Volume 3 Chapter 5 - The Faceless God Part 4
“Wai, you, what the hell is thatttttttttttttttt!?”
Damian who saw Kazuki and Kaguya-senpai hugging each other, raised a shriek.
“Wait right theree! When I thought why there was no backing at all from the rear, it turns out that this bastard is changing to the enemy’s side huuh! What are you bastards doing hugging each otheer! Rather than netokaeruchanging sides, isn’t this netorarestealing lovers huuh!?”
Losing the rear guard was something that couldn’t become a joke, the Einherjar were forced into bitter fights.
“Beatrix-taichou…let’s retreat for the moment.”
Eleonora advised Beatrix. Even her expression was pronounced with the fatigue from battle.
“Elii…but I haven’t crossed swords yet with Kazuki. On the contrary it seems seeing that situation only makes my chest burn with jealousy.”
“Please stop rushing ahead because of your personal feelings.”
Eleonora flatly scolded Beatrix who was the only one full of energy.
“Although we were given this chance by this sudden contact, the members that could move were only three people, however this opponent is not someone we can go against without a plan. Even the student council president who was supposed to give support is hugging the enemy for some reason, in the end the way things are going it doesn’t look good. In the worst situation it’s possible that this might be a trap from that Headmaster Otonashi.”
“Mu…? When you said that, it’s true the wind direction is strange.”
Beatrix made a face as if she was biting a bitter bug.
At the other side Kanae and the others were thinking that if the fight was over already then just get lost already, they were watching what decision the Einherjar would make. The other two were done, but Beatrix still hasn’t been really serious while Kanae and the others’ nerves were worn down from the intense battles.
“Even at the best of times, our positions are delicate.”
This was not their homeland. Pushed by that fact, Beatrix shouted out.
“Yosh, Einherjar is to make a retreat! …Kazuki, the next time we meet we are going to cross swords for sure okay!!”
“Oi, that handsome woman over theree! Just remember this you bastaard!”
Damina gave Hoshikaze-senpai a middle finger.
“As a magician of a Diva that can similarly manipulate the sea, I’ll give the silver girl some respect.”
Eleonora too praised Koyuki even while she was colored with exhaustion.
Beatrix lifted up Damian and Eleonora who were like that with both hands, “HAHAHAHAHA!” and then while laughing loudly without any meaning, that body with high physical ability dashed at full strength and retreated.
The Einherjar were gone before they could even say ‘ah’.
“…We won?”
Kazuha-senpai murmured with a tired voice that told the story of the hard battle she had with Eleonora.
However Kazuha-senpai still hadn’t known about the true enemy.
Without even any reprieve to bask themselves in the aftertaste of victory, Kazuki directed his sight to Headmaster Otonashi―Nyarlatoteph while still hugging Kaguya-senpai.
“Nyarlatoteph. Your soldiers were weak.”
“What did you say?”
The figure of Headmaster Otonashi twitched his eyebrows.
“The Quad-core Magica who lost their egos didn’t even have any tactics, once they got attacked they just focused at one direction while their surroundings had done them in. Even those Einherjar that received your request didn’t really try to fight seriously. Even if you create a strong magician artificially, if they are not tied with strong bonds with each other then they are nothing more than a disorderly mob. From the very beginning they were not an enemy worthy of our Heaven and Earth Formation.”
“…The likes of a human got too carried away…is that all that you are going to say to this me?”
There was no meaning to hide his true identity anymore with the Einherjar gone, muddy black magic power was seething from the figure of Headmaster Otonashi. There was no wind blowing, and even though there was not any fluctuation in the atmosphere, like there were many small shredding happening on the world itself, Kazuki could feel a sensation of ‘biribiri’ on his skin.
“Tou-san…?”
Kaguya-senpai separated her body from Kazuki, she doubted her own eyes looking at the transformation in front of her. Senpai still hadn’t known that her father had been hijacked by a Diva.
“Otonashi Tsukikurou! You bastard…what the hell is going on with these circumstances!”
