He grabbed the Jeweled Branch in his mouth, and jumped on top of a pilot’s seat that was shaped like a dog’s bed.
“I may be old, but I’m not senile enough to try and face you head on!” The One said, as shutters came down and sealed off the whole cockpit.
On the other side of the shutters, you could hear the sound of air pressure changing. The cockpit had probably been ejected from the airship.
Normally Akuto would’ve broken through the shutters and chased after him, but at this point he was far from sane. There was telling what he’d do.
“You killed Junko!” He charged thoughtlessly at Marine and attacked.
Marine raised a hand to try and block, but a torrent of power swept over him that made that impossible. Without even thinking, Marine used the Faceless Power. A light made of compressed mana, and a different, dazzling light, exploded between them.
“Gaah!”
“Guh!”
The two of them both moaned in pain and fell back from one another. There still seemed to be a burning heat in the air between them.
“That power...! Is that power what killed Junko?!” Akuto screamed.
“This... power...” Marine stared down at his hands.
He’d just used a power that wasn’t mana in combat. He could feel it. This was the same power that the Republic’s people had used to destroy the coast. The Faceless Power. A mysterious power that unleashed massive destruction in response to a strong human will. A forbidden power that The One had encouraged him to use freely.
Marine could feel that the power had reacted to his own will. His fear of Akuto and his self-defense instincts had caused it to activate.
“Did that evil within you kill her?” Akuto howled.
His power began to grow again. It was coming off him in waves of tangible pressure.
The mana was spreading out around him in a ball. And at the ball’s center, Akuto made it explode.
“Gwoah!”
Marine used the Faceless Power again. If he hadn’t, the shock wave would’ve ripped him apart. It was too much for the airship, which was torn apart from the inside.
How much power it would take to do that...
Marine didn’t want to think about it.
A warship like this would have armor only slightly less thick than a tank. And Akuto had blown it apart like a bursting balloon. Of course, Marine was just as capable of the impossible. The Faceless Power easily shielded him from it.
Fragments of the airship began to fall to the ground around him. The two of them were at the center of the explosion, but both were unharmed. Marine’s feelings about the Faceless Power were complex. It seemed equal in strength to Akuto’s mana. He had the power to fight Akuto, if he wanted.
Without it, he was dead, but it was hard to imagine such power as this not coming with a price. And then there was what The One had said to consider, as well.
“Stop this at once! You and I shouldn’t fight!” Marine shouted.
Akuto was unimpressed.
“Uwoooah!”
He rushed toward Marine once more.
Marine hadn’t lost control, and despite its incredible power, it would’ve been fairly easy for him to dodge Akuto’s charge. But instead, he blocked.
“Nuh...!”
He collided with Akuto head on. There was the sound of an explosion as their two powers collided. They both grimaced. But Akuto kept up his attack without slowing down.
“Uwooooaaah!”
Punches rained down on Marine. But Marine still just tried to block. And instead of using the Faceless Power, he blocked it with his own mana.
“Gaaah...!
He was blocking with his own mana-enhanced arms, but Akuto was using every ounce of his power. In the blink of an eye, his arms had sustained incredible damage.
“So this is your rage... your hatred....”
Marine had the vague idea that this was his punishment. Perhaps the Faceless Power was too much for humans to play with... For a single moment, Akuto’s fists stopped.
“What are you doing...?” Akuto asked.
“Well... The only time a man can lose his cool is when his parents or lover are killed. And that’s probably what’s happening to you right now. But... I see in you a man who bears the fate of an entire country. And thus, as someone who wishes to speak to you as an equal, it is my duty to endure your fury until you regain your senses.”
Akuto sighed quietly when he heard this. But of course, it wasn’t nearly enough to quell his anger. He raised his fist and screamed.
“Then don’t block! I’ll end this with a single strike!”
The Demon King’s words were madness. But they were convincing. Marine lowered his guard, without even thinking about it.
“...!”
He was ready to die. If this was Akuto’s final strike, that was okay with him. It was his punishment for allowing himself to be deceived. But...
The shock he was expecting never came.
“Don’t do it!”
A high-pitched voice slid in between them. Akuto’s fist stopped. Marine’s body froze. It was something that no one could have ever expected, and so it easily caught the both of them off guard. Nonimora had slid in between the two of them. And...
She was kissing Akuto.
“What...?”
The feeling of her soft lips drained the power from Akuto’s body. The rage faded from his eyes. Marine was too shocked to move, as well. And then...
Nonimora flipped around in mid-air and kissed Marine on the lips, too.
It all happened incredibly fast.
“Calm down, boys.”
She moved her lips away from his, and then pointed an index finger at both of them to stop them.
“If you want to stop a fight, Muchumuchu is the best way.”
Akuto and Marine were both too surprised to move. Marine recovered first, probably because he had more experience with women.
“Please understand. I want to talk,” Marine said.
Akuto had lost his chance to start the fight again. He stared back at Marine wordlessly.
