KAZAMI KORANE
The moment I first laid eyes on him, my gaze involuntarily dropped to the ground. It was as if the sheer weight of his power was warping the air. Each step was an apocalypse; each glance stripped my soul bare like an autumn wind. He couldn't possibly be human… He was darkness incarnate. His eyes held the night—a starless, merciless night.
But there was another point we must not forget. Standing before him was a general. Furthermore, General Hiroshi had recently been described as the fastest entity in Cistern. Assuming his lieutenant was by his side as well, this would be no easy task for the man in black.
As I stared intently across the way, Kuren grabbed my shoulder and shook me. When I turned to him, the hem of his long white coat was fluttering in the wind. He looked directly into my eyes with his deep blue gaze and spoke quietly.
"Kazami, listen to me."
"What's wrong, Kuren? Do you have an idea?"
"Right now, focus on recovering from the effects of the attacks. I'll tell you what to do in a moment."
I didn't even understand why he'd ask such a thing, but Kuren is better at strategic thinking than I am. Still, I wanted to know exactly what he meant right away. So I objected in no uncertain terms.
"Are you crazy, Kuren?! Just tell me what needs to be done right now!"
The wind was blowing hard again. As it tugged my hair away from my face, my gaze fell on him. His blue hair was billowing like waves in the wind; the strands of light yellow mixed in among them glowed as if catching the sun. It was as if the wind had deliberately chosen to linger in his hair.
He looked calm, as usual. His bright blue eyes were fixed on a single point; it was nearly impossible to tell what he was thinking. He'd brought his fingers to his chin, standing there in a pensive state as if weighing every single thing in the world.
The strange thing is… even when I'm standing right next to him, he sometimes makes me feel as if he's very far away. As the wind tosses his hair, it makes him seem even more strangely captivating. It's as if, in this chaotic world, even the wind is compelled to circle around him.
He let out a deep sigh and then spoke.
"Stay away from me. There's a chance we might get caught in one of the attacks about to happen. At least one of us should have a chance to save the other."
I guess there's not much I can do at this point. I have to trust my best friend unconditionally.
"Alright, take care of yourself."
"You too."
We ran off in opposite directions at the same time. But I wondered why he hadn't told me this right away. Did he suspect something?
At that moment, I turned my head toward the direction of the ongoing tremors.
Hiroshi Matsumoto's avatar, the war goddess Hera, was swinging her spear as her hair billowed. The baffling part was her superior speed. The man in black, who called himself Magnus, was able to dodge the ice attacks he hurled with her spear, but as Hera kept increasing her speed, it became harder for him to anticipate her moves.
Magnus used the walls of the buildings as surfaces to push off from, dodging the ice attacks with rapid, successive leaps.
Lieutenant Daleth's avatar, Dakini, suddenly cut off Magnus's path as he was running—having briefly stepped down from the buildings to touch the ground—and clasped her hands together. Beams of neon-green light began to rise from her back toward the sky.
"You're mine! When Dakini's final attack lands, it deals a far more powerful strike than any lieutenant in Cistern—Manus Impetum!"
Behind Dakini, thousands of hands rose up, all taking the form of fists as they rained down on Magnus, causing the ground to shake as if from a violent earthquake. It's impossible for me to gauge its magnitude, but I can tell at a glance that it's shaking nearly the entire country.
"Good work, Daleth. Don't stop the attack; we can hold him for a short while."
Hearing this, Kuren, Lieutenant Daleth, and I were momentarily stunned. We were already struggling to stay on our feet when General Hiroshi's words sent a second wave of shock through us. Lieutenant Daleth turned to him and shouted,
"Hold him off for a short while?! General, this was supposed to finish him off!"
General Hiroshi didn't waver from his seriousness. Without turning to his lieutenant, he replied in a calm, quiet tone.
"No matter what you and I do, we don't stand a chance against Magnus."
Lieutenant Daleth's eyes widened in shock. They were standing on opposite sides of a long, corridor-like roadway, staring at each other. Suddenly, he snapped at his general again.
"General, what do you mean we don't stand a chance? "How powerful is this man? If you're that afraid of him, why are we fighting?!"
General Hiroshi began to walk slowly toward Dakini's barrage of punches. It was as if the trembling ground had no effect on him.
"That man… his power isn't just in his sword or his legs. He can even force the very breath in the air to submit to his will. You think it's Dakini's attack that's shaking the ground right now, but you're wrong. Every step he takes makes the earth's veins tremble; every glance of his is heavy enough to crush a lifetime. Fighting him isn't just a pain that sears your flesh—it means your soul shatters and turns to dust."
Despite the great distance between Kuren and me, we instinctively stared at each other in bewilderment, and by the time we returned to the battlefield, all the punches had been thrown, but the ground was still shaking. At that point, we had confirmed what General Hiroshi had said. Following that, General Hiroshi continued speaking.