From the shadow of the demolished school building, the figure of Board Chairman Amasaki appeared in a stagger.
“…Tou-san!?”
Mio cried out looking at the figure of the person who shouldn’t be on this battlefield.
Even Nyarlatoteph, that assumed the appearance of Headmaster Otonashi stared at the entrance of that personage with a surprised look.
He had secretly observed the situation all along, he probably made his appearance because he thought that the fight was over.
Was Board Chairman Amasaki Mio’s step-father…! Kazuki was surprised against that fact in this late hour.
“The Summoning Magic those suspicious illegal magicians used was that of Solomon's 72 Pillars! What is the meaning of this!?”
“Hohou, so you noticed that.”
“That’s…they were humans who had stigma transplanting operations performed on them, am I right? You bastard, I thought that you had established the stigmata transplanting operation without anyone noticing, but…don’t tell me that you performed human experiments using stigmata that you took out from students…for a teacher who was supposed to protect the students…”
Board Chairman Amasaki yelled as if he couldn’t believe his own deduction with a face that looked like the truth was gnawing at his own sanity. The wrinkle-covered face of the old man was warped to its limit.
“…I never thought that you could finally reach the truth by your own power. What a great achievement, old man.”
With a whizzing sound, something was flying from the cuff of Headmaster Otonashi’s suit.
No, that was not something flying. It was something that stretched.
Headmaster Otonashi’s right arm became a long tentacle, it pierced the chest of Board Chairman Amasaki.
“Gah!?”
Board Chairman Amasaki’s eyes opened wide without understanding what just happened, then he fell down.
‘shuru’, the tentacle was pulled back to the cuff of the suit.
“Tou-san!”
Mio was dashing hurriedly to the collapsed Board Chairman.
“…O pure fire of reincarnation, burn the surface of the life while the inside bud in rebirth…Fire of Life CircleAnti-Aging!”
Mio held her hands out to the wound opening, from there a small flame burns into existence, the wound opening that was touched by the flame was closed up little by little and the bleeding was stopped.
“…Is that Phoenix’s healing magic? Well, no matter, rather than that old man, first I’m going to slaughter all of you in this place.”
The body of Headmaster Otonashi began to warp due to an enormous magic power.
Kazuki was dumbfounded from the sudden happening, however he immediately recovered himself in rage.
“Everyone…! This is the last, we are going to defeat this guy!”
“Don’t get carried away, for the like of you humans…I’m going to teach you true madness!”
Nyarlatoteph exposed his true form…!
The wriggling flesh swelled out, the suit burst open.
What burst out from that suit were countless tentacles. The flat black head was located at the top, looking completely like an octopus with tentacles that grew all over, the evil god with an atypical appearance revealed himself in front of Kazuki and the others.
However that figure was not as overwhelming in magic power and sense of intimidation compared to when Loki materialized.
“Kazuki…at the Cthulhu Mythos that I know about, the being that is called evil god is not an existence like that.”
Koyuki who got close to Kazuki’s side said so.
“The evil god of Cthulhu Mythos symbolized the horror of the vast universe, an existence that transcended people’s awareness. It is said that there is no way for people to not go crazy the moment they see it. Compared with that, this Nyarlatoteph is [shoddy]. He couldn’t embody the true essence of Cthulhu.”
“That guy said before that Cthulhu Mythos was weakened.”
Nothing was understood about what kind of existence Diva was in this world, however…
Cthulhu Mythos was special.
“Yes. That’s surely why he only used the power to manipulate human mindd and secret maneuvers. Undoubtedly he is not an opponent that deserved to be feared when opposed directly from te front like this. If it’s us, then we are going to win without a doubt!”
Koyuki asserted in a strong will that was rare for her.
“…You bastards, the likes of humans such as you are still planning to mock me even now!?”
Together with those indignant words, Nyarlatoteph’s tentacles were crawling like worms. Kazuki cut apart the tentacles that were directed at Koyuki and came stretching. That attack became the opening curtain of the final decisive battle.
“We're going, everyone!”
