Episode 4: Viscera Apartments

"And so, from now on you're my subordinate. Or rather, my servant. You'll bring me coffee with lots of sugar every morning, and if I tell you to spin around three times and bark, you'll do it happily."

In the dorm living room that morning, our team captain, Koito Hikari-senpai, declared that with her nose in the air.

"You can ignore her, Kotoyorozu-kun. There isn't any rigid hierarchy at our school. We just use 'captain' because someone needs to give directions. Really, it's just a normal upperclassman-underclassman relationship."

Mef said wearily while eating her breakfast sandwich.

"Exactly! I'm the senior here. A senior in life, too. You lot are the juniors. In other words, small fry. Understand?"

Koito-san was apparently one year above us. Looks-wise, Mef seemed way more mature.

"Hmph, first impressions are ninety percent of human interaction, the rest is garbage. So establishing the pecking order here is crucial. Now that you understand, newbie, hand over that delicious-looking sandwich."

I handed my sandwich to Koito-san.

"My, how obedient. Three good-boy points for you. Time to dig in~♪"

Koito-san happily bit into her breakfast.

"GYAAH—! What is this, it's spicy! Hwaf, hwaf, hwaf. Stupid! Stupid stupid! My tongue! My tongue! My tongue hurts! It hurts! Myaaa—!! I'm tearing up! Wahhh!"

"I'm so glad you like spicy food, Kotoyorozu-san! Koshiba's been feeling pretty out of place in this dorm until now!"

Koshiba was holding a bottle of super-hot spices and laughing. Koito-san must have had a sweet tooth—she hurriedly poured milk from the fridge into a glass and dunked her tongue in it.

"Heeeh. Why didn't you tell meee? Ahhh. Ahhh, it's gone."

Koito-san was a funny person. She acted super important and probably was important, but still.

"Ugh... Anyway, Kotoyorozu! I'm the most important person in the world. Obey me. Got it?"

"Roger that. Also, that milk's past its expiration date."

"I thought it smelled funny—! Blegh—"

She'd been so cool and strong when fighting, but normally she was like this...

"Sooo... what're we s'posed to do startin' today? Captain?"

Luna-san, who'd been smoking outside, murmured listlessly as she opened the door. Apparently she'd ended up staying at this dorm after the welcome party last night.

"Trial enrollment at Azure Academy... does that mean we take classes or something?"

Koito-san answered while gargling with tap water.

"Well, eventually yes. But first, you'll need to go through several stages."

Koito-senpai spread out a sheet of poster paper with hand-drawn illustrations in crayon.

"Let's Become Azure Academy Students! Roadmap to Enrollment!"

Alongside cute doodles of lions and rabbits was an easy-to-understand diagram aimed at children.

"First, you two will observe Azure Academy students resolving an Apocalypse."

Koito-senpai had somehow put on glasses and was somehow holding a pointer.

"You can't complete enrollment procedures without knowing what Azure Academy is like. We don't want you saying 'this isn't what I signed up for' later."

Surprisingly conscientious system. Well, our lives were already in their hands so it didn't really matter, but I guess they were following standard procedures.

"After that, you'll do a trial enrollment as 'Wingless.' If you contribute to Azure Academy, your rank goes up: 'One Wing' → 'Two Wings' → 'Three Wings.'"

Luna-san raised her hand like a model student.

"Question. What good stuff happens when your rank goes up?"

"Your salary increases. Also, you get access to the golf club Azure Academy partners with."

Mef, who had somehow put on glasses (and they really suited her), added:

"Of course that's not all. You gain access to various Azure Academy information. Naturally your authority increases, and you can use and research Azure Academy's anti-reality resources."

Thank goodness there was a serious teacher around too.

"'Wingless' can't even attend classes. You two should aim for 'One Wing' first."

"Hmm... classes, huh... I don't really care, but..."

Luna-san glanced at me. I was naturally fired up! Because, classes! Of course I'd dream about doing something so normal!

"By the way, Azure Academy is also an educational institution, so we have things like cultural festivals and school trips."

"Whoa—!!"

That got me seriously hyped... I was definitely going to become this "One Wing" thing!

"I'll do my best! What should I do today!?"

Koito-senpai gave a mature, composed smile (it didn't suit her), then:

"I just told you. Today is 'observation'! Kotoyorozu, you'll be with Nyao today."

Nyao... Koshiba? When I looked at her, the small-animal-like first-year middle schooler let out a determined breath.

"So, without further ado—"

In Koshiba's hand was a somehow familiar-looking syringe.

"Huh?"

"Here, right in the artery!"

—My consciousness instantly dissolved into darkness.

* * *

■

"Bwah."

When I woke up, there was the pleasant rocking of a car. And a soft sensation against the side of my head.

"You're awake?"

Koshiba's large eyes. She was looking at me with a mischievous smile.

"Y-you! You stuck me with that knockout shot again!?"

"Heheh, Koshiba wins again."

This wasn't about winning or losing. I noticed through my still-fuzzy, anesthesia-addled brain.

"Bwah!"

I'd been using her thighs as a pillow—her almost too-slender thighs.

"Gyan!"

I bolted upright and my head slammed into Koshiba's chin. Koshiba writhed in agony, then started smacking my head.

"Sorry! I freaked out at a girl's lap pillow! No wait, where even are we!?"

"Getting flustered over a middle school girl's legs is so lame. And we're in Barcelona."

Looking out the car window, I saw neither the chaotic atmosphere of Azure Academy nor the familiar Japanese streets. Instead, a more organized city that looked like a colorful painting.

"Barcelona!? This is Spain!? We were just in a city in the sky..."

"The place we're heading to now is in the suburbs of Barcelona... um, 'Viscera Apartments.'"

What a brutal name. I glanced nervously at the driver in black suit and sunglasses, then looked at the documents in Koshiba's hands.

* * *

\\\[No. 819: "Viscera Apartments"]\\

\\Properties:\\ Necromancy, Ritual Disaster

\\History:\\ A medium-scale Ritual Disaster that occurred around March of this year in an apartment building in suburban Barcelona. On the rooftop of the building, 12 pairs of corpses with mutually broken cervical vertebrae were arranged in a ritualistic pattern. Due to the victims' mouths being sewn shut with thread, the ritual is attributed to "Los Devotos del Silencio Eterno" (The Devotees of Eternal Silence). Numerous non-anomalous residents should be living in the apartment, but details are unknown. Multiple humanoid Apocalypses are believed to exist within the building.

