4 - Colorless Flames
4 - Colorless Flames
She was watching the sea. But there was nothing romantic about it.
—No Imperial citizen has ever looked at the sea like this before, I bet.
Junko was sitting in a command center that had been hastily erected on an observation deck in a seaside town, looking out the window. The command center was getting video feeds, but an old manual she’d read once said it was better to see with your own eyes.
She and her ninjas were responsible for running information up and down the front lines. Her father was in command of the troops, but of course, he wasn’t there personally. He’d simply sent members of his family instead.
Ground troops had assembled in the seaside town. There were ground cars, soldiers, flying cards... a division of each, assembled and ready to go. All their guns were pointed at the sea. And far away in the distance, they could see several shadows clinging tight against the waterline. They were submarines.
—But Yuko said they weren’t going anywhere...
Junko had heard what was going on from Yuko via an encoded line. She hadn’t passed that message on to the Hattori troops, though.
—The King of the Republic must be a well-respected man. And he must have told them not to start a war...
She knew Yuko wasn’t lying to her, but it bothered her that this King had abandoned the battlefield. Was it because he had something more important to do?
“I hope nothing happens...” Junko said to herself.
“Mistress, kindness is forbidden in this place,” one of the Hattori ninjas said to her, reprovingly.
She gave a slight nod.
“I understand that, but after what we just saw...”
She was referring to the video footage of Kei sinking the submarines. But of course, it was the edited version. The edited version showed the Republic attacking first, and didn’t show the massacre that took place afterwards. Kei’s power seemed unstoppable. Edited or not, that seemed undeniable.
She didn’t know how serious the Republic was, but in a magical battle The Empire, no, Kei, clearly had the upper hand.
“I know you’re concerned about Republic casualties, but that pity has no place here.”
“No... that’s not what bothers me. It scares me that the C-MID8 Esper is becoming a hero.”
What worried Junko was the Prime Minister’s announcement. The PM had said that a Demon King had destroyed the submarines. But this Demon King, according to the announcement, was just a servant of Akuto, the Great Demon King who’d surrendered to the Empress’s glory.”
“That man didn’t look to me like he was under the Empress’s control...”
“That’s not all. What scares me is the way the people acted. Once they were told that he was an Imperial secret weapon, the people ceased to have a problem with him. That’s a change in the way they think about the Demon King. I didn’t expect them to change so much just because something appeared from outside the Empire.”
Her voice was filled more with shock than disgust.
“The greatest threat to the Empire has now been recognized as its greatest weapon. That’s all. Of course, I understand how you feel, but that’s all it is.”
Junko understood that as well. But the fact that she understood it made her afraid.
“So what do we do when something comes from even further outside? Do we rely on humanity’s ultimate weapon to deal with it for us?”
“Now’s not the time to think about things like that,” the ninja scolded, but Junko didn’t agree. Maybe she’d realized on some level that the situation was starting to indicate the existence of a real god.
“He says all the time that people recognize what’s going on around them as a story, so why is it that I feel like when something that doesn’t fit into that story appears, it means tragedy is coming?”
“Mistress...”
“...No, I’m sorry. I’ll go back to my job as a useless figurehead. All we’re doing here is getting ready for a conflict that might not occur anyway. And even if it does, it won’t be a big one. There’s no way we can lose. I’m right, aren’t I?” Junko said, even though she didn’t believe it, and everyone nodded.
“Of course, that’s correct, Mistress.”
But their words didn’t come from the heart.
—Nobody can really be strong at a time like this.
Junko looked back to the horizon and let out a long breath. She was starting to feel like everything that had happened was a lie.
○
“So if we head to this village of the Marlay, it’s possible I can meet the Empress,” Marine said to Hiroshi, who was carrying him.
Hiroshi was flying above the sea. He looked at the coordinates for the Marlay village that Yoshie had given him, and nodded.
“There’s been no word from them yet, but the Empress has guards with her. She should be fine.”
Marine had asked to be brought directly the Empress. He wanted to go to where the Jeweled Branch was. If Hiroshi could get him there, a war would become much less likely. According to the king, it was a better shot than just sending him back to his men, anyway.
“Why did you just make contact with your country instead of going back?”
“I’m the King, but it’s a republic. Which means I don’t have absolute power. The nobles have a say of their own. If they all come together, I can’t go against them.”
“And they’ll choose to fight?”
“We hate the Empire. Even more, after what just happened.”
“I can understand that.”
“I told them I was alive, but they’re more than eager to deploy the army. I have no choice but to let them. But our goal is to use the Jeweled Branch to seal away the terrifying Faceless Power,” Marine said.
Hiroshi realized that their version of the Faceless Power legend was different.
“The Faceless Power is terrifying? And why do you have the Empire? There’s a lot of things I want to ask you. Can you tell me the whole story?”
“The Republic is made of people who fled the Empire. We went to war because we opposed the God system, and lost, and escaped to the bottom of the sea.”
“Why the bottom of the sea?”
“It was the only unexplored frontier. The fact that we could do genetic engineering was a part of it too. And the greatest reason was...”
“The greatest reason?”
“...No. Never mind. It’s a sad reality,” Marine shook his head.
Hiroshi didn’t ask questions.
“Our country is every bit as old as the Empire. We forbid any contact with the Empire, and for the most part that was followed. Some people from the Republic went to the Empire, but nothing came of it except a few rumors.”
“You can find rumors of monsters appearing anywhere. But I can’t believe the gods missed that.”
“No, we use mana as well. We simply looked like unbaptized foreigners, I’m sure. We have our own system instead of the gods. A system where everyone can use magic equally.”
“Doesn’t that result in war?”
“You can only use magic in proportion to your individual mana. There are rules against enhancing your mana like that Devil did. And those rules are followed. Some humans have more mana than others, but no one has that much. It’s not that different from any society where the use of weapons is allowed.”
By “Devil” Marine was referring to Kei.
“And that’s why you lost the battle?”
“We were equipped with mana weapons and mana cancelers. But his combat abilities went far beyond that. That’s all there is to it. We realized for the first time that the greatest weapon is the ability to control mana particles with the human mind. And at the same time, we felt new respect for our ancestors who rejected that weapon. There is only one power that can surpass that.”
“What is it?”
“A sealed weapon. From before Mana Civilization. It’s called a Nuclear Fusion Blast. You’ve at least heard of it, right?
