Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon Vol 1 Chapter 18

I know what I am being asked

But why am I being asked it?

Point Allocation (True Intent)

Kazuno was still alive despite having her body split in two.

She could not move properly, but she did not fall to the ground because Tadakatsu’s left arm was embracing her.

However, her body had lost the ether extraction ability of an automaton’s heart, so she was slowly becoming unable to move at all.

…I do not have long.

But despite that thought, Kazuno could still see everything.

Munes.h.i.+ge was down on his knee breathing heavily five meters in front of Tadakatsu.

He had been behind Tadakatsu only a moment before, so he should have been struck by the power of cutting.

But he had not been sliced in two.

…What does this mean?

As she thought that, her body shook. This was due to Tadakatsu standing up.

And as he moved, a few points of heat fell onto Kazuno’s cheek.

It was blood dripping from Tadakatsu’s brow.

She heard the men speak.

“Speed, is that it?”

“Testament,” replied Munes.h.i.+ge while still breathing heavily. “The activation system for the divine weapon known as Tonbokiri acquires the name of the target reflected in Tonbokiri’s blade and then carries out the cut. Its effective range is approximately thirty meters.”

And so…

“I need only to instantly escape to that distance or to a location in which the blade cannot reflect me.”

Kazuno frowned weakly at Munes.h.i.+ge’s words.

“How do you know that?”

When her lips moved, Tadakatsu’s shoulders relaxed.

“What? So you’re alive, Kazuno?”

“Oh? I did not think you were the type to embrace corpses.”

“No, the thing is…” Tadakatsu looked away from Munes.h.i.+ge. “I was using you as armor.”

“I can determine no reason to embrace armor. And if I am to be armor, this would be the better method.”

Kazuno moved her body.

She wrapped her arms around Tadakatsu’s neck and embraced him such that she covered his body with her own.

The core of her left hand had been penetrated by something earlier, so she wrapped her right hand around and grabbed her left wrist.

She looked up at Tadakatsu, but he did not look at her.

“Y’know…”

“What is it?”

“I’m gonna tease you for being so cute later.”

“How about I just strangle you now?” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Earlier, a bullet-like field flew into my left hand and I somehow managed to send it to the side with repeated usage of my gravitational control. What was that?”

“The overdrive of the Logismoi Óplo called Lypē Katathlipsē. …Boy, how much can you use?”

“Testament,” answered Munes.h.i.+ge’s voice. “With my adaptability, around 50% at once is the limit.”

Kazuno turned just her head and saw Munes.h.i.+ge slowly stand up.

His breathing was slowing to normal.

“Please surrender.”

“How can you say that when you’re so out of breath?”

“I was ill-prepared this time. I now know I can evade it,” said Munes.h.i.+ge. “Please surrender. And a.s.sist me in stopping the meltdown of the ley line reactors. If you do not…” He used his right hand to hold the sword of Lypē Katathlipsē at a low position. “I too will use this next time. If I do, you will lose. You should understand what I mean.”

“True enough,” Kazuno heard Tadakatsu say. “Tonbokiri was a prototype for Lypē Katathlipsē and Akēdia Katathlipsē, the Logismoi Óplo given to Tres España. …I suppose they were both tested using me.”

“Tes. Tonbokiri’s normal drive cuts its target by binding the target’s name, and its superior drive can apparently bind to and cut phenomena. …I heard the mountain guardhouse was guarded before this rebellion began, yet it was taken without anyone realizing. You cut the phenomena of ‘guards’, didn’t you?”

Munes.h.i.+ge looked toward Tonbokiri. Its fuel meter was located at the base of the blade. Only about half of the red color remained.

Tadakatsu saw that, too.

“Well, I had to do it without being noticed. I can do the same thing about once more. But the normal drive can cut physical objects, so I should be fine.”

Kazuno nodded and opened her mouth. She gathered strength in the arms wrapped around Tadakatsu’s neck.

“Tadakatsu-sama. What you mean is, his is the newest version and yours is the prototype?”

“Yeah. It’s cla.s.sed as a divine weapon, so they were able to get the combat proof they needed. What about it?”

