Tatakau Shisho

And a month has passed. There was no longer any hesitation in the Meats’ eyes. They only lived and died for Chacoly. They were turned into her tools.

“Perfect. Now for the finishing touches.”

Saying so, Chacoly plucked out a few hairs. She brought them close one by one to their heads.

“Transferring Soul Sharing.”

Their hair changed color. A single tuft of hair turned violet.

“In a few more years Chacoly will go to meet Ruruta again. And you will use your power to protect her.”

She said and laughed.

By meeting the Indulging God Cult Chacoly gained several results. First she came to know the thing known as Magic Right Transferal. Chacoly acquired this advanced special ability in two years. It took her time to master, but it was meaningful because it took time.

Another was getting the idea to use people as tools.

If she alone wasn’t strong enough, she would simply create assistants. While it was obvious, for Chacoly this was a new discovery. Since she was created as a tool, she had no ideas other than polishing her own abilities. She was thankful to Kachua for that point alone.

Using humans as tools – she had no ethical qualms about that. Everything was both for Ruruta as well as for herself. Chacoly had no other judgment criteria.

Also, the one to raise her had been Makia. He was one who made two girls into tools in order to defeat Ruruta. And after Makia’s death, Chacoly depended on Kachua. Both of the two men to raise Chacoly treated humans as tools. She had never seen people treated as people in the first place.

Kachua and Makia. Thinking back on it, they were once Armed Librarians working shoulder to shoulder. Each of them left the Library for their own purposes and began scheming.

However, in spite of them having two completely different goals, they both came up with the means of using people as tools. Was that only a coincidence?

In any case, Chacoly who was raised by the two heretics Makia and Kachua stepped off the path of humans when heading towards her goal.

All people in the village Chacoly lived in have already been planted with violet hairs. They were ordered to let Chacoly live like usual and keep their daily lives. The new Meats from the Indulging God Cult were also accepted into the village and lived peacefully.

Outwardly it would truly seem like a peaceful village. Not even questioning Chacoly, it could be said to be the ideal land. In truth she has never made anyone unhappy. Everyone that turned into a tool by her Soul Sharing lived happily. She had simply rewritten the shape of their happiness.

While walking through the peaceful village, Chacoly suddenly stopped in place. There was an old man reading a newspaper while basking in the sun. In that newspaper was a single picture. It was a familiar face.

“Why’s Hammy in the news?”

She spoke to the old man. He looked for the name Hammy inside the newspaper.

“It’s this girl. What happened with her?”

Chacoly pointed at the picture. It was undoubtedly Hamyuts in that gossip column. She was wearing makeup and had different clothes, but this was definitely her. She was walking arm-in-arm with a young man wearing a fashionable suit.

“Is this Hammy? It seems she’s Mattalast’s lover, but do you know her, Chacoly?”

“What did Hammy do?”

The old man tried handing her the newspaper. But Chacoly shook her head.

“Chacoly can’t read. Read it aloud.”

She heard the story from the old man. This Mattalast was apparently a new Armed Librarian. He was famous as an extraordinary genius. Just the other day he had been wooing an actress but in the same breath he was seen walking with an Armed Librarian trainee – so it was reported. Mattalast was a regular of the gossip column. People of the world enjoyed gossiping about any disturbance to the public morals of the high and mighty Bantorra Library.

Hamyuts was a mere extra in the article. However, from her facial expression in the picture Chacoly could somewhat understand what kind of life she had been leading.

“Really, so carefree.”

Chacoly muttered. According to the report, Hamyuts seemed to be a promising Armed Librarians trainee. Neither her getting a lover nor working there had anything to do with defeating Ruruta though.

“Well, she’s Chacoly’s reserve so whatever. She will let her do as she pleases.”

Saying so, Chacoly parted from the old man.

She no longer had any interest in Hamyuts’s new life. She simply went in a different direction than her. Hamyuts was Hamyuts. Chacoly was Chacoly. She could do whatever she wanted.

Chacoly had no longing for freedom; she also lived as she pleased. She was approaching her goal of becoming one with Ruruta step by step. Her days were pleasant and she had no worries. Chacoly was satisfied with her life. Even though it was the life of a tool.

Once, Makia Dexiart was thinking.

Letting a human live as a tool… for one to do so, they must not have any worries or distress.

If they suffer, a tool would probably stop being a tool. A tool must be happy to be a tool.

Chacoly lived happily in accordance to Makia’s design.

Days kept passing. On the surface it all seemed peaceful. But under the surface, a repulsive soul remodeling was taking place.

