2022-12-24 13:37:50The instant Kikimi runs out of ammunition, Haru dispels the shield, extends her arm and drops Kikimi with a vicious lariat to the head. She goes down a lot easier than she expected. There’s a glazed over look in Kikimi’s eyes as Haru rolls her body over with her foot and plants it on her back, pinning her to the ground. If she so chose, she could crush her ribs right here. But she doesn’t. Instead she kneels down and presses the muzzle of her gun right up against Kikimi’s head.
“Oh c’mon. At least try.”
“Gh–!”
Kikimi says nothing. She feels her struggling through the sole of her shoe but it’s useless, her foot doesn’t move an inch, like it’s fixed in space. Hm. That was a little disappointing. Maybe she was expecting too much from someone completely unaugmented but she figured that Kikimi might know a Judo throw or maybe some kind of phantom punch, or really even just try and put up some kind of a fight. Cause right now, it’s kind of like she’s just given up.
Haru slowly removes the gun from the back of Kikimi’s head and takes her foot off her back. The moment she does, Kikimi immediately scrambles away from her.“What’s wrong?”
“Get away from me you psycho bitch!”Looking at her face, Haru suddenly remembers that she isn’t home. And that home doesn’t exist anymore. The people that understand her, the people who would roughhouse with her, the people who wouldn’t cry from something as trivial as a gun pointed to their head. They’re gone too. Looking at Kikimi’s tears staining the soil a deep brown, Haru doesn’t know what this feeling in her chest is. How could she? It wasn’t necessary where she came from. It’s like sadness but deeper, heavier, less rotund. Suddenly, it grips her and starts moving her mouth on its own.
“I’m sorry–”
When did Kikimi get back on her feet? She ponders the question as Kikimi lunges at her, tackling her to the ground. A tiny ‘oof’ slips out of Haru’s mouth. Without hesitating Kikimi scrambles to grab a rock and starts bashing Haru’s face in. It doesn’t really hurt much since her body’s physical enhancements make sure she doesn’t get too hurt, and what little pain she should feel is immediately suppressed by her pain inhibitors so Haru just lets it happen. Matter of fact, she’s enjoying this. Seeing Kikimi’s face contorted in so much bloodlust lets her know that she’s enjoying this as well.“What’s–”
Haru chokes on the blood that’s seeped into her mouth.“What’s… wrong? Why’d you stop?”
With trembling fingers, Haru takes her gun out from her pocket and holds it up for Kikimi to take.
“C’mon…”
Haru grabs Kikimi’s hand and forces her to take the gun.
“Come on…”
Gripping Kikimi’s wrist, she presses the gun’s muzzle right up against her forehead. The tears in Kikimi’s eyes are streaming down her face now. Haru hates looking at them.“Do it. I want you to do it. Come on. Do it. Shoot me. Shoot me. Do it.”
The harder Kikimi’s hand shakes, the harder she grips. She hates weakness. She hates people who can’t commit. If you don’t like something, avoid it. If you hate it, get rid of it. If you like something, do it. If you really like something, then really do it.
“DO IT!”
An unearthly cry, stewed from the deepest part of Kikimi’s chest bursts out from her mouth as she pulls the trigger. POP. Haru’s head lolls back, lifeless, but not dead. Kikimi looks on in abject horror as Haru fishes the squashed bullet out of her forehead. It didn’t even crack her skull. She laughs. It’s not a mocking laugh, not in the slightest. Rather, this is the laugh of someone who could not be having more fun.
As Haru laughs, Kikimi witnesses the smallest glimpse of someone else lurking behind Haru’s eyes. Her true nature. That which survives only in overwhelming violence and abhors peace of any kind. That which only sprouts its roots in blood-soaked sand. That which sings the tune of countless elegies. Tot-the-Rocker.
Kikimi can do nothing more than stare at Haru in fear.
———————————————————————————————————————
“So how’d it–”
Tsumugi stops, seeing both Haru and Kikimi, both covered in blood. Judging from the lack of open wounds on Kikimi, it seems that only Haru was hurt. Her wounds are still gaping and bleeding.“I’d say it went well. What do you think, Kikimi?”
As Haru playfully elbows Kikimi, she visibly flinches away. There’s a genuine fear in her eyes that wasn’t there before whenever she looks at Haru.“...”