“I know that it’s the ultimate energy. And of course, that it’s completely uncontrollable.”
“Mana civilization exists because we abandoned it. What does that tell you?”
“...Wait, are you saying that the Faceless Power is...?” Hiroshi gasped. But Marine laughed and shook his head.
“No, that’s incorrect. This is what the Republic says about the Faceless Power: It’s the power that forms the foundation of the mind. And that’s why it’s believed to bring true liberation. We think it’s something that needs to be studied, not used.”
“The Republic says its a power that will guide people,” Hiroshi said. Marine seemed to think for a moment.
“I’d like to say that a legend is a legend, but that seems too optimistic to me. You can take a more pessimistic view, and say that there’s no way it can be a power that guides people.”
“The Marlay legends say that if a good heart uses it, it will lead to good results. And if a bad heart uses it, it will lead to bad results.”
“Isn’t it strange how that assumes an absolute basis for good and evil? Of course, ‘true liberation’ is a rather vague term, but given the implied image of destruction and creation, it can’t be something that’s safe to touch.”
“You’ll probably get along with the Empress and her bodyguard then.” Hiroshi smiled. His visor wasn’t covering his face, so Marine saw his expression.
“Then not everyone is trying to unleash that power?” Marine smiled.
“Yeah. Don’t worry.”
Before long, they arrived at the Marlay village.
○
“We’re here,” Nonimora said excitedly.
The tower was close. It was so big now that it extended past the eye’s field of vision. If you craned your head all the way upward you could barely see the light at the top.
“We need to contact someone when we get to the village. I’m sure a lot of people are worried. Wait, is there a way to contact the Empire from the village?” Akuto asked. Nonimora nodded.
“You can use mana in the village, so yes.”
“Then can we teleport to get back immediately?” Korone asked.
“Yeah. Something might have happened while we were gone.” Akuto nodded. But Nonimora shook her head.
“The Village doesn’t have enough energy to teleport you all the way to the Empire.”
In the same way that mana wasn’t infinite, there was a limit to how much energy could be used as well. Magical civilization just used the energy that was supplied to it. In the Empire, the energy traveled through the Earth, and sometimes through the mana itself, and could even be used over water. But here in the Marlay village they were surrounded by mana-absorbing trees and only got energy from their own generators.
“And you can make contact, but if you’re sending it through high-altitude mana, it won’t be very efficient,” Nonimora added.
“But your power was really strong, wasn’t it?” Akuto asked. Nonimora nodded.
He was referring to the incredible speed with which her plants had swallowed up the school, and the speed she’d shown in battle.
“Just like I said before, I’m using a little of the Faceless Power. A good heart gives you good power. It’s not that difficult.”
Nonimora laughed innocently.
“The Faceless Power, huh? I don’t know what it is, but the Marlay were closest to it, so it seems like their legends are the most reliable.”
“Anyway, when we get there I want to eat something,” Keena said.
“You haven’t had any rice, come to think of it.”
“I’m afraid we don’t have that much. We eat Mok-Mok.”
“What?”
“Don’t worry. It’s good. And when you come to a new place you should eat new food. Hey, you know, you were really upset yesterday but today you’re fine. Did he give you Hem-Hem? Depending on how you do it it can make men and women get along a lot better.”
Nonimora poked Keena’s butt with her elbow.
“Come on...” Keena blushed.
“Guys, we’re out of the jungle, but...”
Just like Akuto had said, when they passed between the last of the huge trees they came upon a clearing. They could see a village with buildings made from wood.
“Oh, it’s the village. We’re back!” Nonimora said happily.
There seemed to be about 10 to 20 small villages in all around the area. None of them had buildings larger than 2 stories, and the roofs were made of simple grass. They were all dotted along a path that ran down the center, and in the distance they could see a river.
“Hello!”
When they heard Nonimora’s voice, several people poked their heads out of the windows. They all had skin the color of Nonimora’s, and eyes filled with curiosity.
“The Chief’s back!”
“Get the elder!”
More and more villagers started to appear. There were men and women of all ages, but no one seemed to be working that hard, because the faces of the children and the adults seemed equally cheerful. Most of them were wearing casual outfits, but a few of them were wearing clothes similar to Akuto.
“Well, people are really loose around here. They’ll probably be rude to you in some way or another, but while you’re here, loosen up too. Though I guess men don’t like girls who are loose during pak-pak.”
Nonimora started to walk further into the village.
Akuto, Keena, and Korone followed, and the villagers stared at them in curiosity.
“Hehehe...” Keena waved at them, and they waved back.
Korone held up her fingers in a V sign, and some of the villagers copied her.
When she realized this, she wrapped her right hand around the back of her head and pulled on the upper side of her left ear. Again, some of the villagers laughed, and did the same.
Then she pulled her elbow up to her face, like she was wrapping her arm around her neck, and licked the end of her elbow. The villagers tried to copy her, and realized that they couldn’t. Surprised, some of them began to frantically bring their elbows closer to their faces.
“Don’t start any weird trends,” Akuto said.
Korone expressionlessly spun her elbow at a strange angle.
“This is one way to identify a Liradan. If you ever need to tell the difference between a Liradan and a human, please try it.”
“Who put that function in?” Akuto asked, but then a moment later Nonimora told them that they’d arrived at their destination. It was what seemed to be a park at the end of the village. At the center was a building that seemed to be modern, even by imperial standards. This village was a strange mixture of natural and artificial architecture, and it was hard to say which was more dominant.
The residences seemed to be made of primitive, natural materials, but the buildings that maintained the infrastructure seemed to be even more modern than the empire. But the building in the park seemed to be different from those, too.
If anything, it reminded them of the buildings they’d seen on the lunar city. It was probably built during the earliest days of the Empire. A tower stretched out of it like a tall, thick tree. This was where the Faceless Power was supposedly sealed.
“This is where the ship that goes to the stars is?” Akuto asked. Nonimora nodded.
The building seemed to be 5 stories tall. To Akuto, it seemed to be about the same size as a decently-large general hospital. It was far too small to hold a spaceship.
“That’s right. The ship isn’t that big. It’s about the size of several trucks from your country,” Nonimora said, just as an old man walked out of the building.
His face was covered in deep wrinkles, which seemed to bury both his eyes and mouth. In fact, his face seemed to be composed of nothing but wrinkle lines. He must have been unfathomably old, Akuto thought.