* * *

I was speechless, then immediately raised my voice.

"We're going to deal with an Apocalypse this dangerous!? Where's the rest of the team!?"

"The captain and Mef-senpai are on another mission today. Luna-san apparently went to observe with President Elif's direct units. Koshiba is on solo deployment!"

The tiny small-animal-type girl clenched her fist in front of her flat chest.

(Oh. We're dead—)

Going to a monster-infested apartment with a middle school girl sounded awful. We'd definitely die.

"You're thinking something rude... —Shamshir!"

When she lightly waved her palm, an old revolver appeared where nothing had been.

"Is that the gun you got from the 'Angel of Gunscar,' Koshiba?"

"Yep!"

I'd heard from Luna-san that the Apocalypse called "Angel of Gunscar" at Azure Academy gave all students mysterious guns with special powers—"Gunscars."

"This is 'Shamshir'! With this baby, ordinary Apocalypses are a piece of cake!"

"Is it that powerful!? What ability does it have?"

Koshiba pulled out a cheap-looking sticker with doodles on it, looking smug.

"The ability to 'swap a bullet with a target'!"

"............"

* * *

\\\[Shamshir]\\ \[Gunscar]

A Gunscar that "swaps bullets with targets (stickers)." Primarily used for extraction. By having specific individuals carry targets in advance, they can be extracted by swapping positions with bullets.

* * *

(Lame!)

Compared to Mef's giant rifle or Koito-senpai's guitar, this was an incredibly plain Gunscar. How was she planning to fight with something like that?

"Besides, Koshiba isn't alone this time... —Oh, looks like we're here."

What greeted us as we opened the black SUV's door was the quiet gaze of a huge, old apartment building.

As if—it knew very well that prey would come walking right in.

* * *

■

It couldn't have been more than three minutes since Koshiba said she had a call from headquarters and went toward the shade of some trees.

(... This is terrifying!)

I was waiting for Koshiba behind cover in front of the huge, silent "Viscera Apartments." It was hard to believe monsters supposedly prowled inside, yet I definitely sensed something dreadful.

"—Oh my? And who might you be?"

Suddenly, a remarkably clear voice rang out. From which direction? Right? Left? Behind? No—above.

"Good day to you."

—A girl fell from the sky. She was a young lady type with an open parasol, a frilly dress, and curly silver hair. She landed gracefully with a soft thump and tilted her head.

"I was told a girl with 'Shamshir' from Azure Academy would be coming as support."

"Oh, y-yeah. I'm also... from Azure Academy. Trial enrollment? Something like that, I came to observe."

"Observe? Hehe. What a peculiar academy as always. Sending a newcomer without a Gunscar to such a deathtrap."

So she could tell I didn't have a Gunscar. And how had she appeared from above?

"Pardon my late introduction. I am Léa Cœur de Lumière. Purge Squad member. A slightly precocious and dashing sixteen-year-old. First-year at Chaos Institute."

"Chaos...? What's that?"

"My, you don't even know that? In Fructus, there are three academies with great power called the 'Three Great Academies.' One is Azure Academy. One is Corporations. And the other is—Chaos Institute."

She was explaining things properly. So far, at least, she seemed more normal than the Azure Academy people.

"And this operation is led by Chaos Institute. Were you not informed?"

"...Not at all."

Léa-san giggled. She really did seem like a proper young lady from a good family.

"I'm Kotoyorozu Kotoha. Seventeen. Nice to meet you."

"Yes♪"

Léa nodded, her monochrome black-and-white uniform swaying. She'd introduced herself with something ominous like "Purge Squad," but she seemed like a kind girl, which was somewhat reassuring.

"So that means you'll be participating in this operation too, Kotoyorozu-senpai?"

"Yeah (...Senpai!)"

"In that case," she fixed me with a sharp gaze.

"I always ask the same question of those whose backs I'll be trusting on the battlefield."

She folded her parasol and continued with a serious expression.

"—What is your fetish?"

I genuinely doubted my ears. What did this refined young lady just say?

"Your fetish. Your twisted sexual inclinations. —I believe, you see, that trust is the most important thing on a battlefield. The trust to entrust one's heart. Naturally, that's not something you can give to a stranger."

"That's why," she smiled.

"I'd like you to expose your most hidden, twisted desire. There is no one more worthy of trust than someone with whom you've shared your most embarrassing secrets."

In her heart, there was no ulterior motive at all—she truly believed this from the bottom of her soul.

(What a bizarre girl. She's not joking, she's dead serious!)

But if that was the case, I felt strongly that I should meet her expectations.

"Understood. I'll answer. My fetish is—"

"!"

"—Measuring tapes."

A metaphysical thunderbolt crashed down upon Léa with a clatter.

"Measuring... tapes...!?"

I continued, wanting to die from embarrassment.

"How do I put this... a girl's various parts, you know. Like... measuring them... I get excited about measuring lengths and sizes. ...Like, comparative research. ...Sorry. That was weird. I don't think you'd understand."

"...Yes! Yes! I don't understand at all! I didn't even know such a fetish existed, and I'm ashamed of my own ignorance! But that's fine! I don't understand your fetish at all, but I understand that it's important to you!"

Léa squeezed my hands tightly in both of hers.

"—How wonderful. Measuring tapes. I shall take it up as a hobby."

"You really don't need to, but thank you...!"

What an honest person! This is the first time anyone's answered this question so honestly!

"By the way, my fetish is—"

"Oh, yeah... (Hearing a girl's fetish is honestly pretty embarrassing though.)"

"—Molting."

"Mol... ting...?"

"You don't know? What snakes and crabs do..."

"I know what it is! I know what it is, but...!"

Léa's face turned bright red, apparently genuinely embarrassed, and she continued while looking away.

"I've loved molting since I was a child... I just, imagine things. If this girl or that girl molted, what kind of skin would they shed? Would the freshly molted skin be smooth and bouncy like a boiled egg? What kind of stale smell would the dried, shed skin have...?"