While taking the position of the Heaven and Earth Formation, the swordsmen came out to the front and drew their swords, the Magica Stigma were starting their chanting from the rear.
“All of you bastards cannot use the power of your Divas!”
The black face at the gigantic summit of Nyarlatoteph was yelling, invoking his characteristic magic.
“Madness HeartbeatPsycho Noise!”
A sound that made the scratching of glass’ surface sound lukewarm resounded in their surroundings, it felt like their brains were scraped off grindingly.
The magic power that was collected amidst the spell chanting were dispersed like mist. They couldn’t concentrate at all on chanting.
“Guh…what a Diva to be such a nuisance for the neighbors! If this is the case then this one is going to make octopus sashimi!!”
While warping her expression from the unpleasant sound, Kohaku swung her Sacred Treasure and went to cut the tentacles. However Nyarlatoteph’s gigantic magic power that was said to be weakened, with attacks from the likes of a katana, it only received damage to the degree where the end was not in sight.
“Kazu-nii…hurry, erase this sound!!”
Mio raised a scream, her tears spilled without stopping. Mio didn’t participate in the battle anymore and she was attending constantly to Board Chairman Amasaki’s healing. But because of Nyarlatoteph’s obstruction magic, Mio couldn’t maintain her healing magic, the wound opened again and the bleeding was starting again relentlessly.
The old man who didn’t have any magic didn’t have much time left.
“OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
Raising a roaring voice that made the earth rumble, Nyarlatoteph regenerated the tentacles that were slashed by the swordsmen. And then the swordsmen were hit hard by an amount of tentacles that were impossible to avoid.
“Otouto-kun…if it’s me, I cannot be lead astray by this sound anymore. I don’t want to lose to this guy anymore.”
Approaching Kazuki’s side, Kaguya-senpai talked.
However her face that seemed to look like she was seeing an awfully ephemeral dream when he saw it from the side made Kazuki hesitate to rely on senpai.
“Senpai…but that enemy is…”
“It’s okay. …I understand properly that that thing is not Otou-san anymore. I’m not fighting because of some sense of duty like [Unless I beat that guy], I’m fighting [because that guy cannot be forgiven].”
With eyes that were filled to the brim with sorrow, senpai glared up to the black face of Nyarlatoteph.
“Otou-san…I, like the name Kaguya that you gave me very much. Like the whole starry sky and aurora, Otou-san named me like this because of your wish for me to become a lovely girl, isn’t that right? You are not a kind father at all, but…since when had you completely changed like this?”
In the middle of the evil sound’s ringing, Kaguya-senpai chanted her spell alone disappointingly.
The avatar of Asmodeus was floating at her side. The witch in black clothes faced Kaguya with eyes full of affection.
“…Isn’t this the first time you're fighting with just your own honest feelings ehh, my cute Kaguya. Then I guess I’ll give you a reward.”
“Asmodeus?”
“Being able to use my ten characteristic magics skillfully, this is a magic that’s beyond all of those. You often give complaints such as that all my magic is a little difficult to use as attack magic, or something like it left a bad impression among other things, haven’t you? I will give you something better after this, you will see. By combining my magic power and your form, we will invoke a Union Magic. Your own Original Spell that even the King-sama cannot copy. With your thoughts, give shape to the illusion and crash it into that guy. Come, sing it.”
The light of the magic power that surrounded Kaguya-senpai changed from violet color to a noble silver color that resemble the light of the stars.
“I won’t let you!”
The scattered evil sounds that enveloped the surroundings completely were given direction by Nyarlatoteph’s will and converged on Kaguya-senpai. However Kaguya-senpai was completely unperturbed against the evil sounds that had been compressed several times over, her face that looked ephemeral when he saw it from the side now looked firm with a strong core inside―.
That spell was finished chanting speedily.
“O darkness of mind that contain the eternal cycle of life and death! O seven stars that shined inside it! Reveal the microcosm of heaven and earth’s creation and show the whereabouts of humankind!! …Shining NightGalaxy!”