“Oh, Elder!” Nonimora cheerfully waved.
The wrinkles on the elder’s face parted, and they heard him speak.
“Welcome home. Who’s this?”
“The new Empress of Japan and her guards,” Nonimora explained.
Keena and Akuto introduced themselves, and the elder spoke in a low, difficult to decipher mumble, which may or may not have been a laugh.
“Hoo... hoo... hoo... Then the Jeweled Branch is here.”
“Yes.” Keena took a box out of her bag. Nonimora explained the situation.
“Yup. We brought it here. Keena Soga, the Empress here, says that she’ll let me be Empress. But she wants to talk about it first, so we came here.”
The elder nodded.
“Very good. Come inside, then,” he said, and started to walk. Akuto and the others followed him inside.
The place felt to Akuto like some kind of lab.
“The Jeweled Branch is the key to the ship that goes to the stars, but that’s not all,” the elder said, to no one in particular.
“Nonimora told us that it lets you use the Faceless Power.”
“That’s right. But not the whole story.”
The elder got into an elevator. He waited for everyone else to enter, before pushing the button for the 5th floor. The elevator ascended and the doors opened, revealing a wide open area with no walls. The area was dominated by a large, thick tube. It was the tower that ran through this building. There was a hole at one point in the tower’s wall. If “hole” wasn’t the right word, then perhaps a door which made passage to the cylinder’s hollow inside possible.
“This is the ship that goes to the stars.” The elder pointed inside.
Just like Nonimora had said, on the other side of the hole was a vehicle whose exterior was smooth, flowing lines, the side of several trucks. No, perhaps it only seemed like a vehicle because of what they’d been told earlier. It was like a missile, laying on its side. It was silver, with no windows, and not even a single word of lettering on it.
“The Faceless Power is sealed within this. We are capable of using a fraction of its strength without any outside help.”
Nonimora nodded out at the elder’s words, but it was hard for Akuto to accept.
“So what is the Faceless Power, exactly?”
“An inexplicable power. No, that doesn’t tell you anything. If I had to explain it, I would say it’s the human psyche itself. The psyches of tens of thousands of people, all stuffed into one thing. What you see here is only a fraction of it, but it still has incredible power.”
“I don’t think there’s many things you would need that power for...” Keena said. The elder nodded.
“Correct. But you must know this anyway. Think of the Faceless Power as a living thing. It’s said that the Jeweled Branch chooses the emperor. Which means that the Faceless Power is what chooses the Emperor.”
“Why do you know that?” Keena asked, and the Elder touched the side of the tower.
A mana screen appeared.
“I am a third generation researcher. Of course, we have nothing left to research now, so we just pass on what we know.”
“What do you mean you have nothing left to research?” Akuto asked. The Elder let out another one of his strange laughs.
“Hoohoohoo. We know it’s a lump of human psyches, but knowing that doesn’t mean we can do anything with that knowledge. This is what we say when we talk to someone who’s got a little education. What’s inside this ship is a device which fixes a force field in place. An empty vessel, you could say. But when we attached devices to measure electrical and magnetic energy to it, it responded. The tip of this tower reacted to it. Though by “reacted”, I mean all it did was change color slightly.”
“It reacted even though it was empty? Are you sure it wasn’t just some kind of mistake?”
“We’ve confirmed it’s creating energy from empty space. It’s possible that the Faceless Power is an infinite power.”
“Infinite...” Akuto fell silent.
“But what’s inexplicable is the reason that I called it human. The Faceless Power changes its response in reaction to human emotion. Just as Nonimora said, those who have lived in this village a long time can use a portion of it for themselves.”
There was something in his words that Akuto found hard to believe.
”But are you sure you’re not making a mistake? What kind of power can understand human feelings?”
“Everyone, of course, assumed it was impossible. But we know we’re dealing with a living thing. Emotions are nothing but inputs and outputs. No matter how complex the process, it’s immediately obvious that there must exist some kind of rule. The problem isn’t that, it’s that power is coming forth out of completely empty space. If anything, this supports the unscientific way of thinking that says that consciousness doesn’t come from an arrangement of complex amino acids, but from empty space. But that’s what we’ve got. It’s the truth, and there’s nothing to be done about it.”
“The truth?”
“The Faceless Power has taken a liking to Nonimora. She can interact with it better than anyone else. Even dogs have certain humans they like and certain humans they don’t, right? But those likes and dislikes can’t be explained by science.”
“So even if we find it hard to believe, the truth is still the truth.”
Akuto shrugged. But that gave rise to another problem.
“Then the reason you sent Nonimora is...”
“Correct. The Empress must consider how she will approach this power. At a minimum, if the Faceless Power likes her more than it likes Nonimora, that poses a problem.”
Regardless of what you believed about the Elder’s explanation, the fact remained that if the Empress was able to use a power like this, it would pose political problems.
“But first, we must return the Jeweled Branch to its proper place,” the elder said.
“Return?” Keena said, confused. The Elder pointed to the Ship that Goes to the Stars.
“Except for the Faceless Power, everything here, including the tower and ship, were made in the early days of the empire. We know exactly what they were made for and how to use them. Of course, this includes the Jeweled Branch. It exists to control the Faceless Power, but primarily as a safety valve, to destroy it should that be necessary.
“To destroy it...”
“For that reason, the Jeweled Branch is said to choose the next Emperor or Empress. We can assume in doing so, it’s deciding whether or not to annihilate the Faceless Power.”
“Then it’s not like if you use the branch, you become the only person who can use the Faceless Power, right?”
“Some people, like Nonimora, become able to use it just by being near it. You don’t need to worry about that.”
“Then...” Keena opened up her bag and took out the box, and removed the Jeweled Branch from within it. It was a small branch, glowing softly, with several jewels attached to it. The Elder touched the surface of the ship, and a hole that looked like it was meant to fit a ball appeared.
“That doesn’t look like a spot to put a branch into...” Keena said, confused.
“The jewels come off,” the Elder explained. Just as he said, several of the jewels on the branch were detachable. The only thing left was the branch itself, and a single jewel at the end. The jewel at the end fit perfectly into the emplacement. The hole closed around the jewel as she pushed the branch inwards.
“This’ll do it, right?” she said, waving the branch, which now had no jewels left. But before she could check to see what happened, her gaze began to dart rapidly to the left and right around her.
