4 - A Wonderful World

He knew it was a setup. But Akuto had come anyway, simply because he wanted to fight.

Marine also knew it was a setup. But he’d come because he needed to remain true to the things he believed in.

The bait was the Jeweled Branch. The One had gone ahead and left it there. A golden branch, shining on top of an ordinary rock on top of the tallest mountain in the Empire, as if it had grown there naturally. Akuto and Marine were on either side of it, facing off. Both were close enough that they could grab it if they wanted.

“So I was right,” Akuto said with a sigh.

“I certainly didn’t expect him to just drop the Jeweled Branch here, and then just run.”

Marine’s voice was a low sigh, as well.

“He even made sure we’d get here at the same time.”

“But... what shall we do, then? I plan on using this to stop the asteroid,” Marine said, softly but in a voice filled with resolve.

“Me too,” Akuto answered.

“Then our immediate objectives are the same. I don’t suppose you can just let me handle this, then?”

“I’m afraid I have to say the same thing to you. You’re not planning on handing it over when you’re done with it, are you?”

Akuto grinned. Marine smiled back.

“Of course not. This treasure is important to my people. I can’t give it to anyone.”

“Then that leaves us one option, doesn’t it?”

“...But I’d like to avoid that as much as possible.”

“Why?”

“Because what we’re doing is a war in its own right. You can see all those cameras, can’t you?”

Marine gestured around them. He was right. The sky was filled with automata machines.

“So depending on the result of our battle, the war could get worse, huh? True. That’s not what I want,” Akuto, despite his words, wasn’t agreeing with Marine. “But I’d still like to resolve this myself.”

“Is that because you lost someone you care about? I sympathize. But I don’t think taking that out on me is an appropriate answer.”

Despite everything, Marine refused to fight. Akuto shook his head.

“That’s not it. It’s the same as the way you carry your people’s burdens.”

“I see. You’re right. I’m only being stubborn for the sake of my people. In the end, I could never be anything greater than that.” Marine laughed self-derisively.

Then his smile vanished from his face, and he took a step toward the Jeweled Branch. Akuto followed after.

“...Hah!” Marine let out a sharp breath.

“...Ha!” Akuto howled.

They both threw a punch at the same time. There was a violent sound of clashing flesh.

Marine’s left hand deflected Akuto’s right fist, and Akuto’s left elbow knocked away Marine’s own punch.

“Tch...” Akuto dropped a step back and put a hand up to his elbow. Marine must’ve taken some damage too, because he dropped back and wrapped his left fingers around his right hand. For now, they seemed evenly matched.

“Have you ever actually wondered what the Faceless Power is?” Akuto suddenly asked.

Marine frowned.

“You’re asking this now, after everything that’s happened?”

Akuto’s face was contorted with guilt.

“I... I know I was wrong about something. The One dropped the Jeweled Branch and fled. Something doesn’t make sense.”

“That’s... quite true. With my people watching, I couldn’t just leave it and chase him, but...”

“Yeah. I think he doesn’t need the Jeweled Branch anymore,” Akuto nodded.

Marine smirked.

“I see... I should’ve noticed earlier. The One’s goal was to summon the asteroid. He used the Jeweled Branch to do that.”

“Probably, yeah. That’s why I want you to answer me. What is the Faceless Power?”

Marine answered Akuto’s question.

“That’s something I’ve thought a lot about. It’s a manifestation of the people’s will.”

“That much is clear. But doesn’t that fail to explain some things?”

“Like what?”

“Your Faceless Power seems to me like it’s controlling mana to manifest energy...”

“Correct. That’s how I was taught to use it. Our culture descends from a mana-based civilization, after all.”

“But the power that your people used to destroy the Empire seemed like something different...”

“Hmm...” Marine thought for a moment.

“So what if there were two Faceless Powers...?” Akuto suggested. Marine froze for a moment.

“Yes, that would make sense... One would be the power that awakened due to the Jeweled Branch, and the other would be the one sealed in the capsule in the Marlay village... The one I’m using would be the latter.”

“So I’ll ask again. Why did The One give us back the Jeweled Branch?”