Wh-what was this.

(A fetish I seriously cannot understand at all!)

B-but I got it. I didn't understand, but I understood! This girl had just shared something really important with me. I didn't understand it, but I understood that much!

"...Léa-san. No—Léa-cchi!"

"Kotoyorozu-senpai... No—Kotton!"

We firmly clasped hands again.

"C-could it be... we might become best friends...?"

"...I seriously feel the same way. I've never felt like this before."

We exchanged burning gazes and felt a certain friendship being born.

"Ugh, so gross lol. I forbid ya from movin' that filthy mouth of yours."

"Gah—"

A huge nail pierced through Léa's chest.

"Wha—!?"

Her slender body crumpled to the ground. I stood there dumbfounded, then immediately caught her. Footsteps approached from behind.

"Léa. I'm always tellin' ya. Stop doin' that gross talk with people ya just met. Seriously, I'm embarrassed. People're gonna think Chaos Institute is some sketchy organization."

Emerging from the shade of the trees was a petite black-haired girl with a huge nail in her hand, wearing a sly half-smile. She approached while looking down at the impaled Léa.

"Léa-cchi! Are you okay!?"

I called out, but she just shook her head weakly with a pale face, unable to answer.

"She's fine, she's fine. She's just been forbidden from talking."

When the half-smiling girl snapped her fingers, the nail impaling Léa quietly vanished.

"Hah, cough, cough. Senpai, that's cruel! I was so startled!"

I was shocked. Indeed, Léa's body had no wounds, and her clothes weren't even torn. Could this be...

"That's my Slash 'Hoia Baciu' for ya."

* * *

\\\[Hoia Baciu]\\ \[Slash]

A Slash that "drives in nails." A large wooden nail that, when its owner—Magina Avram—verbally issues a prohibition to the target, appears in a specific body part and suppresses that action. The nail cannot be touched, but can be slowly pulled out through intense struggling. The longer the prohibition sentence, the longer the nail becomes and the harder it is to remove.

* * *

"...Slash?"

"Makes sense ya wouldn't know, Kotton, since ya didn't even know about Chaos Institute."

Léa stood up as if nothing had happened and continued explaining.

"We at Chaos Institute carry special swords with unique abilities—'Slashes'—just as Azure Academy students carry 'Gunscars.' We receive them from the 'Angel of Slashes.'"

"Like an alternate version of the 'Angel of Gunscar'...?"

"Exactly, as expected of Kotton. You catch on quick!"

So Azure Academy students had guns, and Chaos students had swords. Then what about the third academy...?

"...Also, you two are already calling each other nicknames after just meeting. That's gross."

Magina-senpai was surprisingly sharp-tongued despite her cute appearance.

The turning point when this giant apartment building "Santa Lucia Residence" had acquired its unfortunate name "Viscera Apartments" was about two weeks ago.

"According to reports—"

Léa continued while looking up at the apartment building.

"About two weeks ago, a mother reported that she'd lost contact with her daughter. That was the beginning. When police visited this apartment, they disappeared too."

After that, everyone who entered this apartment never returned. Chaos Institute detected the anomaly and launched an investigation.

"Our investigators used drones to check it out, but the windows were covered with yellow liquid so they couldn't get info, and those corpse magic circles were apparently all over the roof. God, that damn cult is so annoying."

"Los Devotos del Silencio Eterno" was apparently a cult based in Spain with anti-reality properties (...what?), and they frequently clashed with Chaos Institute.

"That damn cult is basically a gathering of sorcerers, right. But y'know, magic isn't something normal people can handle. It's too hard to use, totally impractical. So for some nobody sorcerer to become a decent sorcerer, they need rituals like this. Kill a few hundred people, offer up your own soul, mutate into madness, and—become a monster."

...So what did that mean? The reason people were dying and disappearing in this apartment—was it all part of a ritual for someone to become a "sorcerer"?

"...That's a disgusting story."

"—I agree."

Léa and I exchanged glances and stared at the apartment. Something like this shouldn't exist. Someone had to stop it. I'm sure we both felt that strongly.

"You two are already on the same wavelength after just meeting. That's gross."

Magina-senpai was genuinely put off. Koshiba raised her hand politely.

"Koshiba has a question. I understand Viscera Apartments is dangerous, but why did you request backup from us? Europe is your territory, and we don't have any particular connection to 'Los Devotos del Silencio Eterno'..."

Magina-senpai seemed slightly surprised at Koshiba, who had returned at some point.

"...Huh. Ya don't know anything? Nothing? They didn't tell ya?"

Koshiba tilted her head like a small animal. Magina-senpai let out a big sigh.

"A year ago, there was the joint athletic festival for the three academies—the 'Sky Tournament,' remember?"

"Koshiba was an elementary schooler last year, so not really!"

"Sh-she sent a first-year middle schooler, that 'strongest' lady..."

Magina-senpai staggered, then continued.

"Well, there's this thing. And there're mock battles. Pretty much anything goes. Y'know, for improving skills. Ya get the idea."

I started having a bad feeling.

"Your Koito Hikari-san, she beat—no, she permanently disabled our Purge Squad's boss in that mock battle."

"..."

"Well, it wasn't like an injury or anything, she just broke their 'Slash' so they can never use it again... First time I ever saw that. Like, Slashes can break? Everyone was shocked, it was huge news. So then Koito-san was like 'I'll make it up to ya,' and promised to send reinforcements whenever we needed help."

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Our idiot captain is always causing trouble for everyone."

Magina-senpai seemed to enjoy watching Koshiba bow and scrape while half in tears, smiling meanly.

"It's fine, it's fine. I didn't like that boss anyway... Besides, even if she's a first-year middle schooler, Koshiba-chan's reputation has reached our ears too. Looking forward to working with ya today."

"Now that introductions are done," Magina-senpai looked at Koshiba.

"My 'Hoia Baciu' and Léa's 'Beast of Gévaudan' are both support-oriented, so we're lacking firepower. Can we leave that to you?"

"Yes! Koshiba is confident in power!"

I almost spoke up. Because Koshiba's "Shamshir" just "swapped bullets with targets," right? How could that provide firepower...?

