Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56“Haru, wait!”
She bursts from the tent and slips. The grass is wet, but not with water. A curse looses from Haru’s lips as her forehead hits the ground. But when she lifts her head back up, she’s silent. Red clouds her eyes. It stains the ground. It pools and flows onto Haru’s hands. Blood. No matter how many times she sees it, it always scares her. But she barely even notices. Her eyes are instead locked onto Kagami.
“Kagami… hey, Kagami.”
She’s sleeping on the ground like she just fainted all of a sudden. There’s a broken teacup in her hands. How clumsy of her.
“Wake up, Kagami. We need to get out of here.”
“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!”
A voice like a crashing wave slams into her side. It takes her a moment to grasp that it’s Kikimi's. Slowly and painstakingly, Haru turns her head away from Kagami’s still body, waiting for her is the soldier girl’s gaze. It strikes her like a lightning bolt strikes the ground. It’s no wonder, then, that the punch that comes after feels like being struck by thunder. There are people out of their tents now. They stand in the corner of Haru’s vision, watching.
“MURDERER!”
Somebody grabs her shoulder. She shakes them off but forgets about KANNIBAL. Its blade swerves to protect its master. More blood drips from a fresh wound. It’s no more than a graze, but it’s enough to invite the sharks into the water. Chaos erupts.
“MURDERER!”
“W-wait! You’re making a mistake!”
The first thing they take from her is her weapon. That’s fine, they can have it but the hands don’t stop there. No matter how much she tries to wrest herself from their grip, they keep clawing at her. Then there’s the voices. They come as whispers and as yells in equal measure. Their words begin to blur together. She blocks them out. There’s foam in her mouth now. There are guns pointed at her now. Enough that even her guard spell wouldn’t be able to block them all.
“Pin her down!”
“Don’t let her escape!”
They force her into manacles, harsh restraints that bind her arms and her legs. Once her struggle is rendered useless, they step back, forming a ring around Haru. They palm their guns and their knives in hesitation. She isn’t sure if they’re hesitating because they aren’t sure if they want to kill her, or if they’re just deciding how they want to kill her. These people who broke bread with her and watched her be wed, these are the people who are to be her executioners. For a moment, she’s overcome with hatred at the sheer injustice of what’s about to happen to her. Right now, she couldn’t care less about their grief or what, she just wants them dead. She splays her fingers, points away from herself, and exhales, preparing the incantation for a Flame Bolt. She doesn’t care who she hits anymore. Though, getting Kikimi in the crossfire would be nice.
“Get your hands off of her.”
A calm, commanding voice cuts through the chaotic din. It sends shivers up Haru’s spine. At the entrance of her personal tent, leaning on her staff, with an expression that seems to look down on everything around her, is Tsumugi. Kikimi pushes her way to the front of the crowd.
“This girl is charged for the murder–”
Her voice catches in her throat.
“For the cold-blooded murder of student council vice president and beloved wife, Kagami Kentomi.”
“Is that so? Do you have any proof?”
“Proof?! This girl is an outsider–”
“That ‘outsider’ is my wife. She is an honorary citizen of Takakumo City. You have no right executing the very people you pledged to protect.”
Some tempers fizzle out while others flare even brighter. Faces in the crowd turn nasty. They stay hidden amidst hung heads, like predators hiding in the tall grass. Their grips tighten around their guns, but they can’t do anything, so they begrudgingly take their fingers off of their triggers.
“Now, feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, but that sounded like a gunshot."
"...and?"
"Do you see a gun in Haru's hands?"
"No."
"Would it also surprise you if I said that Haru was with me when the gunshot rang out?"
"...No."
A scowl crosses Kikimi's face.
"No it wouldn't."
"And that hole in the side of your wife’s head. It seems to be a bullet hole. Get me a tally of all firearms that use ammunition approximately...”
Tsumugi squints at the bullet hole.