Akuto continued talking, but even as he did so, he readied himself for a fight again. Marine instinctively prepared himself as well. But he didn’t seem to understand why Akuto wanted to fight.

“He wanted to drop the asteroid on the planet, right? But I don’t understand why this is so important to you. If the Jeweled Branch allows us to control the same Faceless Power as the Republic, then we can deal with the asteroid.”

“That’s right. But there’s one thing you don’t understand...!”

“What?” Marine frowned.

“The Jeweled Branch can’t control your people’s will!” Akuto shouted, and threw a punch. Marine blocked with his arms, but was blown backward.

“Gah...! S-So that’s it... The Jeweled Branch can release the Faceless Power, but it can’t control it...” Marine whispered bitterly, but then shook his head. “...No! But even if that’s the case, my people have mastered the Faceless Power!”

Marine charged at Akuto, and punched. Akuto blocked, and now he was the one blown backward.

“Gah...! That arrogance is the mistake you’re making! The One knew that what you’re saying is impossible!”

Akuto charged again, and attacked once more. Marine punched back at the same time. Their fists collided, giving off an incredible blast of light and sound

“Impossible...?”

“Yeah. I think it’s impossible, too.”

Marine and Akuto glared at one another as they fought.

“What do you mean?”

“The Faceless Power can’t just belong to the Republic. It must reflect the will of all of humanity. Both you and Keena were able to use the Jeweled Branch. And you were both originally just humans!”

Both Akuto and Marine grinned at the same time.

“I was a fool. I should’ve realized.”

“You noticed because we talked about it. Talking is important.”

“So are you telling me we need to take each other in our arms and pray for world peace?”

“That might work... But you know what your answer is, right?”

The two of them nodded at one another. In the next moment Marine’s fist flew toward Akuto.

“For now, we have to fight!”

Akuto blocked the punch with his forehead. A dull impact echoed throughout the mountain. Akuto’s forehead was bleeding.

“I’m saying the winner needs to show mercy to the loser!”

He hit back. Marine couldn’t dodge in time, and took a punch to the cheek. The impact twisted his neck, and he had to stop himself from being blown away. He forcibly held his ground, before punching Akuto’s own cheek.

“In the end... it’s the only thing we can do!”

The blow hit home. Akuto gritted his teeth, refusing to let his neck twist, his gaze unwavering.

“But you and I both know... in the end, the will of mankind will long for destruction!”

Now Akuto threw a left at Marine.

“Yes... It’s likely just a question of where the asteroid falls!”

Marine threw a left of his own.

Their fists struck each other in the face simultaneously. There was the sound of creaking bone. Sprays of blood. Shattered teeth. The shockwave blew through their bodies and traveled out the back of their heads. For a moment, they both froze.

“Hah... there’s no point just beating each other up like this, but it still hurts.”

“We’re both just being stubborn. If you’ll give it to me, I won’t hurt you anymore...” Marine said, tauntingly. Akuto laughed.

“You’re joking. Let’s see this through to the end.” As he spoke, he healed his wounds with mana. Marine did the same thing. The “end” Akuto spoke of wouldn’t come until one of them succumbed to exhaustion.

Akuto took a step forward.

Marine took a step forward.

Their heavy strides left craters in the stone of the mountaintop.

The two of them faced off, less than a meter apart.

“Let’s do it, then...”

“I was just thinking the same thing.”

It was impossible to tell who moved first. But their fists flashed out at incredible speed, striking each other in the head again and again.

○

“Maybe being a strong man also means being a stupid one,” Yoshie said, watching Akuto and Yoshie on her monitor.

“That’s certainly true for these two,” Korone answered.

“Why are they fighting, though?” Yuko asked, timidly.

“Because they’re stupid. That’s the conclusion we reached,” Korone said coldly.

Keena and Korone had met up with Yoshie in the command room just under an hour ago. Akuto had dropped them off before heading off to answer The One’s call. Keena had wanted to go with him, but Korone had, for once, strongly opposed this.