"Alright Koshiba-chan. Let's wreck this apartment."

"...Huh?"

"Infiltration is too roundabout. Let's just demolish the whole building."

—What a simple, efficient plan. I'd been expecting us to storm a haunted house and was taken aback, while Koshiba responded cheerfully.

"Then let's get started!"

Koshiba raised her revolver. Magina-senpai watched her with slightly tense eyes. She pulled the trigger. A bullet fired from the barrel. Obviously. What wasn't obvious came next.

"—Shamshir!"

When Koshiba shouted, the small bullet vanished.

(... She "swapped its position with the target"?)

But so what? —An explosion.

"Wha—"

A bullet's speed was close to the speed of sound. About 1,200 km/h. While maintaining subsonic speed, the bullet's position was swapped with the target. More precisely—along with whatever the target was attached to.

"—A tanker truck!?"

Shamshir had swapped the positions of the bullet and a tanker truck. A 20-ton vehicle carrying high-pressure gas shot through the air at subsonic speed and pierced the outer wall of "Viscera Apartments."

"1,200 km/h" × "20 tons." That alone was devastating enough, but—the high-pressure gas, subjected to such enormous energy, naturally exploded with horrifying force.

(Wait, at this distance, we'll die too, won't we—? Oh. We're dead—)

I felt the explosion's heat on my cheeks as my body floated upward.

"Sha-Shamshir...!"

Koshiba grabbed me, Léa, and Magina-senpai and activated Shamshir. She'd apparently swapped our positions with a sticker she'd placed beforehand on a nearby hilltop for extraction.

An ear-splitting explosion echoed through the area. In the direction of Viscera Apartments, a massive fireball rose as if struck by an enormous missile.

(Where we just were has been completely obliterated!)

We dropped to our knees, drenched in cold sweat.

"I kinda overdid the firepower. ...Tehe☆"

Koshiba stuck out her tongue cutely.

"'Tehe' my ass! We almost died just now! We seriously almost died!"

"If you're going to do that, warn us first!? Look! My hair! My hair is singed!"

"Are ya stupid or what, middle schooler!? Don't ya know the meaning of restraint!?"

Even the battle-hardened Purge Squad members had been genuinely shaken by that near-death experience.

"...But everyone survived in the end!"

Koshiba pouted like a middle schooler. Which she was.

"Ah—! This is why Azure Academy people! Sloppy and careless and always trying to wing it! Put your rules in writing! Follow regulations! Do things the normal way! You always go too far! Nobody stops you and that's the problem!"

"M-Magina-senpai, you mustn't! Don't make such broad generalizations! Our academies already don't get along that well! That's discrimination!"

...So that's how it was.

In the end, Koshiba's massive explosion didn't cause any major incident.

Some forest got scorched, the ground was severely gouged, and local media came to investigate. Chaos Institute "staff" injected the reporters with something to knock them out and loaded them into large vehicles. They probably covered it up. Scary.

"...Completely unscathed after taking a tanker truck. Honestly freaky."

We'd returned to stand before "Viscera Apartments." Its exterior hadn't gained a single scratch.

"Physical resistance level 4 or higher, I'd say. Our weapons can't break it. If an explosion like that didn't work, there's nothing we can do from outside."

Koshiba was puffing out her flat chest proudly. Show some remorse.

"Windows don't break. No other infiltration routes. Guess we've gotta go in through the front. Léa."

When Léa nodded, she put her hand on the apartment door.

"I'll take point. I'm counting on you to watch my back, Kotton. —Friendship!"

"Yeah, I'll protect you with my life, Léa-cchi! —Friendship!"

Léa and I bumped fists with burning gazes.

"You trust each other that much after just meeting, it's gross!"

The bond between two people who'd bared their fetishes to each other was thicker than blood.

* * *

■

With Léa at the front, Koshiba and Magina-senpai flanking her, and me bringing up the rear, we entered the entrance hall.

(It's strangely quiet.)

The dark apartment building had vibrant tiles decorating its interior, but under the unreliable glow of cheap fluorescent lights in the shadows, everything looked miserably faded.

"Rituals are usually performed closest to the spell formation. Probably—the sixth floor."

We headed toward the stairs in the back, but stopped. Because Léa had stopped.

"...Senpai."

She murmured quietly and pointed her thumb around the corner.

"...Whoa, that's disgusting..."

What stood there was—a human with a sheep's uterus instead of a head.

(No, is that really... human?)

The only reason I tentatively classified it as human was that it walked on two legs and wore normal-looking clothes. An ordinary housewife you'd see anywhere. From the neck down, a normal human.

—But the head.

Inside the amber, translucent T-shaped organ, a sheep fetus slept peacefully, connected by an umbilical cord.

...They evolved living human heads into uteruses. A technique sorcerers often use. Body modification.

Could these people be the apartment's...

Reading Magina-senpai's thoughts, she was forming a hypothesis.

① Create a spell formation with believers' corpses on the rooftop, placing this apartment under magical influence.

② Through the magic's effect, evolve the residents' heads into sheep uteruses.

③ Use the sheep fetuses created through horrifically blasphemous methods for something worst and lowest.

I tried to read the Uterus-Human's mind. It wasn't human, at least. Nothing but the reflexive, momentary thoughts you'd get trying to read a dog or cat's mind.

"—I forbid you from seeing, hearing, and screaming."

When Magina-senpai murmured, a huge nail pierced the Uterus-Human's head. The Uterus-Human seemed confused and flustered by the sudden event, but Magina-senpai casually walked up and stood before it.

"...Even grosser up close."

"I-isn't your Slash too strong, Magina-senpai?"

"Well, against creatures like this, sure... Oh, crap."

The violently struggling Uterus-Human's movements had already loosened the nail.

Forbidding this much at once really shortens the duration.

Magina-senpai exchanged glances with Léa.

"—Beast of Gévaudan!"

What appeared in Léa's hands was a huge, rugged chainsaw. When she pulled the starter rope, the steel blade let out a bestial roar and—sliced through it.

"—One down."

A clean horizontal line had been cut through the Uterus-Human's abdomen. Yet not a single drop of blood flowed. While we stood dumbfounded, Léa stepped inside.