“.50 BMG… that’s the only ammunition class capable of even harming Kagami. I know that Kagami secured a permit for her honor guard to carry one .50 caliber sniper rifle. You four.”
She picks out four random people from the crowd.
“Check the supply room, it might be gone. And you.”
She points at another person.
“Alert Takakumo City about Kagami’s fate. We cannot allow the situation to get any worse. Everyone else, search the perimeter in trios. The perpetrator might still be here.”
Nobody says or does anything, frozen in their hesitation. Then, a single word sets the crowd alight.“MOVE!”
Suddenly everyone’s moving. Somebody steps on her head, once, twice, three times. On the one hand, it’s comforting to know that she’s been all but forgotten. On the other, ow. Thankfully, someone lifts her off the ground and moves her off to the side.
“You okay?”
Tsumugi’s gentle voice reaches her ears. Immediately, all the adrenaline, all the hostility, all the hatred that had been building up inside of her just suddenly disappears.
“Yeah… thanks for that.”
“Don’t sweat it.”
She can hear her smiling.
“Um, would you mind getting me out of here?”
“Not here. Bear with me for a moment.”
Previous Chapter
Related Chapters
Corpse March Chapter 11
“Not here. Bear with me for a moment.” Tsumugi ducks from the prying eyes of the soldiers still milling about and sets off into the forest. She’s careful to avoid dragging Haru along the ground. They must have gone a full minute deep into the forest before Tsumugi finally sets her down on a small bed of grass. A sound like a shiver of a bell toll rings out as she taps her staff hilt against the ground. Soft blue light begins to emanate from the crystal like smoke from a censer. “Geburah.” The sound of a sword being drawn. A black scythe blade manifests from the center of the crystal, as though an invisible cloth was just pulled off of it and it was there all along. With a single strike, she reaps the links holding Haru’s arms and legs together. Along with a piece of her skirt’s hem but she doesn’t care. The refreshing feeling of her suddenly free wrists is reward enough. “Thank fuck.” Well, she knows what she would have done. She would have burned the shit out of as many sons-of-
Corpse March Chapter 12
“I hired you to do one simple thing. ONE. SIMPLE. THING.”“You may be entitled to full financial compensation for your troubles.”“My troubles?! MY TROUBLES?! My troubles only exist because of your failures!”Kuroko doesn’t so much as wince at the scientist’s fury. At some point, her tirade ended up as pointless static at the back of her mind. Whatever. No matter what happens now, whether the Monarchs execute her or if they simply throw her out in disdain, she couldn’t care less. It’s not that she’s making an effort to block out the noise, rather, it simply rolls off of her back like falling rain. Eventually, the downpour lightens into a drizzle, then from a drizzle to a drought. Tsumugi sinks into her throne, exhausted, defeated, deflated. “Go. I have to think about what to tell my adviser.”“Thank you for your patronage, ma’am.”“Just get out of my sight.”Kuroko picks her briefcase off the ground with her mouth, her arms are still broken from this morning. They sway lifelessly at
Corpse March Chapter 13
The chief passes Kuroko the needle and wipes her hands on the cloth. Silently, Kuroko continues suturing the incision shut using her mouth. Is it sterile? Probably not, but she places her trust in the purification. All the while, the chief chats away on the phone. She has that peppy, upbeat, but still reliable saleswoman voice she puts on for all customers. “Girls Won’t Cry. Security, deliveries, and bodies for cheap. What’ll it be?”The chief jerks the receiver away from her ear as a shrill voice erupts from the speaker. It’s audible but still incomprehensible from where Kuroko’s sitting.“...”“Uh-huh…”“...”“Yes, we have a courier department.”“...”“Cash up front? This I like. The water needs turning on and toilets need flush–”“...”“...yes, sorry.”“...”“Immediately?”She looks over at Kuroko who gives her a nod. “Yes, we can handle a rush job.”“...”“Perfect. An associate will be with you within the day. Thank you very much for your patronage.”She plants the receiver back
Corpse March Chapter 14
