa’s forehead The same like Nayuta Nayuta could also ie she received

‘――Against that, won’t we be unable to defeat her forever?’

That feeling of powerlessness and dread was spreading in her heart like dark cloud Hied herself

“Then I’ll do it no matter how many times!”

Hiain attacked with Gladius However Hokuto also moved her Hakke Kirin The tords with supernatural ability clashed in the air

It was a sword locking contest where Gladius extinguished the flae was enormous even just from that influence Flas of the city

With fierce shockwave, the whole city sunk doith the two as the center Even buildings that reached several ten ofdown as if they were crushed froh they were stepped on by giant, fissures were spreading in radial shape froround

“I’ on you! Gladius!”

“Hakke Kirin!”

When Hokuto shouted that, the flame of Hakke Kirin became even fiercer Intense heat and shockwave attacked Hi Gladius beca

And then Hokuto roared as if to spout her soul

“UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

At that moment, Gladius snapped

‘――No way’

Flame spread like a nuclear explosion The flaouged out the ground, and stone blocks were flying up one after another from the street

The beautiful lake adjoining the city boiled instantly, the forest was blazing up Shockwave that shook the whole floating island even cracked the solid rock supporting the ground

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

Himekaas in the center of that received the direct attack and her consciousness fleay in an instant Bloay by fierce shockwave, she was then falling to the ground Even the ar in pieces froround which was approaching near

‘――I lost

Even though I’ve co as far as doing that kind of e is not useful

The neer that I obtained by co poith Kizuna-kun

――Kizuna-kun’

Just before she crashed on the ground, someone embraced and stopped her body

“Hayuru!”

A worrying gaze staring at her Ar her body

“Kizuna……kun”

Kizuna landed on the ground holding Hi up at Kizuna with eyes shi+ning in anticipation