Mokushiroku Arisu - Volume 03 by Kagami Takaya
Prologue - The Seed that Upheaves the World
A voice sounds from afar.
"Onii-chan."
It's the voice of my little sister Saki.
"Hey hey Onii-chan you hear me?"
But I'm feeling sleepy so I ignore it. I can't open my eyes. I wonder why I'm so sleepy.
"Onii-chan hey!"
What is it Saki? I'm sleepy. Don't wake me up.
"You can't do that Onii-chan. You're sleeping too much."
It's fine right? I'm sleepy. I'll be skipping school today. Ah, but, you have to make sure you go, you know?
"What are you talking about? C'mon, open your eyes. Get a grip on yourself."
I don't want to.
"You can't do that ~! C'mon c'mon, I'll give you a hand, so get up!"
Impossible.
"Jeez ~, you're really such a handful, Onii-chan. Open your eyes and face me. Before it's too late."
...... too late? What are you talking about?
"Onii-chan hey, you have been out cold for a month now you know?
--- Inside the labyrinth of a girl called Gunjou-san.
--- Ever since you have been stabbed in the chest with a sword by some woman called Kiri-san."
What.
"But if you continue sleeping like this, you will get killed......
So hurry up,
Even for just a second,
Even for just an instant,
Onii-chan, wake up!"
On hearing those words ---
I awake from my blissful dream.
* * *
Chapter 1 - Towards the Inside of Blue
"Saki!"
I yell out the name of my little sister, and open my eyes.
But there's no way my little sister would be here.
Since she has become the world's most difficult labyrinth of rank 666 and disappeared from this world 10 years ago.
Thus, that was just a dream.
An illusion.
But, as before, I am still inside a labyrinth.
A labyrinth brought forth by Gunjou.
There is no one before me.
Shiro, Himi, Yousuke, Kiri and Kansai's Valor Team aren't here.
Only I am left lying in this wide room that seems to have become deserted.
I sit up.
"...... kuh."
My head hurts.
I don't even know how long I have been unconscious here. If I were to believe the words of my little sister inside my dream, then I should have been sleeping here for a month.
"There's no fool who would believe the words said inside a dream, is there?"
In the first place, this isn't a place where one could remain unconscious for a month. This isn't a place where one could remain alive for even a second without using high level magic.
Then, does that mean I have only been out for an instant?
"...... what on earth has happened?"
I murmur.
I look down at the wound in my chest where Kiri stabbed. For some reason, the wound has been closed. I know not what kind of magic was placed on me through Kiri's sword. Did she stab me with the intent to kill me? Or did she stab me just for the sake of stopping my movements?
Whichever way it was, she betrayed us.
She's a traitor.
But she said 'sorry' while she was on the verge of tears.
She kept saying 'sorry' again and again.
The moment a traitor cries the instant he turns traitorous, he has failed as a traitor so, whether or not she can be called a traitor I do not know.
Anyway, I don't know anything right now.
"Jeez, what kind of situation am I in right now?"
I look around me but there really isn't anyone here.
The only thing I can see is the dried-up blood poured all over the floor by the Valor Team when they used it against Gunjou as her weakness.
"............"
When I was still conscious, the floor should have been splashed with tons of blood.
In other words, some amount of time has passed since then.
I remember the words said by my little sister Saki in my dream.
One month has passed --- that's what my little sister had said. There's no reason I should believe that, but at any rate, I have to raise my tension. Because inside the labyrinth, the instant I'm clueless about my situation is the instant I would lose my life.
Shall I Escape?
Should I Escape?
But at that moment, I hear a strong sound from behind me.
No, it's a strange voice.
"Yaah yaah."
The voice says.
I turn towards that voice.
Upon doing that, I see a white rabbit standing at a short distance away from me. A rabbit in a suit that has a heart mark finely woven into it.
In its left hand, it holds a pocket watch.
I know that rabbit. It is the same strange rabbit that appears in the illustrations of the 'Alice in Wonderland' that I used to read with my little sister.
While checking its pocket watch, the rabbit says.
"Yaah yaah, Mr. Human, it's time."
"What time?"
I ask, to which the rabbit says.
"Time to die."
The rabbit jumps towards me. Sharp claws appear in its right hand.
Its movement is abnormally fast.
I have already activated my Headphone Fuzz《 Intra-Cerebral Magic Activator 》s[1], but I have not played my Acceleration switch. What I'm playing is Escape switch. My Escape switch has yet to complete. On top of that, maybe because I've just awakened, my body reactions are no good.
"............ ugh."
The attack will probably hit me.
I'll be activating my Escape as I received the attack.
In other words, if I don't receive a fatal wound, it'd be my win, but the rabbit's claws are terribly fast. It's aiming straight for my head. It's like I can't dodge it at all. Will it slice my carotid artery, or send my head flying?