“After seeing what happened to Fujiko Eto... I need you to be careful,” Korone said. This was how Yoshie learned what had happened to Fujiko, but Yoshie was calm enough to avoid letting it distract her. While everyone else was lost in silent sadness, she’d decided to give her all to analyzing the materials that Fujiko had left her. As a result, she’d learned something that backed up what Akuto and Marine were debating. It was time to explain to everyone the meaning of what Akuto and Marine were saying.

“I think... I need to start at the beginning,” Yoshie said, and then opened a connection. She’d contacted Brave, and Lily in her yacht. It was necessary for them to understand the situation too.

“I’m listening,” Lily said. For some reason Brave wasn’t speaking, but she could hear his breathing. Yoshie continued.

“Listen to me. The Faceless Power is a supernatural power that has existed since before the dawn of mana civilization.”

“And the Imperial Line’s maintained their power by controlling it,” Lily answered.

“That’s right. And that’s when the Jeweled Branch and Swallow’s Cowry Shell were created. At the same time, they were also concerned about the dangers of the Faceless Power. They used the rather vague phrasing of ‘It could destroy humanity.’”

“Sounds like they weren’t kidding, huh?” Lily’s words sounded like a joke, but her tone was completely serious.

“Correct. And this is where it gets complicated. They started working on figuring out how the brains of people who could use the Faceless Power worked. The result of that research was mana. An artificial version of the Faceless Power, you see. And that’s when mana-based civilization came into being.”

Everyone fell silent as she continued.

“And then this part of history was kept completely secret,” Lily said, breaking the silence.

“All we were taught was that the Imperial Family created mana civilization...” Yuko said, sounding miserable.

“I’m not seeing that information in any of the databases I have access to.” Korone nodded.

“And any research, and any technology that resulted from, the original Faceless Power, was deemed black magic. Looking back, the rituals involving the Demon King, and the gods’ belief in the Law of Identity, all connect to the Faceless Power,” Yoshie said, her eyes glancing through the documents that Fujiko had left her.

“But there are still black mages today, right?” Lily asked. Yoshie’s answer was immediate.

“But in the end, none of them actually knew what Black Magic really was, right? This is just a guess, but it’s possible that mana-civilization got its start with the seemingly harmless Marlay and their theme park. And the group that believed in the Faceless Power might’ve settled beneath the sea and become the Republic.”

“...Huh?” This surprised Lily.

“But if we assume that’s the case, a lot of things make sense,” Korone nodded. Yoshie nodded as well, and continued.

“That’s where you get the two Faceless Powers that Akuto and Marine were talking about. Marine and Nonimora were using the Faceless Power sealed within the Swallow’s Cowry Shell. And then there’s the power that the people of the Republic are using, which can destroy the world.”

“That’s the thing. How are they different?”

Korone must’ve been intrigued by the existence of something that wasn’t in her databanks, because for once, she just asked a straight-up question.

“My guess... is that the Faceless Power sealed within the Swallow’s Cowry shell comes from the outer universe.”

“The outer universe?” Lily asked, surprised again.

“I don’t have any proof of this yet, but yes. And then the power that’s granting the wishes of the Republic’s people might be our collective unconsciousness, don’t you think?”

“Then the reason Akuto and Marine are fighting...” Korone whispered.

Yoshie shook her head sadly.

“That’s right. They’ve reached the same conclusion that we have. Mankind’s collective unconsciousness has created a new power beyond the reach of mana, and is using it to summon an asteroid.”

“Then the asteroid was summoned by the people?”

“That’s right. But even if I’m wrong... we don’t know if it’s possible to destroy the asteroid.” Yoshie’s voice betrayed a sense of resignation.

“But...” Keena spoke up, “But if everybody wishes to get rid of the asteroid... that could do it, right?” She had her hands together, as if in prayer.

Yoshie nodded, seeming to have already thought of this.

“Of course... Of course that’s what I want to happen. But how many people would be able to forgive the people of the republic? And Akuto knows exactly what everyone in the empire is thinking.”

There was a long pause. It was Lily’s calm voice that broke the silence.

“Got it. So I need to go take a look at the Swallow’s Cowry Shell in the Marlay village, right? Send me the data.”

“Huh?” Yoshie said, shocked.

