Keena knew that she was talking about Akuto. She nodded strongly. Akuto must have heard her, because he stood up behind Mr. X.
“...You don’t get to touch them while I’m still alive,” Akuto said. Mister X turned to him happily.
“Oh, now this is unexpected! And anything unexpected is great art!”
“If you love the unexpected, then don’t set up everything so it goes the way you planned. I don’t know what it is you’re trying to set up with this prophecy thing, but tell your boss I said that,” Akuto said, and he readied himself to fight.
“I don’t like the prophecy either. But I have to do it anyway. But unexpected things can happen, and they bring with them chaos. And I love that more than anything!” Mister X was grinning.
“Now, you’ve managed to stand up, but how will you fight back? You need to entertain me. I’m not allowed to kill you, after all.”
Akuto put his hands over both ears.
“Haha! That’s a good idea! If you can’t hear the noise, you can win, huh?”
Mister X charged and kicked. Akuto couldn’t defend himself. He went flying.
“Gwah!”
“It’s not enough not to hear it! My noise is also a vibration that you can feel with your whole body! That’s what makes it true noise! I can make noise without sound! You felt it, didn’t you? When I took the resonant frequency of the mana in your body that night?”
Mister X shook his legs and began to dance in a weird, spasm-like way. He twisted his body and began to scream and spin.
—I see. So that headache I felt on that night was...
Akuto remembered the night when he’d first met Yukiko. That was Mister X’s doing. But knowing that now didn’t help him at all.
—Damn it... Is there nothing I can do?
Akuto looked up at the sky as he lay on the ground. He could see the demon beast rampaging in the distance, and hear screams mixed in with the sound of the noise. The monster was probably crushing the village. He could see flames rising up near its lower half. Some of the villagers were strong, perhaps, but without magic they were helpless. His classmates had probably fled too, since they were helpless as well. The demon beast was destroying everything around it, like a scene out of hell. And it was partially his fault.
—No, I need to do something while I can still move...
He was able to move his fingers when he tried, so he thought he might be able to stand up, but he didn’t seem to have the strength left.
—But even if I could stand up, there’s nothing I can do...
He tried to think of what he should do next, but he couldn’t concentrate because of the noise. His irritation just kept growing stronger and stronger. The destruction around him, and the frustration at being helpless against it, made him want to scream.
Mister X seemed to have turned his attention back to Keena and Junko. He could see him slowly pacing towards them.
—No matter what happens to anyone else, I have to protect them. Keena treats me normally even though everyone says I’m the Demon King, and Junko understands me like no one else. I can’t afford to lose them.
Even though they were about to be killed, both of them were looking at Akuto, worried about him.
When he saw them, he suddenly got an idea.
—I know!
“Wait.”
Akuto stood up, and Mister X turned around in surprise.
“You’re still standing up? But now it’s starting to annoy me. The same repeating refrain isn’t noise! And thus, it isn’t art!”
“Fwahaha... fwahahaha... fwahahahaha... fwahahaha!” Akuto began to shake with laughter.
“Huh?” Mister X seemed confused.
But Akuto only laughed harder.
“Wahahahahaha!”
“Wh-What’s so funny?!” Worry started to appear on Mister X’s face.
When he was done laughing, Akuto smiled an invincible smile.
“I finally understand what this noise you’re talking about is. It’s your music. It’s the cry of your soul.”
“Th-That’s right. But what does knowing that help you?”
“It means that if my soul screams louder, you can’t hurt me at all.”
But then the fear disappeared from Mister X’s face. He smiled in relief.
“If it was that easy to get rid of the noise, everybody would do it! Many have said that, and fallen before me! The noise cannot be predicted!”
“If it’s unpredictable, then I can just stop caring! No matter what, my voice will drown it out! I don’t know if I’m the Demon King, but I’m definitely me. And that’s one thing that will never change. If I don’t like somebody, I kick their ass. And of course, I don’t like you.”
Akuto began to move forward.
“It’s useless! Sink into a sea of noise!”
Mister X kicked Akuto once again. His kick landed. No, Akuto didn’t even bother dodging.
“I’m going to destroy you and bury your body in the ground! Whether you cry or beg, that won’t change! That’s my decision!” Akuto screamed.
Mister X turned pale. The sensation under his foot was clearly different than before. Akuto’s body felt like steel.
“You’re controlling your mana?”
“That’s right! I need to thank you. You taught me about what a scream from the heart really is. That doesn’t mean I won’t kick your ass, though.” Akuto’s voice vibrated his whole body, canceling out the noise.
“Chiiih!” Mister X amped up the volume. But Akuto’s scream only got louder.
“You’re going down! For every kick you gave me, you get a punch!”
Akuto’s fist exploded on Mister X’s face. Mister X spun backwards through the air, and he landed face-up on the ground.
“Gwaah!”
Mister X took a moment before he could breathe again, but when he could he looked up at the stars and started to laugh.
