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2024-10-29 19:42:56“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 her head on the headrest. Which is what it’s for so of course she does.
“I get what you mean.”Up above, the sky begins to darken and storm clouds begin to roll in. As above, so below. In the distance, Haru barely manages to make them out. An army with veins of lightning.
“Ah. I see your game.” Florence closes his eyes as he leans back in his seat. “Clever, clever.”
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“My name is Tsumugi Tsubame. I’ve arranged for a meeting with one Tsumugi Nanashi.” The juggernauts move aside to reveal the one that Haru assumes is the head honcho. Her armor is bigger than everyone else’s, her helm sports heat exhausts that resemble a wolf’s fangs, and her veins almost seem to pulsate with sheer power.
“It’s nice to finally meet you...” The juggernaut removes her helmet to reveal a pair of red eyes, rosy cheeks, and double braids. “...sister.”
Lightning splits the sky.
“What?” Tsumugi takes a step backwards. “What is the meaning of this?!”
“Relax.” She grins an eerily familiar grin. “Come, come, it’s going to rain soon. We can continue this conversation in my tent. Your assistant, in the meantime” She gestures at Haru. “Will be accommodated by my understudies.”
They split up, with Tsumugi and her apparent “Sister” going over to a nearby tent big enough to house her juggernaut-sized armor and Haru is led to another tent.
“So, first thing’s first, um, I should introduce myself.” Tsumugi, err… the ‘other’ Tsumugi’s armor ‘opens’, its parts segmenting and clicking until there’s enough room for her to squeeze out. “My name is Nanashi Tsumugi, the original daughter of Hoshi Tsubame.”
“But… but how? How is this possible?” There’s a tinge of horror in her voice.
“Oh, I thought it was obvious. You’re a Papilio, modified to be able to age.” Tsumugi makes an expression like ‘duh’. “Our mother couldn’t stand to leave me behind when she started the Neo Magical Academy so she made you, a near perfect replica.”Tsumugi looks down at herself. At this body. At her fabricated genetic code. How much of her is a lie?
“So… I’m you?”
“Yes.”“And you’re me?” “Also yes. Though I am a little older.” Nanashi takes off her gloves and sits down at her desk. “Incidentally, there was another experiment of ours that went missing a while back. Or rather, another experiment that your people took from us but I digress. How is she doing?”It takes a moment for the gears to click into place inside Tsumugi’s mind. “Tsuki?”
“That’s a cute name.”“She died yesterday.”
“Ah, what a shame. Still, she’s the first Papilio ever made with Papilio DNA to last this long so she should take pride in that. Though, I suppose even magitech is not immune to the genetic degradation caused by cloning a clone.” “She was killed, actually.” “...well, I suppose we’ll never learn how long her record actually was.” “What are you even talking about?!”“Hey, relax. All you need to know is that I’m basically your older sister. And as your older sister, I feel compelled to cooperate with you. So,” She claps her hands together. “Make me your offer, why should I lend you the Monarchian army? Or rather, how can I convince my higher ups to lend you the Monarchian army?”
“I offer you all of Takakumo. Or rather, all of the Neo Magical Academy, as you like to call it.”
“Really?” Nanashi nods her head and leans in. “First, you had me interested. But now, you have my attention.”
“You will have complete access to the city for your research. I only ask that you entrust to me the throne of Takakumo itself.”
“So, you’re giving us free reign to conduct our research as we please while you take care of all the maintenance? It’s a very tempting offer, but I must add another stipulation, if you do not mind.”
“What is it?”
“We request that half of all Papilio within Takakumo be returned to their Think-Tank facilities.”“Done.” “Excellent, our agreement is sealed.”“Just like that?”
“I’ll have to check in with the higher ups first but we should be ready to march on Takakumo by the morning.”“Interesting. A lightning strike offense while the enemy’s defenses are weak would work best.”
“I was thinking the same thing.”
The two are surprisingly in sync as they pore over the map of the area. It’s a Monarchian map, of course, so Tsumugi has to mark out where the city is first and how its walls are structured.
“Did you bring troop transports?”
“Of course.”“Good. Circumventing the outer walls should be no problem, then. They’ll be expecting a rag-tag group of stragglers that I’ve managed to round up. I doubt they’ll be expecting armored units of elite Monarchs storming their front door.”