“What’s wrong?” Akuto asked, but Keena kept turning her head.
“There’s a bug...” she whispered.
“A bug?”
“Yeah, there’s a bug... kyah!” Keena screamed. The branch was knocked out of her hand.
“What...?”
“Huh...?”
Akuto and Nonimora shouted. The Jeweled Branch wasn’t knocked out of her hand. It was floating in mid-air. But just as the branch seemed to be floating on its own, the “bug” clinging to its end became a shadow, which grew larger and larger.
“Oooh!?” Nonimora gasped in surprise.
At first it was the size of a small fly, but before long it was about 30 centimeters in length.
“So this is what sank our ship!”
Akuto understood instantly. The “bug,” which was actually a human, was flying, carrying the Jeweled Branch that was the same size it was. It was probably a mage with the ability to shrink themselves. And they’d probably been aboard the ship the whole time.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment!”
Its voice was high and squeaky because it was so small, but it was definitely the voice of a human male. It was wearing a bodysuit and mask, which probably shrank and grew along with its body. The suit gave no clue to his identity, but he was clearly a member of C-MID8.
“Pests must be exterminated!”
Korone quickly took out a gun from her bag. But the enemy had predicted that. He quickly flew towards the floor’s emergency exit, with a speed that a normal bug might have. It was so fast that it almost seemed to be teleporting.
“If he’s just fast and nothing else...”
Akuto pointed his hand at the emergency exit. He tried to use his mana to trap the insect man. But...
“Huh...?”
Akuto wasn’t sure what had happened. He couldn’t properly control his mana.
“What’s going on...?” he said, confused, just as Nonimora started to run. She was fast, but the insect man was faster and smaller. He slipped out of her hands and vanished out a ventilation window. Nonimora threw a tantrum on the landing of the emergency stairs.
“You let him get away!”
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t use my mana right...”
Akuto said as he came out onto the landing with her.
“It’s probably because the energy in this land is so weak. You can’t use as much mana here as you can in the Empire. You hadn’t realized how to deal with the difference yet,” Korone said.
“Hey, he took it. What do we do?” Keena asked.
The Elder had an answer.
“It’s okay... Or maybe, it’s not okay. But it’s not an issue for the moment. Anyone can use the Jeweled Branch, but only the Imperial Family can make the Faceless Power answer.”
“Then at least we can avoid the worst-case scenario... No, I don’t know what C-MID8 is planning, so we can’t be sure...” Akuto said, but then an incoming telepathic call was sent to Keena, interrupting his train of thought. Keena gasped when she saw the incoming call on her terminal.
“I had so much fun with the villagers I forgot to call home... It’s from the old man.”
Keena answered the call, and immediately heard a scream.
“Your Majesty! You’re safe! I’m so glad!”
It was Joji Yuki, with the royal guard.
“You’re being pretty loud. Listen, our ship suddenly crashed...” Keena tried to explain, but he cut her off with a voice that sounded like it was in tears.
“That’s not important now... Well, it IS important now... but also, the republic...!” Joji began to explain what happened.
When Akuto heard this, he began to wonder if he’d been wrong about the worst-case scenario.
○
When he arrived over the Marlay village, Hiroshi saw a warning on his visor and informed Marine of the situation.
“Sorry, we’ve got trouble.”
“What happened?’
“The area’s covered in a field. It’s the suit’s weak point. It would take a long time to explain, but the enemy is trying to drain me of my energy.”
“It seems there’s mana here, so I can fly too. But thank you for carrying me this far. I couldn’t have done it alone,” Marine said as he stepped away. Then he asked Hiroshi.
“So does this mean the enemy is nearby?”
“Correct. Somebody who works with the man you called the devil.” Marine’s expression changed when he heard this.
“Then they’re my enemy too. If you can’t fight, I will.”
“That’s a big help... Ahead of us. 15 degrees up, in the sky.”
Hiroshi used his visor to detect where the energy was present, and passed that information on to Marine. Marine must have seen it himself, because he nodded. There was an airship floating there. It was the about the same size as the royal airship, the largest ship an individual could pilot on their own. But it was clear from its exterior that it wasn’t the kind you could buy on the market. It was painted pitch black to hide its affiliation, and was bristling with weapons.
“C-MID8. That’s the name of their organization,” Hiroshi said bitterly.
“The mana is thin, and there’s not much energy. I’m not sure I can do this. I may be forced to withdraw.”
There was a bitterness in his eyes as he spoke, but his words were calm. He was an adult, Hiroshi realized.
“If you can shut down the VPS field generator, I can use my full power. And if that happens, we’re unbeatable.”
Marine nodded at his words.
“Understood.”
“I’ll do what I can with the energy I have, as well.”
Hiroshi tried to fly towards the ship, but was shocked when he looked at his energy gauge. It was draining faster than usual.
“What...?”
He scanned for the cause. It turned out to be the black airship. It was equipped not only with a mana disperser but also its own energy unit. The technology was probably the same type as the Brave Suit. That unit was draining the suit’s energy.
“Crap... Sorry, I have to fall back!” Hiroshi shouted, and then dropped into the jungle below to avoid dying from running out of energy. If he made it into the jungle, he could at least turn off his suit and hide.
—If it’s using the same technology as my suit, does that mean USD sent it?
Hiroshi landed in the jungle, feeling regret as he watched Marine fly away.
○
After Hiroshi landed, Marine began combat with the airship. But it wasn’t only Hiroshi who was watching. They were fighting near the Marlay village, and were close enough to be visible.
“The bugman flew that way. I can barely detect any mana, but I’ve got good eyes.”
Nonimora pointed towards the airship. They’d come outside to chase the stolen Branch, but it seemed to be too late.
“So their friends are aboard that ship...?”
Akuto tried to gather mana in his hand to fire off a spell, but it didn’t work right. He still wasn’t used to the lack of energy and mana in this land.
“He said the Republic is attacking and there’s probably gonna be a war!” Keena looked at Akuto, worried.
“We can’t do anything until we know more about what’s going on... And who’s that fighting over there?” Akuto whispered. Korone handed him a telepathic call device. He’d been able to make and receive telepathic calls on his own easily lately, so it’d been a long time since he’d used one.
“A call?”
“It’s from Yoshie Kita. It seems she has a handle on the situation.”
Korone was right. Yoshi was in the command center with Yuko, and she breathlessly informed him on what was happening.