Chacoly Cocot became 18 years old. Five hundred people had become her tools. About one fifth of her hair became black. That was because she had given part of her powers to her tools.

One evening, Chacoly killed all of Kachua’s underlings in the village. And she summoned all the tools that had her hairs. The time to go for Ruruta has come.

“Now then, all preparations are complete. Protect Chacoly, you guys.”

The villagers raised a cry of joy.

“Let’s go.”

Chacoly closed her eyes and invoked her ability. Once again she flew into Ruruta’s Imaginary Entrails. Distance was irrelevant to her Soul Sharing ability.

Chacoly came inside Ruruta again. The second time she fell into the center of the Imaginary Entrails. She was in front of Ruruta’s eyes as he sat on the edge of a theater stage.

“…You again?”

Ruruta raised his downcast face. With only that Chacoly’s heart fluttered, and she was enveloped by a euphoria similar to a cat sniffing cat powder.

“Chacoly Cocot, right?”

Ruruta called her name. Chacoly nearly stumbled out of intoxication.

“…Let us confirm this. Four decades ago, I have requested Makia Dexiart to kill me. Did he create you?”

“Yeah. Daddy’s already dead, but that doesn’t matter.”

“Did Makia create only you?”

There was no need to speak about Hamyuts. She was probably no longer a tool to defeat Ruruta.

“Yeah. Just Chacoly.”

“That’s good.”

He said and smiled.

“…Forty years passed since that day. I’ve always regretted it. Now I can finally clean up after my foolishness.”

“Regret? What do you regret?”

“I have given up on my dream. I gave in to my weakness and exposed my weakness. I’ve always regretted my mistake from that day. I couldn’t help but want to kill Makia and you. But because of that power I’d given him I couldn’t do that.”

“You’re talking nonsense.”

Chacoly jeered.

“You just wanted to meet Chacoly. You’ve waited for the moment we can love each other. You wanting to kill Chacoly is a downright lie.”

“…”

“You’ve waited for Chacoly. For two thousand years. You’ve created the Armed Librarians and the Indulging God Cult just to meet her. Your life was only so you could love her.”

“…I thought Makia was a somewhat capable man. But in forty years he’s only created this madwoman?”

Ruruta sighed, then spoke calmly.

“Die.”

That became the signal. Chacoly’s hair swayed and her Soul Sharing ability activated. She started thinking. No way Chacoly could lose. She loves Ruruta so much, after all.

An invisible blade was launched from Ruruta’s body and assaulted Chacoly.

The next moment, a different phenomenon took place. Things that appeared like the petals of a violet swirled around Chacoly. The moment the slashing attack hit them, it lost all power.

“A clone?”

Ruruta said calmly. Perhaps feeling the danger he rose up, intending to jump out of the way. However, at that moment a single petal lightly touched his back.

“…What is this?”

Chacoly chuckled. It was scary how much it went according to plan. Ruruta thought that the flower petals were part of her ability. That it was an ability that would protect Chacoly when activated.

However, the truth was different.

The petals were the souls of the tools given parts of Chacoly’s powers. They all freely used their Soul Sharing and separately cast their Souls into the Imaginary Entrails. They all moved with their free wills to attack Ruruta. Chacoly alone couldn’t win. That was why she had tools.

“…Kh… this power…”

Ruruta shot a slash to finish off Chacoly. But it missed. It was because the petal that had touched him earlier encroached his mind.

‘You will be happy to be controlled by Chacoly.’

Chacoly’s tools planted those feelings in him. Therefore Ruruta hesitated on attacking her.

As long as he was human he would hesitate. He had to hesitate attacking the source of happiness in front of him. However, hesitation would invite immediate defeat in a battle.

Chacoly was already cornering him. How her first move would hit him was the key to everything.

From the beginning she knew that it would all be settled starting on the first move. She was only afraid of being killed before having activated her Soul Sharing. They had a remarkable difference in speed. The possibility of instant death was high enough. She prepared the tools only so she could use the first move.

More petals clung to the hesitating Ruruta. They further drilled into him the idea that he would be happier being controlled by Chacoly.

“How disappointing.”

Feeling danger, Ruruta stopped his attempt to unleash an attack with his full power. Chacoly herself activated her Soul Sharing. Ruruta was bound by the will that he mustn’t attack her. He wasn’t restricted by a physical force; Chacoly tightly gripped a more fundamental part of him. Ruruta’s will to move itself was suppressed. Just as she stopped Hamyuts in the past.

“You can no longer attack Chacoly.”

Ruruta stopped moving. He was as still as if he had been nailed midair. Chacoly had encroached his mind as to not move even a single finger.