It’s been three days since Haru got involved with the Neo Magical Academy, three days since she got married, three days since Kagami was killed. That’s more or less seventy two hours for all of it to sink in and yet, none of it feels real. Haru stares blankly at the ground as she walks, trying to absorb everything. The roots of trees, grass, and pebbles dominate her vision. If she breathes, she smells the fresh scent of the earth beneath her feet. Three days of the exact same sight, this trek had long started boring her. At some point, Tsumugi’s endless questions started to become entertaining again. “Is it really true that the survivors of the Original Magical Academy were promptly hunted down?”“I don’t know but that… that sounds about right.”“Are you surprised?”“No, not really. But it’s a lot messier than the civilized breakup that our history textbooks made it sound like.”“Originally, Takakumo city was founded by my mom, Hoshi Tsubame, to shelter the survivors of the Original
Corpse March Chapter 15
“Species?”“What?”“Species. Human or Papilio.”“Oh, uh, human.”“First name?”“Haru.”“Last name?”“Hamamoto.”“Middle name?”“I don’t have one.”“Pick one.”“W
Corpse March Chapter 16
“So… you’re the guide?”“Aye.”When Tsumugi said that she had a guide prepared, she imagined someone who’d be a little bit more mature than the shrimp in front of her. And Haru doesn’t just mean ‘shrimp’ as in “She’s a little small for her age.”, she means it as in “This girl’s age must have just entered the double digits.” It shows especially in her face’s roundness and the short twintails her hair is kept in. And yet, the storied veteran inside of Haru feels a tugging kinship in the girl’s dead eyes. Those are the eyes of someone who has either taken a life or had a life taken from them. Haru can no longer tell the difference… anyway 0/10, pass.H
Corpse March Chapter 17
Haru stares out the window, watching miles and miles of farmland pass in the blink of an eye. Every so often, a group of people wave at them from dinky homesteads. Haru waves back from behind the car window. Well, “Car”. She isn’t sure what to really call this thing. On the exterior, its rounded chassis and bulky armor gives it a sort of hunched appearance. On the interior, there are benches hanging from either side of the car’s walls. Not to mention that it doesn’t even have wheels, instead it’s kept aloft by some kind of invisible force. It sort of reminds her of those trains in the Monarchian base. She sees the improvised welding marks keeping this whole thing together. Sitting in the front, driving the car, is Asuka herself. She steers with one hand and pushes the pedals with a long stick she picked up. Is this safe? Absolutely not. Is Haru wearing her seatbelt? Also absolutely not. It’s quiet moments like this that Haru has to ask herself “Does Tsumugi actually know what she’s d
Corpse March Chapter 18
“...Heyyyyy, everyone.”Haru licks her dry lips. Too many eyes on her. Way too many eyes. Doesn’t help that everyone here is crazy powerful. If her history book is to be believed, which has been proven wrong at least fifty times by Tsumugi in the past couple of days, they are the very pinnacle of magic, if not even more powerful than that. The area is huge. Almost the entire floor must be taken up by it. Chandeliers, carpeting, tapestries, and stained glass windows depicting what Haru assumes must be historical scenes. One of them looks like it might be an exodus of Papilio, another one seems like a spider catching a butterfly in its web, another is a small arrangement of people gathered around a table. Not dissimilar from the sight that Haru finds herself in front of right now. There’s a long table at the very center of the room. Around it sit six people. There seem to be two people missing, judging by the empty chairs at the foot and at the head of the table. She guesses that the
Latest Chapter
- Corpse March
Chapter 70 Epilogue
“Please, help yourself to some tea.” Nanashi gestures at the chair across from her for Haru to sit down. It hasn’t been that long since they’ve last met but already, she’s made a little home for herself in Takakumo. It’s surprising how much laboratory apparatus she’s managed to cram into such a tiny space. Arcane sigils, test tubes, and strange machines clutter the room in an organizational system that Haru could never decipher even if she had a lifetime to try. And in the center, is a simple table and two stools set up. “No thank you, I have a temperature-sensitive tongue. It burns when I eat even slightly warm food.” “Ah well, that’s a pity.” Nanashi takes the teacup away. It looks comically tiny in her armored grasp. “So, what business do you have with me?” “I believe your terms with Tsumugi stipulated that only half of the Papilio in Takakumo return to their Think-Tanks, correct?” “Yes, that is true.” “By any chance, would you ever consider capturing Takakumo for yourself and