“I have three things to tell you. One: There are three candidates for Emperor right now. Keena. Nonimora. And Marine, the guy who’s fighting. He’s the King of the Republic.”
“Why’s he fighting C-MID8?”
“C-MID8 blew up the submarine force that was bringing him to the Empire. Brave saved him and is bringing him there so he can talk with the Empress. But it seems we’ve been interrupted again. I just lost touch with Brave right now.”
“This is the worst-case scenario... I feel stupid saying this, but we just lost the Jeweled Branch.”
“That’s... a big problem. But the war hasn’t started yet. The front lines are at the beach. Junko Hattori is in a town near the beach, and has managed to talk her dad out of opening fire, at least for now. This is the second thing I wanted to tell you.”
“I’d like to head back there as soon as possible, but it seems there’s not enough mana here for me to teleport.”
“Find a way to get back here, and bring Marine with you. This is not a good situation. The guy from C-MID8 who destroyed the Republic submarines seems to have the same power you do.”
“The same power as me?” Akuto gasped.
“Yeah. They managed to use the cells that were stolen from you to turn a normal person into a demon king. He’s currently in a standoff with the Republic fleet. Nobody can control him.”
“C-MID8 wants to start a war?” Akuto said, panicking.
“That’s what’s happening, probably. But I have this weird feeling that there’s more going on here. Like... I guess there’s a split within C-MID8, and some of them are trying to wipe out humanity. And the new Demon King is on the side of the people who are trying to destroy humanity. That was my third point. Shocking, huh?”
“So all this happened while we were out wandering the jungle?”
It was obvious now that C-MID8 had sent Akuto crashing into the jungle as part of a deliberate plot.
“So for now, we need to help him...”
Akuto looked up into the sky. But the battle between the airship and Marine was already over. Marine was being sucked into an open hatch in the airship. He was unconscious and floating in mid-air.
“So they’re one step ahead of us.” Akuto said, bitterly. As Marine went inside the airship, someone else flew out of it, and towards Akuto.
○
Meanwhile, after landing in the jungle, Hiroshi got a good distance away from the airship before deactivating his suit.
“Tch... What do I do now? This thing is useless...” he said to no one in particular. But someone did answer.
“I’m sorry about that. But there is another way.”
“Huh?”
For a moment he thought it was the suit’s activation bracelet that was talking to him, but when he turned in the direction of the voice, he froze.
“I realize that I’ve been asking a lot of you.”
It was Kento, AKA USD, the man behind this whole thing.
“You!”
Hiroshi went to summon a mana ball to fire at him, but realized there was no mana around him. He was surprised, and afraid, to see it, but when he realized that Kento was far calmer than he expected, he managed to control his fear.
“I don’t understand... Are you my enemy? Or ally?”
“You want me to make that clear? But I’m afraid I don’t know myself.”
Hiroshi realized his usual arrogance was no longer present.
“What’s happened to you? You disabled my suit when I tried to fight that Demon King. But you let me fight him above the ocean. And now you’re here in front of me. What the hell are you trying to do?” Hiroshi shouted. But Kento just adjusted his glasses and calmly began to speak.
“The ship above is one I made. But now The One is aboard it.”
“Who cares? I already heard that you were betrayed. I refused to help you, too. If there’s something you want to tell me, then come out and say it! And if there really is some way to shoot down that stupid talking dog thing, then tell me!” Hiroshi said, overwhelmed with emotion. But Kento cut him off.
“The One is trying to give the Jeweled Branch to the King of the Republic.”
“...Who gives a shit?”
“If he uses its power, even I don’t know what will happen. But I do have an idea of what it is.”
“What is it?”
“The Faceless Power seals away the minds of all the people in another dimension. And he’s trying to release it.”
Hiroshi froze for a moment and tried to think.
“...I have no idea why I should care, and I don’t think that’s because I’m stupid.”
“And that difficulty is exactly what The One took advantage of. According to him, this will lead to liberation, and further advancement of magical civilization.”
“Again, I have no idea what the hell you’re trying to say. I’m sure there’s a lot of complicated theoretical bullshit involved here. Just tell me what I need to know.”
“I want to stop the Republic King from using the Jeweled Branch.”
Hiroshi snorted.
“Well, you don’t have to worry about that. He’s not the kind of guy who would. If you want to stop that from happening, just bring down the ship. You made the thing, I’m sure you put in a shutdown, just like you did with this suit.”
“Of course, I made it so I can shut down the ship. But I can’t do that.”
“Why the hell not?”
“They’ve taken a hostage. That’s the kind of person... or dog... that The One is.”
Kento’s frustration was clear on his face.
“I had no idea you had a soft spot like that. So you want me to save this person? You’re right, The One can’t see us here. He won’t know that you’re asking me to do it. So, who’s the hostage?”
Hiroshi wasn’t even trying to hide his annoyance. He could see a moment’s hesitation on Kento’s face.
“What’s going on? Is that hostage why you’re acting weird?”
Again, Kento cut him off.
“It’s Kei. Kei is the hostage.”
“...Huh? You mean the guy who turned into the Demon King?” Hiroshi asked in surprise.
Kento nodded.
“That’s right. After he became a Demon King, I examined that device. It contains a system that allows The One to destroy Kei if he turns into a Demon King.”
“Why would he do that to one of his own people!?” Hiroshi shouted, without really thinking about who he was talking to. Kento sadly shook his head.
“We’re not all on the same side, in the end.”
“You don’t seem like somebody who really cares about his friends, either. ...Wait a second. If you were never really on the same side, how was he able to use him as a hostage? You knew from the start this was a dangerous business. You should’ve been ready for him to die from the start...!”
Hiroshi then suddenly realized. The look on Kento’s face, his attitude, everything indicated that he felt genuinely concerned. It felt like the same way he looked when he was worried about Yuko.
“Wait... Don’t tell me you’re...”
Hiroshi shook his head. Kei was a man, yes, but he certainly had a seductive air about him. Kento slowly nodded.
“I’m concerned about Kei,” Kento said. That explained everything, but it still wasn’t something he could accept.
“So that’s your weak point, huh? But so what? But you saw what he did to the people from the Republic! That’s why you didn’t disable my suit then!”
Then suddenly, Kento bowed to him.
“Please...”
“Huh?” Hiroshi froze.
“Please... Will you stop him? Even if he dies, I want to kill him for the choices he’s made. I don’t want him to die because The One used him as a hostage.”