“You should calm down. When the Faceless Power is used by an evil heart, it becomes an evil power. The important question is who has the evil heart.”
Marine’s expression changed as Nonimora spoke.
“You heard her. I understand your rage. But it’s my people that you’re mad at. If I have to apologize for something, it’s that.”
Marine’s face seemed filled with despair.
“Rage... toward his people?”
Akuto was beginning to calm down, and as he did, his naturally sharp instincts were beginning to return. He was beginning to realize what those words meant.
“Are you telling me that people’s hatred was what scorched the land?” Akuto asked.
Marine nodded quietly.
“Most likely...”
Akuto understood what the look on Marine’s face meant.
“T....” Akuto gritted his teeth, unsure of where to direct his anger.
“The Faceless Power acts based on the mind. The prince is responsible for unleashing it, of course,” Nonimora said.
Marine nodded.
“I believed in my people. If you want to say that that was foolish, go ahead. I know what I’ve done can never be undone. But... I also saved the Empire from nuclear weapons. I want you... to understand that. Understand that it was a good power as well.”
Akuto shook his head.
“I’m not sure what the hell I’m supposed to say to that. So what am I supposed to do, then?”
“We’ll just have to believe... that a good power can be better than an evil one.”
Marine didn’t seem, however, to believe it himself.
○
“Ackie...”
Keena saw everything that happened in the sky from below. Of course, she’d seen Nonimora kiss him as well. She knew that she didn’t have a choice, but it still hurt. She wanted it to be her own kiss that calmed Akuto do
wn. The fact that someone else had stolen that role from her... hurt more than she’d expected.
“Shall I strangle that primitive in her sleep, your majesty?” Korone asked.
Keena knew she was trying to lighten the mood, but it didn’t work.
“You can’t strangle her. You know that...”
“I see. That’s a shame.”
“It’s not a shame at all...” Keena sighed.
The three above them were coming down from the sky. The air was filled with gloom. Both Akuto and Marine had pursed their lips into a frown, and even Nonimora looked stern.
“Ackie...” Keena said as he landed, but all he did was give her a short nod.
“Are we following The One?” Korone asked.
That, Akuto responded to.
“Looks like we don’t have a choice. He stole the Jeweled Branch, and without it, we can’t steal the Faceless Power.”
Akuto glanced in Marine’s direction quickly. Marine didn’t nod, but he agreed with Akuto.
“I think we should. The Faceless Power needs to be sealed as soon as possible.”
“Despite the power it offers...?” Akuto looked at Marine with doubtful eyes. With the Faceless Power, Marine was every bit as strong as Akuto. But Marine agreed with him once more.
“It should be sealed. I’m counting on my people to use it as a good power... but The One said this: He was going to destroy the world in a way no one would ever expect, and for that, he had to continue to use the Faceless Power.”
Marine’s expression was serious. Akuto’s expression didn’t change, but he agreed, at least verbally.
“Then we follow The One. We get back the Jeweled Branch and seal the Faceless Power.”
“I’ll help with that... But there’s a problem. I’ve been given an implant which prevents me from attacking The One.” Marine said, apologetically.
“An implant?” Akuto said. He didn’t know how they worked.
Korone spoke up.
“A type of brainwashing that implants small machines into the body to directly control a person’s mana. It’s very difficult to deal with.”
She took an X-Ray device out of her bag and held it up to Marine.
“Let me take a look.”
The device, which looked like a speed detector, was displaying Marine’s abdomen on its monitor. Inside they could see the silhouette of what looked like a small capsule.
“With my surgical tools I can remove the implant itself. But that may be dangerous to your mind,” Korone explained.
Many implants contained traps to make them difficult to remove. The ones that just exploded were bad enough, but the most dangerous of them all were those that had a magical effect on the victim’s mind.
Nonimora suddenly spoke up.
“If it’s an implant, I can deal with it.”
“What do you mean?” Korone asked, but Nonimora nodded confidently.
“Implants have been a part of the village’s tradition for years. Of course, the ways to remove them have, too.”
“That’s right. Your village has lost technology, doesn’t it?”
“Do you not use them anymore? The best way to remove the trap is to do hem-hem during the operation. It makes it so it can’t affect your mind.”
Nonimora puffed out her chest.
“Truly one of life’s great mysteries,” Korone said, but she seemed sufficiently convinced.
“Okay, I’ll do it! Come with me, Mr. Handsome man!” Nonimora beckoned to Marine.
You wouldn’t guess it from the way she was acting, but hem-hem was this village’s euphemism for sex.
“Are you serious?” Akuto asked. But Nonimora’s face was serious indeed.
“Asking if I’m serious is rude. I’m very serious. Of course, since it’s not a festival I don’t want to let people see it, so we’ll go into those bushes.”
“Um... wait...”
Both Akuto and Marine were hesitant. But Korone and Nonimora each grabbed Marine by an arm and dragged him off into the bushes.
“If it’ll get rid of the implant, I’ll do it...” Marine said, still a bit hesitant.
