Twist in the air, I dodged the tentacle flying at me.
I had no idea what principle was keeping me floating in mid-air, or how I was moving so freely.
Was it thanks to Koko’s body? Or was it because I had realized my true identity?
“……”
Kosuzu was silent.
The way she used honorifics when looking at me had completely vanished, so she must be feeling quite desperate.
She had so many followers, yet none were visible now.
I didn’t think it was because she had fallen so hard. Knowing Kosuzu, it seemed more plausible that she’d burn people with her words and sacrifice them instead.
No, more than that, she would use her body to morph, whether her opponents wanted it or not.
Kosuzu was… gradually growing.
Her human form precariously maintained, while she devoured the things around her one by one—it was enough to instill a sense of crisis just by watching.
Though it was still an open space, I had no doubt that if she grew bigger, she would threaten the people who couldn’t escape.
Crash!
Electricity started to pulse from Kosuzu. The streetlights shattered, and the lights went out. Like in a movie when an EMP goes off, the city’s electricity flickered out one by one.
I twisted a few strands of my hair into a spear-like shape.
Now that I was using a body like Koko’s, there were instincts I instinctively knew.
It felt like my senses had expanded to the tips of each hair.
The movement of the air against my skin felt like swimming in a pool filled with water.
I turned my body, directing my head toward Kosuzu.
Kosuzu was below, and I was in the sky. We locked eyes in that state.
I pushed against the air beneath me.
Using the energy of my body falling in accordance with the Earth’s gravity, I propelled myself forward with all my might, just like a bullet.
Kosuzu wasn’t staying still either.
From the moment our eyes met, she had already aimed her tentacles at me.
Each end of those tentacles was as sharp as the spear I had made.
As if forming a net to thread me in the middle, Kosuzu began stabbing at me, intertwining those spears.
I twisted my body again.
I recalled the feeling from when I had dashed earlier. It wasn’t that there were no obstacles on the way here. The alleys of the Japanese city were narrow and winding, and Koko and I had casually jumped through them.
A territory of knowledge instinctively known without learning.
I dodged the spears protruding from all sides and began to fall downward. Just as I twisted my body too much and was about to fall, I stomped on a tentacle coming my way to regain my strength.
“Ugh…!”
Naturally, Kosuzu wasn’t going to let me have it easy.
She evaded the tentacle I was trying to stomp on and created sharp thorns or what looked like the edge of a cleaver exactly where I was aiming.
I curled myself into a ball and dropped, then readied myself again as if diving.
“Ah…!”
In front of me was a real ‘net.’
I didn’t think it would just fall down normally. Just a moment ago, Kosuzu had taken on sharp forms everywhere I touched. The moment I got caught, I would either have holes all over me or turn into cube steak.
I probably wouldn’t die.
But.
I remembered that Koko had tried not to lose her body structure.
…It was likely to preserve the humanity she had developed while being with me. Because I liked that form, and everyone Koko liked also liked that form.
I felt the same way.
Even though I had moved to a different body, I didn’t want to break the form my friends called ‘Kurosawa Koto Ne.’
Spin. I turned my body back.
With my feet down, I split my hair to both sides.
Each bunch of hair became a gigantic blade.
Slash. The two gigantic blades spread apart.
Rustle!
“I-gaah!”
The blades could cut through the net, but my hair didn’t escape unscathed. I felt a sharp pain and blood oozed from my back.
The spear I had initially made became useless. My hair had torn apart.
I moved my body again. I was still falling.
“Ahh!?”
Then I heard a scream from below.
It wasn’t an attack of mine.
Looking down, I could see my hair strands dropping one by one. Was it influenced by me floating in the air? The falling of my hair seemed uncharacteristically slow.
I wondered if it was because they were parts that had broken away from my body. Strangely, those thin strands caught my eye one by one.
I didn’t know why they screamed, but I thought I could make use of this.
When I had created Koko’s body, she could easily control the flesh that was separated from her. If so, I could do it too.
The floating strands of hair all stiffened at once.
And those sharp ends pointed downward, falling all at once.
The hair stabbed into another tentacle swinging toward me. The tentacle, with strands of hair embedded in it, jerked and twitched. The aim toward me had already gone awry.
I turned my body sideways to dodge the other tentacles and fell downward.
The screams continued. Just the sound sent shivers down my body. Were those screams from Kosuzu?
…Thinking back, they sounded similar to the screams heard in the apartment.
Kosuzu’s face showed no discernible change.
So that means—
That was probably the sound from Koto Ne’s corpse.
*
“Koko!”
“Yeah!”
No matter how excellent Yuka’s physical abilities were, she was still human.
She couldn’t be as sturdy as Koto Ne or Koko. Aside from stopping her heart, she couldn’t do anything else.
So, the one who shouldn’t get hurt here was Yuka.
And the ‘Mumei’ she held was a weapon only Yuka could wield.
Not just because the blood flowing through Koko and Koto Ne wasn’t human’s. This sword was originally completed by Yuka’s ancestors, passed down through generations.
If anyone else held it, it would just be an ordinary sword.
‘The sword soaked in blood finally realized itself.’