“Hahahaha! I’m happy you understand my art. But no matter what you say, I’m working towards a greater goal. The greatest art. You’ll love it, too! I know you will! War, and war, and war! The last expression of art. All truly moving art was created during war. And whether you’re the Demon King or not, that’s the type of person you are. You can try to run from the fate that someone else laid out for you, but you can’t change the way you live. Most of the old dictators were geniuses, incredibly attractive, and all of them understood art. And you’ll rank up there with any of them! You’ll sacrifice those around you, without ever knowing that you’re doing it! Like right now, those two girls are going to die because of you! Hahaha!”
Mister X probably only meant this as one final line before his defeat. But it stunned Akuto.
“Shut up!” he screamed, but the edge was gone from his voice. Mister X was still lying on the ground, but he could feel the change in Akuto.
“I see. So that’s your weak spot, huh? I’m not just better at making noise, I’m better at using my brain, too.” Mister X raised his head.
His words reminded Akuto of Korone.
—Someone who’s sacrificed because of me...
Akuto stopped moving as the noise began to affect him once more. Akuto’s last hit had hurt Mister X hard, so he wasn’t as powerful as before. But still, his attacks were too much for Akuto to keep standing.
“Stop this! I will fight you!” Junko shouted, but her legs were shaking.
Mister X shrugged, as if he couldn’t be bothered to deal with her.
“I’m getting really sick of this, so I’m just going to end this now. Even if it’s not art.”
Mister X pulled an Incantation Gun out of the pocket of his white coat. Without her magic, a shot from it could kill Junko.
Junko stood between him and Keena, and Keena wrapped herself around Yukiko.
Akuto looked up, saw what they were doing, and screamed.
“Stop it!”
“Noise doesn’t stop when you tell it to. That’s what makes it great.”
Mister X pulled the trigger.
There was a loud bang as the bullet shot towards Junko. The shell, embedded with explosion magic, burst open right in front of her, covering all of them with fire.
Akuto screamed a wordless scream.
But...
“Pathetic. Can you really do nothing without me?”
He heard a calm voice from somewhere.
“Wha... Who’s there?” Mister X said.
Of course, Akuto recognized the voice.
“K-Korone... You came back?”
“Yes, I came back.”
Korone appeared from within the flames. She waved the cap-like piece of cloth in her hand and the flames and smoke started to disappear. Behind her, the other girls were safe.
“A fire blanket is always good to have.” She raised it high.
“Korone!”
“Korone...”
Junko and Keena yelled. Korone wordlessly gave them a victory sign with her hand.
“The details are rather complex, but I’ve made a plea bargain which allowed me to return.” And then she pointed to Mister X.
“CIM8, Code Name Mister X. Your present actions have been deemed outside the scope of your duties as an intelligence officer. Thus, as Akuto Sai’s observer, I will neutralize you in order to protect him.”
“A bullet from that gun should be enough to fry a Liradan’s brain! How did you survive it?” Mister X yelled in surprise.
“I am special,” she said as she began to walk towards Mister X. He opened his coat and showered her with noise.
“You’re wasting your time. It won’t affect me.” Korone was right on top of Mr. X.
“Tch!” Mister X tried to hit Korone with one of his kicks.
“Your attempts are futile.” She grabbed his foot with one hand.
“I’m willing to deal with this myself, but I’ll leave it to Akuto instead.”
Korone took a new tool out of her bag. It was shaped like a long rod, and she held it high.
“This is the magical bat! It may look like just a normal metal bat, and actually, it is just a normal metal bat!”
“What...?” Akuto sighed, but his face had begun to relax.
“I don’t need a weapon. I’ve got a hold of myself now that you’re back.”
“We can talk more later. For now, just know one thing. I’ve never felt that I’ve suffered for you, and I doubt I ever will.”
“If I can hear you say that, the rest will work itself out.” Akuto motioned for Korone to step back and stood in front of Mister X.
“Let’s keep going. I can’t let a girl handle this for me.” Akuto grinned.
Mister X must have decided it was time to end things, because he let loose another strange howl into the heavens and turned his noise to maximum.
Akuto and Mister X struck and kicked each other violently.
But now that Akuto had begun to concentrate enough to ignore the noise, Mister X was no match for him.
Eventually, his noise was overwhelmed.
Akuto’s next strike hit him in the stomach. His screaming stopped, and the noise from the speakers came to an end.
“I’ve lost... That was splendid art. But my plan is as good as successful. The villagers will spread fear of the Demon King, and eventually you’ll be driven from the school. When that happens, you’ll either have to die or rebel against the empire,” Mister X said in a raspy voice.
“It’ll be fine. It looks like I’m not alone after all,” Akuto said as he looked towards Korone and the other girls.
“Tch... You manslut...” These were Mister X’s last words before he fell to the ground.
“It’s over, isn’t it?” Korone came over and looked up at him.
When he looked into her eyes, he finally relaxed. And then suddenly he felt very embarrassed.
“I’m glad you’re back.”
“You are.” She nodded. There was something like joy on her expression.
“U-Umm...” Akuto wasn’t sure what to say, but Korone nodded as if she understood.
“But before our happy reunion, you need to finish things.” She pointed towards the direction of the demon beast.
—That’s right. That thing is still there.