“You’re gonna have to speak up, Lamb Chop. I don’t think Tsumugi can hear you.”“It went fine.”
“That’s…”
Tsumugi pinches her chin.
“Good? I suppose?”
“Yup! All good on this front! I don’t think there’ll be any more bad blood between me and the Elites. Isn’t that right, Kikimi?”“I… I’ll tell the other Elites... I’ll tell them.”Tsumugi looks on with a blank stare, unsure of how to respond. It seems that Haru might have misheard “Get along with Kikimi.” as “Tame Kikimi.” She has no idea what went on between those two, and things didn’t quite turn out how she expected… but she supposes the results turned out… fine?
“Uhmmm… right. Kikimi, would you mind helping out the other Elites? I’d like to have a word with Haru in private.”
Kikimi doesn’t say a word as she speedwalks away from Haru and towards safety. Tsumugi waits for Kikimi’s footsteps to fade away before she says anything.
“What… Did you do to her?”
“We just had a bit of fun, is all.”
Haru climbs back up to the tree branch she was sleeping on, reclines on the tree trunk, and promptly passes into dreamland in complete peace, as though nothing at all happened.
Previous Chapter
Related Chapters
Corpse March Chapter 28
It’s a quiet night for the Deathless stationed at the wall surrounding Takakumo. Just like any other night. One of them scratches under her face plate. She has been for the past three hours. Getting stuck with the night watch sucks, and this is the second week in the row her squad’s had to put up with it. Still, if it ever comes down to it, they’re the only thing standing between Takakumo and the outside world so they stick it out. One of the Deathless walk over to the table where they’re keeping their radio equipment and tunes in to the frequency of Lady Gleam’s camp. “Squad 8 reporting. Front gate is clear, Lady Gleam.”Then, out of nowhere, the darkness of night is broken by the blinding brightness of a pair of headlights. They can barely make out the silhouette of a train, a Monarchian train. Everyone stands still, fearful that even the smallest movement will sic the metal beast on them. Then, the silence breaks. “NOT CLEAR, NOT CLEAR! I REPEAT, NOT CLEAR! MONARCHIAN TRANSPORT
Corpse March Chapter 29
Kuroko revs her motorcycle engine as she catches up to the train. The cold nighttime wind stings her eyes but she barely feels the pain. “All units disengage, I’ll take it from here.”“Wait. Something’s off. They’re not using Magitech weapons.”“We have our orders.”“I said WAIT!”As soon as she’s close enough, Kuroko suddenly leaps from her motorcycle onto the top of the rearmost train car. Her shoes make loud thuds as she lands. Loud enough to announce to the people inside that someone’s here. “ON THE ROOF!”She hears the orders being barked from below. A second later, bullet holes begin to open all around her. Kuroko does not hesitate. She conjures a bundle of string connecting her to the edge of the roof before jumping off the train’s side. Kuroko uses the strings to swing herself through the train window and into the train car proper. Her bombastic entrance is met with a mixture of confused and frightened expressions. There’s a moment of silence, then it’s shattered into a mill
Corpse March Chapter 30
A solid strike to the flat of Kuroko’s forearm paralyzes it, forcing her to drop the girl to the floor. A nerve strike. The first time Kuroko’s seen it done in actual combat. Electricity spreads from her wrist all the way to her shoulder and her thumb. By the time she can move it again, it’s just in time for her to block the next attack. But the girl seems to have taken that into her calculations as she merely nerve strikes the blocking arm. Again, that electricity spreads through her arm, forcing it to drop, leaving her completely open. The girl gets a solid kick into her stomach. Even with the difference in their physical enhancements, the hit still stings. Not to mention she kicks right where those bullets hit her earlier, driving them even deeper. It’s becoming harder and harder to keep herself standing upright with all the damage she’s taking to her abdomen. The girl’s assault is relentless. Again and again, Kuroko’s guard is broken and her abdomen takes more and more damage. Sh
Corpse March Chapter 31