Hiroshi didn’t know what to say.
“But... you can’t...! He was so cruel... He must’ve decided to be Demon King of his own will! To do that... He... he...”
But when he thought about it, he realized that what Kento wanted him to do was what he wanted to do, too. And more than anything, Kento was opening up and begging him.
Hiroshi’s thoughts were in chaos, but he already knew what he would do. And he knew it was an answer that Akuto would never give. Many times he’d wanted to be like Akuto, and this was the first time he’d felt like he’d found his own path.
“I’m going to kill him... If I have to,” Hiroshi said, and then gulped.
“That’s fine. I’m sure he’d be happy to die after losing in battle. That’s who he is, you know.”
“But I may not be able to defeat him with this suit. At least, if The One’s told him how to counter it...”
“Don’t worry. I told you, I have a way. I’ll unlock more of its power. That should give you what you need to do this. Just do what the suit’s voice system tells you to.”
As the talk turned to specific tactics, Hiroshi’s mind began to calm down. But he realized that his resolve was still just as strong.
“So, where is Kei?” Hiroshi asked. Kento’s eyes narrowed.
“Facing off with the Republic army. He’s being used as a threat to get the King to do what they want. The King saw Kei’s massacre. If The One tells him that Kei’s going to attack the Republic, that’s an extremely effective threat.”
“You said that’s the kind of dog he is...”
Hiroshi activated his Brave Suit, and waited for Kento to do whatever it was he had to do. Kento attached a cord from a small terminal to the back of the suit, and began to fiddle with it.
“But if you can power me up, why am I going to Kei instead of the ship?”
“I’m not sure if you can defeat that ship. And if The One wants to use Kei to start a war, stopping Kei can stop the war, too.”
“Understood. But will I make it in time?”
“I’ll add a teleport spell. Use it once you get close enough to mainland that you have enough mana and energy.”
“Got it.”
Kento finished whatever he was doing with the suit, then nodded to Hiroshi.
“I’m counting on you,” he said.
“Yeah... Of course, I still don’t like you.”
Hiroshi flew off. Behind him, The One’s airship had finished its battle, and Marine was gone. He hadn’t been shot down. Either he was captured, or entered after negotiations with The One.
○
“I’m going to have to ask why you’re giving this to me.”
Marine felt ashamed of the position he found himself in, but he still stared boldly at the dog across the room.
“You can’t just accept it’s a gesture of goodwill?”
He was talking to The One, who was curled up on top of a cushion. They were in the airship’s lounge. Marine was sitting in a chair across from The One. He wasn’t being held captive, and at a glance it just looked like a man sitting in a room with a dog.
But the atmosphere was tense. Marine had been defeated, and then invited inside the ship. It was a humiliating experience, but he didn’t despair or lose hope. He seemed to be looking right through The One.
“However, we believe that to be a power which brings true liberation. It’s not something to be used carelessly.”
Marine looked at the Jeweled Branch, which was placed on The One’s cushion. At first glance, it appeared to be nothing but a stick. But Marine knew that it was something special.
“I’m aware that that’s what your legends say. But what do you believe ‘true liberation’ means?” The One asked.
“The Republic’s greatest ideal is liberation. What the Empire calls ‘black magic’ was something we established,” Marine answered, but The One continued speaking.
“And you’ve already achieved that, right? Magic is something available to all. Or are you angry about having to spend so long under the waves? Does ‘liberation’ mean the destruction of the empire?”
“We do hate the Empire, yes. But the ideals that lie at our core are a different matter. We want eternity. That is true liberation.”
“And what does that mean?”
“We believe in the existence of the soul. A soul in the true sense, not what the gods the Empire created speak of.”
“You mean life after death? Does that mean the Republic is even more religious than the Empire?” The One said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. But Marine remained calm.
“You’re free to think of it that way if you like. In fact, there are many who do not fear death.”
“They believe death is liberation?”
“And that death should be dealt to the empire, as well. And they believe that the Faceless Power is what will do it. They believe that it allows them to bind death to their will,” Marine said, with the face of someone who’d just been asked a very difficult question. Many of his citizens hated the Empire for driving them under the ocean, enough to want to kill them.
“But you seem to feel differently,” The One said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
Marine nodded.
“Correct. It’s a mistake to use the Faceless Power for destruction. And an even bigger mistake to think that all mankind could become nothing but souls.”
“But, you know...” The One said, pausing for a moment.
“But?”
“But we know that’s the truth. That humans can become soul-like bodies that last for eternity.” His words seemed intended to inspire some reaction in Marine.
“You’re saying it’s true...?” Marine looked doubtful. But The One began to explain, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“It’s true. And we know it’s true because the Faceless Power is nothing less than the souls of another race. The people of the Empire are plotting to use that power for their own purposes.”
Marine waited a moment to answer. After thinking for a while, he shook his head softly.
“And what do you intend to do with it? Are you not a part of the Empire as well? What I need to know is what you really think.”
The One stood up from his cushion when he heard this.
“I see. You want to know what I really think. Then it seems I need to show you who I really am. I am what you would call an alien.”
Marine raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“Oh?”
But there was a note of doubt in his voice. The One ignored it, and continued.
“And the Faceless Power is the souls of my race. That’s why I want them freed. Liberation, to me, is the liberation of my race.”
“...And what happens when they’re liberated?” Marine asked, cautiously. He was trying to use that answer to see if The One was telling the truth. The One answered in a calm voice.
“A revolution. The revolution you long for in the bottom of your heart.”
“Revolution!”
In contrast to his usual self, Marine’s voice was trembling. This was what he’d truly wanted from the bottom of his heart.
“You wanted a future where both the people of the Republic and the people of the Empire were truly connected on a psychic level. And you thought that the Faceless Power could help you achieve that. Am I wrong?”
Marine said nothing. He wasn’t disagreeing, instead he felt like someone was peering into the bottom of his soul. The One’s voice grew louder.
“The Faceless Power grants wishes... That is one way to think of it. When they are liberated, the souls of my race will resonate with those of humanity, and reflect the hearts of mankind, creating a power that is magical... no, greater than magic. The greatest ideal of what the Empire calls black magic, and what the republic calls magic, is, at its core, a direct reflection of the human mind, is it not? And that’s what I’m offering you. Releasing the Faceless Power means releasing us. It is true communication between heart and heart. And it will bring you a new magic.”