"Everyone, please come in."

"C-come in...?"

Léa's hand extended from inside the Uterus-Human's belly. ...Was she really inside that thing?

* * *

\\\[Beast of Gévaudan]\\ \[Slash]

A Slash that "cuts and wears." A huge chainsaw. By cutting a target, the user can wear it. Forms a stable subspace of about four and a half tatami mats inside, allowing the target to be controlled.

* * *

"I'm totally freaked out, but I trust my best friend. —Friendship!"

I took Léa's hand. I was pulled in by her pale, slender fingers.

"I knew you'd trust me. —Friendship!"

The inside of the "Uterus-Human's" belly was very warm, like a small room covered in soft pink flesh walls. Léa was watching the outside world through a panel attached to the flesh wall while gripping control sticks.

"...That catchphrase thing between just the two of you is gross."

"Hieee. Koshiba's never experienced anything like this!"

Seeing Koshiba and Magina-senpai enter, Léa began piloting the Uterus-Human. When she moved the lever, the Uterus-Human moved accordingly. She had complete control of its behavior.

"Let's head to the sixth floor right away."

"'Kay. Check out the apartment's situation on the way."

But these two's Slashes were—

"They're abilities meant for fighting humans, aren't they?"

Koshiba murmured with unexpected sharpness, and Magina-senpai glanced at her.

"We're the Purge Squad—specialists in dealing with people who abuse academy knowledge."

"Like internal school police?"

Magina-senpai nodded. If so, something seemed off.

"Then why are you directly resolving an Apocalypse?"

"Hehe, secret."

Magina-senpai smiled. When I looked at Léa, she also vaguely averted her gaze. What I sensed was—powerful, powerful resentment and anger.

Those bastards messed up my cute juniors, I won't forgive them.

That filthy Maestro alone—I'll kill him myself.

Apparently one of "Los Devotos del Silencio Eterno" had infiltrated the Purge Squad. By the time Magina-senpai and Léa noticed, their comrades had been permanently disabled by the spy.

(I see. That's why they requested backup from Azure Academy.)

They'd said the two academies didn't get along. But they wanted revenge on the traitor badly enough to push past that.

"Senpai."

Léa called to Magina-senpai. Through the Uterus-Human's vision, they were just passing another Uterus-Human. But it showed no sign of noticing anything wrong with them.

"Léa. Follow it."

Léa nodded and followed that Uterus-Human—one with a large male body.

"That room."

She turned the doorknob of Room 208, which the man had entered. It didn't seem to be locked. Inside was an ordinary family apartment. But the man from before was nowhere to be seen.

"...? I may have lost him?"

A fetus... raised magnificently...

Lord Gol... please grant your blessing...

"Léa-cchi, the bathroom. There are two people."

"Huh?"

Léa looked confused at my words but immediately piloted the Uterus-Human toward the bathroom. Opening the door, the male Uterus-Human and an old woman with her mouth sewn shut came into view.

"...What are they doing?"

The bathroom had no bathtub where one should have been.

"—Giving birth."

Where the bathtub should have been, a huge cavity gaped open.

"...No way."

The hunched old woman's branch-like withered fingers were delivering a sheep fetus from the male Uterus-Human's head. Amniotic fluid flooded the bathroom tiles.

".................."

The old woman cradled the sheep fetus with tremendous care, then reached out and held it above the huge cavity.

"This cavity... it's connected somewhere."

The old woman let go. The slippery sheep fetus fell into the huge cavity. It didn't seem remotely like a depth that should exist on an apartment's second floor.

The sound of the fetus hitting the ground never came.

"This is... processing human souls."

"What?"

"Human souls are complex and have terrifyingly strong wills. That's a hindrance for some Necromancy. Normally you'd take more time and care converting souls into energy. But this ritual doesn't need that. Low quality is fine. They needed quantity instead."

In other words, this was—mass processing of souls. Assembly-line work stripping away human will and dignity.

That was... that was... so blasphemous.

"Beast of Gévaudan!"

Léa sliced through the flesh wall from inside with her chainsaw, reached out from the Uterus-Human's belly, forcibly grabbed the old woman's ragged clothes, and yanked her inside in one motion.

"...!"

The old woman, her mouth sewn with thread, was about to groan in pain when her eyes went wide. She quickly realized her abnormal situation, directed her gaze at us as enemies, and steeled her resolve.

"—I forbid ya from killing yourself."

The old woman had been trying to bite off her own tongue. But a wooden nail forbade it.

"Ma'am. Please answer. What is your purpose?"

Léa asked, but the old woman just quietly stared back at her. With terribly clear eyes.

"...Can't she not speak? With that mouth?"

"Nah, it's not that she can't—she won't. The lower ranks of 'Los Devotos del Silencio Eterno' are forbidden by doctrine from speaking. They're idiots who believe silence is god."

So capturing them was pointless from the start, Magina-senpai continued. These fanatics would never divulge information.

"She just won't speak?"

"—Huh?"

Koshiba's eyes went round at my question.

"Ask what you want to know. I can tell you the answers."

"How? Kotoyorozu-san's Apocalypse is 'future sight,' right?"

At Koshiba's words, Léa jumped.

"Ehhhh. Kotton, you were a humanoid Apocalypse!?"

"...Sorry, I kept it quiet."

Koshiba was the one who'd asked me to avoid mentioning I was an Apocalypse.

(The president also told me to keep it secret as much as possible, but right now lives are at stake.)

Life comes first, I thought. So I should help even if it meant pushing a bit.

"...? I'm not following. It's fine if Kotoyorozu-kun's an Apocalypse, but is his ability really 'future sight'? Doesn't seem useful at all in this situation."

"I have a special technique."

A lie, of course. But the two seemed to catch that my vague wording meant something more, and nodded in acceptance. Only Koshiba had question marks floating above her head.

"—What is your purpose?"

As expected, the old woman just stared back with an expressionless gaze.

"This is apparently a ritual for Sorcerer-rank believers to ascend to Sage rank."

I spoke on behalf of the old woman's silent voice.

"—How?"

"By offering eternal silence to the second-class angel 'Azabache.'"

"—What is eternal silence?"