“I’m gonna go look into the Marlay village. It’s in that big uh... tower, thing, right? The sealing capsule and the ship that travels to the stars.” Lily sounded so confident that Yoshie answered without really thinking about it.

“T-That’s right. That’s the Swallow’s Cowry Shell. That leaves the Robe of the Fire Rat and Dragon’s Neck Jewel, right?”

“Both of those depend on the Demon King, right?”

“Y-Yeah... The Robe of the Fire Rat supposedly opens the door to the afterlife. That, we have. It may be some kind of powerful necromancy... Or maybe a dimensional transfer device. And the other one is Peterhausen. A powerful weapon for the Demon King, a device, and a guidepost... Something like that, essentially.” Yoshie had answered, but then she felt compelled to ask Lily a question.

“Tell me, what do you intend to do with this information?”

“Eh, I’m just the kind of person who can’t simply sit back and do nothing,” Lily said, blushing a little.

“But...”

“There’s barely any mysteries left... I think, anyway. But there’s a chance that if we learn the connection between our world and the Faceless Power, we might find a way to stop the asteroid,” Lily continued, assuming that Yoshie wasn’t going to finish her comment.

“But well, basically, I feel a real need to kick some ass.”

○

When she finished her call, Lily turned to the rest of the student council.

“You guys don’t like this whole ‘We might die’ thing at all, do you?”

The three of them seemed caught off-guard by her statement.

“I am, yes.”

“Ayup, gya”

“Gugah.”

“Yeah, of course you don’t like it...” Lily looked up at the ceiling above the yacht’s control panel.

“But why are you asking us this? I-I mean, I understand the asteroid’s coming and all...”

“T-That’s right, gya. It’s bad luck to even talk about it, gya. You’re the one who said there’s a chance it could all work out.”

“Well, um... I’m just thinking that after we’re done here, we may end up someplace different than we’ve been up until now,” Lily said, her voice serious for once.

“Aww, president. Don’t get so serious like that.” Kanna tried to laugh off her concerns. When Lily turned to her with a serious expression, her laughter froze. But then Lily started to laugh as well.

“Ahahahaha...”

“Hah...hahah...” An awkward smile appeared on Michie’s face.

“Gugahgugahgugah...” Is it okay to laugh? Arnoul seemed to say, and only then did Kanna start to laugh herself.

“Eh, well... You know. What I’m trying to say is that when we die, we die together.” Lily’s laugh began to sound embarrassed.

“A-Aww, President...”

“Yeah, gya. We’ve already been through so much together.”

“Gugah.”

The three of them laughed awkwardly, feeling embarrassed. The yacht’s auto-pilot emitted a warning sound. It was beginning its descent.

“We’re here, huh...?” Lily said, and then motioned to the trio. They’d arrived at the clearing where the Marlay village was located.

“But... something’s not right, gya,” Kanna said as she looked at the village on the monitor.

“There’s... nobody here, huh?” Michie nodded.

“It doesn’t seem like there’s any danger, but...” Lily glanced at the monitor as she opened the hatch.

“It’s just too quiet.”

Lily looked around. The Marlay village was surrounded by a verdant forest. The houses were wood, and the village seemed to be very poor. But the lack of people bothered them more than anything. Even if they were inside, the populace still should’ve stuck their head out to peek at the approaching yacht.

“There should be a decent number of people here...” Lily said, motioning for the trio to stay sharp.

Kanna dropped low and listened carefully. Her nose and ears were better than the others.

“That way, gya.”

She was pointing to the area past the opposite side of the village.

“What’s over there?”

“I hear a dog... and Nonimora. They’re fighting.”

“A dog...? The One?” Michie asked, and they all started to run. They could see the tower up ahead of them.

“If that’s the tower, then...” Lily whispered.

“Is The One still after something here?” Kanna asked, and the rest of the group’s eyes began to shine.

“Does that mean there’s something here he hasn’t accomplished yet?”

“Then... We still have a chance!” Lily grinned.

The trio and Lily ran to the yard in front of the lab that formed the tower’s base. The One and Nonimora were there, fighting.

“So he was after the village!”