“A new magic...”
Marine could feel himself wavering. The dog in front of him seemed like a demon from an old legend, tempting him with his greatest desire. But Marine was able to remain calm.
“...I still need time. Releasing such a thing should not be done lightly.”
He reflexively wiped the sweat off his brow. Living at the bottom of the sea for so long had left him with a fervent desire for people to understand one another. He’d thought it was just a fantasy, and now he was being told it could be made his. He could do nothing but shiver.
“No, I think it should be done quickly,” The One said.
A mana screen appeared. It was showing Kei Sakura, the devil, facing off with a Republic submarine unit.
“What...?!” Marine gasped.
“Will the nobles of the Republic obey your orders?” The One said, wickedly.
Marine realized that this alien could read the minds of men. He wondered to himself if it was possible to rebel against such a creature. But he decided to bluff.
“They will. And there are those in the Empire who want peace, as well. They won’t start a war that easily...”
“Correct,” The One said, cutting him off.
“Correct. It’s not easy to start a war. But I can see your uncertainty, and it tells me you don’t trust humanity as much you claim you do.”
“...Why do you want the Faceless Power so badly, that you’re willing to threaten me like this?” Marine asked in a pained voice.
“Because I want to see what it is that humanity truly wants. Wars have always had an element of coincidence or manipulation to them. But if humans can have what they truly want, what happens then? That’s what I want to know.” The One laughed.
“So it’s simple curiosity?” Marine asked.
“No. There’s a deeper meaning. But it remains beyond your comprehension. Now, place your bet. There’s very little time left. Will you do nothing, and allow your country to be destroyed by the Empire, or use the Faceless Power to grant the wishes of the Republic’s people? Just as The One said those words, however, there was movement on the mana screen. Several of the submarines had fired missiles up into the sky.
“No!” Marine gasped. He knew what those missiles were. Unlike anti-air or anti-surface missiles, these missiles left long trails of smoke as they headed high up into the sky.
“Oh? Those are the weapons that were abandoned in the distant past, aren’t they?” The One said in a mocking tone.
“Nuclear weapons...” Marine said, despairingly. They were ballistic missiles, missiles that shoot high up into the air and then plummet downwards, making them almost impossible to intercept. The missiles were equipped with nuclear warheads. A direct hit would destroy even the greatest shields mana civilization had.
“So this is what they brought to deal with the devil? Is this bad luck, or perhaps human fate?”
The One laughed. Marine silently reached out a hand.
“Yes?” the devilish dog snorted. “You know what I want. Just give it to me. I don’t want to have to say it aloud.”
Marine moved closer to him. The dog laughed, baring its gums.
“Tell me, what is it humans want? What is it that you want?”
The devil dog picked up the stick with his mouth, and then handed it over with a paw.
○
“Please make it in time...”
Hiroshi was in a hurry, but the suit wasn’t that fast.
“Nothing’s happened yet, so don’t worry... Huh? The Republic launched some kind of missile?”
He heard Yuko begin to panic from his communicator.
“Yuko, what do you mean?”
“I don’t know. I’m just telling you what sis said. They fired some kind of rocket-like missile that flew up into the sky.”
“Is there going to be a war?”
“I don’t know that yet. We don’t have orders from dad yet...”
“Don’t do anything rash. If I can defeat that devil, and prove that we’re not all like him, we may be able to work this out.”
Hiroshi checked the mana and energy levels in the air around him.
“It’s not dense enough to teleport yet...”
He said. Just then, he heard a scream from Yuko.
“Sis? What? What happened?”
“Yuko? What’s going on?”
There was no answer.
“Sis! Sis! Come in!”
All he could hear was her screams, and incoherent shouting from the other people in the room with her.
“What’s going on?” he yelled.
Someone answered him. It was Yoshie.
“She’s panicking right now, so I’ll answer for her. Something’s going on at the front lines. I should be able to send video soon. Brace yourself for this.”
Her voice was far more serious than it usually was.
“Wait... No... Did one of the missiles hit?” Hiroshi asked.
“That would be bad enough, but it’s even worse.”
“What is it?”
“All the evil in the world... Something came down from the heavens. It wasn’t despair. It wasn’t fear. It was evil.”
Yoshie’s expressions were usually overwrought, but somehow it felt like this time, she might be right. The video came in.
“What... what the hell is this?”
○
“The One has already got the Jeweled Branch.”
It was the member of C-MID8 who could shrink and grow his body.
“And the King of the Republic is with him, you said. Why is he trying to make the King use the Jeweled Branch?” Akuto asked.
They were in the sky above the village. It was filled with bugs created by the member of C-MID8. They were like huge beetles, and were very clearly dangerous. Beyond the army of beetles was The One’s airship. After he’d delivered the Branch, the member of C-MID8 had come back to stop Akuto and the others from getting to the airship.
“Yeah! Get out of our way! It’s dangerous to use the Jeweled Branch when you have an evil heart!” Nonimora yelled.
The two of them were floating in the sky, trying to get as close to The One as possible. But with the lack of energy and mana, they couldn’t fly like they usually could.
“Don’t be in such a hurry. By the way, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Codename Morlock, part of C-MID8.”
The man calling himself Morlock had shrunk to half the size of a normal man.
“...Thanks for the introduction. Now answer my question.”
“You’ll know soon regardless, but very well. Essentially, I want to start a war.”
“...Is that all?”
“Personally, yes. Other members may have more complicated ideas. But I believe that you can’t have advancement without war. In the end, this is going to make for a wonderful world.”
Morlock grinned.
“This guy’s kinda creepy,” Nonimora said, disgusted.
“So is C-MID8 basically just a group of escapees from a mental hospital?” Akuto asked. Then he tensed and readied himself for combat.
“I couldn’t do it earlier, but now I’m used to the lack of mana. We’re breaking through.”
Morlock just laughed.
“You can’t. I’m an expert at operating on minimal energy. Even I keep half of my body inside Virtual Phase Space at all times, and can efficiently use energy by changing my size in the real world. This means that I...”
Just as Morlock began a lengthy explanation of his abilities, something cut him off.
“Ackie! Something happened to Junko...!” Keena was below, screaming. She’d been in constant communication with the palace until then. Akuto’s face changed color when he heard the fear in her voice.
