2:30 P.M.

2:30 P.M.

 

Zoragi was beginning to get an inkling as to why it was born.

It had no goal. It was a being that existed purely to destroy.

It had no joy or anger. It was automated, like a machine.

What should it destroy? Everything. What should it do after it destroyed everything? Destroy it some more.

It had been wandering aimlessly, occasionally destroying things simply because it was gigantic, and because of the energy it gave off; but as it became self-aware, Zoragi began to destroy things intentionally.

The Moon Temple was in front of it, so Zoragi opened its massive jaws, and took a bite.

Through the hole the bite created was the one who’d given birth to Zoragi, the ‘placenta’ that prevented it from being truly free. When Zoragi had first been born, it had needed this human, but now it was time to cut the umbilical cord. Only then could Zoragi fully manifest.

“Grrrrrrrrr…!”

Zoragi growled, and the human squealed, backing away.

A shadow appeared behind him, like a black pipe. The shadow spoke briefly to the human, then sighed, and turned to face Zoragi.

Despite its insignificant size, the shadow’s eyes met Zoragi’s.

The shadow whispered, “Ah…our wavelengths have aligned. I can see you now.”

 

***

 

“Y-you can see it?”

The shadowy figure seemed sure of itself, but Makoto did not find this comforting.

“What now?”

“Mm? It came to fight, so I’ll have to return the favor.”

“Y-you’re gonna fight that?”

“What else can I do?”

The shadow abruptly picked Makoto up.

Before he could even yelp, the shadow leapt sideways.

A moment later Zoragi’s fangs snapped shut right where they’d been. They barely escaped in time.

Then Zoragi let out an awful scream, and pulled its head out of the Moon Temple.

“Wh-what?”

In the shadow’s arms, Makoto looked up at the monster, wondering what had happened.

The shadow clicked its tongue. “I missed. It’s faster than I thought.”

“Hunh?” Makoto said, confused. Then he saw purple blood flowing from one of Zoragi’s eyes. There was a cut open on the bulging surface of the eye.

“Wh-what did you do?”

“I failed. I intended that to finish it off…”

The shadow tossed aside the thin wire it had used to slice up Zoragi’s eye, and broke into a run, putting some serious distance between them.

Zoragi’s scream gave way to anger, and it attacked, pounding the building with its massive front legs.

The shadow dodged. Hole after hole opened in the side of the Moon Temple, like cannon fire.

“Merely wounding it puts us at a disadvantage. That body is too tough to harm.”

“B-but…what are you?! You can fight monsters?!”

“My name is Boogiepop,” the shadow said. It ran on, Makoto held tight under its arm.

Behind them, destruction followed right on their heels.

“W-wait, Boogiepop! Why are we going up?!”

The way the Moon Temple was built, once you went up, there was no other way back down.

“You think it’ll corner us?” Boogiepop said. It sounded faintly bemused.

“Wh-wh-what are you thinking?!”

“Why do you ask?” Boogiepop said, puzzled.

“But…I mean…”

“Of course we’re going up. Where else can we go?” As if this was the most natural thing in the world.

Makoto’s mouth gaped open. No words came.

But there was one thing he knew for sure.

As crazy as Zoragi existing was, this Boogiepop thing was every bit as bizarre.

 

***

 

For a while Zoragi lashed out indiscriminately, letting the rage take hold, but soon it began to calm down.

Its target had nowhere to go. They were in a confined space, with no way out. That made it easy. For something human sized, the Moon Temple was huge and full of space to run and hide, but for Zoragi, they were like a water flea in a goldfish bowl. Perhaps crushing a single insect was difficult. But…

“Grrrrrr…”

Zoragi backed away from the Moon Temple.

Lightning crackled between the spikes on its back.

At first, the bolts shot everywhere, striking buildings on all sides, but gradually they focused upon a single target.

Concentrating on the Moon Temple.

“Grrrrrr…”

As Zoragi’s lightning peppered the Moon Temple, a door in the top floor opened, and a shadow stepped out.

As everything around it crumbled, it ignored the lightning, staring directly at Zoragi.

 

***

 

“Augh! Wh-what’s going on?!” Makoto screamed.

“To kill a water flea in a goldfish bowl, break the bowl. Pretty smart monster,” Boogiepop said, sounding impressed.

“H-how can you be so calm?!” Makoto yelped.

A bolt of lightning struck the base of the Moon Temple.

The building swayed. It was sturdily built, but the architects never designed it to survive this kind of abuse.

As the roof began to lean, Makoto let out a wordless shriek.

Boogiepop placed its black lips at Makoto’s ear—given the noise around them, this was the only way he’d be able to hear—and spoke, its tone of voice not altered at all.