“What… Did you do?”The Deathless stare at the bloody sight contained in the train cars. The mixture of blood and corpses stain the ground in some kind of macabre portrait. The abject terror they felt moments before they died remains frozen on their faces. It’s an expression that the Deathless share. Even through their masks, Kuroko can tell that they haven’t seen carnage like this before. “I killed them.”“These… aren’t Monarchs.”One of the Deathless stumbles over to her motorbike, where a radio transceiver waits for her. “Strike Team Alpha, this is Gleam speaking, has the Monarchian transport been intercepted?”“Lady Gleam, this is Alpha one. The Monarchian transport has been intercepted and its payload exterminated by Shindou Kuroko. However, the Monarchian transport was carrying Lady Tsumugi’s standing army. I repeat, the Monarchian transport was carrying Lady Tsumugi’s standing army.”“What?! Are there any survivors?”“Only two of approximately fifty survived. Commanding offic
Corpse March Chapter 32
Haru heaves Kannibal onto her shoulder and walks out of the cockpit. “Excuse me. Excuse me.”She walks past the Elites sitting down in their seats. As she passes, she calmly, but firmly, tells them to get ready. “You, come with me.”Haru grabs one of the more stout Elites and drags her by the elbow towards the end of the train. Once she reaches her destination, she peers out of the back window into the darkness, searching for some kind of hint, some kind of sign that someone might be on their tail. “You see anything?”“No–”She doesn’t get to finish her sentence. A headlight suddenly pierces through the dark night. Then two, then three. Somebody yells. “TAKE COVER! THEY’RE HERE!”A smattering of bullets slams against the train’s rear, shattering the windows. There’s no time to dodge. Haru grabs one of the Elites next to her and uses her as a meatshield. Bullets tear through her flesh while Haru pulls out her handgun and cocks it with her teeth. The instant the barrage shows even a
Corpse March Chapter 33
“Haru?”A voice in the distant dark. “Haru!”What the hell? Just as the pain in her head was just starting to get comfortable. Slowly, she peels open her eyes to see Tsumugi’s warm face, wet with tears. “Oh, thank Lady Tsubame you’re okay.”She wraps her arms around her in a giant hug. It doesn’t hurt. Not in the slightest. Tsumugi holds her like she’s nestling a baby. It’s sort of embarrassing but ah, who cares. She just lets herself melt in her warmth, in her comfort. “Where… where are we?”“We’re in the Curia, we made it, Haru!”She claps her hands excitedly, like a small child. “What… what happened to the others?”“We’re still digging them out of the rubble, but there shouldn’t be any casualties… save for the ones we lost in the attack.”There’s a visible pain in Tsumugi’s eyes that she hides well. Haru doesn’t dare pry. “Oh, I see.”Haru lifts her head off the bed of rocks she was using as a pillow. Looking all around her, the train seems trashed. The roof completely collaps
Corpse March Chapter 34
“Tell me, girl. Do you have a name?”“Courier 6, Shindou Kuroko.”“A pleasure.”“Mhm. And you?”“Student Council Secretary, Gleam. I’ve called you here today because there’s someone I want gone.”Kuroko only nods. Business as usual. “Who?”“A close friend of mine has the potential of becoming a thorn in my side in the near future. I regret to say that our relationship has been strained as of late, and I fear that any further conflict will sever it completely. I know that a letter is not the best way to convey what I feel… but I can’t face her. Not right now. I just… don’t have the courage to.”Gleam hands a folded piece of paper to one of the masked girls, who then hands it to Kuroko. “To whom is this letter addressed to?”“Tsumugi Tsubame.”“Tsubame?”“Yes, yes, that Tsubame.” Gleam’s voice seems exasperated. Which makes sense considering she’s likely had this exact exchange about a million times. “Daughter of God-Queen Hoshi Tsubame, that’s her.” “I see.” “You’re going to need
Corpse March Chapter 35 Utopia
The interior of the jail cell is damp. Kikimi doesn’t even know why, it simply is. Even the bed is ever so slightly wet. No matter how much she tosses and turns, the bed remains just as uninviting as before, maybe even worse because of her sweat. Eventually, she gives up and just decides to lie on the floor. The discomfort of the cold, hard, surface keeps her from slipping into sleep. Good. She can’t let herself sleep. Because when she sleeps, the nightmares come. Images of blood being spilled, echoes of screams silenced, and the names of soldiers reduced to etchings on gravestones, they all drag themselves out from her subconscious and torment her whenever she falls asleep. She doesn’t need a mirror to know that her eyebags have grown deep. A door, a bed, a locked door, and a toilet, these are her only friends here. There’s also a window but she doesn’t consider it a friend. All it gives her is a trickle of light. Just enough to remind her of the outside world that’s just out o
Latest Chapter
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