“What did you do...?” Akuto looked at Morlock with cold eyes. A single look at his face was enough to reduce Morlock’s monologue to a stammering mess.
“Uuh... Y-You can see... for yourself... Hah...hahahah...”
○
“What the hell is that?” Junko asked.
Through the window of the command center, she could see smoke from what looked like a rocket rising up from the sea.
“A ballistic missile. It goes up to orbit and then comes back down. Don’t worry. We can shoot it down when it falls. Our air units have already been given orders. If it’s non-nuclear, we’ll be able to contain the explosion,” one of the ninjas explained.
“Non-nuclear?” Junko asked.
“Nuclear weapons can’t be blocked with mana,” the Ninja nodded.
“But that technology was abandoned years ago. There’s no way they’d use it.”
“I hope so... but this means a war’s started, doesn’t it?” Junko said, depressed.
“Maybe we weren’t able to avoid it, yes.”
Just as he said that, though, Junko felt something cold run down her spine.
—What is this awful feeling?
She looked around the command room. Everyone there seemed to share her feeling.
“Hey, did you feel something?” Junko asked, and the answers came back.
“Yes. Something awful... It wasn’t magical. It’s strange. The mana isn’t responding at all.”
“Did it come from above?” One looked up into the sky. Junko’s gaze followed his. It was raining.
—Rain? There was no sign of rain, and weather control should be active for this area...
But as the droplets of what she’d thought were rain fell, the whole area began to burn.
“What...?”
She looked closer. She couldn’t see the fire clearly. The flames were colorless, and the whole air shimmered like a mirage. But the flames remained without disappearing. The colorless flames were spreading across the ground. The grass burned, turning from green to black, and then to ash. It happened everywhere one of the drops of water fell. No, perhaps what was falling from the sky were the flames themselves.
“Aaaaah...!”
One of the ninjas screamed in terror. She turned towards him, and realized what it was he was looking at. The rain was starting to melt the windows and walls of the command room.
“Stand strong! Try the shields!” Junko commanded. But all she heard back was a scream.
“We’re already trying it!”
“...What?”
The rain was starting to fall over a wider area now, turning everything it touched to ash.
“I-Is this an enemy weapon?” Junko’s voice was shaking, though she didn’t realize it.
“I don’t know... But this is impossible!”
The flames, neither red nor blue, were burning everything. The whole observation deck where the command room was located was starting to collapse. Through the melting windows, she could see the walls turning to ash and blowing away. Junko’s face twisted in fear. It wasn’t the fear of facing death. It was because the colorless flames seemed to represent all the evil of mankind. Junko’s body began to shake, and she fell to her knees. The unfathomable evil had left her paralyzed.
Everyone was watching... Watching the invisible flames come down from the sky, and burn the city and the army. Everyone could feel the evil within it.
“Let’s say that divine punishment is real. But divine punishment is only punishment because someone wanted it to happen. If a good person is burned, it’s not punishment, it’s just bad luck. In other words, what you’re seeing now is the reflection of someone’s heart. Someone wanted this to happen. Of course, you wanted the missiles to disappear. And that wish came true. But you also granted the wish of the people of the republic. And some of them wanted the empire to burn to ash.”
The One spoke, and Marine knew better than anyone that what he was saying was true. He understood that his connection with the Faceless Power had granted the people of the Republic’s wish. The mana screen was showing the most terrible scene imaginable. From above, it looked like a gray circle spreading out across the ground. But it used to be a town. Everything was burnt into ash and rubble in the span of an instant. The seaside town was a vision of hell. There was no sound of any living thing whatsoever. The only things moving were the ash, blowing in the wind, and clumps of falling concrete.
“I’m seeing the real hell. And a real devil,” Marine whispered in despair, as he looked at the devilish dog.
○
Akuto was looking at Morlock. But he was seeing the video, and hearing the audio. He was receiving the same information Keena’s terminal was, but in an even clearer form. This was possible because he was able to control the weak mana signal at an even higher precision than the mechanical device. His body had adapted to the low mana environment. Or perhaps, the information he was receiving had put him into an extreme state of concentration.
“There’s no response from the Katsuura Command Center!”
“According to local reports everything in a 4 kilometer radius has been vaporized. The status of the defense forces is unknown!”
“Sis! Come in, sis!”
“The cause of the destruction is unknown. It may be an enemy weapon.”
The channels were full of different messages going back and forth. But there was only one thing he cared about.
“So the eldest daughter of the Hattori, the commander of the guards, is dead?” Akuto asked Morlock in a low, but surprisingly calm voice.
“H-How should I know...” Morlock was trying his best to do a mocking laugh, and failing utterly. His voice was breaking.
“I’m asking for your opinion. Do you think she’s alive? Or do you think she’s dead?” Akuto repeated himself.
“W-What do you care? Of course she’s dead! That thing burnt a whole city to ash. If anybody was alive, they’d have contacted someone by now.” Morlock said, unsure of why he was being asked this.
“So you think if she was there, she’s dead, then. So, what did you think about that?”
“W-Why are you asking me this? It’s got nothing to do with me. I didn’t do it. As far as I know, that’s a manifestation of the Faceless Power. I’m sure you’ve heard what that thing is. If it happened, it means the people of the Republic wanted it to happen. So it’s not my fault.”
Akuto was calm, but Morlock was starting to lose it. Akuto asked another question.
“I asked what you thought. Don’t worry about whether or not it’s your fault. You weren’t thinking about anything, is what you’re telling me. You really weren’t thinking about anything at all.”
“H-Have you gone crazy? So what? Nobody thinks about it. What do I think about a bunch of people dying? Who even cares?”
“No, I just wanted to ask the question. For some reason, I’ve got this thing about not killing people. No, what I don’t like is doing anything that affects others. You can call it cowardice if you like. I don’t care. But it means no matter how mad I am, I don’t feel like killing anyone.”
Akuto’s voice was completely calm. Either Morlock decided he knew what was coming next, or he simply couldn’t take the tension anymore, because he uncrossed his arms (he’d been crossing them to look tough) and readied himself for battle.
“Enough talk! You’re telling me you want to fight, right?”
Akuto silently shook his head.
“A fight? Maybe the old me would’ve felt that way. Don’t you get it? I’m trying to come up with a good enough reason to slaughter you.”
When he finished speaking, all the air around him changed. In the next moment, his face transformed into something different, something filled with madness and terror like no one had ever seen.