“You have lost. Thank you very much. This has been a life filled with many worthless things, but I have determined that it was very broad experience-wise. And that is a breadth stretching from top to bottom.”

“Why is my armor getting all pessimistic?”

“Then please tell me how you can win.”

“Well,” began Tadakatsu as he looked over at Munes.h.i.+ge. “I’m older than that boy.”

“I have determined that is not an advantage once you grow too old.”

“Then I’m more important than that boy.”

“Between a young man with a future and an old man at the end of his career, which do you think holds more meaning?”

“Then… I’m cooler.”

“Yes, yes. Judge, judge.”

“Not only are you pessimistic, you’re p.i.s.sing me off. Anyway, listen up,” began Tadakatsu. “I know the characteristics of that Logismoi Óplo.”

“For example?”

“Its design is lame.”

Kazuno nodded and turned toward Munes.h.i.+ge.

“I apologize. He is not attempting to have you lower your guard. This is what he truly believes.”

“But he’s stalling for time, is he not?”

Kazuno gasped at Munes.h.i.+ge’s question. She shook Tadakatsu’s neck with her arms.

“Tadakatsu-sama, that young man is a user of positive thinking. You still have your honor, so it would be best if you tried not messing up from here on.”

“You make fun of everything you happen to see, don’t you?”

Tadakatsu held up Tonbokiri in both hands.

As he did, several wet sounds fell to the ground.

The objects which had fallen to the ground like raindrops appeared dark red in the illumination of the surrounding ether light. But Tadakatsu showed no concern over that “rain” not letting up.

“Lypē Katathlipsē has three functions. The first is that of a normal gunblade. The second is the normal drive which can slice the name of anyone visible on the blade just like with Tonbokiri. The final one is its overdrive as one of the weapons of ma.s.s destruction known as the Logismoi Óplo.”

That was…

“Lypē Katathlipsē’s overdrive will cut away anything in range that has been seen in the blade.”

“Yes. When activated, the ‘ripping’ that represents sorrow is fired.”

“That’s right,” said Tadakatsu. “At 50% output, the overdrive should have an effective range of approximately three kilometers. From the looks of it, I’d say he has one shot left. It must have taken a while to store up that much.”

“One month with Henares’s ether tank, ‘El Tanque’.”

“You have one more shot. How about I tell you how you’ll use it?” said Tadakatsu. He indicated to the left and right, to the north and south, with his chin. “Y’see, the northwest and southeast ley line reactors are just barely in range from here. So you will use your remaining shot to destroy one of them. Destroying one might cause a large-scale disturbance in the ley line, but…”

“Testament. The ether extracted by the three ley line reactors will gain an escape route which will prevent an explosion. Mikawa will most likely experience frequent strange phenomena due to the saturation of ether, but I believe that is better than losing Mikawa to an explosion.”

“I thought as much.”

Tadakatsu laughed.

“But,” he said while indicating behind him with his chin. “It looks like Mikawa’s owner doesn’t agree. …Look.”

…Eh?

With that thought, Kazuno gathered strength in her arms.

She looked over Tadakatsu’s shoulder and looked toward New Nagoya Castle behind him.

Down the straight road, she could see the western gate of New Nagoya Castle.

The large gate was opening. The gate was made up of two twenty-meter-wide, single-panel sliding doors made of sacred tree wood. Those fully opened.

And beyond that gate, the western sh.e.l.l of New Nagoya Castle was opened as well.

Light was spilling from within.

New Nagoya Castle was showing its inner light.

Through the opened western main entrance, several barrier walls had been opened as well.

Light came from that opened hole that extended in a straight line for several kilometers.

“…The supervising ley line reactor.”

Kazuno’s voice was referring to the ma.s.s of wooden walls at the center of New Nagoya Castle several kilometers away.

That supervising reactor was about a kilometer across. It was covered by an inner metal sh.e.l.l and an outer wooden sh.e.l.l.

“The four extraction reactors have already had a full meltdown and ether is acc.u.mulating.”

As Kazuno spoke, the wooden outer sh.e.l.l of the supervising reactor emitted lights through its gaps in sync with the pulsation. It would also occasionally swell slightly and vibrate.