- Corpse March
Chapter 69 Cask
“Long time no see, Tot.” “It’s literally been a single day.” Kazuko walks along the pristine battlefield and comes to a stop exactly ten paces away from where Haru’s standing. “What do you want?” Haru adjusts her stance, placing herself between Kazuko and the unconscious Tsumugi. “I’ve come to talk.”“That’s it?” “Yep. I realized that after all this time, we never got a chance to properly talk to each other.” “I suppose you’re right.” “I must thank you, Tot.” Kazuko plants her rapier on the ground. “I think you’ve helped me to realize something about myself.” “And what is that?” “That you and I are the same. We’re two sides of the same coin, you and I. We can claim to be soldiers or heroes or avenging angels all we want, but in the end, we both kill.” “You’ve come all this way just to tell me that?” “Not quite. I’ve decided that I won’t tolerate any more excuses. From you or from myself. Regardless of whether we chose our lives or our lives chose us, we’re both killers. Jud
- Corpse March
Chapter 68 Stellar Stellar
A gargantuan scythe blade the size of a mountain manifests from the tip of Tsumugi’s staff while Gleam blazes pure white, light magic seeping out of her very being. With a ponderous sweep of her arm, Tsumugi brings the scythe down, its tip aimed right for the crowd. The Deathless start to disperse but there’s not enough time. Someone trips. She closes her eyes to brace for impact but the impact never comes. Instead, there’s a brutal grinding sound. Opening her eyes, instead of seeing the tip of the scythe bearing down on her, she sees Gleam’s back as she clashes against Tsumugi’s scythe. “RUN!” The girl scrambles to her feet and runs away. Now all Gleam has to worry about is the mountain of cursed energy bearing down on her. “GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHH!!!” Gleam lets out an unearthly cry as she wills herself to go faster, to break through Tsumugi’s attack, to turn the tides of this battle. “STELLAR!” The speed of light isn’t fast enough to move the scythe more than a few inches.
- Corpse March
Chapter 67 Motteke! Sailor Fuku!
They come bursting out from the trees. Large metal transports with segmented armor that makes them resemble pillbugs. A far cry from the train-like things the Monarchs used all those years ago. They speed across the landscape, skimming across the flora of these lands. One transport in particular rushes ahead of the others, setting an example that the other transports follow. Atop its roof, stands a green-haired girl shredding her guitar. Heavy rock music, amplified by her sound sorcery, blasts outwards. It’s so loud that the ground almost seems to vibrate as they approach. But they find nothing. No patrols. No Deathless anywhere. It reeks of a trap. Tsumugi sticks her head out of the transport she’s in to yell at Haru.“Stick to the plan!” Haru nods and swaps tracks to the one corresponding to the signal for ‘Stick to the Plan’. The transition is nearly seamless. One by one, the transports climb the walls protecting Takakumo like it’s nothing. In the distance, they see it, Takakumo
- Corpse March
Chapter 66 Aloha
“It seems we’re not welcome here anymore. You’ve been exiled.” Haru relays Gleam’s speech to Tsumugi. “What do we do?” Florence asks. “Nothing has changed. Let’s keep moving.” Haru waves her hand out the car window at the other Elites to follow close behind. They comply, mostly out of fear. They know that their duty is to Lady Kentomi first, Takakumo second, and Haru third, but the thought of going against Haru is just too much. The streets are empty, nearly everyone’s attending Gleam’s speech. What few people are left behind smile and wave at them as they pass, blissfully unaware of what Tsumugi’s become. They know not what she knows. “Where are we going exactly?” “To the forest on the edge of Takakumo’s borders. I’ve arranged for a meeting there.” Ah, to where it all began. The memories of a month or two ago come flooding back to Haru. It felt like a lifetime ago they were on that train and came crashing into Takakumo, completely unwelcome. “This is nostalgic.” Haru rests he