A geometric pattern of light spread out in a radial wave around Kaguya-senpai. The space that was sketched was shifted into an alternate space in reverse.
The vicinity became a pitch black darkness with Kaguya-senpai as the center, countless lights shined in the surrounding.
“Power of the universe!?”
Even Nyarlatoteph’s gigantic body was drifting in the dark empty space. Kaguya-senpai who reigned in the center of the alternate world shined brilliantly like a sun, everything of that universe’s scene bared their fangs toward Nyarlatoteph.
“Im, impossible…this is the power that is supposed to be ours…!”
Solar wind―wind of corona gases that surpassed one million degrees rained down on Nyarlatoteph and burned him down thoroughly.
Cosmic rays―the high energy radiation that was usually absorbed by the atmosphere rained down directly on Nyarlatoteph and burned him to nothing.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! THE STAR! THE STAR!”
In accordance with Kaguya-senpai’s will, countless meteors rained down on Nyarlatoteph. Irrational destruction pulverized the gigantic body, its dust was scattered in the darkness of space.
Once again the geometric pattern radiated out, the space was returning to the original world.
The evil god of Cthulhu had disappeared from there, what was left behind in that place was Headmaster Otonashi who was collapsed spread-eagle.
Kaguya-senpai approached Headmaster Otonashi slowly and leaned over, holding up his upper body with her arms.
And then she hung her head down for a while.
“Th, that guy was defeated…with that one attack!?”
The evil sound stopped, Mio who had finished the emergency treatment for the Board Chairman stood up.
“Tou-san…I had thought that this wouldn’t end with his heart safe, but…”
Kaguya-senpai once again lowered Headmaster Otonashi who she held to the ground, then she turned to Kazuki who was standing up.
“Otouto-kun…if you said that you had given me your forgiveness, then I won’t apologize anymore. Otouto-kun…welcome home.”
There were still sad things, but with a relieved expression that looked like she had put down her heavy burden, Kaguya-senpai came and embraced Kazuki.
“Senpai really, so soon like this…”
Kazuki became overwhelmed from Kaguya-senpai’s skinship.
“Kazuki-! We did it!”
And then naturally Mio, from there Lotte and Kanae too came and clung to Kazuki jostling him around.
After happiness welled up inside Koyuki, immediately it cooled down and she felt uneasiness creeping up in her heart.
Looking at Kazuki who was getting intimate with various girls, added with that sight Koyuki was not able to keep her courage. And then uneasiness came creeping inside her.
It was just the two of them in that underground for a long time.
However when we came up to the surface, did he already stop paying attention to me, that was the feeling that she had.
It was inevitable for Koyuki to think that she was an existence that had no value when compared to the other girls even now.
However she herself had conveyed to Kazuki that she loved him. She had already laid bare the weak parts of her heart. Because of that, even now she felt unsure, like her weak heart was smashed apart.
Koyuki felt a strong self-disgust toward herself that was separated by a step from the place of blessing.
{―So you denied your own self.}
There was a voice.
Suddenly black color was spreading inside her heart. Even though she didn’t imagine anything, inside that darkness, three burning eyeballs opened glaringly by their own accord and pierced Koyuki with a sharp look.
“A…” Koyuki leaked out her voice in fear of the unknown.
{―I’m going to take that opening in your ego! With my characteristic magic! Darkness Illusions - Limit SaturationArkham Drive!!”
―From the scream that Koyuki raised, Kazuki and the others turned to look at the girl that was in the place a step apart from them.
Something…they felt a vast magic power exploding inside the girl.
The girl’s body distorted flabbily―that form stabilized into a different shape.
Koyuki was changing in appearance. The silver hair changed into pitch-black hair, the skin color was changing into dark brown skin that was near black.
Black Koyuki―no, it’s different.
“Beforehand…I flung a part of my magic power through the Astrum toward [the human with the weakest heart]. I am the faceless god…having the same face no matter to what extent I was split up…When I was about to be exterminated, a part of me, a seed, was planted inside this young girl…!”
“You are…Nyarlatoteph!”