There were those who expressed it that way.
As tentacles came flying toward Yuka, Koko extended her hair to block them. Some got skewered below, while others vanished without a trace.
Koko, having grasped Yuka’s hand, quickly ran while dealing with the tentacles around Kosuzu, releasing her grip.
“……”
Even if she had already seen it, Yuka couldn’t help but be somewhat in awe of the sight.
Yuka dashed forward. Following the path Koko secured, she slashed through incoming obstacles with her sword.
The thin metallic texture cutting through flesh wasn’t something she particularly liked. She wanted to stop as much as possible.
But Yuka felt relieved watching her arms move.
For now, it was okay.
She hadn’t fully recovered yet, but at least.
It meant that she could help Koto Ne.
Although still somewhat afraid of holding the sword, she couldn’t just stay still here.
Koto Ne had come believing in her.
Yuka bent down to dodge the tentacle approaching from the front.
But with both hands tightly gripping the sword, the blade was held up above her head.
Warm and unpleasant liquid sprinkled over Yuka’s body. She felt her clothes get wet, but didn’t pay it any mind.
Thud!
Whether the tentacle had fallen below, she felt the ground tremble beneath her feet.
She quickly turned around and slashed the incoming tentacle that came at her like a sweeping motion. The already large wound on the lower tentacle expanded as Yuka moved to the side.
She ran quickly, escaping the tentacle‘s strike range.
This meant she was getting closer to Kosuzu.
Tentacles squirming from all sides resembling something that could belong to an octopus wasn’t a pleasant sight.
Swish!
From above, Koko fell and split the tentacle in front of Yuka, then turned to face her.
Yuka naturally grasped the hand Koko extended.
In the blink of an eye, Yuka was flying in the sky.
Looking down, she shouted, “Koko, let go!”
“Sure!”
At Yuka’s words, Koko released her hand.
As Yuka tumbled downward, Koko’s hair rained down like a deluge.
The hair collided head-on with the tentacles approaching Yuka. They were incredibly thin compared to the tentacles, but just like a surgeon wielding a scalpel, they precisely carved out only the parts of the tentacles that could harm Yuka.
Whack!
“Koko!”
The tentacle aimed at Koko, as if deciding that she was more bothersome.
Koko defended against the attack by hardening her hair, but in that moment she lost the chance to protect Yuka.
“Ugh!”
Yuka swung her sword to slice the incoming tentacle.
But she couldn’t completely block them all.
She felt a hot sensation on her right thigh, side, and shoulder. Numerous hooks like cleaning tools swiped at Yuka, preventing her from blocking everything.
But still, it was okay. Her body could still move.
Yuka decided to ignore the things that passed by her and simply looked down.
What she had to slice. What she had to stab.
Among those, the most crucial thing.
Could it be that there was a limit to the number of tentacles?
What Yuka saw was ‘Koto Ne.’
Not the Koto Ne who had just flown into the sky, but the already dead Koto Ne. Within her might be another god sleeping.
“……”
Yuka clenched her teeth.
Despite the shock, she tightened her grip on the sword and somehow moved in the air, extending her legs downward.
Kosuzu seemed to notice Yuka’s movement, as a thick tentacle quickly rose over Koto Ne’s body, as if trying to cover her.
But even so, there was no chance to target elsewhere.
The same club-like tentacle swung toward Yuka again, but the sharp tips were severed.
A hand touched Yuka’s shoulder.
“Yuka!”
It was Koko’s voice.
Instead of responding, Yuka gritted her teeth and tightened her grip on the sword. The incoming tentacles were blocked by Koko’s body. Blood splattered everywhere. Yuka didn’t have time to worry about whether the blood splattered on her came from Koko or from Kosuzu’s tentacles.
“Gah!”
With all her might, using whatever force she could muster in mid-air, Yuka pushed the sword downward.
Thud.
Initially, it felt like nothing different than when she sliced the other tentacles. But beneath, she sensed something a bit harder.
Inside the tentacle that had taken on the shape of a soft-bodied creature was something that shouldn’t exist, something resembling bone.
Without knowing what that was, Yuka thrust the sword in. Koko also gripped tightly to provide support. The force acting on Yuka’s shoulder intensified.
However, unlike before, she had no intention of letting go of the sword this time.
As if Yuka and the sword had merged, she could feel what the nameless sword was feeling just as she felt it.
It was as if the tip of the sword was the tip of her finger, and it touched something—
“————!”
It was then that a scream echoed, sounding like it could tear through eardrums.
*
The sensation that time froze became even denser.
I felt it expand from a person into something non-human. The flow of air touching my face gradually dulled and simultaneously grew colder.
The vibrations of the tremoring ground faded slowly.
The movement of sound seemed to come to a halt, and the scream that felt like it belonged to another world abruptly cut off.
But Kosuzu was still looking at me.
She had transformed her hair. She bunched together the strands to create a gigantic blade.
Rolling sideways while falling down, slashing sideways with her hair, blood splattered everywhere, and chunks of flesh from the tentacles went flying.
Kosuzu and I drew closer.
As we got near enough to see her expression clearly, Kosuzu laughed.
On her outstretched hand, there was a single bell.