"Human death. Violation of souls. Sacred sheep."

"—What is 'Azabache'?"

"A dreadful angel. One who cannot be touched. One who despises the wheel of fate. One who desires true silence."

"—What is a 'Sage'?"

"A higher sorcerer. Immortal, one who wields true words."

"—Who is trying to become a Sage?"

"Fanatic Gol."

"—Where is he?"

"The underground chamber. Where all sheep fall."

"—How do we get there?"

"Through the elevator shaft."

At that point, the old woman's face suddenly twisted in agony.

"Tch. I forbid ya from dying!"

Magina-senpai tried to drive in a nail, but it was already too late. The old woman had bitten off her own tongue and died.

"Can't be helped. Got most of what we needed anyway."

"More importantly," she turned her gaze to me.

"...Kotoyorozu-kun. Aren't you a bit too convenient? A human radar and the ultimate interrogation tool? That's nuts."

I laughed vaguely and deflected. Seeing my reaction, the two seemed to sense my position somehow. No further questions came.

"Then let us proceed underground. —We must put a stop to this revolting ritual."

Léa piloted the Uterus-Human toward the basement.

* * *

■

—Fanatic Gol. Real name: Manuel Gol. 32 years old. Born in Valencia. He majored in agriculture at the University of Zaragoza and worked for an environmental protection organization after graduating.

Gol was born into a Spanish middle-class family and raised without want. He got along well with his siblings, received his parents' abundant love, and never even suffered a major injury or illness.

(Worthless.)

But from childhood, his heart had been covered in deep ennui.

(Everything is fake. That thing behind me arranged it all.)

To Gol, everything in this universe looked like a farce. Someone was manipulating everything from behind, laughing. People appeared to have free will, to be making choices—but in truth, everything was predetermined.

(A boy's blood-soaked efforts. Love's miraculous comebacks. All of it—a farce.)

Something monstrous, always watching the world from behind him. That thing was controlling the world.

『Young man, your despair is correct.』

Gol's obvious paranoid delusion was validated exactly once in his life.

『In our doctrine, we call them "The Gatekeepers." Unpleasant monsters trying to protect fragile humans. Non-humans who tame humans with the chains of fate.』

That was one of the leaders of a small cult called the Maestro. The clever Gol was wary of them, but he was strongly drawn to those words.

『"The Gatekeepers" control humans through language as a medium. That's why I intend to kill "language." Thus we are Los Devotos del Silencio Eterno. Those who wish for true silence.』

The Maestro extended his hand to the young Gol.

『Humans must be free. Those led by collars have no pride. —Am I wrong?』

—Indeed, he felt. He realized this oversized old man was a fool who spoke of justice.

A lovable fool who would fight alone for the justice he believed in.

『Let us go together. —Fanatic.』

Yeah, sure, Gol laughed. No matter how many sacrifices he made, no matter if he became a devil.

He'd rather be a starving dog in an alley than a fattened pig in a collar.

* * *

Fanatic Gol noticed the anomaly when faint footsteps echoed from the direction of the elevator shaft. The sound was so faint an ordinary person couldn't have detected it.

(So they've come. Will my opponents be from the Detective Association? Second guess would be special forces from the Library Mandala. Long shot would be Chaos Institute.)

This medium-scale ritual at Viscera Apartments required occupying the apartment for three weeks to process people's souls.

"I still think we shouldn't have done it this conspicuously. We should've quietly gathered humans in back alleys. Don't you agree?"

Fanatic Gol addressed the second-class angel "Azabache"—the creature with a hundred eyes and tongueless mouths clinging to the underground cavern's ceiling, crawling and writhing with a thousand hooves.

* * *

\\\[No. 2420: "Second-Class Angel Azabache"]\\

\\Properties:\\ Old God

\\History:\\ One of the angels worshipped by "Los Devotos del Silencio Eterno."

\\Details:\\ Consumes defiled Ectoplasmic Fluid to grant anti-reality properties to targets. Its purpose is to elevate Sorcerer-rank believers to Sage rank.

* * *

『Human. You are truly shallow carbon-based lifeforms unsuited for magic. Abandon your worthless rational thinking. I understand you are one-dimensional creatures capable of observing only a single timeline.』

The angel, shaped like a mass of centipedes clinging to the underside of a rock, continued in a voice that didn't vibrate the air.

『What matters is overcoming. The budding of Directionality. To become something other than human, you must fight humans. Lazy effort yields only worthless returns.』

"...Yeah, yeah. We're just lowly creatures like bugs."

The angel of metaphysical mechanics existing simultaneously across multiple dimensions murmured that this was wrong.

『You are not lowly. You chose. You chose to be human. Do you understand? This is something requiring tremendous courage. In this universe full of monsters, only you chose to advance on your own feet, to carve your own path with your own hands. That is why your souls have such tremendous value.』

Gol couldn't understand even half of what this dreadful angel said. But he at least thought this being was probably impartial. Neither his enemy nor his ally.

『Now, guests have arrived. Fanatic. Show me your resolve. —Silence.』

Footsteps echoed. Standing there was a petite black-haired girl holding a wooden nail.

Fanatic Gol slowly untied the cord binding his mouth.

* * *

■

"Got one thing I wanna ask."

The petite black-haired girl—Magina Avram—glared at Fanatic Gol with her usual half-smile.

"Fine. Ask anything. In exchange—you answer one question of mine."

The underground room, large enough for about ten cars, was laced with pipes like capillaries. The pitch-black angel coiled around them like a parasite.

"—Where's the Maestro?"

"Nobody knows where he is. Only Sage-rank fanatics attend the gatherings. I don't know the Guardian rank's location, let alone the Maestro's."

Intuitively, Magina didn't think he was lying. Well, either way was fine. If she crushed every member of "Los Devotos del Silencio Eterno," he'd have to come out eventually.

"My turn."

Fanatic Gol fixed cold eyes on Magina.

"Any chance you'll leave now? I don't want to hurt people unnecessarily."

After all this, what nerve.

"—I forbid you from thinking and acting freely."

The instant Magina murmured, a huge nail pierced Gol's head. Magina gripped the materialized nail in both hands and dashed across the asphalt floor with nimble movements.