“I lost the majority of my original magic power, but…With this elf’s flesh and magic power I’ll show you the real power of Cthulhu! Even the power of Solomon's 72 Pillars, I will use them as a parasite for sure!!”
The black Koyuki produced magic power with chanting speed that was different from humans.
Kazuki Foresighted that magic power―a large scale attack magic that manipulated cold.
He was trying to invoke Vepar’s greatest magic. Caught in an instant of hesitation from how Koyuki's body was stolen, every member there might receive fatal damage.
Even Kazuki at this time couldn’t think of a method to deal with this development immediately.
However in this place there was only one person, one human that was not agitated by the situation at all and kept their calm.
“…I become the miko of sword. Rock cleaved, root cut, sin cut apart, that virtuous sword of crushing evil is right now in this hand! Draw sword, Futsu no Mitama!!”
Kazuha-senpai who was not particularly attached emotionally to Koyuki created the tangible god of sword as a Sacred Treasure while keeping her complete calm.
“Hayashizaki, you use this guy!”
The spirit sword that she summoned herself , she threw it toward Kazuki.
“If it’s while the flesh and the spirit haven’t become familiar yet, you can sever it!”
The moment he grasped the sword, Kazuki closed the distance according to his swordsman’s instinct and swung the sword down to the black Koyuki. Streaks of light ran. Just on the verge when the trigger of Vepar’s greatest magic was almost pulled, the spirit body that possessed Koyuki’s physical body was severed from her and blown away.
Koyuki’s body returned to the usual pure white girl and fell down.
Even while getting blown away, the form of black Koyuki remained.
Kazuki immediately held up the dead tired white Koyuki.
“To be chased out from the physical body…what is that sword!? I see, the preserved stigmata confirmation system, the stigmata other than Solomon's 72 Pillars…! This time as well, how far is this miscalculation going to reach!!?”
Black Koyuki―Nyarlatoteph was still retaining his substantiated body.
On the other hand there was no presence of magic power at all from the body of the real Koyuki.
All of Koyuki’s magic power was carried away by Nyarlatoteph, he used that magic power to maintain the substantiated body in the mimicry of Koyuki. However the stolen magic power was consumed just for him to exist, that body was in the process of breaking down little by little.
“Before I vanish…Solomon's King! As long as I kill you, the slaughter will…!”
With the face that was warped in bloodcurling hatred that Koyuki would absolutely never make, the disintegrating black Koyuki spun a spell. Kaguya-senpai cut in front of Kazuki who held Koyuki in his arms.
“Watch out! Otouto-kun!!”
“Under the freezing evil emptiness, O time, stop…freeze the fate of all that dwell in the material world, break that foundation with a freezing hammer! Ice Flower DecayDiamond Dust - Absolute Zero!”
The mermaid Diva Vepar’s ultimate magic was invoked.
From the palm that black Koyuki thrust out, minus 273 °C wind and blocks of ice flew at Kaguya-senpai.
Receiving the absolute zero with that body, the Prima Material that made up Kaguya-senpai’s body were suspended without limit, losing its elasticity, and then she was fired at with many pebble bullets. All material that received impact under super low temperature will become broken down into small pieces easily.
Huge blue defensive magic power was smashed up. Against the composite attack of the cold of absolute zero and absolute destruction…Kaguya-senpai stuck it out till the end with all the defensive magic power that she had.
“Suicide Black!”
“What!?”
And then she reflected that pain back.
Black Koyuki who presently had a physical body writhed in agony under that pain.
“…Ultra Violence!!”
That pain was further doubled, Kaguya-senpai was staggering and collapsed from magic intoxication.
“Kaguya-senpai!”
“…Otouto-kun, please take care of Koyuki-chan. Because with only me, I couldn’t save Koyuki-chan from loneliness…”
Kazuki turned back to Koyuki who he held in his arms. The girl’s consciousness was returning, she was looking at the collapsing Kaguya-senpai with scared-looking eyes. And then she looked at the black Koyuki that came out from inside herself.