Nonimora was standing in front of the lab, swinging around a spear. The One was trying to get closer and closer to Nonimora. Then The One and Nonimora saw Lily’s group approaching.

“More threats?” Nonimora shot a harsh glance at Lily. She’d never met the student council president. Lily noticed her gaze, and clapped her glove-clad hands together.

“Nope. We’re here to help.”

The trio followed up behind her.

“We’re here too!”

“Gya.”

“Gugah.”

The trio were ready to fight. Kanna had already transformed into her beast mode, and Michie and Arnoul had fanned out beside her.

“Hmph. I’m surrounded, huh?”

The One looked around him. The Student Council were combat veterans, and there was nowhere for him to run.

“Now... be a good doggy and surrender.” Lily raised her fists.

“With this body and this combat ability, I never had a chance...” The One said, but he continued to smirk. “But there is one thing that’s in my favor... I think it’ll work out.”

“What’s in your favor? You’re staring down an ass-beating.” Lily smirked back.

“You’ll know at some point.”

He said, but before the words left his mouth Lily had already begun her attack.

“You think so, huh?!”

There was the sound of something tearing through the wind. Lily’s punch, however, was even faster than that.

“Tch...!”

The One dodged with his doggy speed. But Lily just laughed.

“Hah!” she shouted, and her formerly-straight arm immediately turned 90 degrees.

“What...?!” The arm had changed its direction to right where The One was going to land.

“Gwah!”

The punch landed hard on The One’s stomach, sending him flying.

“That attack is my specialty.” Lily bared her teeth. The One adjusted his position in mid-air, landing on all fours and looking at Lily in surprise.

“There’s not supposed to be any mana here...”

“I came on a yacht. And I brought a generator and a mana disperser.”

Lily launched another attack. With both of those, it was possible to use magic. The area was already densely filled with mana. But the same was true of the enemy.

“But then I can fight equally well!”

The One put up a mana shield to block Lily’s attacks. There was a dull thudding sound as they slammed into the glowing energy. But Lily was still relaxed and confident.

“Equal? We ain’t equal at all.” Lily began to smash her fists into the shield again.

“Uwah!” The One gasped in surprise. Both he and the shield had been knocked backward.

“Hey, not bad!” Nonimora said happily.

“Don’t mess with a veteran brawler,” Lily said, proudly putting her hand up to her hat.

“Now... There’s lots I want to ask you.” Lily cracked her knuckles as she walked toward The One.

The One must’ve been hurt, because his doggy snout was panting.

“Hmph... You think you’ve won, huh?” The One said, sarcastically, but Lily ignored him.

“I sure have. A dog’s no match for... me!”

With the last word she threw another punch. This time, the incredible force of it blew through The One’s shield in an instant. Her anger had clearly made her attack more powerful.

“Uwaahh...!”

Now The One was scared. Lily’s fist smashed into him right above the eyes. His howls turned into raw screams.

“Gyaaah!”

Next, she grabbed him by the head and smashed his jaw hard into the ground. He hit it so hard he went flying back up into the air. Then, she grabbed him with her left hand. She snatched him by the throat and began to squeeze hard.

“Gwoah...”

The One began to moan as he was suspended helplessly in the air.

“Hah... I think tonight we’ll be having dog stew for dinner,” Lily laughed.

“Oooh! The President’s stronger than usual today!”

“I think it’s ’cause she’s pretty mad!” Kanna and Michie were excited.

“Calm down, guys. Calm down. I’m always this strong.” She grinned, and then squeezed The One’s throat tighter.

“Guh... geh....” The One could barely breathe.

“Alright, time to start talking. First, who the hell are you?” Lily asked.

“Hmm? What are you going to do? You’re not going to kill him?” Nonimora asked as she walked over.

“Things are complicated, you see. There are some questions I have for him,” Lily explained. Then she put her right hand up against her left, and began to shake.

“D-Damn it...” The One was moaning in pain, but in his doggy body, he couldn’t fight back. Eventually, he began to talk, though resentment was clear in his tone.

“Fine... What is it you want to know?”