- Corpse March
Chapter 65 Alter Ego Messiah
Letters make words, words make sentences, sentences make paragraphs, paragraphs fill pages, and pages fill up the tome. Number 3344 works dutifully, slowly but surely working through the book she’s been tasked to fill up. That is the purpose of the Papilio after all, to lend their minds as processors to the great Monarchian supercomputer complex, Nivosus. It is a purpose shared by the uncountable Papilio filling up this facility. They do not know better. None of them do. So they toil away, their minds working to the bone in the computational visual matrix.Every paragraph, every sentence, every letter is another crumb of data in the great compendium that the Monarchs seek to fill with all knowledge in existence. Years pass in the blink of an eye for the Papilio. Seasons pass them by without being noticed. They all keep their eyes downwards, scribing everything being fed to them. Number 3344 is no different. Just another drop in the ocean. Just another body being kept in a tube. Then
- Corpse March
Chapter 64 Preparations
As soon as the door closes behind her, Tsumugi immediately breaks down into tears as everything she’s done and everything that happened to her comes crashing down in a terrible wave. She starts to run, as though she might be able to outrun her guilt. “What have I done?!”She keeps running. Further and further away from Gleam. Further and further away from the best friend that she threw away. Further and further away from any chance of going back. More than once, she considers turning around and apologizing, telling Gleam that she was foolish, begging for her forgiveness. But no matter how much she wants to, she knows she can’t. Tsuki believed in Tsumugi to be able to turn her own dream into a reality. This is the only way. Her dream was always incompatible with Gleam’s. From the very beginning, she knew that. It’s only natural that they would both eventually come into conflict with one another. But even then, her heart aches so much she fears it might shrivel up and die. She slowly
- Corpse March
Chapter 63 Preparations
As soon as the door closes behind her, Tsumugi immediately breaks down into tears as everything she’s done and everything that happened to her comes crashing down in a terrible wave. She starts to run, as though she might be able to outrun her guilt. “What have I done?!”She keeps running. Further and further away from Gleam. Further and further away from the best friend that she threw away. Further and further away from any chance of going back. More than once, she considers turning around and apologizing, telling Gleam that she was foolish, begging for her forgiveness. But no matter how much she wants to, she knows she can’t. Tsuki believed in Tsumugi to be able to turn her own dream into a reality. This is the only way. Her dream was always incompatible with Gleam’s. From the very beginning, she knew that. It’s only natural that they would both eventually come into conflict with one another. But even then, her heart aches so much she fears it might shrivel up and die. She slowly
- Corpse March
Chapter 62 Bad to Worse
“Kikimi faltered.” Kazuko takes a deep breath just to check if her lung is still punctured. Surprisingly enough, it seems that the damage Tsuki dealt her just a few hours ago has already healed. Usually, it takes a few more hours.“That’s fine. She’s more useful to us dead.” Florence stares out the window at the full moon hanging in the sky. “Now that she’s out of the picture, Gleam’s a legitimate threat to both Tsumugi and Tomoe. But now that they’ve already severed their alliance, it’s going to be that much more difficult to stop her.” “Yeah, whatever. I don’t care about any of that stuff.” Kazuko slowly lifts herself off the chair she was sitting in. “You’re on your own from now on.” “Wait, hold on, what happened to owing me your life?” “A life for a life. My debt has been paid in full.” Florence saved her, and she killed Kikimi. Fair’s fair.“How do I know you won’t just rat me out?” “You don’t. But you don’t have any other choice.” Florence looks on as Kazuko slings her cape