"You also asked why we're fighting him, Daleth. He taught me this—even though I'm terrified to my very core… even though I suffer. In the life we're living, there's nothing more abundant than pain… People don't notice it, because pain is silent; it doesn't shout like joy, nor is it as bright as hope. It is like a root growing in the darkness, holding us, wrapping around us, and never letting go. The first thing I learned as a child was this: happiness is a temporary guest, but pain is the master of that house. Behind every crumb of joy, there is a shadow baring its teeth. No matter how much we run, how much we forget, or how much we turn a blind eye, that shadow is always on our heels. And now, here I am, facing it; this battle is not just the clash of swords for me. It is the truth that life has been whispering to me for years, now screaming it into my eyes. You cannot escape pain; you either accept it or it swallows you whole."
The General remained silent for a moment, then spoke in a calm tone that contradicted what he'd just said:
"You and my master always used to say things like that about our lives, didn't you, Magnus?"
At those words, the man who had shaken the underworld, the earth, and the sky—rising from the swirling dust clouds—appeared once more: Magnus. Just looking at him made my heart race. He looked like a terrifying monster. Lieutenant Daleth swallowed hard, looked away for a moment, then stared at him resolutely and charged toward General Hiroshi. They were about to continue the battle when…
"You haven't forgotten, Hiroshi. I can see that most of what you learned while you were with me has stayed with you. But this war is over."
In the blink of an eye—or perhaps the pause I gave was even too long—Magnus had pressed the shadow-forged sword in his hand against General Hiroshi Matsumoto's throat.
General Hiroshi was calm, as if turning a blind eye to the events we were watching in fear. He spoke as if continuing what he'd just said.
"Our lives are over… I left you far behind long ago."
Magnus replied in a harsh tone.
"Don't move."
Lieutenant Daleth was about to act when Magnus's voice literally brought him to his knees. Lieutenant Daleth was pinned to the ground; he was likely doing this through spiritual pressure, but since he'd narrowed his range, we weren't affected.
Spirit Power users expend Spirit Power when using their abilities, activating their Imagery, or summoning their Avatars. While Spiritual Power potentially exists within every being, enhancing it through natural means is more difficult than relying on innate talent. It is based on the six stages within the human body, and there are distinct Spiritual Power cores for nearly every organ: hands, eyes, brain, liver, lungs, and heart.
At least, that's all a 16-year-old like me knows.
Releasing Spiritual Power the way Magnus is doing right now is akin to transforming it into a toxic gas, spreading it, and exerting influence over other living beings through the gas's density. However, controlling this is extremely difficult. Judging by Magnus's power, it must be easy for him.
As I was thinking about this, General Hiroshi's voice—which sounded strange to my ears—brought my focus back to the battle.
"I've wanted to ask this for a long time. Why do you keep betraying Cistern again and again, even though you've always warned me against it? It's not just you—'He' does it too… You're all doing this to me! You're leaving me alone! Why, General?!"
General Hiroshi, one of the coldest people I've ever seen, had just spoken with a trembling voice. I couldn't see his face, but he looked as if he were crying and sniffling. Even though he was my enemy, I felt like helping him.
"You don't say things like that to someone who's about to kill you, Hiroshi."
General Hiroshi replied in the same broken, agonizing tone:
"I don't care! Do I look like I want to live?"
"Life isn't as simple as you think. You still believe life is nothing more than a series of days stacked one on top of the other. But life isn't a simple path… It's a labyrinth whose roots reach deep into the earth and whose branches stretch into endless darkness. Every choice closes a thousand other doors; every gain brings an unseen loss in its wake. A person can sink deeper into error even while doing what is right. And you must know that the weight of life comes not only from its burdens, but from the fact that you can never fully know where those burdens lead. Look at me, Hiroshi… You cannot end your life for a master and general whom you believe has betrayed you. Learn to live happily, learn to endure the circumstances into which you were born and in which you find yourself! This is not advice—it is an order!''
After a brief silence, we heard the reply, and the voice we heard was as terrifying and compelling as Magnus's—it felt as though the very atmosphere of the room had suddenly shifted. I was afraid…
"You… You have no right to give me orders or tell me to endure!"
Before the echo of his scream had even faded, the world was engulfed in a deep blue hum. In an instant, my surroundings… everywhere… truly everywhere… filled with the silhouettes of General Hiroshi and Hera. It was as if reality had shattered, and its fragments had been recast into their forms.
But General Hiroshi was not the General Hiroshi I knew.
He wasn't wearing his usual captain's uniform. Instead, he wore a blue, metallic armor that fit his body perfectly; armor that shimmered with a cold, divine glow. The socket where his right eye should have been was pitch black… yet within that darkness, a single pupil glowed like the deepest blue of the ocean.
The power radiating from that eye rose behind his body as a dark blue aura.
Then he moved.