“All that’s left is loving Chacoly. Just love Chacoly. And die with her.”

Chacoly approached him.

Then she wrapped her hands around the frozen Ruruta’s nape. And she rubbed her lips on his chest. While caressing him, she further eroded his mind.

She groped his unmoving body with her tongue. And she read Ruruta’s heart with her Soul Sharing.

“Hey Ruruta. Are you gathering Books of happiness?”

I want to gather them, Ruruta was thinking. They are absolutely necessary, Ruruta was thinking. Chacoly chuckled and rejected his heart.

“Denied. The only thing Ruruta needs is Chacoly.”

Ruruta’s heart was being denied. His mind of collecting Books was vanishing.

“Say, do you want to stay inside the Labyrinth?”

I have to stay here, Ruruta thought.

“Denied. Chacoly doesn’t wish for that.”

Ruruta’s will to stay in the Labyrinth vanished.

“Say, do you love Chacoly?”

I hate her. I loathe her. I want to kill her from the bottom of my heart, he was thinking.

“Denied. Ruruta must love Chacoly.”

Saying this, Chacoly kissed Ruruta. A love for Chacoly was born inside his heart. Despite him deeming it unnecessary, he wasn’t able to reject the love budding in his heart.

“Hey, Ruruta. Die with Chacoly. We will die together and become one for eternity…”

Ruruta desperately rejected Chacoly’s words. I can’t. I can’t die yet. I don’t want to die with Chacoly or anything like that.

“Denied. It’s no good. You will die with Chacoly.”

I can’t. There are still things I must do.

“…How stubborn, it makes Chacoly somewhat angry.”

Digging her fingernails into Ruruta’s chest, Chacoly further exercised her Soul Sharing.

“Your happiness is only Chacoly. Just dying with her. Right?”

No, my happiness isn’t something like that.

“Refusing is pointless. Chacoly will never leave you until you love her.”

She kept encroaching his mind.

Half a day has passed. Ruruta already lost control of most of his mind. Chacoly was convinced that it took only one more push. Just a little bit more and Ruruta will become hers.

“Chacoly alone is everything to you. Right?”

Perhaps so, thought Ruruta. Chacoly was convinced he was about to fall. However, at the next moment she felt a resistance much stronger than ever before. She involuntarily detached from Ruruta. Having the expression of euphoria until now, Chacoly immediately opened her eyes wide in anger.

“Why do you resist? No, why can you resist?”

The frozen Ruruta barely opened his mouth.

“…Nieniu.”

Her anger heightened. She had heard that name before.

“Who’s that Nieniu? Chacoly doesn’t know that woman.”

Chacoly continued her Soul Sharing. There was only a small time left until she controlled Ruruta. But the more she tried to encroach him the fiercer his resistance became. She was close yet far.

“Who’s that, who’s that, who’s Nieniu. Don’t think about that woman.”

Chacoly rested her forehead near Ruruta’s heart. And she read his memories.

She saw that pair meeting 2000 years ago. She had saved him with her song and told him she would forgive his weakness. Chacoly read the memories of that time.

“…Who’s that? Was there such a woman?”

Chacoly gritted her teeth. She invaded Ruruta with more powerful Soul Sharing.

“What’s with that woman, that’s from 2000 years ago! Denied! Chacoly denies Nieniu! Ruruta only loves Chacoly!”

But she couldn’t. Chacoly wasn’t able to reject the Nieniu in his heart.

“Why?! It’s from long ago! Chacoly’s right here! Nieniu’s already gone!”

But Ruruta’s mouth opened. Why can he open his mouth? He was supposed to be controlled by Chacoly.

“…Nieniu, is here.”

Who’s that Nieniu? Thinking this, Chacoly again hung her head on Ruruta’s heart. She searched for who Nieniu was. She saw the moment he had tried to kill Nieniu. The moment when he couldn’t and gave up on saving the world. And the moment he resolved on saving the world for Nieniu. Chacoly came to know of it all.

She then had an intuition: the problems came later. Something happened later. And that shaped Ruruta of the present. She kept reading his memories.

“…This is…?” 𝒇𝘳𝐞𝚎𝓌𝑒𝑏𝒏𝑜𝙫ℯl.c𝚘𝒎

And then Chacoly knew. Both about the fight against the Beasts of the Final Chapter as well as what happened later.

About when Ruruta stopped being a hero and fell to the position of a demon lord.

The sky was torn apart and lightning mowed down the earth. The Great Hero Ruruta Coozancoona felt that the day of the end has finally come.

Meditating all by himself atop the highest floor of the royal tower, he opened his eyes and stood up.