But that was not all.

The ether around the supervising reactor had already transformed into a mist of light. This was creating countless rings on top of each other which altogether looked something like a diagram of the heavens.

In the center of that glowing diagram of the heavens at the center of New Nagoya Castle, a tower of light stood gently up into the sky.

It was made of the same thing as the rings of glowing mist that rotated around the ley line reactor.

The emitted light was broad at the bottom and narrow at the top. The tower of light resembled an upside down funnel.

That tower grew taller along with the pulsation, but it was also crumbling.

At the very top where it was piling higher and higher, it was slowly spilling inwards.

That fall gradually grew faster and it started to surpa.s.s the speed of the tower piling up higher.

“So when that entire tower of light falls inwards, it will cause an overload of too much ether for even the supervising reactor to handle,” commented Tadakatsu.

A voice answered him. That voice came from New Nagoya Castle’s external loudspeakers.

“Precisely, precisely. We have somehow managed to bring it this far. If you plan to stop it, you probably have about five minutes left. Now, what does Tachibana-kun there intend to do? He needs to use his time effectively.”

Kazuno mentioned the name of the person speaking.

“Lord Moton.o.bu…”

“Yes,” replied the person standing before the supervising reactor.

He was Moton.o.bu, the head of the Matsudaira family.

He wore an academic cap and wore a white coat over his clothes. He was holding a microphone in his right hand with the pinky raised.

And he opened his mouth before that microphone.

“Okay, people of this country! Good eveniiiinnnnggg!”

He took a breath and snapped his fingers. An automaton with a video recorder appeared next to him.

Moton.o.bu held the microphone to his mouth and struck a pose in front of the filming automaton who had circled around in front of him.

“This broadcast is being sent across the entire country over the common network! All you good children need to watch your teacher who is prepared down to the smallest detail! Don’t change the channel!” He took a breath. “Today, your teacher has come to Mikawa where the ley line reactors are melting down quite splendidly!!”

Aboard Musas.h.i.+, everyone who had gathered for the fireworks saw and heard Moton.o.bu’s delighted face and voice from the sign frame which had appeared in midair.

“Oh, what’s this!? Is that Tachibana Munes.h.i.+ge-kun I see? Did you come all this way for a field trip!?”

“A field trip…?”

“Yes. A field trip to the destruction of Mikawa from the meltdown of the ley line reactors.”

As everyone watched on, Moton.o.bu spoke perfectly casually.

“What do you think? Could there be any better extracurricular lesson?”

People all over the world and of all social statuses watched or listened to Moton.o.bu with monitors or radios. He smiled with the light-filled supervising ley line reactor in the background.

“What do you think about this ley line reactor meltdown? Okay. Everyone who wants to see Mikawa’s destruction raise your hand with plenty of energy.”

Moton.o.bu lightly jumped up and raised his left hand in response to his own line.

“Me! Me! I do! I do!”

No one there was able to react to Moton.o.bu’s actions.

Munes.h.i.+ge, Tadakatsu, and Kazuno could not move in the slightest as they watched him.

However, people that could move entered the scene.

These people were inside New Nagoya Castle. From behind either side of the countless opened barrier walls stretching from the entrance to Moton.o.bu, automatons entered with their right hands raised.

Taken aback, Munes.h.i.+ge took a slight defensive stance.

“Those are…”

Hundreds of automatons dressed as maids had appeared.

As they entered from either the right or the left of the pa.s.sageway, they kept their right hands raised.

And Moton.o.bu began walking between those raised hands while shaking his body.

“Come,” he said while shaking his head.

Only his silhouette was visible, so his expression could not be seen.

However…

“Come, come, come!”

As Moton.o.bu walked forward, the maids who had watched him pa.s.s lined up behind him.

Both the pulsation of the earth and those many footsteps resounded loudly throughout the area.

But as those maids with their right hands raised began to follow Moton.o.bu, they held up certain objects.

They were musical instruments. There were sheng, hichiriki, flutes, biwa, drums, san-no-tsuzumi, yamatogoto, as well as many other types of wind, string, and percussion instruments. The maids held their instruments along with a corresponding amp.