I protect my head with my left arm.
"Damn, I'll let you take my arm."
Even if I am to lose my arm, it's better than dying.
The Escape song reverberates in my head.
The Escape song starts.
Just as the claws are about to harvest my arm, behind the rabbit, another rabbit that has been hidden jumps out.
I look at it.
My eyes widen.
The other is aiming for my heart and I have no way to deal with that.
It's the end.
I'll die.
My Escape has yet to complete.
But even so, trying to avoid a fatal wound, I roll on the floor in an unsightly manner.
"Uwu, Uwoooooooooooh!?"
I let out a cry as I operate my muscles, trying to survive.
Even though it's useless.
Even though either my neck or heart will get sliced apart.
The faster claws of the rabbit are about to reach my neck.
No good.
It's the end.
The end is coming too easily.
I stop hollering. Smirking with half-opened eyes. I'm amazed at my own weakness and worthlessness.
Then,
"Sorry Saki."
The moment I murmur the name of my little sister softly.
The claws touches my neck.
About to rip open my carotid artery.
Just before that happens.
"Hn."
The voice of a girl appears right next to me.
She catches hold of the faces of the two rabbits with her small hands. And with that, she throws them far away.
I was saved by someone.
The rabbits are blown away.
Right as they are blown away, they divide.
Four rabbits deliberately take out their pocket watches and say at the same time.
""Yaah yaah Mr. Human, it's time.""
But I can't see those rabbits. Since my eyes have been taken in by the figure of the girl who has appeared right before them.
""It's time to die.""
Right before my eyes, is a petite girl who's probably at the height of about 150 cm.
She has blond hair. And is wearing the sailor uniform of Kichijouji High.
Her almond-shaped eyes, both left and right, are flickering red and blue respectively.
She's like a puppet, hung from a black gigantic hand resembling that of the devil.
I know the name of that girl.
"Gunjou!?"
I call that name, and she takes a glance at me.
It's really Gunjou.
Mizuiro Gunjou.
As before, her face is vacant, lonely, and sad.
She has contracted the labyrinth disease.
The rabbits in mid-air say.
""Time to die, time to die, time to die, time to die.""
Claws appear in their right hands at the same time.
But Gunjou crosses both her hands upwards. Upon doing that, countless orbs appear. And they start spinning.
It's Sea Moon Wheel switch.
She uses this magic to put down her enemies.
The Sea Moon Wheels attack the rabbits all at once. The rabbits look at them,
"Aah, scary scary."
They say while dodging, but they failed to dodge them and are split apart.
The four rabbits are split cleanly into two and disappear.
Gunjou is strong.
Since she has become an eternal labyrinth.
But, why is Gunjou, who should be the one who has brought forth this labyrinth, fighting the rabbits?
Does that mean those rabbits aren't soldiers created by Gunjou?
Rabbits appear again at the entrance of this hall.
This time, there are five.
"Hn."
Gunjou looks in their direction. She raises both hands again. She does not activate her 《Headphone Fuzz》 worn on her ear. Without her 《Headphone Fuzz》, she conjures her Sea Moon Wheel switch.
She sends her jellyfish flying.
Slicing the rabbits apart.
Slicing apart.
Slicing apart.
When I look closely, it's like Gunjou is getting rid of the rabbits to protect me.
Her skirt and uniform are in tatters. They are all bloodied.
Even her thighs and arms are also covered in wounds.
I look at that and say.
"...... don't tell me, you've been protecting me......"
A single rabbit slip past the jellyfish and is about to close in on me.
By this time, I'm already in the state where I can deal with them.
I activate two magics in my brain.
Acceleration switch.
Demon Sword switch.
With these two magics activated, I can surpass god for an instant.
But there isn't any need for me to activate my magic.
Gunjou hurriedly comes back to where I am, and grabs the rabbit's face.
"Hn!"
She utters and flings the rabbit sending it flying. At that moment, Gunjou's face is close to me. I peer into her eyes.
As usual, they are vacant, and look lonely and sad. Her emotions are faint.
"Fuh, fuh, fuh."
She is short on breath. I can clearly tell that she is breathing heavily, and has shed lots of blood and sweat. And holding her ground with her slender legs, she immediately turns around towards the rabbits.
Raising her slender hands.
Conjuring up her Sea Moon Wheel switch.
Slashing the rabbits.
I don't know what's happening. I have no idea why Gunjou is fighting the rabbits that are supposed to have been brought forth by herself.
However, I only know that she is desperately protecting me.
Covered in blood.
Covered in dirt.
Having contracted the labyrinth disease.
But yet, she is protecting me.
"............"