“……Ah!”
Before I could say anything upon seeing it, Kosuzu’s hand moved first.
Jingle.
A sound so clear it was unexpected in this situation rang out.
Yet I knew that sound could never be positive.
I understood it, as if it had been that way from the beginning.
“Ugh!”
In an instant, a pain like a stab to my head hit me.
This wasn’t good.
I didn’t know why Kosuzu used that—
“————!”
Another scream resounded.
“Yuka! Koko!”
Then I realized where that sound was coming from.
When I looked that way—
The spot where Yuka and Koko had been was exploding.
Like a special effect you often see in B-grade movies, the tentacle they were on burst, and both were thrown back.
Luckily, Koko managed to catch Yuka, and Yuka rolled back once but quickly got back up, gripping her sword again. My heart ached at the sight of blood spilling from her body, but I felt a bit relieved to see that she was still sane.
Jingle.
Again, the sound of a bell rang out. In a world turned extremely silent, that sound echoed.
I fell straight down toward Kosuzu—but—
Eek!
I collided with something large charging at me from my direction and was knocked aside.
Rolling on the ground a few times before standing up—
“Haah.”
I let out a deep sigh.
The presence in front of me was a Yōkai with a monkey head.
“……How many times have I seen this? Is it not getting old?”
This one was not as crimson as the previous one, made of blood.
It was the one I had seen with Yuka in the playground.
Well, it must have been a different individual.
…A force that could tear apart the boundary between life and death.
Well, being a god, it wouldn’t be strange for it to have such abilities.
After all, it was a being that came from ‘beyond.’
The monkey bellowed fiercely and charged at me.
But I had no intention of getting bitten like last time.
As I reached for my hair, it quickly began to shape into a sword in the air, almost like weaving a tapestry.
The sword formed was in the shape of the blade I remembered.
But the color was as dark as pitch.
As I cut the hair with my nails, blood began to flow from the end connected to the hair.
The blood from the blade dyed the sword’s tip red.
Slash!
The Nue’s front leg that charged at me was severed. The angry screech of the monkey pierced my ears as blood sprayed out.
I didn’t mind it.
It wasn’t something I particularly liked, but it brought back the sensations of when Nirlas used my body.
The moves that sliced through as if dancing, splitting the opponent’s head.
I couldn’t replicate it exactly, but the feeling itself remained like an imprint on my memory. Could it be the movement of the body I used then?
More Yōkai continued to pour out.
There was the Nue. Hacha, and monsters resembling Gaki appeared.
And many other beings with names I didn’t recognize.
Strangely enough, they didn’t spread out in the crowd. They all directed their gaze solely at me, their eyes bloodshot.
Jingle.
Ah, I get it now.
It’s the bell’s fault.
That sound… must be calling forth Yōkai from the other world.
The dead and the Yōkai.
In some twisted manner for some reason, they were these grotesque victims.
“The boundary is…”
Was crumbling.
As Kosuzu wished.
I closed my eyes.
And with all my might, I leaped forward, just like when I had come here.
It was as if Kosuzu was watching my movement, as she swung her tentacles.
No, these were no longer merely tentacles.
Since the tentacles burst, what connected to that area started to mutate slowly.
With both hands outstretched, it felt like they were beings trying to emerge from the tentacles.
I could easily picture what they were connected to.
Twisted human faces floated to the surface of the tentacle, and those faces bizarrely arranged to look like a bigger, monstrous face.
Those eyes were all on me.
Were they resentful?
I jumped with all my might.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Blood splattered everywhere, and screams echoed. It felt like my hearing would become numb.
Slicing, cutting, and slicing again.
This was my fault.
Because I didn’t do it right, those who didn’t need to suffer were in pain.
If that were the case, then I should send them back to the afterlife as quickly as possible.
While I leaped with all my strength—
“Koto Ne!”
A voice called out to me.
It wasn’t just a sound that seemed to come from my numb ears, but rather from deep within, as if directly calling out from my head.
“Koko!”
“This way!”
At Koko’s shout, my heart thumped wildly, resonating with her emotions, which felt to have a faint fear.
I seemed to understand why Koko was looking for me.
“———!”
Jumping toward the sky, countless hands burst forth from the tentacle I had stepped on, grabbing my legs.
Thwak!
I stumbled forward, getting jammed into the tentacle.
My arms got bitten. The ‘face’ part of the tentacle gnawed at my fingers, as if trying to cut them off.
I spread my hair and stabbed at all the eyes attached to that head. Then I twisted—destroying what might or might not exist, the brain.
A louder scream erupted. The volume of the screams shook my clothes.
With all my might, when I stomped down—
I heard something burst from below.
While I dashed to where Koko and Yuka were, the tentacle swung at me again as if matching my speed.
“Cough…!”
My body smashed into the ground, collapses, making my lungs shrink as air escaped.
After bouncing off the ground like a ball a few times, I was finally able to stand back up.
“Koto Ne!”
Yuka’s panicked shout reached my ears.
When I opened my eyes, I saw Yuka getting back up, helping me.
…I still came to the place I aimed for.
I thought as I staggered back to my feet.
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