A single strike of a shakubyos.h.i.+ sounded loudly.

Immediately afterward, the maids brought their instruments in toward their own bodies.

They began tuning the instruments.

Multiple tones and sound pressures followed along with Moton.o.bu’s raised left hand as he walked down the center. As he slowly moved his hand in an arc, the tone of the tuning instruments would occasionally rise and occasionally lower as if being drawn in. Finally, he clenched his fist and the sound quieted down.

As Moton.o.bu continued walking, he swung down his clenched left fist.

Immediately afterward, the automatons carrying instruments began playing and the empty-handed ones opened their mouths.

They sang.

The tempo changed and a tsuzumi could be heard.

“Let me pa.s.s.”

It was the Song of Pa.s.sage.

“Let me pa.s.s, let me pa.s.s

If I follow this narrow path, where will it take me?

This narrow path leads to the G.o.ds in heaven

Your opinion is not needed. You cannot pa.s.s through here

I have come to celebrate this child’s tenth birthday

By dedicating these two talismans

Going may be easy, but returning is frightening

Can I pa.s.s despite my fear?”

The song came to an end, but Moton.o.bu’s walking did not. The inside of New Nagoya Castle was vast, so it was going to take him several minutes to reach the entrance. The musical accompaniment continued and the vocalists continued with a chorus of “ahs”.

Even the pulsation coming from underground had become just one of many noises.

And then a voice sounded loudly. It was Moton.o.bu’s voice as he spoke into the microphone.

“Okay, is everyone ready!? This song and everything related to the Apocalypse will be on the test. (Point allocation: the fate of the world.) Now, everyone, do you have any questions for your teacher?”

A voice rose up in response.

It was the voice of the young man outside of New Nagoya Castle who was watching Moton.o.bu through the Logismoi Óplo.

“Lord Moton.o.bu!” Tachibana Munes.h.i.+ge took in a breath. “For what purpose are you sending the ley line reactors out of control, destroying Mikawa, and sending the Far East into a crisis!?”

“Munes.h.i.+ge-kun of Tres España’s Alcalá de Henares. Please raise your hand when asking a question.”

Munes.h.i.+ge responded by lifting Lypē Katathlipsē up to the right and aiming it. He was looking past Tadakatsu and at Moton.o.bu.

But Moton.o.bu remained perfectly calm.

“Good,” he said. “Munes.h.i.+ge-kun, that was an excellent question, so I will ask you a question of my own: Aren’t crises fun?”

Moton.o.bu continued to speak.

“Your teacher often says that thinking is fun, don’t I? In that case, crises have to be fun, don’t they?”

After all…

“If you don’t think, you will die or be destroyed. If you don’t think really, really hard, you can’t resolve it. And that means it’s the most fun you could ever have, right?”

Munes.h.i.+ge gulped and did not respond.

However, Moton.o.bu scratched his head with the hand not holding the microphone and continued speaking.

“Crises are incredibly fun, but there is something even more fun, isn’t there? Okay, Munes.h.i.+ge-kun. What is it that you need to think even more about?”

“I do not know!” answered Munes.h.i.+ge loudly without a moment’s delay. “Are you trying to stall for time!?”

“Oh, an excellent answer,” said Moton.o.bu in response to Munes.h.i.+ge’s refusal to answer. “You don’t know. That’s right. You don’t. And why is that? The answer is simple, Munes.h.i.+ge-kun. It is because you did not think. You have avoided thinking about whether there is anything more frightening than a crisis. That is only natural for a human. We don’t want to think about unpleasant things.”

However…

“You are the type who will look away and die when faced with something more frightening than a crisis.”

“If you don’t want that, then think. That is what it means to overcome your fear. And Honda-kun, what is more frightening than a crisis and requires that you think really, really hard? Well, Honda-kun?”

“I don’t knowwww.”

“Okay, as punishment you must stand out on the road with an automaton hanging from your neck.”

“Wait a second, teacher. Aren’t you treating the two of us a little too differently!?”

The teacher ignored him.

“There is only one thing more frightening than a crisis to the Far East. Are you listening? That is the Apocalypse. The destruction of this world. This is the ultimate entertainment for every student in the world.”