Akuto saw the demon beast destroying the village. Its long cylindrical body was spitting up something long and white. It was probably its organs. Even at this size, it was a still a sea cucumber. But unlike a normal sea cucumber’s insides, any buildings they touched would start to melt. And its organs were regenerating at incredible speed. No sooner did one set land than another was spat out.
“Th-That’s...” Junko’s voice was shaking with fear.
Yukiko was sobbing, and Keena was trying to make her feel better.
“Let’s go.” Korone said.
Akuto nodded, but then there was a flash of light in the sky in the direction of the demon beast, even though it was the middle of the day.
—What is that?
It was coming from the sky and heading straight towards the demon beast.
○
“Please check the output gauge in the upper left. When energy transfer is insufficient, a reboot will be required. The main battery contains enough energy to power five minutes of flight.”
As he listened to the system, Hiroshi realized that what he was wearing was not a product of magical civilization. Unlike mana, there was no sensation of power welling up in his body. And unlike the sensation of riding on the wind you felt when controlling the mana in the atmosphere to fly, there was a feeling of floating, like being released from gravity. From the style, and the fact that it was made for humans to use, it was clearly not a product of a different civilization. It felt like something that was made before civilization began to rely on the use of mana.
—How much power does it have?
Hiroshi wondered. Since he couldn’t sense the power in himself, he couldn’t see how strong he was. But he could see the demon beast below him, and how it was destroying the village, and he knew that he had to do something.
—Can I do it? I guess I have to.
He thought he had to chase the strange man, too, but right now his house was about to be crushed by a demon beast. He couldn’t ignore that. His parents were standing a short distance from their home, firing hunting rifles at the demon beast. Of course, it didn’t seem to be doing a thing.
Hiroshi accelerated towards them. The suit did exactly what he told it to. It headed straight towards the Demon Beast, as if gravity didn’t exist.
—It’s so fast!
But his body felt almost no load at all. He could do this, he thought to himself.
“Do I have any weapons?” Hiroshi asked.
“There is a high frequency blade for your right hand. By controlling the vibrations, you can use it as a blunt weapon against other humans. This is recommended when you wish to capture or disable someone without endangering their life. The left hand contains an atomic cutter. It can be used to cut through non-living things. It will kill any living creature it’s used on, so caution is required. In addition, this weapon requires transfer from the trans-dimensional main unit.
“There are six laser cannons on your back. Each can be fired individually. Energy transfer is required after six shots. One minute will be required for reloading. These are the primary weapons. Please check the links for details on more options.”
“I’ve got the basic idea.”
Hiroshi flew through the air in front of the demon beast’s eyes. He needed to draw its attention. Of course, he didn’t know where its eyes were, so he just headed in front of the direction it was traveling.
The demon beast seemed to notice him. It tilted its head towards Hiroshi.
—Okay, this way!
He was satisfied that he’d been able to lead it away. He took a glance down at his parents. His mother looked surprised, but his father didn’t. He seemed calm somehow as he looked at Hiroshi.
—Does he know something about this, then?
Hiroshi thought, but there wasn’t ti
me to ponder it. The demon beast had spat up its long white organs at him.
Hiroshi dodged them. He was amazed how easy it was. All he had to do was think about the movement, and it would respond.
—I’m getting used to this!
The long thin threads each moved on their own like living creatures, chasing him in ways that were almost impossible to predict. But the image on his visor showed him what was going on behind him. When he realized that he was looking into a rear-view mirror, suddenly he was able to visualize the entire world 360 degrees around him. He was able to see how the organs were moving and dodge them.
And there seemed to be a function that would automatically let him dodge anything that approached at his speed. Sometimes an organ would approach and he wouldn’t notice, and he’d dodge it without even realizing. From below, he must’ve looked like a ray of light weaving through the tentacle-like organs.
—Laser.
Hiroshi thought, and a shining laser fired from his back, rising up and backwards like a snake ready to strike before it headed straight for the demon beast.
The demon beast howled. Burn marks appeared on its spotted body, and steam from the dissolved liquid began to rise up. The laser swept across it, slicing it open. Any of its organs that were caught in the blast were sliced open and fell to the ground.
—Wow!
Hiroshi was excited. But he forced himself to calm down a moment later.
—No, I can’t get cocky. If I mess this up, it’ll put the others in danger.
The demon beast was writhing in pain. Hiroshi’s home ended up being caught in its spasms, and the organs that fell out began to melt the surrounding buildings.
—I need to put a stop to this now...
“Do I have any weapons for destroying large objects?”
“You have two options for anti-material weaponry. One is a nuclear fusion bomb. It can be transferred and equipped. It will turn a three-kilometer area into ash. Please get at least three kilometers away after dropping it within five seconds. It is recommended that you fire it from three kilometers in the air. Any living beings within a five-kilometer radius without radiation shielding will be in mortal danger.”
“...And the other?”
“A high-temperature plasma ball. A magnetically compressed plasma ball is created within the suit, and when the target is touched, the magnetic field is released, destroying the target. This cannot be used with the suit’s battery. Reloading will require five minutes.”
Demon King Daimaou: Volume 3 Page 11