“Vooekisal! Prepare for battle!”

He shouted, but remembered that Vooekisal and his attendants have left a while ago. What inopportune guys at such a crucial time, thought Ruruta.

Having no choice, he used telekinesis to summon all of the Memorial Weapons to him. Acharai and Shlamuffen were placed on his waist. They were his reserve weapons; he held on to them just in case. Uyulála was already equipped to his shoulders as a tattoo. This was also his reserve armor. Graógramán and Gmork would be his main weapons. However, the most important weapons were contained in Ruruta himself.

The power of the tens of thousands of Books he had Eaten…

As well as his unwavering will.

“I will protect this world.”

Ruruta said as if telling himself that.

I have to protect them all. Both the people of the world and my future with …

“…?”

He felt some awkwardness. He was supposed to think about something right now. What was he thinking about? He had no idea.

And it wasn’t just his thoughts. He felt all sorts of discomfort cross his mind. Where did Vooekisal go to? Where did the seventh Memorial Weapon retrieved by Hihak’s group disappear to? No, what was that Cup used for in the first place?

“Stop thinking of foolish things!”

This was no time to think. Destroying the top floor of the royal tower, Ruruta leapt to the sky.

Yes, I will fight. To protect —

“…Whom?”

Ruruta muttered, having doubts. He couldn’t recall anyone’s name. Even though he was supposed to be fighting for someone.

“…Who am I protecting?”

Looking at the surface, the citizens were all escaping to the anti-Beast trenches. Looking at them he recalled: Right. I vowed to become Ruruta Coozancoona so that I could protect everyone. He forcibly subdued his sense of discomfort and headed for battle.

He arrived at a forest near the northern frontier. He felt yet another discomfort; he felt as if he had seen this place before.

The ground was infested with Beasts of the Final Chapter. Nevertheless even now without tiring at all they kept being produced. The entire forest was knocked off and it seemed as if the ground was boiling.

“Stop thinking!”

What would he do if he’s trapped by such trivial discomfort? The end of the world was already here. Ruruta switched his thinking process. He eliminated idle thoughts and cut off his confusion. He changed his mind so that he would only think about battle.

He started by shooting his strongest attack. White, shining balls of fire rained down on the swarming Beasts of the Final Chapter. The Beasts burned, melted and vaporized. Ruruta’s power was effective. His opponent was not invulnerable to all attacks.

The Beasts all gazed upward. Then, ignoring gravity they charged to the skies. A thread made of light constricted them. Then huge needles penetrated them. With only a slight delay of movement Ruruta released the Memorial Weapons simultaneously. Gmork’s blow crushed the ground, Graógramán became a hail of blades to chop the Beasts down, and Shlamuffen and Acharai laughed and cried.

His attacks were effective. However, Ruruta felt that it was useless.

They were unlimited. No matter how much he cut them down they would keep being produced infinitely. That was the kind of being they were.

No matter how strong Ruruta was, his power was limited. Limited power could not overcome the unlimited. However, he was Ruruta Coozancoona because he could accomplish the impossible.

Ruruta retreated to the sky. He activated his clairvoyance. He mobilized his Sensory Threads, Unlimited Hearing, and Super Smell abilities. And then he found it – the being that served as the core of these Beasts of the Final Chapter.

It was on the surface. A stone statue with the shape of a woman. However, her hair was not of a normal color.

What color was that? No, it wasn’t a color; he couldn’t see her hair. The moment he tried to perceive her hair, his vision would suspend for just the moment he viewed her hair.

The color of nothingness. Thus Ruruta thought.

At that moment the stone statue recognized Ruruta. She didn’t move her face, yet Ruruta could feel he was being looked at. As well as the fact that she judged him to be an obstacle to the destruction of the world.

The Beasts that were trying to scatter turned back and gathered to the stone statue.

A stone statue with colorless hair that was trying to destroy the world and the hero with a transparent hair that was trying to save the world… the two fights finally ended with this skirmish.

Two days passed. Ruruta’s 48th hour in action seemed to be wasted effort.

Ruruta was so high in the sky the air was thin. It was a spot where a normal human would suffocate in several minutes.

The Memorial Weapon Gmork has already exhausted its powers and turned to ashes. It would probably take about 1000 years for its resurrection. Ruruta was using Shlamuffen and Acharai, but only for reinforcing his defenses.

Ruruta tried approaching the surface. He couldn’t crush that colorless goddess statue except by getting close. But the Beasts of the Final Chapter blocked him with sheer numbers. They were cornering him with quantity as if trying to expel him to outer space.