Munes.h.i.+ge gasped when he heard what Moton.o.bu said.

…Entertainment!?

He had heard of the Apocalypse through various routes. It seemed it really was going to happen and that no countermeasure had been taken. However…

“Fun? How undisciplined can you be!?”

“Munes.h.i.+ge-kun, your teacher is being serious here. I am extremely serious.”

A voice arrived accompanied by the sounds of footsteps, a pulsation, and music.

“The ma.s.sive closing time known as the Apocalypse cannot wait until after cla.s.s. Or perhaps I should rephrase that as you are a current student: this ‘graduation’ cannot wait until your future afterward. Do you understand? As you all face the Apocalypse, everything leading up to that has been cla.s.s time. Now, tomorrow, the day after that, the time you spend awake, and the time you spend asleep are all valuable cla.s.s time leading to the futureless graduation known as the Apocalypse. Once that time comes to an end and the Apocalypse arrives, you will be unable to return to your Academy and unable to even speak with your friends.”

“Fun, isn’t it? Fun, isn’t it? After all, if the world is to head toward the graduation known as the Apocalypse, you need to desperately make the best use of your precious remaining time. And if you do not want to head toward the Apocalypse, you need to think so you can overturn the Apocalypse and continue past it.”

Munes.h.i.+ge opened his mouth in response to Moton.o.bu’s continuing words.

“But…” He seemed defiant, but he still gave it some thought. “When faced with the Apocalypse, I think a lot of people will feel powerless and fall into despair.”

“And what’s wrong with that? If instead of going to the Academy and complaining about how boring it is, you hole up in your house and tremble under your blanket as the Apocalypse approaches, it shows you understand that you are the type to grow afraid. At the very least, you will learn what kind of person you are before dying in the Apocalypse. And if you do nothing when faced with the graduation known as the Apocalypse,” he said, “then you are the type of person who can help make the world a boring place. To put it another way, those that wish to make the world more interesting will be desperate to defeat you, so while you fight, shout ‘the world is boring’ and ‘if you don’t like that, let’s work to make it more interesting’. Someone will surely answer your call. If you do that, even boring people have plenty of value as spectators.”

So…

“What type are you? Are you a critic who only enjoys mocking the world or are you the type who enjoys the world? Or… Are you the type who will head off to construct the world?”

Moton.o.bu stopped walking.

He was still within New Nagoya Castle. He had reached the halfway point between the center and the entrance.

With instrument-playing maids behind him and a line of maids with their right hands raised on either side of him, he spoke into the microphone he held in one hand.

“Anyone who did an excellent job and came up with the answer will receive a reward. And that reward may be able to overturn the Apocalypse.”

That reward was…

“The Logismoi Óplo.”

Moton.o.bu looked to Lypē Katathlipsē in Munes.h.i.+ge’s right hand.

He paid no heed to Munes.h.i.+ge’s eyebrows bending in confusion.

“That is not all, but for now, they are the easiest to understand. So let me say one thing. Listen up, everyone. The person who obtains all of the Logismoi Óplo…” He took a breath. “…will gain the power to influence the Apocalypse.”

“Such nonsense!” shouted Munes.h.i.+ge. “You are the one who distributed the Logismoi Óplo to each country! And now you are saying obtaining all of them will let you drive away the Apocalypse? Are you trying to start a war between the six countries you gave them to!?”

“Six countries? No. You mean seven countries.”

Munes.h.i.+ge froze in place. He frowned.

“Seven…!?” He shook his head. “Ridiculous. The Logismoi Óplo were based on the eight thoughts at the foundation of the seven deadly sins. You distributed all of those to six countries. For there to be a seventh country…”

“Oh? Listen up, Munes.h.i.+ge-kun. It is true the Logismoi Óplo were based on those eight thoughts, but is that really all there is?”

“What…do you mean?” asked Munes.h.i.+ge.

Moton.o.bu replied with a smile.

“Those eight thoughts were also based on something. …And what if there were nine deadly sins?”

A man wearing white papal vestments stood in the center of the Regno Unito’s bridge. His eyes were fixated on the lights in Mikawa visible through the window.