“Piss me off and I’ll snap your throat, puppy-boy. I asked who the fuck you were. Answer me.” Lily squeezed tighter.

“Aaagh... I suppose I’m what you’d call an alien.”

“An alien?” Lily had been expecting this answer, a little, but it was still a bit of a surprise. The others must have felt the same way, because their eyes had all gone wide at the response.”

“So that’s what’s going on...”

The One was staring at her defiantly now, but she kept asking questions.

“So let me ask this. Does space exist beyond the solar system?”

“It can’t be observed. That’s right. But... beyond it, lies another universe.”

The One now must have felt like he was controlling the conversation, because his tone had changed to that of a teacher.

“So this world itself ends at the solar system,” Lily said.

“Correct. That’s as far as the world goes. The other worlds are the same.”

“Which means that you broke through that wall... and came to our world that way.”

“Yes. But only my mind came. What you call the Faceless Power is the collective mind of us aliens.”

“Wait... Aren’t there two kinds of Faceless Power?” Lily asked.

“Correct. Our minds... The minds of we aliens... are held within this tower.” The One pointed his front paws, as best he could anyway, in the direction of the tower.

“That the power that Marine and I are using, right?” Nonimora said.

“Correct. But the Jeweled Branch, which was created to control it, can also unleash it.”

Lily began to get a bad feeling when she heard these words.

“So the other Faceless Power... the one the people of the Republic are using... it’s the Faceless Power of mankind, isn’t it?” She shuddered as she spoke.

The Faceless Power of mankind. It was impossible to say what might result from using the psyche of an entire race as energy when that race was still alive, but it probably wasn’t something good.

“That’s right. Once, mankind sealed it, saying it was impossible to control. But now, by coincidence, it has revived.” The One chuckled to himself as he spoke, as if telling a funny story.

“Impossible to control...”

“Yes. I am the last survivor of my race. My race was destroyed, and became a Faceless Power. And we were stuffed inside your capsule... The Swallow’s Cowry Shell. I am a being of pure mind that became separated from it.”

Though his tone suggested humor, what he was saying was terrifying.

“You were destroyed... And then became the Faceless Power? Why were you destroyed?”

“Because we tried to use the Faceless Power in our own world.”

“But then... that means...”

“Correct. The Faceless Power has, at least in theory, no will of its own. But for some reason, it acts to destroy a race. Perhaps this is only because every race hates itself, and desires its own destruction.”

“Does that mean...” Lily felt something cold run down her spine.

The One laughed, as if to say “yes.”

“Hahaha!~ That’s right! It’s going to work to destroy humanity. That’s what it’s doing right now! The Faceless Power is what summoned that asteroid!”

The student council, as well as Nonimora, fell silent.

“But you don’t get anything out of destroying another race! Or do you just want to see destruction?” Lily alone spoke.

The One snorted.

“Haha! Not at all. I’m not Kei Sakura. The Faceless Power is infinitely strong inside a world. But when it’s destroyed that world’s race, it’s ejected from the world. It becomes a vapor, you might say.”

“So if humanity is destroyed...”

“Correct. The Faceless Power will vaporize. And then I will be liberated from this... I’ll finally be at peace, you could say. Of course you realize I don’t like the fact that the minds of my race are being used as a mere power source!”

The One was laughing as if this were the funniest thing in the world. Lily could feel the pit of her stomach turning cold. If this was true, a most terrible fate awaited them. Humanity would be destroyed, become a collective consciousness and then wander the universe, before finally destroying the consciousness of another race.

“What the hell? I refuse to believe that. It’s like a curse...!” Lily howled, not to The One, or to any one in particular. But The One just laughed.

“Hah! That’s right! The whole universe is made of curses! Now that you know this, you can die! Nobody can stop it now!” The One laughed victoriously.

Lily tightened her grip on his throat..

“Don’t you dare laugh...!”

“Gah...” The One’s face changed colors. Even though he was a dog, you could still tell that his face was turning an unhealthy shade of purple and red. You could see blood vessels bulging beneath Lily’s hands as she strangled him.

“If you’re just a mind, you won’t mind dying, will you?”