Looking from afar, Ruruta and the Beasts would probably seem like a great black pillar. That black pillar broke through the heavens and when Ruruta was expelled from the surface the battle would be over.

He was stuck in a defensive battle. It was suicidal to be on the defense against an enemy that could produce an unlimited amount of Beasts. However, even using all of his powers and the remaining Memorial Weapons to their utmost limits he was only able to fight defensively.

Ruruta didn’t speak. He neither scowled at his predicament nor trembled with the feeling of defeat. He was simply desperately protecting himself.

He had only once chance to win. The attack would be a single killer blow that he would throw with everything he had. Until that moment comes he had to endure it.

Another 24 hours passed. It took three days to fire that attack.

“…Now!”

For the first time in the fight of three days Ruruta spoke. The object that Ruruta held came from the sky. It came from afar, from outer space.

It still had no name. In later times, astronomers would call it an asteroid.

Pulled by gravity, it began falling. It possessed pure destructive power brought forth by potential energy and mass.

Ruruta was thinking. The Beasts of the Final Chapter were a power that could destroy everything created by the World Overseers. Then they naturally exceeded everything including Ruruta in power. However, what about something out of the world? What if it was a power brought from outside the domain created by the World Overseers?

He felt as if the Beasts were crying out.

What are you doing? That attack is far too strong. The shockwave will blow away both trees and buildings, and the rising dust will cover the skies and conceal the sun. If that thing drops down both the Beasts and humankind will become extinct.

But Ruruta knew that as well.

The asteroid started falling. It shone in red due to its friction with the atmosphere. Ruruta flew to the sky and passed next to the falling asteroid.

“Rhythmic Barrier Uyulála, barrier form!”

He activated one of the Memorial Weapons – Rhythmic Barrier Uyulála – for the first time. Enveloping Ruruta, the Beasts and the asteroid, a thin yet enormous barrier was erected. He furthermore reinforced Uyulála’s barrier using his own defensive abilities. The asteroid, the Beasts, and Ruruta – the place where these three powers would collide was isolated from the world.

The Beasts of the Final Chapters tried stopping the asteroid. Yet it crushed even their unlimited power. They were smashed to fine dust. The asteroid crashed into the surface, gouged into the ground and caused an explosion.

The barrier erected by Ruruta repelled the aftermath. Then it shattered, having fulfilled its role.

“…It’s… not over!”

Ruruta was still shouting even inside the scorching fire of thousand degrees, even with his body torn apart by the impact of the explosion. That Colorless Statue was yet to break. Even during the explosion the Beasts have protected it till the end.

“If I just… destroy that!”

Then everything will be over. Before saying that, Ruruta commenced his charge. His body incandescent, he hit the Colorless Stone Statue.

It was a tackle. Regardless of past or present, of any powers small or great, it was the only means to crush a great enemy while being powerless.

Ruruta protruded both fists inside the brilliant light. The moment he saw them penetrate the statue’s chest his consciousness darkened.

How much time passed? Ruruta suddenly heard a voice.

“…Ruruta-sama, is it not about time to start breathing again?”

The one speaking was Lascall Othello. Hearing his voice meant that he was still alive.

The sky was bright and clear. The wind laughed and birds were chirping. The threat of the Beasts has passed.

Yet what was this sense of discomfort? It was superior even to the joy of winning and his expectations for the new world.

A girl was lying next to Ruruta. One of her forelocks alone was violet. Who was that? No girl should even be there. Everyone should have already evacuated to the anti-Beast trenches. He had defeated the colorless statue and lost consciousness. The remains of that statue should have been there.

Then who was that girl?

“…”

He heard a voice as if something snapped inside his head.

“…She is…”

The abnormal breaking sound kept unceasingly.

“She is…”

Paying no heed to Ruruta, Lascall brought forth a Book. He placed that Book atop the girl’s chest.

“Have this, o great hero that crushed the Beasts of the Final Chapter and saved this world, Ruruta Coozancoona-sama.

This is the Book of the Beasts’ master, the one who had tried to destroy the world. Her name was the Singer Nieniu.”

The Singer Nieniu. Ruruta didn’t know that name. Yet he also knew it at the same time.

What’s this? Why do I know it despite not knowing it? Something’s wrong with my memory.

“Lascall, what is the meaning of this. Do you know…?”

“Of course I know. I know what has happened to you… and what is happening to you.”

Either in mockery, in malice or simply in true amusement, Lascall grinned.

“Once you read this Book you will surely understand.”

Ruruta touched the Book as he was invited to. He read the Book of the enemy he had just killed – of his late beloved Nieniu.