"Die, scum."

Magina's nail pierced Gol's heart. This time, bright red blood sprayed everywhere.

"...Heh."

But Fanatic Gol smiled. A feverish grin of madness.

(The ritual's progressed faster than I thought!)

Immortality granted. Magina impaled Gol with six more nails, but his smile didn't twist in pain. Rather, the first "forbidding" nail was slowly working its way out of his head.

"You will be crushed."

Fanatic Gol murmured. A tremendous roar struck Magina's ears.

"...Huh?"

What smashed through the underground wall was a huge truck. —No, that couldn't be. Because this was underground, and this apartment's walls would never break.

"Oh—"

—At that moment, the ground had subsided on a nearby road. The truck traveling at 80 km/h sank underground and simultaneously smashed through the apartment wall—and crushed Magina Avram.

"Shamshir!"

Koshiba, who'd been hiding, aimed her barrel at Gol.

"Bullets won't hit me."

What deflected Koshiba's bullet was a piece of ceiling that happened to fall at that moment.

"Raaaah!"

Léa emerged from the wall with her chainsaw. She'd entered the wall of the adjacent room and cut another hole from inside to launch a surprise attack.

"To kill an immortal, you cut off their power source! —Beast of Gévaudan!"

Léa leaped and sliced through the pitch-black spherical angel clinging to the ceiling. She probably intended to get inside the angel and shred it from within.

(Brave. And also foolish.)

If she'd known even a little about what the second-class angel "Azabache" was, she wouldn't have reached that conclusion. It was a monster existing simultaneously across multiple dimensions, and touching it meant abandoning humanity. For a normal human, surely—

"...Hih."

What assaulted Léa inside "Azabache" was color. Comparing it to known information, it resembled black. But it was a color containing information equivalent to an entire star. An information load human nerves couldn't possibly withstand. Having seen it, Léa crouched on the spot, crying.

"'Azabache' is just there. Nobody's enemy. Not an ally either, though."

Koshiba Nyao was terrified.

(My bullets won't hit this man anymore!)

That she could accurately assess the target's ability in this instant was due to Koshiba's exceptional sense.

* * *

\\\[No. 819-A: "Fanatic Gol"]\\

\\Properties:\\ Immortal, Sorcerer

\\History:\\ A "Los Devotos del Silencio Eterno" member who gained anomalous properties through the "Viscera Apartments" ritual.

\\Details:\\ Words he speaks are reflected in reality. The extent of this influence is unknown.

* * *

Fanatic Gol turned his gaze to Koshiba, who was trying not to tremble.

"Chaos Institute student, huh. I'm relieved relatively decent people came. This is very sad, but you'll have to die too. Surely you didn't point a gun at someone without being prepared to be killed yourself?"

* * *

■

(He took out those three insanely powerful people in an instant, seriously!?)

I'd been made to wait at a distance since I couldn't fight. But from their inner voices, I knew exactly what had happened.

"...Damn."

Was there anything I could do in this situation? At least go help Koshiba? Wait. Was that enough? No—could I even do that?

(... Shit. Shit. I'm scared! My legs are shaking, won't move!)

But still. But. BUT!!

(At a time like this, a light novel protagonist would never run! Right!?)

Fighting the urge to vomit, I forced myself forward and appeared before Fanatic Gol.

"...Hoh. There was another one."

"Kotoyorozu-san! Why!?"

Well yeah, from Koshiba's perspective, "why" made sense. I didn't have a Gunscar—didn't even have a gun or knife. Completely unarmed.

(But there's one thing even I can do.)

Sure, I could never beat this guy in a million years. But.

"Let us go. —In exchange, I'll tell you what you really want to know."

—Stalling for time. At least I could do that much.

Fanatic Gol laughed through his nose.

"What I really want to know? That's—"

"The 'Tower of Babel,' right?"

His brow twitched slightly. Right. This man was driven by intense passion toward a place called the "Tower of Babel." He was constantly thinking about destroying it. That's why he'd performed this ritual.

Why does he know about the Tower of Babel? Even Guardian-rank members rarely know that.

Does this guy know something about "The Gatekeepers"?

Using "Tower of Babel" as a starting point, Gol began cycling through thoughts. I'd string together plausible-sounding lies using his fragmentary words and information. That was my only option.

"You know about 'The Gatekeepers,' right? Creatures existing within 'language' who persist as long as people keep using 'language,' manipulating humanity's collective unconscious and desires."

"...What are you?"

Is this guy really just a Chaos student? Could he be from the Library Mandala...

What I sensed from Gol was strong suspicion and interest. But at least he no longer seemed intent on killing me and Koshiba immediately.

"Wait. ...Koshiba, you okay? Not hurt?"

"I-I'm okay..."

I naturally moved Koshiba behind me, then showed her the words I'd written on my palm.

"Answer me now. What are you?"

"I'm Kotoyorozu Kotoha. Azure Academy student. But until recently, I was a 'Librarian' at the Library Mandala. The way they treated grunts there was the worst though. You know what the main job for newbies is? Mixing virgin blood with chicken blood to the optimal concentration. Really boring, awful work."

"..."

"I quit the Library Mandala because I got caught peeking at the forbidden book shelves. They don't forgive knowledge thieves there. I was about to be turned into a book, so I defected to Azure Academy."

"I don't care about that. Do you know where the 'Tower of Babel' is?"

Time for... just a little more. Just a bit more and we'd be ready.

"I don't know everything. I might not even know as much as you. But I should be at least somewhat useful?"

"Talk."

"Well, hold on. I need some guarantee of safety first—"

"I forbid that stinkin' mouth from flappin'."

A long wooden nail pierced Fanatic Gol's throat.

(Made it!)

The moment Magina-senpai was about to be hit by the truck, I'd known she'd driven a nail into herself and "forbidden herself from dying." As a result, she was battered and had temporarily lost consciousness, but—

This man! His goal was to divert my attention!

—I was completely played!

"Do it, Léa!"

Léa was safe too. She'd nearly been disabled by the massive information overload but had barely escaped from inside the angel and hidden in the ceiling.

"Yes! —Beast of Gévaudan!"

She shredded the ceiling from inside. Chunks of ceiling rained down on Fanatic Gol. Now. I broke into a full sprint.