“Excellent, excellent.” Nanashi adjusts her glasses as she looks at a particular spot on the map. “Incidentally, I noticed your assistant’s ax thing.”
“What about it?”
“Does it play?”
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“There is no plan.” Gleam uncrosses her legs.
“Excuse me?” Alpha one shakes her head in disbelief. She looks towards Kuroko, who doesn’t move from her spot.
“Let Tsumugi come.”
Gleam rises from her seat and walks over to her bed. “Now leave me in peace. Tomorrow’s battle will be hard-fought.”
“My Lady, I must object–”
“Do you trust me?” Gleam asks a loaded question.“I…” Alpha one nearly stumbles from the pressure.
“Do you trust me?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good.”
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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 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
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“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 Prologue
In the year 2023, an extraterrestrial object was detected entering Earth’s atmosphere before crash landing in [REDACTED], Japan. In the succeeding week, four adolescent teenage girls from the surrounding area were abducted. Stealth technology of unknown nature hindered the Japanese government’s ability to locate the site of the crash. Search progress was halted for a year and half until locals reported being assisted by entities resembling adolescent females in fantastical sailor uniforms. After a brief search, contact was established between the Japanese government and these entities.These entities have been confirmed to be the four missing adolescents. When questioned, subjects were forthcoming with the nature behind their existence. They claimed to be “normal girls” for most of their lives until they were kidnapped and taken into a building that resembled a school. Later analysis showed that the location of the ‘School’ was consistent with the location of the unidentified crashed
Corpse March Chapter 1
Tsumugi looks up from her manuscript at her captive. She taps a button on her chair, the ambient glow of the Magitech-Dendrites coursing through the walls of this place suddenly flare up with new life. The near blinding light feels comforting, like she’s in an operating room. “‘It is entirely possible that the golden age of the Neo Magical Academy has come to an end’… I’m rather proud of that line. It has a catchiness to it, wouldn’t you agree?” When there’s no response, she gives her a wry smile and adjusts her glasses to begin her analysis. A network of thin lines spread out along her vision. They coalesce into an array of circles, reticules, cubes, and spheres. Each one relays a wealth of information through a system of electric signals that flow directly into her cerebral cortex via an intricate network of magitech-dendrites connected to a matrix of intracranial ports that create a direct path to her brain before unfurling a tapestry of stitched together thoughts. A millisecond
Corpse March Chapter 2
Kagami has a truly delightful expression on her face. It’s filled to the brim with defiance. Which means that she’s finally applied enough pressure to bring that to the surface. She roars in protest against what has already happened as though it will make even a shred of difference. Self-assuredly, Tsumugi taps her glasses again, activating the Magitech-Dendrites. In her mind’s eye, she pictures the vague image of one of her understudies. Automatically, the dendrites release an electric signal. It travels out of the port at the back of her head into a port built into the throne she’s sitting on then upwards along the circuits built into the walls and into a mile-high transmitter. A signal is emitted, one that spans a radius of several hundred kilometers, but is only heard by those with special receivers installed into their brains. There's the familiar buzz of traffic as they relay their positions to each other and decide who's closest. Less than a second after she tapped her glasses,
Corpse March Chapter 3
“Praise Nivosus!” Haru holds back her laughter. Nivosus… What a silly name. She raises her arm in a poor imitation of the Monarchian salute and combines it with a goofily wide grin. “Praise be!” Thankfully, it’s passable for the pair of passing Monarchs so they let her pass unimpeded. Up ahead, she sees the juggernaut carrying the prison on her shoulders. Inside, is a truly beautiful specimen. If Haru closes her eyes, she can almost smell her. Tall, broad shoulders, a slight tan, well built. Goodness, could she imagine a more picture-perfect tomboy? She might even make for a decent gyaru if she dressed her up a little. Overall, 10/10. Like the drums in bebop, she’s just Haru’s tempo. A solid ‘Smash’. She goes over the plan in her head again. Get hired by the Monarchs to work security detail. Checked. Absorb all their secrets. Partially checked. Turn info into money. Not checked. Plan a daring escape. Also not checked. Figure out a way into the Neo Magical Academy. Ehhhh, checkin
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“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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