“Gwahahaha... That’s right... Killing me won’t cause... any problems... for me.” There was a snapping sound as The One’s neck broke, and the dog stopped talking.

“P-President, there may still have been things we could’ve asked him...” Michie said hesitantly, but Lily just glared.

“We’ve learned enough. The origins of mana. The belief of the gods in the Law of Identity. What the imperial family protected all these years. It’s all connected. All that’s left is to figure out what to do with that asteroid.” Lily pointed to the sky, where there was still nothing that could be seen.

”Don’t tell me... we’re all gonna die?” Michie asked uneasily.

○

“I’m not sure it’s ethical, but... we should evacuate. Probably,” Yoshie said calmly, when Lily explained the situation. She was always calm, but it was impressive that she’d kept her cool even in a serious situation like this.

“Evacuate...? To where, exactly?” Yuko asked in a timid voice. She’d gone dead pale.

Everyone else in the command room was panicking. The war situation was getting worse. Marine had sworn to stop the Republic, but their attack wasn’t slowing at all. No, their physical weapons had stopped. But the colorless flames created by the Faceless Power will still raining down on the empire. It was a sign of just how much the Republic people hated the Empire.

“Well, the surface is pretty much done for.” Yoshie said, displaying a simulation of what would happen if the asteroid hit. It showed a huge asteroid smashing through the atmosphere, creating an explosion that sent pieces of the Earth’s crust flying up into the air. The shockwave traveled across the entire Earth, before bursting outward like a volcanic eruption on the other side. It was clear that anything on the Earth’s surface, or several kilometers above it, was done for. And there were barely any people living more than 3 kilometers above the Earth’s surface.

“We don’t have the supplies needed to take anyone to space...” Korone said.

The moon base had been destroyed. The space stations had mostly shut down.

“Hear me out. I’m trying to stay as rational about this as possible. So basically... it would take a long time to explain, but the only person who would really survive would be Keena Soga,” Yoshie said.

“Huh?” Yuko gasped, before falling silent.

Keena leaned toward Yoshie, looking shocked.

“W-Wait... I can’t... What do you mean?”

But Yoshie was calm.

“I told you it would take a long time to explain. First, let’s say that hypothesis I came up with was right. Um... the one about this world being a fiction someone created. If that’s the case, the key is the Law of Identity. And by making sure that the Law of Identity, and the Empress, who can communicate with her and use all these different items survives... we can stop humanity from completely becoming the Faceless Power.”

“But how do we do that? She can’t go alone...” Korone began, but Yoshida cut her off.

“The Swallow’s Cowry Shell is a spaceship and preservation capsule. Her highness can go inside it, enter cold sleep, and then orbit what’s left of the Earth.”

“What...?” Keena couldn’t believe what she was hearing. The followers of Suhara in the command room started to murmur among themselves.

“It’ll buy us about a thousand years, I think,” Yoshie said.

“A thousand years? So what, everybody else is just going to die?” Yuko protested. But Yoshie just nodded calmly.

“I’m telling you that you can’t think of death that way. If my hypothesis is right, there’s a world after death, and you can use the Robe of the Fire Rat to go in and out of it.”

“Huh? Then...” The look on Keena’s face said that she’d figured something out.

“That’s right. Only the Demon King can enter and leave it,” Yoshie said. ”So this is the plan: We take Keena, the Demon King, and then the Jeweled Branch, the Robe of the Fire Rat, and the Dragon’s Neck Jewel up to the old space station. Then she goes into cold sleep, and after the asteroid hits, the Demon King enters the afterlife.”

“What about the rest of us?” Yuko asked.

“All of us, including me, die. Every. Single. One. Of. Us.” Yoshie grinned.

“W-Wait, that’s...”

“Not something you’re comfortable with. Of course. But we don’t have a choice,” Yoshie said.

Everyone fell silent. It was Keena who broke the silence.

“Um, but what does Ackie do after he goes to the afterlife?”

“I don’t know...”

“Huh?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he can take everyone with him and come home. Maybe he can’t do anything. Maybe he can come and go, but everyone else has to stay there.” Yoshie shook her head.