No… even saying "he moved" falls short. He was so fast that fragments of the aura he left behind began to gather in the air. Every pass, every step left a new trail curving toward the sky. Within a few seconds, these trails merged… intensified… and transformed into a massive blue smoke storm climbing toward the sky.
There was no horizon anymore.
There was no earth.
There was no such thing as direction.
Everywhere was filled with General Hiroshi's ghost.
And I… could see nothing.
"I swear on the pain of everything I've learned and the pain of everything I've lived through that you'll want to flee after this attack! Watch closely, Magnus… Glacialis Ruin!"
My body froze—or rather, the area around my body did—and for a few seconds, I thought I was dead. But I was alive, though my entire body was covered in ice. It was so cold I couldn't feel a thing. Though I couldn't move my head, when I lifted my eyes to look up, I could see a pile of ice rising toward the sky. I didn't know where it began or ended. But it was certainly very high. Then I realized my hearing was working. General Hiroshi spoke up.
"This technique was banned in Cistern. I'll finish you off with that woman's technique—the very mention of her name fills me with hatred. You asked for this by bringing up that name. When my hatred rises… you know I can shatter everything, don't you? MAGNUS?!" That woman… No, I don't even want to say your name, because if it touches my tongue, even the words will be poisoned. The hatred I feel for her isn't like the anger of ordinary people; it's the immortal rebellion echoing in this scream. You didn't just teach me pain—you are pain incarnate. You carved out my soul, reshaped me in your own image, then called my broken pieces "training." And I, ever since those days, have thought of a thousand ways to kill you within myself.
You are the echo of that destructive first sin that even the gods watched in fear. There is no end to the hatred I feel for you and him. You cannot measure it with numbers, nor confine it with words. When I fight you, it is not just Hera and my spear striking you, but all my prayers drowned in that river. And know this: erasing your name from history is not enough for me; this hatred will endure as long as I live, until even your memory is gone. Die in the ruin I've created, Magnus! This tower is turning an entire continent into ice, and no one can melt or shatter it until I destroy it. Even you can only last a very short time here; soon you'll truly be buried in history. In just a few minutes!''
That's true; I feel as though my body is losing its functions. There's no pain, but there are things worse than pain. I'm forgetting what sensation is; words are losing their meaning. I suppose this is truly death. General Hiroshi went so mad that he sent everyone on the entire continent—including his own lieutenant—to their deaths. Here's the summary of Cistern's generals… They're all the same—they just follow orders. It doesn't matter what it is, as long as they carry out the mission. Enough… Enough already! I did it for a while too. Those orders, those rules, those suffocating chains etched into my mind every day… You said "Do it," so I did. You said "Be silent," so I was silent. You said "Obey," so I obeyed. But not once did you ask: 'What do you want?'
What you call 'order' is nothing but slavery dressed up in polished words. Behind every decision of yours lies fear; behind every prohibition lies greed. And we, just like pawns on a chessboard, marched to our deaths solely to protect your existence.
But now it's over… neither your games nor your orders will control me anymore. I was here to choose my own path. I'm dying now, and this is ending, but I've finally understood: I had to make both my mistakes and my truths myself. The only thing I'll take from you is this anger you've left me with.
You thought you were gods, but I know you're not. Because a true god does not fear. And you fear those who resemble me the most. That is why those in high ranks are the ones who fear defying orders. General Hiroshi, I never expected this from you.
I am dying. I may have just taken my last breath—though the only thing I drew into my lungs was the cold that froze my lungs.
A sound pierced my ears. An endless cracking sound echoed. It was so loud and intense that ordinary people would have gone deaf. All the ice slowly shattered and scattered like stars illuminating the sky. I think some of it was slightly jagged. It hurt, but I didn't care. It looked like we'd escaped death. This was a moment of realization for me. I don't know who did it, but I need to thank them once we get out of here. When my eyes opened slightly, I literally feared. Then, turned my attention back to the sound I was beginning to hear despite the pain in my ear.
It could have been described as an explosion. Hiroshi Matsumoto was pinned to the wall. He looked like he'd been hurled there, buried under the shards flying from all those ice buildings. I managed to stand up by barely focusing my spiritual energy on my legs and hands. But I was in no shape to stand; just as I was about to fall, someone caught me. When I turned and looked at his face…
"Hiroshi won't be able to get up for a while. You'll come with me for now. It'll be safe."
Magnus… He said these words to me in a firm tone. The man whose black coat, clearly illuminated by the golden embroidery in the darkness of the night. The glow of the deep purple hue in the robotic eye of the mask over his left eye, and the moonlight reflecting off his long purple robotic arm, casting a shadow across half his face. All of that was this man, and all of it was right in front of me. He was terrifying, but no matter what, I wouldn't back down. I won't be afraid—if I can't defy this system… what's the point of living? I can say no to fear. But to him… even if I were in a position to say no, I couldn't. He couldn't be human. He resembled a god whose decisions and ideas held absolute authority over everything.
My eyes slowly closed.
END OF CHAPTER