If one month had really passed like what Saki said in the dream, then,
"...... seems like I've racked up a load of debt, though I wasn't able to see your face."
I murmur softly.
The rabbit assault stops for a while.
But Gunjou continues to have her back towards me, without relaxing her guard.
I call out to her.
"Hey Gunjou."
"............"
"Gunjou."
"............"
"Are you conscious?"
"............"
"Why're you protecting me? You should hate me right?"
"............"
She does not answer.
Because of the labyrinth disease. In order to talk to her heart, there's no other way but to enter her heart with magic.
I approach her. And stand before her. Gunjou just looks at the entrance to the hall. Looking out for any incoming rabbits.
I stoop my body a little, and peer into her eyes in order to cut her gaze off.
Instantly, she reacts.
She looks at me,
"...... uwu............ ah, uwu."
She utters, but only that. She looks as if she is about to complain about something for a moment, but that's all to it.
Her face returns to a vacant look.
She does not attack.
She does not attack me.
Her beautiful face is smeared with blood. The blood probably belongs to her. Her neck is also hurt.
She got hurt while protecting me.
On seeing that, I say in an exasperated voice.
"...... don't tell me, that you're thinking of me as your comrade?"
"............"
"That's why you're protecting me?"
"............"
"You know, you have the labyrinth disease right? You have to attack me right? Since you are no longer human, you should lose your consciousness and become a proper monster hey."
"............"
"Otherwise......"
I grab the shoulders of Gunjou. Her body is slender. She is so slender that it looks like she will break if I apply too much strength into my hands.
Did she keep on protecting me with such a body all by herself? And how long has that been?
When I touched her, her body quivered a bit, but as before, she did not attack me. She's merely keeping her alert towards the entrance to the hall.
I look hard at that Gunjou, contorting my face that was on the verge of tears, I say.
"...... otherwise, doesn't that mean that all the labyrinth diseased girls who have been disposed by the humans, have all retained their consciousness all the while until they were disposed?"
That would be the most dreadful truth.
I would have at least hoped that they were monsters with their consciousness swallowed up by the disease in the instant they were disposed.
But I already knew otherwise.
During the time when I killed Asahi Momoka with my Holy Sword switch, I had entered her heart and I knew then.
Asahi Momoka was a good kid.
She didn't want to kill her family and friends and said that she wanted me to quickly kill her. She even went as far as to thank me for killing her.
Labyrinth diseased girls retain their consciousness as they are being turned into labyrinths.
I stare at Gunjou.
I stare at my classmate who has been frantically protecting me despite having manifested the labyrinth disease.
I look hard at my comrade of the same Hero Team that I'm on,
"...... what the hell are you all? Shiro, Himi, and Yousuke are also like that though...... things like comrades and friends are suffocating to me."
"............"
I bellow, taking advantage of the fact that Gunjou won't respond.
As before, she does not react.
With her vacant, lonely, sad eyes, she merely stares at the entrance to the hall.
I look hard at her. I look hard at the Gunjou who has been protecting me all this while.
"............"
Following that, I snap my fingers three times. And activate my 《Headphone Fuzz》.
In my head, the cursed song of the magic that might allow me to wrench the disease out of the heart of a diseased girl plays.
The magic completes in my brain.
My neural matter throbs.
【Deceiving the night ♪
Beguiling the world ♪
The darkness that saves the girl of the endless night ♪】
"Holy Sword switch ---"
I say.
A silver sword appears in my right hand. Shrouded by light, a shining sword. A sword of hypocrisy that resembles a sword that a hero carries.
But the hand that holds that sword trembles. Of course. Because only until recently, this sword is an incomplete magic that can only be used to kill girls.
Thus,
"...... if you see me as a comrade that strongly....... if you are risking your life to save me...... it makes me afraid to use this you know, Gunjou."
I say in a trembling voice.
According to the craftsman who had developed this sword, Liezel Baimeister, in theory, this sword is complete, but I don't know whether or not I can believe that.
Because I have yet to test it out.
If I test it out here, I'd be performing human experimentation.
If it doesn't go well, Gunjou will die.
Just like how Asahi Momoka died.
The hand that is holding the Holy Sword is shaking in fear.
Should I thrust this into Gunjou, or should I give up on that? I don't know the answer to that.
But, if I don't save her here, she will probably be reigning here as an eternal labyrinth diseased girl forever. If she becomes an eternal labyrinth, the difficulty increases by ten times.
Rank 420.
If I let this chance go, it probably won't come back. In the first place, there's no place on earth that's conducting research on how to save labyrinth diseased girls.
The world has concluded that it is better to kill or make use of labyrinth diseased girls rather than saving them.
Thus, if I don't save her here, it'd be the end.
It'd be the end for Gunjou.