Pope-Chancellor Innocentius gnashed his teeth.

“Moton.o.bu! You couldn’t have!!”

“When the eight thoughts were gathered into the seven deadly sins, the thoughts were changed to six and Phthonos – aka envy – was added. For that reason, envy is often seen as a new deadly sin,” explained Moton.o.bu. “Evagrius, the man who discussed the eight thoughts, actually wrote of nine evils in a letter to a friend. The ninth evil not included in his eight thoughts was envy. What do you think of that? Why did Evagrius not add the deadly sin of envy to his eight thoughts? Why did Gregory I later count envy as one of the deadly sins? Do you understand why? Do you know why? Each of the deadly sins is a.s.sociated with a demon from the Age of the G.o.ds, but…”

At that point, Moton.o.bu placed a hand to his ear. It was as if he were trying to hear what was being said on the bridge of that s.h.i.+p.

And as if response, Innocentius shouted out.

“The demon a.s.sociated with envy is the Leviathan!!”

Moton.o.bu nodded within the sign frame, but Innocentius gnashed his teeth and continued speaking.

“The Leviathan is history’s greatest dragon which possesses aspects of all other monsters! Are you trying to say the ninth deadly sin, envy, is the ultimate vice that gathers together all the other deadly sins!?”

“Yes, yes. Gastrimargia, p.o.r.neia, Philargyria, Lypē, Orgē, Akēdia, Kenodoxia, and Hyperēphania all come from envying something or wanting to be something and either going too far or receiving backlash from that. …I think Evagrius did not include that great evil in the deadly sins because he feared exposing its existence. And Gregory I added envy in an attempt to belittle it by giving it the image of a newcomer. But the people still saw the Leviathan there.”

“Then… a.s.suming I cannot make an additional order for my Logismoi Óplo,” shouted Innocentius. “Where is this envy!?”

“The Leviathan already exists.”

That is…

“Have you not heard the rumors?”

“The rumors?”

“Yes,” said Moton.o.bu with a nod. “The rumors that the Logismoi Óplo are made from humans. The rumors say that is why they can use abilities based on the original sin of humanity.”

And…

“That’s true, you know?”

Masazumi listened to Moton.o.bu with P-01s next to her.

What she heard was almost the same to what Sakai had told her during the day.

But it went further here.

She heard Moton.o.bu speak and take a breath in the middle.

“Those rumors are true. …The Logismoi Óplo use a human’s emotions as a component.”

That is…

“That human’s name is Horizon Ariadust.”

“Eh…?”

She had heard that name. It was the name of the girl Toori was said to have killed.

“Horizon. That is the name of the child who I hit in an accident ten years ago and then become the Logismoi Óplo. Last year, her soul had the emotion of Phthonos placed within it to make her the ninth Logismoi Óplo. …Afterward, she was given an automaton body and sent to Musas.h.i.+.”

That automaton’s name was…

“P-01s. That is the name she goes by as she lives aboard Musas.h.i.+.”

Masazumi turned toward P-01s as she felt something cold crumble down within the bottom of her gut.

And everyone on Musas.h.i.+ heard the following words:

“The automaton P-01s, that child’s soul, is the Logismoi Óplo of envy, Ólos Phthonos.”

Sakai ran down a dark mountain path as if the light behind him were chasing him.

Moton.o.bu’s voice reverberated throughout the mountain and into the depths of the valley.

“That is the ident.i.ty of the Logismoi Óplo and the location of the ninth one.”

“I was right…”

Sakai gritted his teeth. He lowered his head slightly and spoke as if groaning deep in his throat.

“What exactly has changed over these past ten years?”

Masazumi looked to the side.

On the road, below the two moons, and in the wind was an expressionless automaton.

She had to have heard that broadcast, but P-01s said nothing and almost seemed not to understand the situation. She only responded to the fact that Masazumi was looking at her.

“Is something the matter, Masazumi-sama?”

And…

“I believe I heard a broadcast that mentioned my name and my ident.i.ty, but…”

But she only tilted her head.

Of course, thought Masazumi.

She had no memories. Even if she knew that broadcast was about her, it would not feel real.