And then they went into the bushes and out of sight. Akuto and Keena were left behind, unsure of what to do next. The circumstances were incredibly serious, but still, something felt ridiculous about this whole situation. The two of them both sighed and sat down.
They could hear voices from the bushes, but couldn’t see.
“When do I remove the implant?”
“When the mind starts to focus on the hem-hem. That’s when you do the surgery.”
Marine didn’t seem to know what hem-hem meant.
“Hem-hem...?”
“You don’t know it? Well, that’s fine. Just don’t move.”
A minute later they heard Marine cry out in surprise.
“W-What are you doing?!”
“Don’t move. We’re going to do hem-hem. Of course I need to get naked.”
“Naked...? Why?”
“Because we’re doing hem-hem. Just like I said.”
“Wait... why are you taking my pants off, though?”
“Can you be a little more cooperative? Hem-hem is a two person job, you know.”
Nonimora’s voice was bright and cheerful, but Marine gasped in shock.
“D-Don’t tell me that hem-hem is...”
“Hem-hem is hem-hem, duh. Now stay put. We’re going to get rid of that implant.”
“But what does that have to do with anything...?”
“Hem-hem helps the mind concentrate. Weren’t you listening?”
It was hard to tell if Marine found this explanation persuasive or not, but he shot up.
“But I’m a prince, you know...”
“Who cares? It’s not like guys lose anything by doing it. Nobody else will know if you did or not.”
“But your body...”
“I’m very healthy. I don’t have any diseases. Do you?”
“No, I don’t... but...”
“Then we’re fine. Today’s a day where I won’t become pon-pon, after all. Now... huh? You’re not very baki-baki, are you?”
“I-I don’t know how I could be, considering...”
“Let go! That’s a very rude thing to do to a woman. I’ll make sure everything’s ready. Be grateful!”
“Hyah... uwah...”
There was the sound of something rubbing something else, and then muffled whispers.
“How do we handle the timing?”
“We’ll have to have him tell us. Take out the implant when he reaches his peak.”
“His peak?”
“When he dop-dops, of course.”
Akuto could do nothing but chuckle as he sat there listening. The whole atmosphere had changed.
“Y-You know, this is kind of...” Akuto whispered.
Maybe this was something Nonimora had that made her special. She’d just saved him a few moments earlier, too. If she hadn’t intervened, he would’ve killed Marine.
“Hey, Ackie...”
He heard a voice next to him. Keena was leaning up against him.
“What is it?”
“Um...”
Keena was fidgeting. They could hear lustful moans and the sounds of two things rubbing together from the bushes. Sitting in silence, there was no way for them to avoid it.
“Um, well... uh...”
Akuto tried to speak and trailed off too. Suddenly, Keena made her move. She wrapped an arm around Akuto’s body, and looked up into his eyes.
“Ackie...” she said, and pursed her lips.
Akuto knew what she meant. He remembered the conversations she’d had with Nonimora. He’d known for a while now what she wanted him to do. But...
Normally the feeling of Keena’s body against his made him relax. But now it just felt heavy. Part of the reason was that he’d betrayed her by killing Morlock. And part of it was that he’d just lost Junko, the other girl he loved.
Keena closed her eyes.
“That’s not right.”
He didn’t know what wasn’t right, but he said it anyway. Keena’s face looked sad as she opened her eyes.
“I’m sorry. But um...”
Akuto shook his head. And then suddenly, he heard the sound of something popping within her. It was like a soap bubble being blown by a gentle breeze.
Akuto looked into her eyes, surprised. They were a mysterious color.
“Something sad, very sad, is going to happen. Your mistake began a long time ago, after all.”
He recognized the soft voice. The Law of Identity. That’s what she had called herself, he recalled.
“Keena?”
“The girl you call that is me, but not me. Especially now,” she answered.
“Why did you show up now?” he asked.
“Because her heart can no longer endure the pain...” The other Keena answered sadly. “That’s the answer that’s closest to the truth.”
“But I...” Akuto began to mumble. But the Law of Identity continued.
“This is your mistake. For a long time, and even now, you’ve continued to make a very small mistake. You let me do your thinking for you. You fought against other’s plots. But still, you never truly resisted. And this is the result. My prayer is that you will not make that mistake again.”
She was neither blaming nor consoling him, simply speaking the truth.
Akuto didn’t understand what she was saying. No, he didn’t want to understand. It had come out of nowhere, but she was talking about his sin. The being he called the Law of Identity had saved him several times before. When Boichiro Yamato had tried to do the ritual with her. When he’d been left on the moon with her. But now, she’d come out of nowhere to condemn him.
“Mistake? I don’t think what you’re saying is right. And I think of you as a savior...”
“That is your mistake. The false story that you’ve rejected for so long... If it is false, then the story where I am a savior is false too. Yes. I am who I am, and nothing more. Anything which is enough of a story that it cannot reject causality, is a mistake,” she said calmly.
“What...?”
In a vague way... he knew what she meant. But if that was true... if that was really true...
Demon King Daimaou: Volume 12 Page 2