Kazuki had a feeling that he understood why during that great joy of victory Nyarlatoteph could take advantage of Koyuki’s heart.
“Kazuki, forgive me, I…I…!”
The face of the girl who hated it so much to cause trouble for other people was dyed in the despair of self-hatred.
“You don’t need to apologize. I just…want to give Koyuki peace of mind.”
Kazuki embraced Koyuki with all his strength, then he joined together those lips with his own.
With the intention of conveying the warmth, with the intention to create a definite bond, he kissed her.
Kazuki’s heart and Koyuki’s heart were tied strongly.
“K, kiss…? To something like me…”
When their lips separated, the face of Koyuki who was always pretending to be expressionless obstinately turned red in bewitchment. Kazuki thought that cuteness of hers was lovely. Not only the mutual certainty between their hearts, Kazuki also felt a strong magic circuit was forming between them.
“Everything is okay now.”
After lightly stroking Koyuki’s head, Kazuki stood up and faced the black Koyuki.
He was going to destroy this enemy and erase Koyuki’s guilt!
“You bastards…how dare you, to inflict human pain to this me…!”
Nyarlatoteph who was in unimaginable agony from [the pain of the whole body that was breaking down from inside the absolute zero] that was [doubled] recovered his battle stance with bloodshot eyes.
And then he began to chant a spell.
Kazuki too had already started his spell. At his side the mermaid Vepar was materialized.
“The other side too is using precisely the same magic that was copied from me. However from the beginning that’s just a fake. No, that man’s everything is a fake power. You understand that right, O King?”
I know. Thereupon this time for sure I’m going to absolutely exterminate that Diva.
The two people in confrontation invoked their magic at the same time.
“”Diamond Dust - Absolute Zero!””
The fierce blowing wind and rocks of ice were exactly the same yet…
“UOOOOOOOOOOOO!”
“W, what…I’m being pushed back!?”
The violent stream of cold and ice was gradually being pushed toward Nyarlatoteph, that black body took hard and severe hits. Gigantic defensive magic power was smashed apart. However even so the evil god still hadn’t been exterminated.
Kazuki drove the Futsu no Mitama in his hand.
Inside a moment where everything seemed to stop, Kazuki raised the sword overhead.
While his body was gradually breaking down, Nyarlatoteph raised a scream of hatred.
“Impossible…this kind of ridiculous situation! Who do you think I am? I am…the mighty Faceless God!!”
This guy is an evil god that made prey of other people’s egos to amass his power!
“There is no way I’m going to lose to a power that was earned from denying other people! My bonds are my power! If you are the Faceless God, then…I’m going to become the King of Bonds!!”
Nyarlatoteph's remaining dregs, not to mention in this world, there was not even a fragment that remained in the Astrum. Kazuki pierced the Futsu no Mitama into the flesh of the black Koyuki that was in the process of crumbling away.
Light was flashing brightly from the slashed flesh—the evil god was destroyed without leaving a single trace.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
Board Chairman Amasaki who avoided the losing his life watched every part that happened from beginning to end.
“Come on…Kazuki is not a bad guy right? He is not something like an illegal magician at all. He is the man that I chose after all!”
Beside the Board Chairman, Mio puffed her chest while bragging about Kazuki that she loved with a bright face.
“Your chosen man you said…then don’t tell me, are you going out with him?”
“Eh, going out? Su, such a thing like going out is…no, but the relationship between me and Kazu-nii…however…”
Mio’s face was boiling and turned bright red from the sudden question, she was twisting her body and fidgeting around. From there she looked like she remembered something, then she held her lips back and “Ehehehehe” grinned widely.
Board Chairman Amasaki who was still lying down on the ground looked up at Mio’s state in discomfort, from there he turned his sights to Kazuki. Kazuki was surrounded by his comrades' blessings.
Board Chairman Amasaki released his stern expression and released a deep breath in deep exhaustion.
“Certainly you seem to have a discerning eye. Tsukikurou and I too, we had misunderstood since who knows when. Looks like we didn’t see the things what we ought to see…”
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