But Masazumi spilled out her thoughts by forming words in her heart and uttering them from her mouth.

“Why?”

Why?

“Why would you turn an automaton with a soul into a Logismoi Óplo!?”

She received no response, but the broadcast continued.

“I saw Horizon today. …She waved at me.”

“I am glad that Horizon seems to be doing well.”

Someone on Musas.h.i.+ began running when he heard that voice. It was…

“Foolish brother!?”

Toori ran at an average speed, but for him, it was every last bit of speed he could muster.

Everyone was still gasping and exchanging glances at the truth they had heard.

As if to cut off that atmosphere of pause and confusion, Toori ran. While he was halfway down the stairs in front of the school, Kimi called out from behind him.

“Foolish brother! Where are you going!?”

But Toori gave no response. He only ran, breathed, and arrived at Remorse Way.

Everyone let out an “ah” and Toori hesitated for a moment, but then…

He gathered speed and charged down that dark road. He swung his body to gain as much speed as he could.

Some of those in the crowd reacted to Toori’s desperate dash. The three figures that took action were Nes.h.i.+nbara, Urquiaga, and Noriki.

As those three ran and quickly caught up to Toori, Kimi took a few steps and shouted out.

“After him! Please!”

“Impossible!!” roared Munes.h.i.+ge.

Tadakatsu stood directly in front of him. In the distance beyond that man was Moton.o.bu.

Tadakatsu was the man who had tested the Lypē Katathlipsē that Munes.h.i.+ge held.

…In that case, he must have known everything.

Of the senior officials of Mikawa, the only ones not to be replaced with automatons or demoted were three members of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Matsudaira. For ten years, they and Moton.o.bu had remained silent, done nothing when slandered by other countries, and walked a tightrope between P.A. Oda and the Testament Union.

…And amid that, they added this secret to the Logismoi Óplo!

Munes.h.i.+ge wondered why they would do something like that and he spoke a single answer.

“Do you think this is valuable enough to sacrifice everything from the past ten years!? Did you think it was that valuable to create the Logismoi Óplo which can influence the Apocalypse and give them to each country as sparks that could start a war!?”

“That is not all there is to this. You must not make a judgment based only on what you see directly before you. I managed to provide the world with plenty of teaching materials in these ten years. It is now up to all of you.” He took a breath. “Depending on your actions, there might be a world war. Maybe the Far East will be blamed and finally put under absolute rule. And if that happens, I am sure people will blame my guidance.”

With that great light behind him, Moton.o.bu spoke into the microphone.

“But I do want to see the first ever world war not in the Testament descriptions.”

“I will stop you!” roared Munes.h.i.+ge.

“Excellent! That’s right, Munes.h.i.+ge-kun! An excellent answer!”

Munes.h.i.+ge deepened his stance while Moton.o.bu bent backwards and raised his voice.

“Munes.h.i.+ge-kun! This is the answer you arrived at when you actually thought about it! Yes. That’s right, that’s right. Acting based on the answer you arrived at is the most wonderful way to use your time! And the answer you arrived at was to cause a disruption in the middle of cla.s.s! Even as I am distributing the teaching materials I have made, you have chosen to deny this lesson which can stop the-…”

“Lord Moton.o.bu! Your lesson is wrong!” cried Munes.h.i.+ge. “I will destroy the ley line reactor, stop the ley line from running out of control, and drag you out in front of everyone!”

“Are you sure?”

After all…

“What if destroying Mikawa with the ley line is necessary to influence the Apocalypse?”

“I will simply create teaching materials different from yours. Yours are simply too inappropriate.”

“I see,” said Moton.o.bu. “Normally, a student who refuses to listen to his teacher would receive corporal punishment, but lately people seem to think a teacher is at fault when he hits a student. …So vice chancellor, you do something about it.”

Immediately afterward, Munes.h.i.+ge felt a wind. It was an intimidating wind that seemed to push him. It was coming from…

“Honda Tadakatsu!!”

“Sure thing.”

That warrior with an automaton hanging from his neck charged straight toward Munes.h.i.+ge.

With the light to his back, Tadakatsu’s smiling mouth opened.

“I’ll stop this cla.s.sroom disturbance!”