“B-But that’s so irresponsible...” Yuko said

“I mean, from an emotional standpoint, I’m against it too... But it’s the only way,” Yoshie said with a shrug.

○

Throw a punch. Get hit with a punch. Recover. How many times had both of them repeated that process?

Both Akuto and Marine were covered in wounds they hadn’t had time to heal, and were inflicting yet more wounds on each other’s bodies. Each strike from one of them was enough to easily shatter rock, but the two of them had each taken dozens of hits.

“What good is your pride if you can’t stop the war?”

“It’s better than refusing to stop the war because you’re mad about a girl!”

“You won’t gain anything from winning this fight!”

“That’s better than just looking for something to take your anger out on!”

Still, the speed at which the two of them were throwing their punches had begun to decrease. They would throw a punch, then rest for a moment, taking huge panting breaths.

“You’re almost out of stamina... aren’t you?”

“What about you? You look like you can barely stand. I guess you should’ve trained harder, huh?”

Akuto and Marine spat insults at each other, and then both punched each other in the stomach.

“Still... it’s so strange that we’d be fighting each other when we might all be about to die,” Marine said.

“People once said that if a threat ever came from outer space, humanity would band together to fight it,” Akuto said with a sarcastic smile.

“I guess that was wrong, then.”

“There was also a story about a sage... or a man who ruled his country like a dictator... who brought the world together.”

“That was a lie too.”

“It’s a shame... but I guess it doesn’t matter.”

“Agreed. By the way, you’re about at your limit, aren’t you?” Marine said, breathing heavily.

“I’ve still got a lot of strength,” Akuto said, between panting breaths.

“Liar.”

“...Alright, let’s finish this. Let’s see which is stronger: stubborn pride for one’s country, or misplaced anger over a girl’s death,” Akuto said, and Marine smiled with bloody lips.

“Yeah.”

The two of them raised their fists. The air around them began to roar. Two whirlwinds sprung up, collided, and became tornadoes. At the center, the two of their fists had collided. Sprays of blood and bits of shattered bone and flesh were caught up in the whirlwind. It lasted for several minutes.

Suddenly, the tornadoes stopped, and the wind calmed.

They were both a mess. Both Akuto and Marine’s fists were no longer recognizable. They were pounding raw lumps of meat into each other’s faces. Akuto’s knees buckled and he staggered. But before he could, Marine collapsed backward, sending up a cloud of dust as he landed.

Marine looked up at the sky in a daze.

“So the girl... won out over the country, huh?” he whispered.

“That’s the natural order of things... probably.” Akuto pulled his legs out of the ground, walked over to the Jeweled Branch, and took it.

“What will you do now?” Marine asked.

“It may be a waste of time.. . But I’m still gonna see if I can’t stop that asteroid.”

○

But things were going in the exact opposite of the direction Akuto wanted. Brave had gone on to try and persuade Marine’s little sister on the front lines to stop the war. He’d only succeeded when the Republic forces realized the asteroid was falling.

“...Alright. We’ll pull back our forces.” Marine’s sister, the princess, said.

There was no joy on Brave’s side. This had only happened after he’d shown the princess the data Yoshie had sent, and after she’d seen Marine’s defeat. There was no joy to be had on anyone’s part.

“It’s almost too late... as much as I’d rather not say it,” Brave said to the princess.

The two of them were facing across from one another on her ship. She’d invited Brave here to negotiate. But the princess just gave him a peaceful smile.

“That’s just how politics works.”

“As long as the Empire and Republic can work together to stop the asteroid...” Brave said, but the princess cut him off.

“We will return to the bottom of the sea. There’s some small probability that we’ll survive that way.”

“What? But you can’t...”

“With our technology, there is almost no chance of stopping the asteroid. So we’re going to choose the path that grants us a chance at survival. The sea trench is several thousand meters deep. There must be some places that will survive the impact.

“But...” Brave tried to insist, but the princess’s expression did not change.

“That’s just how politics works,” she said. “We’re also willing to accept you as an honorary citizen, if you like.”

Brave shook his head.

“I’ll pass. I think I’d better go, then...” Brave left, feeling filled with despair.