If I missed this chance, it was over—

『Why don't you understand it's futile?』

—A voice came.

From within the piled rubble.

A sound that didn't vibrate the air.

『All of you, don't move a single step.』

My running legs stopped dead.

『Did you think I couldn't speak because my mouth couldn't move? Don't be ridiculous. I am a Devotee of Eternal Silence.』

The immortal man rose, completely unscathed.

『Kotoyorozu, was it? I'll keep only you alive and take you back. I'll make you spill everything you know. The rest of you... well, you can just die.』

I struggled desperately, trying to move. Moving agonizingly slowly, I could shift slightly. It must work like Magina-senpai's "Hoia Baciu." When the target was broad and non-specific, the restraint was weaker. Despite the terrible pain, I tried to move forward.

『It's useless. It's over. The four of you will d—』

Fanatic Gol froze.

『...Wait. Where's the kid with the pistol?』

Koshiba was nowhere in the room.

My commands don't activate without a target—

I see. So that was the weakness. But it didn't matter anymore.

An arm emerged from a crack in my abdomen. A revolver barrel flashed.

"Koshiba won't take a single step. Only her finger moves."

She pulled the trigger. A bullet fired from the barrel. Obviously. What wasn't obvious came next.

"—Shamshir!"

The bullet wouldn't hit Fanatic Gol. What Koshiba aimed at was the floor at Gol's feet.

"Koshiba won't take a single step!"

The bullet had swapped positions with Koshiba herself.

Now standing right next to Gol, Koshiba pressed the revolver's barrel against his temple.

『...Hoh. So what? You thought it'd hit at point-blank range? Don't be absurd. And what can such a tiny bullet do to an immortal like me?』

Koshiba smiled softly.

"That's why Koshiba won't take a single step. —You're the one who'll move."

She slid open the revolver's cylinder and dropped a bullet into Gol's pocket.

『—What?』

"—Shamshir!"

The bullet and target swapped positions. Meaning—Fanatic Gol, now holding the bullet, vanished, and in his place, a small sticker fluttered down.

"Koshiba wins. Serves you right."

She twirled the revolver and made it vanish into her palm. At the exact same moment, the dark angel "Azabache" covering the room disappeared with a satisfied expression.

"Wha—"

The restraint broke, and our legs moved freely again. Léa immediately rushed to the battered Magina-senpai. I wanted to do the same, but there was something I had to confirm first.

"W-wait, Koshiba. Where did you send him!?"

"Somewhere he can never come back from."

"But he's immortal! And he can make anything happen just by speaking—"

"It's fine. There's no sound there. It's a vacuum."

Koshiba smiled and pointed upward.

"Do you know New Horizons?"

"Huh... what's that?"

"A probe launched toward outside the solar system. It made its closest approach to Pluto in 2015."

Being suddenly told about a completely different topic made my brain short-circuit for a moment.

"Azure Academy conducts space development too. There are probes heading outside the solar system... one, two, three... maybe five right now?"

"S-so the sticker that swapped with Fanatic Gol was on..."

"—A probe's payload."

I found myself opening and closing my mouth.

"...You blasted him out past the edge of the solar system?"

I mean, amazing, but was that probe okay? Wouldn't there be billions of yen in damages? Or was destroying one Apocalypse worth that economic cost!?

"Koshiba is the strongest!"

Looking at the beaming middle schooler flashing a peace sign, I found myself speechless.

* * *

■

Magina-senpai was seriously injured but apparently not in life-threatening condition, and she was quickly carried away on a stretcher by the medical team. Chaos Institute would handle the rest.

"Well, thank you both very much. Without you two, honestly, it would have been bad."

In front of Viscera Apartments, Léa bowed her head.

"Mind if I borrow Kotton for a moment?"

Léa called just me over, moved away from Koshiba, and took my hand in the shade of a tree.

"...Thank you again, Kotton. You don't even have a Gunscar. You saved me."

Léa's hand was smooth as porcelain, making my heart race.

"—Hey, won't you come to our academy?"

"...Huh?"

Léa looked at me with serious eyes.

"I can roughly guess your situation. For humanoid Apocalypses, it's either be used or be destroyed. There's no way the greedy Azure Academy people would let go of someone as convenient as you."

...Huh. Did other schools really think Azure Academy was greedy?

"But if you defect to Chaos Institute, even Azure Academy can't easily touch you. Unlike that chaotic academy, ours is quite bureaucratic and emphasizes rules and regulations above all, so you'd probably face less inhumane treatment."

...Huh. Did they really think Azure Academy was inhumane and chaotic?

"You can stay at my family's mansion for now. We have plenty of spare rooms."

...Huh. Living together with a fluffy silver-haired young lady at her mansion?

"Come on. Let's go together, Kotton!"

Léa squeezed my hands tightly. Her eyes sparkled.

(Honestly, this is the first time I've met a girl I click with this well.)

If I went with Léa, it would surely be fun and safe. Way more comfortable than that rundown dorm.

(But...)

That older girl with the terribly lonely eyes.

(Would Luna-san be okay without me?)

It was an arrogant, unpleasant thought, but... probably not, I felt.

"Was that okay?"

In the car on the way back, Koshiba murmured.

"You knew?"

"Yeah. Actually, Koshiba had secret orders."

"What?"

"From President Elif. If Kotoyorozu-san wants to go to Chaos Institute, don't stop him."

...President Elif said that? I couldn't figure out why.

"The Chaos people really are much more normal."

"Whaaaat. Is that seriously true? I didn't want to know that."

But it was fine. The Azure Academy people were all good people too.

"Well then, Kotoyorozu-san. Time for your return injection."

...No. Whether they were good people was actually pretty questionable.

(Today... did I manage to be... at least a little useful?)

Feeling the sedative spread through my body, I closed my eyes in a comfortable mood.

"Oops."

A voice. A soft sensation against the side of my head.

"...For the return trip too? This really makes my legs go numb. Oh well."

In my fading consciousness, I only felt someone gently stroking my head.

"Today, well, you were kinda cool? Koshiba will count this as her loss."

Wrapped in exhaustion and kindness, I quietly fell asleep.