“Have you—”

“Hunh?”

“Have you ever—”

What? Makoto frowned, trying to concentrate.

More lightning struck home, and the Moon Temple swayed like an anemic girl. As it did, Boogiepop asked that same ludicrous question a third time.

“Have you ever gone bungee jumping?”

With Makoto held tight under his arm, the shadow jumped.

As it did, the Moon Temple collapsed with a thunderous roar.

 

***

 

“Grrr…?”

Zoragi saw something leap away from the building, and was confused.

What was it doing?

There was no chance of surviving that fall. Unless it was up to something?

To prevent whatever that was, Zoragi leaned in, jaws yawning wide.

The shadow was bobbing in mid-air, the child held under his arms. As Zoragi’s jaws closed, it suddenly moved.

“Grahhh…?!”

A shock ran through Zoragi’s body.

 

***

 

Bungee jumping.

The principle behind it was simple.

Wrap a lifeline around yourself, and fall. That’s it. All that remained was where to attach the lifeline.

If the ground under your feet was crumbling away, what was there to attach it to?

However, Makoto was far too overwhelmed to ask this obvious question. Everything had happened far too fast.

A burst of wind as they fell, then a swirl, then a burst of wind from the other direction…and then his body was already bounding, floating, and steady.

Then Makoto spied a thin wire running from Boogiepop’s arm to Zoragi’s head.

Their lifeline was secured to the monster looming above them. So why had Zoragi frozen, immobilized? Exactly what part of it was the wire wrapped around?

There was a snap, and their bodies began to fall. But they weren’t far above ground now, and Boogiepop easily landed upright.

And a moment later something fell out of the sky.

It was the size of a truck; bulky, wet, and twitching.

It was…

“?! Th-that’s… um… um…” Makoto stammered, uselessly.

“Yes…Zoragi’s tongue.”

“………”

“A weak point on any creature. Rip it out from the root, and they won’t survive,” Boogiepop said, quietly.

The giant monster began to slowly topple over. Its body landed on the buildings nearby, knocking them over…and then went still.

“………”

Makoto stood stunned.

Boogiepop had put him down, and he was standing on his own two feet, but he didn’t notice.

His mouth flapped, his lips trembling.

“…ah…ahhh…ah ha…haha—”

His shoulders shook, a moan escaped his lips, and then a laugh exploded out of him.

“Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ha hah! Holy crap, we actually won!”

“With knowledge and courage, there is nothing that can’t be done,” the shadow intoned. “Everyone just forgets that.”

Makoto just kept laughing, showing no signs of hearing.

At last, his knees buckled, and he collapsed on the pavement.

“Oops,” Boogiepop said, catching him.

By then Makoko was already fast asleep. All the excitement had really taken it out of him.

Boogiepop stared down at his innocent face, and sighed. “You believed it at last? That took some doing,” he whispered.

There was a slithering sound, something sliding across the ground.

And a moment later Zoragi’s massive form loomed over the rubble.

“Grrrraaaghhh!” it roared, its mouth yawning wide. A new tongue was already growing in.

Not just the tongue; the punctured eye was filling in again, reborn.

“………”

Holding Makoto, Boogiepop looked up at it.

Eyes ten times larger than Boogiepop’s stared back.

Facing each other down in silence.

 

At last the shadow shrugged.

“As you can see, Zoragi-kun. Your way out is sealed.”

Boogiepop stroked Makoto’s cheek.

“………”

Zoragi didn’t move.

“You can crush him, but that won’t let you escape from here. Not until someone else perceives you.”

“………”

The monster was silent.

But after a long silence, it shook itself, and turned its back. Footsteps rumbling, it walked away.

Crushing the town in this other reality, the monster retreated into the distance, its roar echoing like thunder in its wake.

 

***

 

“Sheesh.”

In the darkness, Boogiepop’s eyes opened.

Here in this reality, the Moon Temple still stood, shrouded in silence.

Boogiepop was on his knees, with Hashizaki Makoto sleeping in his arms.

“You’re amazing, Boogiepop…” he muttered.

Boogiepop shrugged.

“Thanks. Though I do not deserve your praise.”

A faint line of blood ran from under the hat across his pale face. But there was no sign of pain in his expression, which remained neutral, like a doll’s face.

“I took a hit when we jumped…if I hurt this body, Takeda-kun will be furious.”

There was a trace of sadness in his voice.

Fragments fell from the ceiling. Boogiepop frowned.

“Some small portion of Zoragi’s power crossed the boundary? This building may not last much longer.”

Boogiepop rose to his feet.